I first heard Eastern Conference Champions at the ultra hip Sunset Junction Street Fair several weeks ago, and though the sound quality was poor it did not restrict the size and scope of their sound. I hadn’t realized the kind of the waves the trio from PA was making until I checked out their Myspace page, where I learned that in addition to a month-long Monday night residency at Spaceland here in Los Angeles, ECC has tour dates lined up in Madison, Wisconsin and Chicago. Then I read that their song ‘A Million Miles an Hour’ was featured on the Twilight Eclipse soundtrack, and their cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right’ was featured on an episode of Gossip Girl. I admit, these two pieces of information made me pause briefly; what could one expect from a band who had no problem shedding their record label and self-producing an album whose songs were featured included in such pop culture icons?

 

A lot, actually. I like bands whose attire is neither indicative nor distracting from their music, and ECC is a shining example: if a stranger walked in off of the street, they would have no idea what kind of music the three well-dressed yet nondescript musicans play. Eastern Conference Champions is the kind of band that is comfty cozying up to your ears and heart, their folk-infused melodies just as pure and unapologetic as their distortion rimmed noise rock. The range of styles that the trio spanned was impressive, including everything from grunge and rusted out indie pop to a subtle, sexy rock n’ roll. If Thom Yorke and Bob Dylan started a band, it would sound a little like ECC.

Lead singer and guitar player Josh Ostrander (pictured above) took the reins and never looked back, jump-starting the energy in the crowd with the apparent fan favorite ‘Common Sense’.  Drummer Greg Lyons was absolutely fascinating to watch: not only did he dance on the tenuous tight rope between playing fast and hard and playing too loudly, but he did double duty with both a drum set and various percussion instruments. What was really interesting was that he even struck the drum heads with a maraca and tambourine in addition to the usual drum sticks. Melissa Dougherty played guitar and sang backup vocals, and the sound of two guitars being strummed to within an inch of their lives filled out the bottom of the bass-free sound. The two vocalists’ voices blended well together, Melissa’s light, clear timbre complimenting Josh’s sinewy, reedy sound. It was obvious that the three members respected one another musically: when the guitars’ distortion reached its heady pinnacle, both guitarists stepped out of the way to let the drummer’s sound and presence come forward.

Besides their obvious musical prowess, ECC impressed me with their creative interludes between songs and broad range of styles. This isn’t one of those bands where every song starts to run together after awhile; this is the kind of band whose album can be described as a beautiful collage of sounds. Before the irresistably catchy uptempo pop ballad ‘Bloody Bells’, a loop repeated the strange yet poetic words “Ain’t no such thing as a hip record with just three guys playing”. I had to admire the subtle jab at whoever had intimated such a feeling. ‘Sideways Walking’ featured a male/female duet, Josh inviting a guest female vocalist onstage to add a third voice. He planted a chaste kiss on her cheek before the song swelled into a giant rock anthem with a three-part vocal harmony. ‘Bull in the Wild’ was one of the last songs and perhaps my favorite,  reminding me of the band Maroon 5 started out as and will never be again. It was the only song I heard that featured an electronic drum beat, the grunge/disco/funk tune showcasing ECC‘s easy versatility. There aren’t many groups out there that can dabble in multiple genres and do it well, but Eastern Conference Champions is one of them. They are one of the most exciting and promising bands I have had the pleasure of hearing, and I guarantee that if they continue creating and self-producing themselves, there is no limit to where they can go.

ECC‘s EP Santa Fe is now available for purchase on their website, and their upcoming LP Speak-ahhh is also available for pre-order here. They will be performing free shows at Spaceland in Los Angeles Monday September 20th and Monday September 27th. For more information about Eastern Conference Champions‘ upcoming shows, keep checking back on their Myspace page.