Band ReviewLOMITAriyl: billy idol, big star, mogwaiwords: franklin morris / photography: dániel perlaky

A lot of Austin bands aim to blend country and rock, but none go about it quite the way Lomita does – that is to say with washed out guitars and layers and layers of shoegazer synthesizers and feedback, all echoing a decidedly vintage ambience.
The band constructs songs in a way that ignores, and sometimes breaks, traditional genre. Hints of indie rock like Slowdive and Sonic Youth, the 1970s style pop rock of Big Star, and the country-rock of yesteryear flood listeners’ eardrums all at once, making Lomita a most intriguing listen. Though the band has only been together for a year, their unique approach to genre and sound has turned heads and garnered attention from local publications, industry, and fans alike.


“Jonas gave me Big Star’s Third/Sister Lovers, and I gave him Gram Parsons and The Byrds,” is guitarist/vocalist Ricky Sowan’s explanation of the record swap that lead to the band’s founding. “We don’t sound like any other band in town,” Sowan continues, “and I can say that with confidence.” And of course, he could not be more correct. (What bands do you know that boast Gram Parsons and PJ Harvey as influences?).
Though songwriting credits are primarily divided between guitarsists Jonas Wilson and Ricky Sowan, the band is wholly composed of incredible players, drawing its membership from My Violent Life, Slow Motion Picture, Boothill Graveyard, and the seminal Texas band, Lift To Experience. Borrowing their name from a sign in Jonas’s backyard for “The Lomita Opry House,” the band started playing out last year and was immediately embraced by a strong community of fellow local acts such as Brothers And Sisters, The Arm, and Ghostland Observatory. “All the bands we know and hang out with all are completely different yet we help each other out in every way we can.”
This young band already has one record under their belt – 2005’s Stress Echo (re-released with bonus materials in August 2006 on Indierect Records) – and another currently in production at Jonas Wilson’s Martindale, TX recording studio. The band asserts the old record is “completely different than the new one” and cites “listening to completely different stuff” as the primary reason for the shift. But while the new record is still in production, a live recording is expected to be released by late 2006 on Austin’s Indierect records to provide a bridge between the two CDs.
For now, experiencing the band’s live show is the only immediate consolation for eager fans. When asked what people should expect when seeing Lomita in concert, the band answers confidently: “Good songs, good players, and enormous sound.”

information: Band Website / Band Myspace