Nestled off the corner of the street in the affluent community of Santa Monica is the intimate playing space of the slightly deceptively named Central Social Aid and Pleasure Club (it’s not a strip club). Boasting a diverse array of acts they present on their stage, it’s a great place to showcase the bands on the verge in the blossoming LA music scene.
This past Tuesday, the dimly lit stage was greeted by the colorful sights and sounds of local four-piece Incan Abraham. Armed with an array of projections of colors, images and patterns flashing across the stage, they brought a visual presence to their already acid-soaked music. The alternating vocal duties of Teddy Cafaro and Giuliano Pizzulo float among the conglomeration of sounds, sometimes threatening to get lost but always emerging from the fog to guide you through.
Nobody there, not even the super hip kids, could resist dancing along to the bright, twinkling synths of “Sunscreen”, or swaying to the dark pulses of “Third Man.” Everyone was having a grand old time with the audience, audibly vocalizing their excitement and encouragement after every song. The acoustics in the tiny space of the Central provide for an all-over physical experience of the music where you can feel Andrew Clinco’s drum beats and Spencer Mandel’s basslines in your chest. It’s disarming, but the surrender is cathartic.
If you happened to miss out on this blissful psychedelic trip, never fear. Incan Abraham is in residency at the Central SAPC every Tuesday in June. And better yet, it’s free. So bring a friend, or two, or ten, and soak up the good vibes. 21+. – Taylor Lampela