Two “Diamonds” shined the brightest, #afterthebreak…
Johnnyswim at The El Rey
Los Angeles, CA
06/03/14
Hot summer night at the El Rey. Have I been here before? Feels quite familiar. For June 11th will mark the third year anniversary of the first time I saw The Civil Wars perform in front of a sell out crowd at the El Rey. Still held as a night that changed my music blogging life when those two romantically infused “lovers” with the most haunting chemistry left me paralyzed in the pit of one of my favorite venues. Deja Vu, Deja Vu almost three years later when Johnnyswim rolled back into town to sell out The El Rey much like their spiritual rivals did. Me, smiling, experiencing similar feelings and thoughts I did three years previous in the crowded hall. Still feels like discovering ‘lightning in a bottle’ buried at the back of your closet.
There is a huge difference between Joy / John Paul & Amanda / Abner. I’ll do my best to avoid making anymore obvious assumptions for the rest of this blurb. Because Johnnyswim have been working too damn hard trying to step out of the indie rock duo shadows into their ever present spotlight. 2014 is built to be a fantastic year for the married duo. Their much anticipated debut LP — ‘Diamonds‘ (Out now!) — has overall received positive marks from the music community. It was our Album of the Week too a short while ago.
Loved the record for its simple execution, telling the combined story of this 8+ year love story of two performers. What I got…and loved…from the El Rey showcase was the stories behind many of the tracks I loved from ‘Diamonds’. Hard not to listen to the record now without thinking about their Paris engagement gone wrong that inspired “Paris in June”; Abner’s viciously deep “Pay Dearly”…which is about his father; Adelina about his mother; or the revenge based-now inspiring “Diamonds”. These stories sounded apart of the show & for us newbies, it really fleshed out their Americana folk characters in the perfect light. They came at the right time. Didn’t feel forced. Just the needed sprinkle of personality that made for a memorable show. Not a fan of showcases where the band doesn’t connect with the audience at least once. Amanda & Abner made it look quite easy.
The rest of the show was wonderfully tender. Abner & Amanda left every bit of performance on stage that night. They caught fire and never looked back. Chalk it up to the hot summer night. The temperature spiked once showtime hit . All we needed was the spark of soaring vocals that made the sold out crowd scream random sounds in the silence. Funny that the romantic back & forth made all the women examine their dates / crushes at least once over the course of the evening. I remember one in front of me make a move towards the guy she’d been eyeing halfway through. Made me smile.
Craziest thing was the gap between Amanda & Abner’s microphones. Talk about a huge space. Had to crop a handful of pictures for a more horizontal layout. Nonetheless, they couldn’t keep their eyes off each other as they sang back & forth…trying to top each other. Which made me feel like they were closer than they were. An unbreakable connection. This night was something they probably dreamed of for a long time. Looking at each in crazy disbelief across the stage repeating, “We sold out The El Rey!” Not an easy task & they did it. Didn’t take them a million years either. They’re joy was unable to hide behind their performers’ expressions. A memorable night that they nor I will never forget.
Life continues to be a endless waltz of musical moments that defines my life. I’m at that step where everything is about to repeat in a very different light & can’t wait for Johnnyswim’s music to be the soundtrack on this part of my journey. Huge thank you to Amanda, Abner, & The El Rey for the amazing showcase and you for reading. Go pick up ‘Diamonds‘. It’s a real gem.
Our pictures, for your consideration, are right below. Was afraid all the heads in front of me were gonna hinder their beauty. Wasn’t the case at all. Showed how crazy the crowd really was at times. They are the best batch I have produced in 2014.
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Set list (not in order):
- Don’t Let it Get You Down
- You & I
- A Million Years
- Trouble
- Adelina
- Over
- Pay Dearly
- Live While We’re Young
- Take The World
- Diamonds
- Home
- Heart Beats
- Paris in June