Java.JAN.2019-Singles

Palo Brea
Another Phoenix band that explores the confluence
of polarity is Palo Brea. In the group’s rehearsal
space near downtown Phoenix, Daniel Byers spins
silk magic from his keyboard and Laura Berens is
crooning a vocal warm-up as she checks the levels on
her PA system. She shrugs and offers an untroubled,
“I don’t know,” once she gets her levels dialed to
where she wants them. Owen Ma’s fingers roll
through his warm-ups, which consist mostly (and
hilariously) of playing the theme to Seinfeld, and
Connor Sample is telling an anecdote about someone
who told him to “beat the hell out of those things –
this is a rock show,” referring to his drums.
Byers and Berens have been making music together
in Tempe and Phoenix since 2014. I first had the
pleasure of hearing the pair play in 2015 at a house
show in Tempe as part of the pop-soul band Blacktop
Chalk. The band was made up of four ambitious
undergraduates, all remarkably proficient in their
respective crafts. Just as today, Berens led the band
on vocals and Byers was behind the keyboard. Their
sound was playful and intimate, full of consideration
and emotion. Audience members couldn’t help but
become entranced, smile, and break into dance. To
put it simply, people fell for the group when they
played. That reaction hasn’t changed at all when
listeners come across Palo Brea.
Photo: Cody Simpson
After graduating from ASU, Berens and Byers stepped
away from their independent project to work as cover
musicians at various lounges and restaurants in the
Phoenix area. “It was mostly just pop tunes,” says
Byers. “You know, top-forty songs; playing ‘Piano
Man’ for tips. Things like that. It sounds funny, but it
was fun, too.” The duo took the gigs out of necessity
more than anything. “Basically, we just needed the
money,” Byers says, laughing. While the lounge gigs
might have paid the bills, it’s evident that they also
helped build the duo’s technical proficiencies. Berens’
voice is stronger than ever, and Byers is simply a
wonder to witness on the keyboard.
During their time as lounge musicians, Byers and
Berens met bassist Owen Ma and drummer Connor
Sample, and the four of them formed Palo Brea. With
the right pieces finally in place, Palo Brea has brought
their music to new creative heights. Berens and Byers
couldn’t be happier to be back performing with a
band and working on original music. “It’s the freedom
of improvisation and being able to talk with the band.
It allows us to create original music that speaks
collectively,” Berens explains.
At the end of 2018, the band released their first EP,
Palo Brea. They consider it to be a departure from
and a marker of their former selves. From what they
were before their release, the band seems more
cohesive and willing to enter new spaces with group
confidence. Their communication structure is sublime.
Each member takes cues and advice from the others,
and each offers advice in return when needed. Byers’
Photo: Corey Johnson
demeanor is perhaps the most apt to describe the
band’s: fun, but ever-focused.
Palo Brea’s music is a mixture of pop, soul, and jazz,
among other genres. “Crafty jazz-pop,” says Berens
with a laugh; she credits Holly Pyle (House of Stairs)
for the description. But their music continues to
grow in so many new directions. At their rehearsal,
I was lucky enough to hear some of the band’s new
material. A hip-hop beat paired with an infectious
synth hook slid into new territory, via a prolonged
hold on the synth-pad that dovetailed into the
caressing arms of psychedelia before landing in fastpaced
electronica.
Palo Brea’s music is honest and raw. Byers’
musicianship drives placid, graceful moments into
wondrous, ebullient climaxes. Sample and Ma are an
ever-present support system. Berens’ voice is at all
times tenacious, confident, and familiar, with a full
spectrum of angst and triumph. Flow comes naturally
to the quartet, and beauty and truth are well within
their purview. They each know how to support, fill
gaps, and let the other members breathe, and, of
course, they are all marvelous soloists. The band
members wrap in and out of each other with ease
and familiarity. Their rehearsals are full of laughter
and joy, and yet their sound exhibits a maturity that
suggests years of serious study and living.
Both Palo Brea and The Maya Spectra are examples
of what happens when hard work meets stable roots
and a desire to seek out the unknown. Look for shows
from both of these bands in the new year.