The Red Robot, Oma Yang & History(invades)

Under new ownership and with a more expressive grasp of what it means to nurture a burgeoning underground music scene, Serendipity Coffee House in Redding, CA, hosted what should be the first of many higher profile shows in the city last Tuesday. And though one of the headlining acts, Fight Like Flight, had to cancel, the buzz about the show was clearly evident amidst the flurry of cameras and camcorders present in the packed house, not to mention the token 15-year-old Redding female populace feverishly anticipating the evening’s two local bands, History(invades) and The Red Robot.
While History(invades) took the stage, an eerie silence was bestowed upon the crowd, only to be thwarted in the next few seconds by vocalist/guitarist Paul Harper’s sonic feedback manipulations. Somewhere around this time, the group ripped into “It’s All Over” from their recent self-titled disc. Surprisingly, the acoustics in the room proved generous as the band’s subtle aggression lulled the audience into a virtual trance, specifically on a few newer songs that they performed. Bassist Mikey Williams’ presence in the group amplified their performance exponentially and rounded out what was a very good set by the locals. This is certainly a band that you should check out if they come your way.
Oma Yang soon established occupancy on stage, sans microphones, and pelted the crowd with elaborate instrumentation and downright fabulous musicianship. The four-piece’s pseudo-Sonic Youth chord progressions and noisy pop epics culminated into what would prove to be the most enchanting and ominous set of the evening, leaving some wondering what they had just seen. What they should have seen was a highly talented Oakland, California-based group who clearly are forging their own paths in the underground rock community. Still, it seemed that for casual show-goers, the band may have been a bit of a hard pill to swallow.
The saga continued for the night’s last band, conquerors of Redding and all-around esteemed contributors to the success and execution of the area’s rock ‘n’ roll, The Red Robot. Of course, any critiquing of mine on this group could be sullied by the fact that I am acquainted with each member of the group by some means — nevertheless, I always agree to be openly honest regarding their performances. Before the show, vocalist Mat Calderon could be seen sipping Alka-Seltzer Cold medicine due to an illness, and thusly, the band was to incorporate various audience members to participate in the singing of Calderon’s vocal parts. What resulted was a restrained energy and a departure from the balls-out aesthetic of the group’s previous shows. While this was definitely something new, there was no denying that when the band played tunes like “The Holy Moment” or “1-2-3” they implored the crowd to snap out of the indifferent façade that had been the story of the night and helped catapult the show into frantic proportions. The group’s newest tune, untitled and not surprisingly the capper of their set, is pure proof that when this group truly puts their collective inputs into a song, great things can happen.
– Ryan Prado
– Photos by Matt Henderson

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