At the beginning of February, a press release announcing the formation of new band Admiral Radley was released, beginning with the phrase “The music, the shows, and the press are all secondary. Above all, we are looking for Admiral Radley.” Well, not all of us. On Wednesday night at The Bootleg Theater in Silver Lake, because of the press, I was at a show, looking for the music of Jason Lytle. The ex-Grandaddy front-man seems to grow more forgotten by music fans with each passing year, but I would place him in any discussion of the best songwriters of this generation. While Lytle’s songs benefited from his unique voice and penchant for fun, electronic noise, his lyrics separate him from many of his peers. I have always liked the Wikipedia entry on his music, which succinctly sums up his music as songs about “wildlife, obsolete technology, robots, incompetency and loneliness.” Don’t forget beer and Modesto!

Contributing to Lytle’s fall from favor was his disappearance from the scene after the Grandaddy break-up. But, in the last year Lytle has reemerged with a quite good solo album and vocals on two tracks on the Dark Night of the Soul project (on a side-note, him and the late Mark Linkous always seemed like kindred spirits musically and it was great to hear them collaborate for these two songs). Still, I couldn’t help but be slightly disappointed when walked on stage to begin and Lytle took the spot behind a keyboard, on the right. Earlimart singer Aaron Espinoza took the center position and welcomed the crowd, which led into an opening of full band harmonies and grandeur, with Espinoza singing lead. It seemed as if Lytle was even being underrated in his own band! I admit my prejudice and also admit that despite Earlimart being a local band in L.A, I never really gave them much listening. And as the show continued, you realize that Jason Lytle is a witty and clever guy who can stage banter with the best, but Espinoza’s warmth is suited more for front-man duties, with Lytle cast as the misunderstood genius in the background.

With only a handful of shows under their belt, Admiral Radley had their share of trouble throughout the night, but managed to whet the appetite of the crowd for the still unreleased album. And while the audience could easily dismiss their shortcomings, Lytle was visibly bothered because most of the problems were coming from him. From a microphone that sounded like it wasn’t sound checked to monitors that wouldn’t allow him to hear his own vocals, he sounded flat and thin most of the time, except for of the quieter numbers, like the heartbreaking tune with ”‘I left you because I loved you ” as the refrain. Frustration set in for Lytle and he frequently flubbed lyrics he “was supposed to know”, claiming he sounded like a squeeking mouse when he felt like he was roaring.” And though the crowd never seemed restless, they never were able to get too pumped either, with the night’s biggest reaction coming at the conclusion of the sole number led Ariana Murray, to which Espinoza claimed “saved the show”.

Despite the troubles, there was a lot to get excited for. The tunes were catchy, clever and ranged from party starters to tear-jerkers, many evoking traveling (“I Heart California”, “Burn Down in Chicago”) and even Lytle’s beloved robots (a song mentioning “cardboard hearts and mechanical parts). Lytle and Espinoza traded lead vocal duties throughout and the show included duel projectors showing “home movies they found at a thrift store with AD RAD written on them, seems like a pretty good clue.” I still haven’t the faintest idea what this whole Admiral Radley-finding business is about, but I guess if you just go along with it will hopefully make sense. By the end, it was a rare moment where the crowd didn’t even ask for an encore. Half because it was already 12:30 on a Wednesday, half because it seemed like the guys had already had a tough enough time.

Providing support was local outfit The Henry Clay People. Any band that can pull off homages to Operation Ivy and Big Star in the same set is cool with me, with most of the tunes falling in the party-starter category. But, there were moments, mostly when the band slowed down, that The Henry Clay People appeared that they could be more than just a pretty good local band. Aaron Espinoza provided production for their new album, so we will see what the future holds for these guys, but if you are looking to let loose with a group of guys who seem like they have known each other their whole lives and couldn’t be happier, then look no further.

Photography by Jesse Bloch.

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