No sooner will the Culver City live music scene wind down for 2022, it’ll pick up again in 2023. One of the last gigs of this year will see instrumental rockers the Everglades perform at the Cinema Bar. The CCN asked band member Ben Vaughn about what we can expect, and more…
When did you start playing and performing?
We started playing together about four years ago. I’ve known Pete Curry for a long time. He’s a member of Los Straitjackets and I produced several of their albums. He’s their bass player but is also a great drummer and guitar player. We were talking and he said he’d love to play more guitar and I said I’d like to play more drums so we started getting together and learning songs as a duo. It sounded good right away so we brought in Teresa Cowles on bass and started booking gigs. Then Teresa got the bug and wanted to play drums and guitar too! Now we rotate on stage from instrument to instrument. It’s definitely a unique act. Audiences always act surprised and really like it.
Describe your sound/style?We’re an instrumental band but not exclusively a surf band. Our playlist casts a wide net of styles. Even “I’m A Believer” [the Monkees] gets the Everglades treatment.
What are your career highlights so far?
The highlight for the band so far would be the outdoor gigs we did in the desert during the early days of easing off lockdown. Not only was it fun to play in that setting but it also turned out to be therapeutic for the audience. And us!
What recorded music is available?
We’re mainly a live act so we’ve been slow to record or release any of our music but we plan to soon. We have a LOT of songs to choose from.
Have you performed at Cinema Bar before?
We’ve played most of our gigs at the Cinema Bar and it’s always a treat. That place is so perfect for interaction with an audience. They’re right there with you!
What can we expect from the set this time?
The show we have coming up will be great. We haven’t performed in a few months and are raring to go. We only need one rehearsal and we’re back in shape. I don’t want to say the Everglades are like a disease that’s in remission but…
What else do you have coming up?
The future looks great. We have a few gigs in the calendar in the coming months and hope to be in the studio soon. We really love playing this music so any chance to do that is exciting for us.
The Everglades perform at 9 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 30 at the Cinema Bar. Go to thecinemabar.com for more information.
Elsewhere this week
The Culver Hotel will be hosting the likes of Sylvia & the Rhythm Boys and Scotty Bramer. Go to culverhotel.com for more info.
The next concert at Boulevard Music isn’t until Jan. 14, when Jim Curry will present the music of John Denver. Go to boulevardmusic.com for more info.
