Material: With all heads bopping and the crowd swaying to the beat, Dane Sandborg’s healing electro-acoustic project, Arroyo Low, delivered an intense 45-minute set covering singles from his new self-titled debut release. Performing for a blended East and West Los Angeles crowd of relaxed, low-key hipsters, the band of five created a vibey soothing sound house, fronting a video backdrop of morphing shapes (provided by Michael Rollins).
Musicianship: The dedicated combination of musical artists made the seamless performance appear easy, between their impeccable timing and communication, use of dynamic time signatures, and overall dedication to the atmospheric soundscape. “Moments” kicked things off in an ambient electrico jam that included dreamy flute notes, with synth sounds and live tenor sax following on “Windsor.” Randal Fisher’s superb tone and intermittent growls delivered a great horn sound, with guest guitarist Alex Siegel adding beautiful decorative voicings to the perfect meld of sound. Followup track “Pathways” brought a fuller drum kit sound, with guitar and flute building on the intensity and inserting sprinkles of chaos, and “Mt. Cedar” added intriguing, dissonant opening notes on keys and a percussive groove over synth samples and cozy bass lines, with a rotation of flute, drumkit, bass and tenor sax solos.
Performance: With a combination of acoustic instrumentation, synth loops, and live mixing—along with an occasional vocal passage—Arroyo Low’s music is refreshing and gently invitational, while also delivering solid musicality. Their latest release, Limousine, brought a heavier-sounding, old-school beat that featured Randal Fisher on soprano sax and Corey Yamashiro on vocals, with backing loops and effects that combined in a ball of joyful, frenetic sound with drumkit swells, horn wails, and a gumbo of synth mixes.
Summary: Following their recent debut at SXSW, Arroyo Low is proving that they are up to the challenge of performing their artistic blend of lo-fi electronica-hip-hop-jazz creations live alongside intricate visual displays that add to the creative flow. With their cool combination of sound, sight, and feel, Arroyo Low provides the perfect loungey backdrop for a night chilling out with your favorite people.
Contact: Shane Greenberg - The Syndicate, [email protected]
Web: arroyolow.com
Players: Cory Yamashiro, keys, vocals; Michael Brenner, guitar; Dane Sandborg, bass, keys; Randal Fisher, horns; Dylan Grombacher, drums
