Mike Chouinard

Review and photos by Hannah Rohret.

Vancouver Island artist, Ora Cogan, took the stage just after 10pm Thursday night at Oakland’s Thee Stork Club after a performance by San Francisco Bay Area-based Asha Wells, whose intimate set drew concert-goers in close as they sat at the foot of the stage. Completely engrossed in the moment, some closed their eyes as they let Wells’ silky smooth alternative indie folk tunes carrythem off to a presumably delightful and meditative space.

Amidst Thee Stork Club’s hip and cozy, multi-room, 1970s house party vibe scene, a friendly, mellow crowd flocked to Cogan’s irresistibly dreamy vocals as she and her four bandmates took the stage to close out the night. The psychedelic, warped guitar sounds, red lights and velvety backdrop filled the long-time local establishment with an added air of mystique and serenity as Wells and bandmates opened their set.

Ora Cogan captivated audience members not only with her vocals but strong instrumental capabilities as well, playing both guitar and fiddle on stage. As stated ever-so-perfectly on Cogan’s website (where you can also download and enjoy Cogan’s outstanding new album, Formless), her “smoky, psychedelic approach to gothic country and hazy folk merges with post-punk, groove, psych rock, and traditional balladry.” Cogan was exactly that and did not disappoint fans as her layered, rolling and emotionally evocative ballads gave one the feeling of floating freely on a vast, breezy desert highway. 

“When I first came to town, They called me the roving jewel; Now they’ve changed their tune, They call me Katy Cruel.” Cogan closed the show with this haunting, beautiful, several hundred-year-old traditional folk song of Scottish and Irish descent, Katie Cruel, leaving the crowd in awe and clearly wanting more from this stunning vocalist. Cogan’s thoughtful artistry is not to be missed.

Review by Mia Call, photo courtesy of Amelia Zehnder.

Few feelings are better than a homecoming. For touring bands, this translates into amazing hometown shows: think the Who at University of Leeds, The Replacements playing grungy Minnesota house parties, or more recently, Chicano Batman in LA. On Friday, December 8th, I was lucky enough to catch one of my favorite local bands for their triumphant return to the bay at the Regency Ballroom, supporting legendary lofi-punk rocker Jeff Rosenstock, along with Australian singer songwriter Georgia Maq. 

The East Bay based indie group Small Crush, fronted by Logan Hammon, has been selling out local venues like 924 Gilman since 2019. The Regency is by far the largest stage I’ve seen them on. After signing with local label Asian Man Records, they released a stellar self-titled debut that was my favorite record of 2018: Hammon’s gorgeous vocals and tongue-in-cheek lyrics fit fantastically alongside danceable riffs. After a pause over the pandemic, the band came back stronger than ever with 2023’s Penelope, after which they left for tour with Rosenstock, leaving their East Bay fans enough time to memorize all the songs before their anticipated return. 

At the Regency Ballroom, the floor was surprisingly crowded for the opener of a 3 artist lineup. Before a Small Crush took the stage, some preteens dressed in Small Crush merch excitedly discussed what tracks they hoped to play. I was reminded of my first time seeing small crush almost 5 years ago, when I was 14 and fell in love with the group’s songs in my first mosh-pit. The band, though always fronted by Hammon, has changed forms through the years: at the Regency, it featured guitarist Jackson Felton, bassist Joey Chavez, and Allen Moreno on drums. The mosh pit started almost immediately, when Hammon kicked off the set with “All I Need,” a bombastic and adorable love song that alternates between slow and fast, capturing the sweet catchy indie-pop jangle that fans went crazy for.

After proclaiming how happy the band was to be back in the bay, the group launched into “Home,” a pandemic single which describes a love that feels like home. She seemed to be feeling the love from her hometown too, as the energy of the mosh pit didn’t let up for one second. When the band began the fast-paced “Five,” reminiscing on childhood with fantastic guitar riffs from Felton, a circle pit opened up, and returned for fan favorite “tummy rumbling,” recently reworked on Penelope as “rumbling tummy.” The group finished their set with the back to back songs “signal dreams” and “chicken noodle,” both older songs which I’ve seen live dozens of times, and I wasn’t the only one. When Hammon’s Muffs’ tinged vocals kick in (she has cited Kimberly Shattuck as a big inspiration), most everyone in the mosh pit shouted along: “Chicken noodle on my shirt / all my shoes are filled with dirt.” The raw, relatable lyrics that drew me to Small Crush in highschool still resonated 4 years later, even as the band has changed and grown. 

As the lights came up, I overheard the middle school fans gushing about the performance, as well as middle aged Jeff Rosenstock fans who noted “Dude, that was sick.” I was glad to see that the band that first enchanted me and got me interested in local music and going to local shows at DIY venues was speaking to an even broader audience at the Regency. Small Crush’s charm and undeniably talented musicianship and songwriting keep garnering a bigger and bigger audience. I only hope they’ll keep the East Bay as their home.