Every winter, downtown’s Pershing Square becomes a makeshift ice rink. People come to get their skate on, drink some hot chocolate, and rock out to live music. Weekends are saved for more conventional pop, but Thursday nights are scheduled by Spaceland, and last night saw a performance by the decidedly unconventional — and awesome — Shirley Rolls.

If Indie Rock Ice Skating was ever something that needed to happen, the Rolls were the perfect soundtrack. On a stage facing the rink, they tore through a set of their enthusiastic, garage-y punk. However, they use their full line-up (2 guitars, bass, drums, and keys) to transcend the limitations of those genres. The core of their songs are always simple (and simply titled — one was concisely called “Drunk”). They typically follow a catchy, verse-chorus pattern. But the lead guitar bent the music in a different direction, and the snaking bass lines made everything kind of angular. Add the heavy-handed organ, and now I’m at a loss as to how what the hell these dudes are doing — which is a good thing.

Like more and more L.A. bands these days, Shirley Rolls are east-side all stars. The members herald from The Monolators, The Voyeurs, I Make This Sound, and Flying Tourbillon Orchestra to name a few, which might be why each person separately owned the stage. They were individual shows in themselves: the singer’s natural presence at the mic, as if he’d been born there; the bass player’s stumble-y swagger; the drummer’s sprawling, manic attack. I knew they were unlike most other things I’ve heard lately just by listening, but seeing them live brought the songs to life, as if they were good actors in a play I’d only read.

I’m not sure how the families on the rink reacted, but the devoted crowd in front of the stage were inspired. Many of us hit the ice when Shirley Rolls finished, which I think is a compliment.

B. Soika
www.loudvine.com