(Photo Credit: Jesse Stowe)
I made the trip to D.C. alone because my photographer picked up a shift at work. At just over two hours going down I 95, it’s not a terrible drive from Philly. Plus, the drive gave me time to listen to A La Sala a couple of times, which I hadn’t done since April.
When the album came out, it was less than a month before my wife and I started our move to our Brookhaven home, and my anxiety level was reaching new heights. While “Pon Pón” and “Hold Me Up (Thank You)” made some playlists, I didn’t remember much about the rest of the album. My head was just not in the right place at that time.
Khruangbin hit my radar in 2020 with the Texas Sun E.P. and Mordechai, their third album, and I recommended them to a couple of Outside Lawn & Garden coworkers, who asked me what they should be listening to.
“Khruangbin,” I said before spelling it out and assuring my coworkers that the band was from Texas. “It’s a mix of bluesy, psychedelia, and funk, but not like classic rock.” I didn’t know what to say, but I felt I was at least in the right direction.
Listening to A La Sala on the way to the D.C. show, I focused on their music. I began hearing other sounds and styles I had never recognized, including a little Reggae. Maybe it was just the toned-back pace or the relaxed and meandering guitar. I cannot even tell you where I heard it; it was just a flash of a moment. However, what mostly came across was a sound that I liken to upper West Coast style, laidback and easygoing, with purpose but allowing time to meander, a “no worries” attitude. Post-Surf Rock? Beach Lounge? Does it matter?
Before the show started, I stood in the pit next to another photographer who had been there the night before. I told him that I was a writer, not a photographer, and nervous about how my pictures would turn out. He said, “They’re easy. They pose and don’t move around a lot.” He finished by saying, “You’ll have fun.”
I didn’t know if that was true. I’m normally focused on the music and how it makes me feel, not trying to capture those feels in images. However, I noticed my anxiety was low.
Then the band came on.
(Photo Credit: Jesse Stowe)
Although my thoughts have been on these photographs since being in the pit for the first three songs, I can say that “vibe” kept popping in my head like thought bubbles.
(Photo Credit: Jesse Stowe)
In April, I wasn’t ready for A La Sala. I recognized that it was a solid album, but at the time, I needed momentum to help me get through my move and the changes to come. Brijean and her sardonic “Workin’ On It” helped. However, on September 24, 2024, at The Anthem on The Wharf in Washington D.C., Khruangbin was exactly what I needed.
From the music to the stage set up to the musicians themselves, the soulful psychedelia fusion funk calmed the deep-seated anxiety that I had been carrying. Like a mushroom trip to re-align the mind, Khruangbin helped to re-align my soul.
(Photo Credit: Jesse Stowe)
I realize how corny that sounds; I’m a writer and should be a little more clever, but sometimes, I have to write what is right. Last night, as I stood in the crowd, thinking about the photos I took, the coastal warning, my drive home, and music in general, I closed my eyes and felt the weight of my worrying burdens wash away.
In my youth, I had to “dance myself clean,” to steal an LCD Soundsystem phrase. Punk, high-energy electronica, and jam band musical journeys let me sweat everything out. Yet I’m older now, and listening to Khruangbin live was like floating in saltwater. The band’s presence and sound were welcoming and calming thoughts as my body released endorphins. I felt at ease, and those feelings continued through this review.
Final Thought: Thank you, Khruangbin. Your music reminded me to remember that good exists in our world. Allowing healthy, positive moments to exist within me gives me the strength to handle the challenges I face.
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