By TAYLOR VAN ARSDALE Special to the Daily Press
It’s rare that I venture out from the serenity that is Santa Monica, but when I do — and then, only with good reason — the last place I’m likely to visit is the seedy, filth-ridden den of hives otherwise known as, Hollywood. Tonight’s good reason is Strata an alternative, power-folk band from Northern California (on tour with “Team Sleep”) fronted by Eric Victorino promoting their second CD, “Strata Presents the End of the World” on Wind-Up Records.
Over pre-show drinks at the Blue Palm, Victorino tells me his last name is Cosby and his band’s name is The Huxtables. He’s attempting to make a joke; and if I hadn’t sat in my car on Sunset Boulevard for almost two hours fighting heinous traffic, I might find him funny. Right now he’s simply sarcastic. With his black and white striped long sleeved shirt, fleur-de-lis neck tattoo and shock of bleached blonde hair he looks more pirate than singer, and his angular features and deep-set eyes suggest he could be the offspring of Viggo Mortensen and Giovanni Ribisi, so I let the sarcasm slide. For a lead singer, he’s surprisingly unassuming. We discuss the melancholy subject matter of the band’s lyrics (think Radiohead) but Victorino’s quick to point out they’re not all doom and gloom. They also write about love, of which Victorino says, in his blog, “There’s nothing wrong with an honest love song — why is it only blonde, pop-tart sluts are singing about love?”
Strata opted for a feminine sounding name because, says Victorino, “We have a heavy edge but we’re not an aggressive band that wants to kick your ass.”
Influenced by Death Cab for Cutie, Bob Dylan and U2, when writing songs, the band adheres to a policy, says Victorino, “I write the screenplay. They write the soundtrack.” Aside from the occasional derisive remark, Victorino’s actually shyly hesitant to discuss his artistic success particularly his published book of poetry, “Coma Therapy”.
Band members (“Strata” also includes: Ryan Hernandez — Guitar, Hrag Chanchanian — Bass, and Adrian Robison — Drums) have been friends since high school and have toured the country several times. Of all the states, Victorino favors New York, the city in particular, saying, “I feel like a cell in an organism.” I’m all for anyone championing my home-town, even though I don’t subscribe to the same “Borg-like” sensation.
When the show starts, I’m summarily blown away. This soft-spoken artiste morphs into a powerhouse performer emitting a wide range of vocal dexterity, and has no problem keeping the audience rapt. Drummer Robison artfully maintains the show’s momentum without ever overpowering the group. Writhing and contorting, it’s Victorino who owns this small stage while belting out the band’s lyrically poetic “Hot/Cold (Darling, Don’t)”, a catchy ballad that begs for another listen; and “Stay Young” which has a pop flavor and is also the track for their video release (available on iTunes). Victorino humbly thanks the crowd for coming out before kicking off the next song in their set all too short set. You can check out Strata at www.stratadirect.com.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 22, 2007. Read the original PDF.