Magna - Dreamed Or Dreamt

Out of all of the amazing music experiences I've had in the past couple years this was possibly one of the coolest and most unique. It all started on last.fm. Since I was living in an area with a decent music scene, Los Angeles, I wanted to go to at least one or two concerts a month. However, December was barren. I then found the Magna show at the C.I.A. in North Hollywood. Once the day came I started to doubt whether I should or shouldn't go since it was raining (I only had my bike and public transportation). But I thought, "screw it, I should go." I took the Red Line up to North Hollywood and biked the rest of the way. It wasn't far but it was far enough to be soaken wet when I arrived.

I arrived early, like usual, so I ended up standing outside underneath a live canopy. Two guys join me in an attempt to hide from the rain as well. I asked them, "so, what band are you here for?" They reply, "we're actually one of the bands!" Of course, I thought of this scenario in my head when I asked the question, I didn't think it'd actually happen. It was slightly embarrassing. Then they mentioned they were Magna. "OOOH, I'm here to see you!!" This surprised them. They're not that well-known, so someone riding their bike in the rain just to see them play probably seemed a bit unexpected. Well, they express their situation... C.I.A. double-booked thus pushing them out of the concert lineup. So, they're relocating to the guitarist's living room in Pasadena... twenty miles away. Thankfully they had a friend willing to give me a ride.

As we arrived I couldn't help but think about how cool it is to see a band play in such an intimate setting. Only seven people (including myself) showed up, and I was the only one that wasn't tied to the band through prior friendship. Morgan had to take his snare off and use soft sticks and everyone had to lower their amps to keep the noise levels down, since it is a residential area. But it was a perfect level, in my opinion. As they played I just couldn't get over the fact that they're right there... so close... Clay (bassist) was sitting on the couch, Ryan (guitarist) was leaning on the door frame, Dan (guitarist) was in front of the window, and Morgan was where the coffee table would have been. There was no feeling of being rushed for the next band as they would have normally been at the C.I.A. (they were scheduled to be the opening band). Magna was the headliner in this intimate show.

I've seen God Is An Astronaut, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Caspian, Mogwai, MONO... but to be honest, this experience is still at the top of my favourites along with The Corny's rehearsal.

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(The last.fm page is shared with a Pennsylvanian electronic artist. The albums this Magna has produced are Echo Location and Magna EP. Magna EP is a free download. Echo Location can be purchased on iTunes.)