Live Review: So Many Wizards

The Prospector // Long Beach, CA // Dec. 12, 2009

So Many Wizards, the melodic indie rock band from Long Beach, took the stage at the Prospector, a local restaurant, bar and nightclub in Long Beach, to promote their upcoming EP. The band, almost two years old (in February), has clearly made a name for themselves in the Long Beach community. As people start filling up the small club section of the bar, Nima, singer and songwriter for So Many Wizards, proudly promotes the band’s upcoming residency at Silverlake Lounge in Los Angeles, as well as their new Tree EP, which is “hand-crafted, 100 percent one of a kind and made with love” by the band themselves.

With a rocky start and a few re-tries, the band easily slips into their music, an enjoyable blend of guitar-driven melodies and strong vocals. Their live performance is interesting to watch, because the three men completely feed off of the audience’s energy throughout the show. If the crowd is smaller, like it was at the Prospector, then they play a more personal set, which even relies on audience participation during some choruses. Perhaps the most intriguing part of their live show is their long instrumental breaks during songs, which is nonexistent on the EP or on their Myspace. During one of their new songs, “Yellow Hands,” the band started to experiment with the verse after the second chorus. It seemed already written and no one makes a mistake or overplays. It's amazing to watch their songwriting process on stage and at the end of the song, the men look as if they are coming out of a trance as they face the ecstatic audience during the applause.

After the show, the band greeted members of the audience while packing up, and although the turnout was small, they were satisfied with the performance and their new material.

-Sasha Patpatia