Incredible Strings and Songs

By Michael Simmons

Winter Flowers are Los Angeles' incredible string sextet of the 21st century. They've traveled back through time, absorbed the baroque beauty of Celtic folk and blended it with a wallop of rock to keep the dance floor shakin'. Primary songwriter Gavin Toler sings his symmetrical gems in gorgeous harmony with the frontline of Christof Certik and Astrid Quay. Golden Animals are new to me, and I'm a convert. Comprised of Tommy Eisner on lead vocals and electric guitar and Linda Beecroft on drums and background vocals, the Joshua Tree duo are one of the finest young bands to emerge in eons (and this crank doesn't say that easily or often). They have elements of Chicago blues and hard psychedelic rock, but what startles is Eisner's powerful baritone pipes, which alternately croon and growl. The songs are paeans to romance and wanderlust, and, between singer and song, the little girls will understand, I guarantee ya.