Photos by Nathan Rifkin
I think I found “The Place That Makes Me Happy.” And Tyke James, lead singer of The Moss, if you’re reading this, it was actually your concert at The Troubadour the night of April 9th. So Mr. Moss, it turns out your song performed in one of the best rock clubs in Los Angeles was the very thing it longed for.
It’s hard to be a fan of the indie-alt-rock scene and not know of The Moss. Currently based out of Salt Lake City, Utah, the band consists of Tyke James (lead vocals and guitarist), Will Fowler (drummer), Caiden Jackson (bassist), and Tyler Harris (guitarist). The four founding members first met in Hawaii, Tyke James’ home state, but began playing together in Salt Lake in 2019. Since then, their reach has grown far larger than the small venues of their origin city.
Maybe it is fitting, then, that their Los Angeles concert took place at The Troubadour. With a capacity of only 500 people, The Troubadour’s intimate setting must have felt like a home away from home for the band. Having gotten used to larger concert halls, I was a bit taken aback by the venue’s smaller size, but the Bruce Springsteen posters lining the walls told me that this was a place where the greats came to play.
The concert started off on a high note with a robust opener from Rec Hall, an indie-alt-rock band from our very own Los Angeles. Surprisingly for an opener, the majority of the fans crowding the room knew their songs, screaming the lyrics “I wanna go on but never get older,” from the verse of their opening song, “Delay.” Rec Hall ended their opener with everyone in the room jumping up and down, singing along to “She Doesn’t Get It.”
The Moss flooded the room with the sound of their electric guitar for their first song, “Chaparral.” Its upbeat tempo made for a perfect introduction as Tyke James took to the mic, singing “Never leave me alone.” The best aspect of the song, however, was when the tempo dialed down and each off beat was enunciated by the electric guitar, creating a groove that had heads bobbing and bodies swaying.
That groove is the core of The Moss’ sound and what makes them so unique as a band. I only realized this after they played one of their unreleased songs, which had a beat reminiscent of Bob Marley’s “Could You Be Loved.” Their ability to incorporate that reggae element into their songs is what marks The Moss’ music as their own.
The highlight of the night was an appearance from Tyke James’ sister, Georgia, who played violin for their most recent release. The violin cut through the mix of guitar, drums, and bass, creating a lilting touch to their music that had everyone in the crowd entranced.
The Moss ended their show to roaring applause and chants for “ten more songs.” While they didn’t play ten more, they did take the stage once more for a three song encore, rounding the night out with a performance of “Dog Valley” and its accompanying call and response of “Can all the dogs say it with me: Bark, bark, woof.”
Listen to The Moss here:
