LOS ANGELES – The Brothers Becker promoted their new album, “Becker” with a record release night at The Roxy. Their SWMRS fanbase was ready to celebrate the new lineup, as Cade Becker joined brothers Cole and Max in the outfit.
The band gave a blistering performance, the mosh pit exploded almost immediately, then their song about Miley Cyrus had fans raising the arms and swaying to the music.
The brothers had the crowd mesmerized and ready to show their devotion. During the middle of the set, the brothers asked the crowd to kneel and leap in joy. When Cole Becker signaled that a mosh pit was needed, the crowd obliged. The song “Lose It” had a lovely moment where everyone turned on their phone flashlights and The Roxy turned off the floor lights.
Though this was a record release for “Becker,” the band’s setlist focused on their 2016 release “Drive North” and 2019 release “Berkeley’s On Fire.” The crowd had fun singing the lyrics to “Palm Trees” with the band. The crowd sang along with unusual enthusiasm to the encore song “Drive North” that has the lyrics “I hate Los Angeles” on repeat.
The three Becker brothers entertained the crowd with leaps and jumps throughout the set. Cole Becker towards the end took some giant leaps around the stage and ended the moment laying on his back to get his breath back.
An interview with Cole, Max, and Cade Becker:
What message are you hoping your fans come away with after listening to your latest album “Becker?”
Cole: I think it’s more than a message, we want people to experience a feeling. I believe that a good piece of music can transport you to a nirvana-like state. It can alter your chemistry, give you momentum, and make you feel like you’re a part of something bigger than yourself. We made this album in search of that feeling, and I hope “Becker” will remind people of the magical qualities they love about music.
Max: We want people to know that the making of “Becker” was filled with tremendous amounts of joy, and we hope that the more joy you put into making music, the more joy listeners will feel.
Cade: Entering this new chapter as a family means a lot to us, and we’re hoping it resonates with our fans and friends who’ve been with us for the long haul. We have a new energy about us and I hope it spreads to our fans and keeps them as excited as we are for what’s to come.
You spent the month of November touring across Europe. How was the experience? Any fun tour stories to share? Travel mishaps?
Cole: I actually booked most of the tour myself, which added this air of uncertainty leading up to it. Ultimately, that made all of the shows feel even more special. One venue in the Netherlands burned down a week before we were set to play. Cade’s original flight turned around mid-air and he almost didn’t make it to our first show. The London show almost didn’t happen because the venue’s power went out after sound check. Doors were held from 7 pm to 8:30 and people were about to go home, but then suddenly the power came back and the show went on. The whole tour I kept thinking, ‘What a fuckin ride!!!’ All this crazy stuff came up that heightened the drama, but made the shows that much more cathartic when they finally happened. Because it was so hard to pull it all off, we were so much more aware of how incredible the experience was.
Cade: There is a certain airline I don’t care to be on again . . . but sadly, Max books the flights so I may not have a choice.
Max: That is correct! This was the most successful tour we’ve done since pre-pandemic, and the Europeans certainly did not let a global lockdown make them forget how to throw down in a mosh pit. The experience was pure magic. How many people get to write songs, travel around the world, and hear people from different countries screaming their lyrics back at them? As far as I’m concerned, that’s living the dream right there. Oh, and Prague was hilarious! The venue insisted we try the ‘amazing’ Mexican food next door. Honestly, for Prague, it wasn’t half bad, but probably going to stick with goulash and pilsner next time.
You’re now a three-brother band. How was the decision made to bring Cade into the band?
Cole: For a band to work really well, you need the members to be all-in . . . ride or die for the group. It’s hard to find that kind of dedication, and Cade is fully committed. Beyond that, he’s a really dynamic collaborator. He has great ideas that are different from Max’s and mine, and he’s been instrumental in helping us chart a new course as a band.
Max: It was one of the easiest and best decisions we’ve ever made! Traveling as a family is not only insanely practical for a band our size, but it’s also incredibly rewarding! Making memories with your family is what life is all about!
Cade: It was actually our dad who joked about it first. They needed a new member and I was always quietly interested but didn’t know how to play an instrument. I brought up our dad’s idea to Max and they immediately had me start learning the ‘D’You Have A Car?’ bass line on my mini acoustic guitar. The transition felt natural. Now they have to listen to my ideas about the band!
Opening up the night was Long Beach’s Soft Palms and Bakersfield’s The Hate Drugs. One has to notice the small comparison details sometimes. When The Roxy curtains opened up for Soft Palms, they had a guitar case lying on the floor next to the drum stage. A suitcase was open, filled with personal items and various music gear. One would have to say that the wife and husband team (and founders of Happy Sundays Long Beach) of Julia Kugel-Montoya and Scott Montoya were a touch disorderly on stage.
When the curtains rose for The Hate Drugs, one saw an amazingly orderly situation. Throughout their punk performance, the band kept it that way. When a guitar frame stand was kicked over during a song, it was immediately put back in place. A water bottle tipped over and the next moment when one looked over, the water bottle was back in place. Did members of the band grow up with parents (or current significant others) telling them that “cleanliness is next to godliness?”
Soft Palms had the early crowd dancing to their spacey dream pop. The cowbell to the song “Baddy” rang alongside Kugel-Montoya’s innocent vocals. Throughout the set, Kugel-Montoya danced in rhythm to the drum beats set by her husband. The band plays with a cheerfulness that is unmatched in the Los Angeles (and Long Beach) music scene.
The Hate Drugs’ lead singer David Caploe flew around the stage, which was the reason why various items on stage got temporarily misplaced. Their song RUSSIAN ROULETTE – A.D. MMXXIV is about that feeling of being in a band for ten years. Caploe mentioned to the audience, “Every show is our favorite show!”
T-shirt noticed in the audience: Girls Invented Punk Rock Not England.
SWMRS Setlist: Hannah, Harry Dean, Brb, RYDER, Miley, D’you have a car?, Hellboy, Too Much Coffee, Emo Kids, Lose Lose Lose, Trashbag Baby, High Waisted Shorts (Emily’s Army), Lose It, Figuring It Out, Palm Trees, California Wintertime, Berkeley’s On Fire, Drive North.
Soft Palms setlist: Rainbows, Bone Dry, Dog Bone, Baddy, Say What You Mean, Pretty dancer, In Plain Sight, Wedding, Radio.
The Hate Drugs setlist: Afterimage, INDIFFERENCE, Unfair, OSCURA 3, More Than I Said, MAGICIAN’s SECRET, RUSSIAN ROULETTE – A.D. MMXXIV, On My Own, IF ONLY, Oh Well (I Still Dream of You).
