Keith Slettedahl with guests Leighton Day and R...

From the venue:

Event Description

Keith Slettedahl, founding member of LA’s beloved power pop band, The 88 will be joined by his band for a special show in the Music Room of Smith’s Olde Bar on Saturday Aug. 17, 2024.Once described by KCRW’s Nic Harcourt as “what The Kinks would sound like if they grew up in the (San Fernando) valley,” The 88 enjoyed critical acclaim and a loyal fanbase for their infectious songs and Slettedahl’s distinct vocal style.  Ironically, the comparison to The Kinks would prove prescient when the band was chosen by Kinks founder Ray Davies to tour as his backing band from 2010-2012 and recorded with Davies during that time. Other notable live collaborations include performing with Elvis Costello, Elliott Smith, Black Francis (of Pixies), Flaming Lips, The Zombies, Smashing Pumpkins and The B-52’s.  Slettedahl and The 88 recorded 7 studio albums, 2 EPs, and at one point were signed to Island Records.  They frequently had songs featured in film and television. Most notably the band’s original “As Least It Was Here” was selected as the theme song for the long running TV series, Community by the show’s creators.  Keith’s music has been placed in countless films, commercials, and TV shows and the band was sought out by filmmaker Jennifer Westfeldt to compose songs for her 2011 film, Friends With Kids, starring Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Adam Scott and Maya Rudolph.  Since Slettedahl relocated to Georgia with his Atlanta born wife in 2017, he has focused on solo material, releasing the EP The First Time in 2017 followed by his first full length album You Know You Know in late 2020.   Keith is now supported by a new band, which is made up of local friends and musicians Alvin Lingenfelter on bass, Ben Karp on guitar, and Ashley Mendel on drums. When the guys expressed an interest in Slettedahl’s original material, the opportunity to play these songs with a band was attractive.   ”Absolutely nothing can substitute for the feeling of playing live music with a band,” he said.  “The fact that these guys, who are all great players, wanted to put in the time to learn these songs and play them is really gratifying.  I’m excited to play them live.” Fans can also expect a few favorites from The 88 and, as always, a few surprises.