On Wednesday, May the 23rd I made my way over to the Tenants of the Trees, located in between Los Feliz and Atwater Village. The venue’s location drew in a nice blend of music lovers who were guest listed into this APAHM (Asian Pacific American Heritage month) showcase. I was not made aware of this exclusivity until I saw a bit of frustration on a patron’s face as they tried to make their way in with a group of friends without an invite. Once inside you could see why one would try so hard to get in. I was met with a dimly lit cocktail bar, a spacious patio/smoking area, small dancefloor with a secluded in-house DJ, and an even more intimate performance space.
SEE TENANTS OF THE TREES WEBSITE
The first act, Koibito (Korean-American), an ethereal two piece out of Long Beach put on the showcase with help from Moon Room, and with their help, were my ticket into the venue. Abbey, the mask-wearing member of the group whom recently joined the beat crew Grn+Gld, focuses on utilizing her array of drum pads and sequencers to create the dreamscape that envelopes the duos out of body sound. Esther, the guitar-wielding and flute playing mage then echoes the percussion and slowly ventures out into the void drawing in members of the audience seated and standing around the stage. Their tunes such as Couplestuff arrive with an airy lightness that is soon drawn into a darker realm of transformative sound which allows the audience to begin their journey. We found ourselves in an interlude of thought which grew more impactful as the set continued. The performance was complemented by the liquid light show put on by Stranger Liquids who only worked his magic for their set alone. Check out some of his work with Koibito in the past here.
LISTEN TO KOIBITO ON BANDCAMP
FOLLOW KOIBITO ON INSTAGRAM
FOLLOW STRANGER LIQUIDS ON INSTAGRAM
Next up was Kelleia (Korean-American), a solo artist signed to Unspeakable Records. She drew out intimacy in the crowd with her blend of soulful tones and an electronic R&B rhythm that got our bodies moving. Her time working with other LA producers like Auralponic and Dot show with her command of a tabletop controller which she navigated without losing focus of the crowd. Her allure was not only heard but seen with her sultry movements on stage, strong yet not overbearing to the point where we lost focus while listening to a song she wrote for her mother this past Mother’s Day. Other similar acts such as Minibear and Polartropica were also in attendance drawing inspiration and supporting their solo artist companion.
SEE KELLEIA’S WEBSITE
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Third up was Kohinoorgasm (Desi), Josephine Shetty a self-proclaimed anti-imperialist pop fairy whose witty banter and social views were made apparent before every other song she played. One such song was inspired by a dream she had of a misogyny-free club and how she said it came out of her anxiousness around men as a proud queer woman. She continued with her observation of the higher education racket that forces today’s youth into a lifelong struggle with a debt they will spend most their lives working to pay off, which had the crowd cheering on as they saw this for truth. The performance was accompanied by two female dancers who brought out the Desi Bollywood vibe and were soon met by a track sung in the Desi native tongue which surprisingly still brought forward an infectious groove. Clearly motivated to use her music to inspire others to act I see Kohinoorgasm as a powerful driving force in the music community for progress.
LISTEN TO KOHINOORGASM ON BANDCAMP
FOLLOW KOHINOORGASM ON INSTAGRAM
Lastly on stage was Gingee (Filipino-American), and I was not ready for the fact that all the equipment on stage was for a solo act. Set in front of her and drawing the most attention was the Kulintang, a percussion board composed on a row of small suspended gongs, “it’s a traditional instrument I play untraditionally…” as she put it. Her blend of electronic synths, poetic lyricism and traditional sounds are made to communicate a celebratory narrative that the entire showcase was built on. Her empowering stance and versatility with multiple percussive instruments in her solo performance was a nice note to finish the event with.
SEE GINGEE WORLD’S WEBSITE
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With the live performances now complete, the crowd of artists and fans alike dispersed to the patio or to listen in and dance with DJ La Flaca Lee, who played in between set changes. The turnout was full of positive and forward thinking personality’s that sold me on the space and will have me out to hear what these walls will house for sound in the future. I hope to hear more from these artists and maybe next year you too will take in some of what Asian Pacific Heritage month has to offer in and around the greater Los Angeles area.
