Seraphina Lotkhamnga on March 28th, 2012

1

“Do you love burgers as much as we do?” asked Kyle Thomas, aka King Tuff, after going head-first into a few garage-rock numbers full of psychedelic licks. It might sound like a funny question to ask during a concert, but they were playing Burgerama, after all. Put on by Fullerton-based label Burger Records, the Observatory in Orange County hosted an all-star lineup at the festival on Saturday. Featuring acts such as OFF!, Wavves, Ty Segall, the Strange Boys, White Fence, FIDLAR on the main stage and bands such as the Lovely Bad Things, Dirt Dress and Pangea in the Constellation Room, it was an all-ages affair  – and, boy, did every age turn up.

A few observations made from the Observatory:

Orthodontists should be proud: I probably directly ran in to four groups of teenagers still sporting their braces, but I’m sure I could have counted at least 20 kids who were throwing up the devil horns and shouting lyrics to OFF! songs through their metal mouths.

Best stage antics: We know by now that FIDLAR is an acronym for F*ck It Dog Life’s a Risk, so it wasn’t much of surprise to see that FIDLAR was really the first band to truly get the mosh pit started. Zac Carper even threw himself in to the music as he fell to the ground, writhing on his back while still playing guitar and continued playing with his feet over his head.

Best bass lines: Tim Presley plays psychedelic grooves in Darker My Love, and sometimes Southern-tinged rock with Austin’s the Strange Boys, but his new project White Fence is an idiosyncratic take on British Invasion music. While he meticulously handled his guitar solos, his bass player Joe Steinbrick managed to steal the spotlight a few times.

Number of drinks I was able to bring myself to purchase:  One – $9 for a small amount of Jameson on the rocks. Ouch.

Best moshing spectacle: Ty Segall is a wild man. By the time his set rolled around, the mosh pit had spread throughout the entire floor level and he wasn’t about to miss out on any of the fun by being on stage. Segall not only dove into the crowd twice (diving with his back toward the crowd the first time), but before ending with “Cesar,” he asked the audience to help him out. After throwing out his microphone stand and guitar out into the sea of sweaty teenagers, he finished the set by floating in the midst of his fans.

Catch them while they’re young: OFF!’s Keith Morris detoured into a political rant, declaring that “Neither side is cool” – even though probably half of the people at the venue weren’t old enough to vote yet.

And more Keith, because there’s always more Keith: When he’s screaming his lyrics for OFF!, Keith Morris is a dread-wearing punk to the very core, but when the music stops he always has some sage advice, because, well, he’s secretly a guy with a big heart. After announcing their upcoming show at Whisky on May 8, which will also serve as the record release party for OFF!’s self-titled debut, Morris metamorphosed into tour guide, advising everybody where to park on the Sunset Strip (the 9000 building across from the Roxy) to save time and money.

Best discovery: Costa Mesa’s the Abigails have been around for a little while since Warren Thomas (of the Growlers) decided to start a side project, but little did I know that Thomas was such an eccentric frontman. With spastic moves and a gritty croon that could echo Johnny Cash, the Abigails’ fusion of twangy country, rock and folk was a refreshingly intimate experience.

Biggest surprise of the night: The Audacity’s set turned into a full-on collaboration on stage when their song “Mode” featured special guests Ty Segall and members of Pangea.