Cali Rock band Cali will be performing at the Westwood
Brewing Company in Westwood Village on Sunday.
By Anthony Bromberg
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Overhead, a professional skateboarder sails higher and higher
into the majestic blue sky on a bright, sunny day as he cleanly
maneuvers a 360 kick flip.
Close by, the sound of waves crashing upon the sand resonates
through the salty sea air as surfers carve their way up and down
the beach. And the crowd is loving it. Every second sees the
audience members grow more rampant with elation. At the center of
it all, driving the very pulse of energy through the event is a
rock ‘n’ roll band.
Maybe it sounds too good to be true, and maybe it is, but for
the members of the Los Angeles-based band Cali, it’s the
fantasy concert they hope to make a reality.
“Our ideal show would be a skate expo at an outdoor place
like Huntington Beach with lots of energy,” said Chris
Callahan, the band’s rhythm guitarist, in a conference call
interview.
The band’s current reality, however, consists of doing
time on the Los Angeles club scene and building its audience from
the ground up. This includes making an attempt to penetrate the
music-loving college audience, and specifically UCLA students, with
an upcoming performance at Westwood Brewing Co. Cali’s
members feel the student community is a group that would appreciate
their style of music.
“I had a great time playing in college,” Callahan
said.
The group consists of Callahan, Mike Johnson on drums, J.D.
Manheart taking lead guitar and vocal responsibilities, and Lance
Woodruff on bass. They cite their direct musical influences as acts
that include Sublime, 311 and the Police. Their sound includes the
guitar that might be expected from a Southern California rock band,
but one of the things they say distinguishes them is their talented
rhythm section and their ability, like Stuart Copeland of the
Police, to keep the drive of the songs varied.
“A lot of our songs go heavy and hard, but then they have
a melody and kind of back off,” Callahan said.
Cali writes all of its own material, with Manheart and Johnson
at the helm. The writing process comes naturally to them, seeming
to stem from the musical chemistry the band is excited to share
with each other.
“It’s kind of easy actually, because (he) and I
click like that,” Johnson said. “We just make it flow
really. Every song is a contrast of itself.”
Callahan recalled an instance when he came into band practice
late, after work, and the other members were working out a song.
Right away he says he realized how amazing the song was,
illustrating the group’s writing talent.
He cited another instance when Cali was getting ready to play at
the Whiskey on Sunset Strip, and the group decided to open the show
with a week-old song. The brand new opener went off without a
hitch.
As a small band, Cali relies on its performances at the live
shows like the Whiskey gig to build an audience. With its diversely
inspired sound and original material, Cali provides high energy
music that will get people hooked.
“The music’s a little more complex than your average
original band, and a lot of that’s due to Mike and J.D.
writing the material,” Callahan said.
Pride in its music is an important component of the group,
according to Johnson.
“It’s all about our own stuff,” he said.
“We just want people out to see the music, that’s the
big thing. Normally, the live show has people wanting the
CD.”
The live show has proven to be a successful marketing tool, as
Cali has sold out of the pressings of the first CD it put
together.
The band is now working on material for a second album, which
will account for most of the songs played in upcoming shows. About
half of the material has been played live before.
The band is trying to make a real push now as its live shows
continue to be popular. Every time Cali plays, they’re
guaranteed to see an enthusiastic crowd of at least 50-100 people.
Cali is doing its own bookings and concentrating on keeping up the
momentum, which is so preciously gained on the independent music
scene.
The diversely influenced band that formed two years ago is
optimistic about the future and willing to work to help people
discover its work.
“I have a hard time classifying our music, but then I give
people the CD and they come back with a positive response,”
Callahan said. “It speaks for itself.”
MUSIC: Cali will play Sunday at the Westwood
Brewing Company on Glendon.