It was about a year ago around this time that I first heard the songs of Gardens & Villa.  Reminiscent tones of 80s synth, infused with classical psych elements and a touch of flute, G&V is able to captivate their listeners by combining familiar trendy beats with the chill vibe of so-cal surf culture.  Recently, I had the honor of meeting the lead singer Chris Lynch.  His soft spoken nature and subtle demeanor only served to exemplify his mysterious creativity as he discussed to me his influences for the song Carrizo Plain.  I took the opportunity to shoot their concert at The Independent in San Fransisco.

The original band members (Chris Lynch, Adam Rasmussen, Levi Hayden, Shane McKilop) lived on Villa Avenue in Santa Barbara.  During the early days of the band, they decided to turn their undesired weed-infested yard into a vegetable garden.  At least that’s what I hear about the origins of the band name.

But it was something more that made them stand out from the typical rock band in the indie scene.

What is it to die?
But to crumble in the sunshine
Naked in the wind
Let the earth reclaim
all that’s mine

You and I are intertwined…

Artists create what they draw upon in their experiences.  Yeah, many musicians travel and are able to combine such great poetic words of feelings and emotion with rhythmic patterns and flashy performances.  But certain musicians stand out as they are able to relate to the listener with common themes (ex. love, sadness, jealousy etc.) and skew their perceptions by means of lyrical and instrumental splendor, uniquely altering presumptuous emotions relating to said themes and providing something different.  An alternate universe of sorts.  The idea in your head when you listen and think to yourself “Oh yeah!  I totally get this!  This is really awesome!”

Realize I am the sculptor
The one who brings the bodies to life
I’ve searched for a victim for a hundred thousand miles
and I’ll carve her in the stone of lime
to the rhythm of space and time

Premiering a sequel to the band’s 2011 self titled album, the sold out show featured their new album Dunes.  While the album is a continuation of their uniquely punchy beats and soft overtones, that night’s performance of their new work quickly drew the attention of the audience as the band transformed the stage into a lively time machine.  As a bonus they even played a cover of Fleetwood Mac‘s Gypsy!

From the retro tones of the synthesizer to the backdrop of flute play, their music is like a fusion between The Psychedelic Furs and Gary Numan, pitched with an element of Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver.  This is just my opinion though, you will have to listen for yourself.

These guys are only going to get bigger.  This is one band you’ll probably hear more of some day if not soon.  Until then, G&V is scheduled to continue their tour into Europe, together with the band Broken Bells.

Via Secretly Canadian

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