Ooh-la-la, it’s Allah-Las Live From Apogee Studio.
Ooh-la-la, it’s Allah-Las Live From Apogee Studio.
Video directed by Angie Scarpa, all photos by Michael Quintero.

Allah-Las: KCRW Live from Apogee Studio

Intimate performances, fresh sounds, and candid conversations with a view.

Written by Marion Hodges

Formed in 2008 by a group of garage rock-obsessed Amoeba Music employees, LA’s Allah-Las have since cemented their place as foreman of the city’s robust psych scene. From the jump, we’ve been all-in on the addictive nature of their shambolic, guitar-forward charms and deadpan vocals, and in 2011 it was not at all uncommon to encounter spins of their earliest singles, the Nick Waterhouse-produced “Catamaran” b/w “Long Journey.” By the time their self-titled debut album followed in 2012, they’d built a sense of intrigue around their live shows, provocative band name, and associations with the likes of Waterhouse and the then-burgeoning record label Innovative Leisure.

More: Nick Waterhouse: KCRW Live From Apogee Studio (2019)



Over the course of five albums, and a brief detour to Brooklyn indie rock record label Mexican Summer, Allah-Las have deepened their sun-kissed SoCal-garage sound and ascended to elder statesmen of the LA rock scene. Their 2023 LP, Zuma 85, marks the band’s return to Innovative Leisure (by way of the band’s own recently-launched imprint Calico Discos) and a more expansive, exploratory sound than anything they’d ever tried before, thanks to a renewed sense of experimentation post-COVID. Their shaggy guitar stylings and off-kilter humor still abound (see album highlight “Jelly”), while simultaneously incorporating farther-flung influences like the yearning of Roxy Music and the synth-leaning sounds of Krautrock. 

More: Allah-Las: KCRW Live From The Basement (MBE, 2014)

Get the all killer, no filler version of the goods as Allah-Las — Miles Michaud (vocals, guitar),Pedrum Siadatian (lead guitar, vocals), Spencer Dunham (bass, vocals), Matt Correia (percussion, vocals), Tim Hill (slide guitar, keyboard) — take to Bob Clearmountain’s Apogee Studio for a KCRW live set of Zuma 85 cuts, including the aforementioned “Jelly.” Plus, the title track, “Sky Club,” “Right On Time,” and “The Stuff.”

More: Explore KCRW Live From sessions

This KCRW Live From session was recorded and mixed by Bob Clearmountain at Apogee Studio. Learn more at Apogeedigital.com



Credits:

KCRW Music Director: Anne Litt
Director/Editor/colorist: Angie Scarpa
Director of Photography: Vice Cooler
Camera Operators: Vice Cooler, Dalton Blanco, Angie Scarpa
KCRW Engineer: Nick Lampone
Executive Producer: Ariana Morgenstern
Producers: Anna Chang and Liv Surnow
Digital Producer: Marion Hodges
Digital Editorial Manager: Andrea Domanick
Art Director: Evan Solano

More from KCRW

Film critic Alonso Duralde recommends holiday movies: “See You Next Christmas,” “Better Watch Out, “1985,” and “Christmas, Again.”

from Press Play with Madeleine Brand

For 25 years, race car enthusiasts have had a place to legally test the limits of their machines: the Irwindale Speedway. Now that space will be no more.

from KCRW Features

Critics review the latest film releases: “Mufasa,” “The Room Next Door,” “The Brutalist,” and “Nickel Boys.”

from Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Rose Levy Beranbaum preaches the glory of cake.

from Good Food

We got a great throwback for you today: Earlier this year, just around their tenth anniversary, Canadian band Alvvays celebrated the release of their self-titled debut album that…

from Today's Top Tune

"Just Jazz" with LeRoy Downs. Downs' goal is to bring a varied sonic experience to jazz, while blending music, style, and culture.

from LeRoy Downs