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There's a moment at every LESLIE PEREIRA & THE LAZY HEROES show that almost defines the band. It's not even always during the same song, but the fans know it's coming and they wait for it. Leslie's just finished one of her trademark swooping vocal lines – crooning might be the proper word – almost literally sweetened by the harmonies of percussionist (and wife) Paula Vazquez. Suddenly she freezes, standing stock upright, hands off of her Telecaster, and she lets the rhythm section cook. That's a smart move: drummer Jeff Page and bassist Rob Lontok are LA aces and it's no wonder that session and top tier tribute bands keep them busy when they're not being Lazy Heroes for the love of it. Suddenly Page lets fly with a machine gun fill and Pereira starts pogoing as if her life depended on it while laying into the strings of her guitar... the sound that hits the audience is born of the noble stabbing single-coil angular lineage that leads from Link Wray to Gang of Four and on to Sleater-Kinney, but the melodies are coated with straight-up Buddy Holly sugar.
It's punk but it's gleeful. It's pop but it's visceral. It's rock and roll. Even when passionately bashing out the most anguished of their tunes, the band radiates the simple joy of performing, and chemistry to spare. That shouldn't be a surprise: Pereira, Vazquezand Page are all veterans of the late '90's LA power pop outfit It's Me Margaret. IMM never properly folded but rather evolved into The Lazy Heroes as a vehicle for Pereira's punk rock roots, but they've never been one-dimensional: the punk is in the approach. They jam econo, as their sonic forefathers the minutemen would have it, and that's evident on their debut album Fight For Now, produced with live-in-the-studio immediacy by the legendary Earle Mankey (The Three O'Clock, 20/20, Concrete Blonde, The Runaways and more). The intricate grooves of the title track and the aptly titled “Sweet Sweet Summer” shine through in all their unadorned glory. “Fly Like a Bird” and “Push It” do just what the titles say with soaring and punchy aplomb respectively, and in “Lucky Like You” the band has a set-closing anthem for the ages.
It's punk but it's gleeful. It's pop but it's visceral. It's rock and roll. Even when passionately bashing out the most anguished of their tunes, the band radiates the simple joy of performing, and chemistry to spare. That shouldn't be a surprise: Pereira, Vazquezand Page are all veterans of the late '90's LA power pop outfit It's Me Margaret. IMM never properly folded but rather evolved into The Lazy Heroes as a vehicle for Pereira's punk rock roots, but they've never been one-dimensional: the punk is in the approach. They jam econo, as their sonic forefathers the minutemen would have it, and that's evident on their debut album Fight For Now, produced with live-in-the-studio immediacy by the legendary Earle Mankey (The Three O'Clock, 20/20, Concrete Blonde, The Runaways and more). The intricate grooves of the title track and the aptly titled “Sweet Sweet Summer” shine through in all their unadorned glory. “Fly Like a Bird” and “Push It” do just what the titles say with soaring and punchy aplomb respectively, and in “Lucky Like You” the band has a set-closing anthem for the ages.