ECHO PARK, CA- Is it just me, or does it feel like 2017 is gonna be a year when music is defined by the resurgence of female fronted bands? It’s only April, and I have seen tons of killer new bands with women front and center. I’ve got another band to add to that list: Ramonda Hammer.
We featured their video for “Zombie Sweater” last month, and once I added their debut EP, “Whatever That Means”, to one of my playlists, it was tough not to fast forward other songs to get to theirs (My personal favorite track is “Chaotic”). When they invited me to check out their set opening for Slothrust at The Echo, I jumped at the opportunity.
When the band took the stage, you could see the look of excitement in their eyes. Playing to a sold-out room will do that to a new band. They didn’t waste the opportunity, and they played with a focused energy, each player giving it their all, with the hopes of earning some new fans. I’m pretty sure they did.
Devin Davis, the self-proclaimed “tyrant” of the band, is a truly unique voice. I’m sure the comparisons have been made before, but she’s got a stylized tone that’s part Gwen Stefani and part Courtney Love. She can sing with a demure coyness or scream like she’s howling for her life, and it projects terrifically from the stage.
Her band mates are nothing to sneeze at either. The bassist and guitarist (Justin Geter and Andy Hengel respectively) were so full of life, dancing with their instruments onstage, that it was hard for me not to spend more time than normal focused on them trying to capture some rad moments on stage (side note: Next time, I’m going to stand in front of Justin). They were playing with a new drummer (Mark Edwards), but you wouldn’t have been able to notice that he was a newbie since it didn’t seem like he missed a single beat.
But at the end of the day, it really is Devin who commands the stage, and brings it all together. It’s not only her voice and the songs that she sings, but it’s also the aura that she emanates. In my opinion, the band’s sound is rooted in the grunge sonics of the early 90s, and Devin just seems to embody that whole eras attitude. Look … I hardly know the gal, but you’ve either got it or you don’t, and that attitude just seems to radiate from her… though the plaid skirt and plain white t-shirt probably had a subconscious effect on me.
Ramonda Hammer is currently in the process of recording their next project, and all I can say is that I’m eager to hear what they’ve been working on. You should be too.
Follow Ramonda Hammer on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
LIVE CLIPS
Ramonda Hammer @ The Echo 3/23/17. Stay tuned for my photo gallery and thoughts to get posted on @BlurredCulture! pic.twitter.com/3QF7DkNAiH
— Derrick K. Lee (@methodman13) April 3, 2017
Ramonda Hammer @ The Echo 3/23/17. Stay tuned for my photo gallery and thoughts to get posted on @BlurredCulture! pic.twitter.com/b8zwn4hzE7
— Derrick K. Lee (@methodman13) April 3, 2017
