During the past three weeks, my list of visited cities and attended live performances has increased tenfold. After leaving Montreal to couchsurf my way around the States, I stopped over to see Holy Fuck, Titus Andronicus, and Thao & The Get Down Stay Down in New York, camped for five days at Bonnaroo, the biggest and best music festival (if Rolling Stone says so, it must be true), where I saw more performances than I have room to name, including BB King, Pearl Jam, Cat Power, Iron & Wine, and many others. I learned to love the stench of Greyhound buses and mastered the art of sleeping in an upright position on my way from Nashville to San Francisco, and downed more greasy quesadillas than is fit for consumption in sunny Los Angeles.

I was at El Rey on July 1st, a trendy LA venue, where We Are Scientists headlined a show on a current tour in support of their recently released Brain Thrust Mastery.

The first openers, The Blood Arm, were introduced as “the fusion of God and Rock!” raising all expectations of the show through the roof. Doing anything and everything in his power to project a rockstar persona, lead singer Nathaniel Fregoso climbed scaffolding near the stage, rolled around the floor, jumped on top of the drum set, and kissed the hands of post-pubescent giddy girls. “I love you,” Nathaniel declared to one teenage hopeful, with those words cementing the idea that easy access to willing groupies may have played a role in his decision to become a musician. Skilled at working the crowd up with his almost crazy antics, Fregoso got off the stage and walked among the common folk, asking them to have a seat on the floor and joining them to perform “Forever Is Strange.” Finally inviting two girls up on stage during the catchy “Suspicious Character”, Fregoso’s high energy histrionics contribute to the popularity of The Blood Arm in the LA area, the band having been nominated for LA Weekly’s Best New Artist in 2004.

Oakland-based My Morning Benders followed with a calmer act, performing a set of intimate pop songs about heartbreak and love, sung by Chris Chu’s innocently confident vocals. My personal favorite (and namesake) “Damnit Anna” showcased a happy fusion of soaring melody with an emphasis on drums, and guitar that recalls The Beatles catchy pop-friendly melodies. With tour dates scheduled through October, the band is riding on the success of their previous tour as openers for The Kooks. They ended the set with a danceable number and made way for the much-anticipated headliners.

As they took the stage, Keith Murray and Chris Cain of We Are Scientists proved that rockstar blood boils in their scientist veins as they pumped up the largely starry-eyed student crowd. Having never seen them live before, I was not aware of the back and forth comedic banter between songs that is characteristic of their sets. At the end of the opening “Ghouls”, Cane announced: “We’re Def Leppard. It’s good to be back in Seattle,” causing the gleeful LA crowd to break out in laughter. Performing favorites like “Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt” and “After Hours”, Murray’s self-assured vocals and aggressive guitar mixed well with Cain’s rumbling base. Backed by local drummer and keyboardist, the sound was a high energy electro/pop/rock mix of catchy beats that riled up the crowd enough to have half a dozen fans jump on stage, and dance and jerk their way around until being escorted away by security. The young crowd was thoroughly impressed.

Going offstage for a “bathroom break” and coming back armed with beers in hand, Cain and Murray announced: “This is our last song. We’re getting in the car literally 25 seconds after the show. We’re not going anywhere, we’re just going to turn on the AC, relax, and sell popsicles.” Armed with their razor sharp sarcasm and penchant for commanding the crowd, these guys are like a modern day Odd Couple that has mastered the art of putting on a vigorous live show.

We Are Scientists have been confirmed as openers for R.E.M during their upcoming tour dates in Germany, Switzerland, and Spain. Check out their website or myspace for more info. You’ll get a little taste of their witty hilarity, too.

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