If ever there has been a week when my brain and ears aren’t quite ready to think about live music in Tacoma and Olympia, this is it. As I write this opening paragraph, I’m sitting in the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, waiting for my flight home from SXSW and eagerly anticipating the cushy acceptance of my own bed. I’m also trying desperately to shake the ear ringing that has plagued me for days now. For lack of a better term, I may be suffering from live music burnout.



However, a band like Electric Children won’t let me wallow for long. Up from Echo Park, Calif., and planning a stop at Le Voyeur in Olympia Thursday, March 27, Electric Children have been inspired by things that inspire me, and their grungy, garage blues should be exactly the type of vibrations that rejuvenate my spirits and get me back on the live music track.



Of all the guitar pedals in the entire world, one of my all-time favorites is the “Big Muff.” Not only is the pedal’s name appealing to my permanently adolescent mind, but Mudhoney’s famed Superfuzz Bigmuff record is one of the cornerstones of my collection. Mark Arm and Steve Turner’s utilization of the Big Muff guitar pedal is legendary, and the warm, distorted sound the Big Muff provides has gone on to define the definitively grunge band’s sound. For this reason alone, I will always love the Big Muff.

While the Electric Children aren’t Mudhoney, make no mistake, the band does tout many of  he same gifts for riffs and rhythms that have made Mudhoney so popular —and thus influential.  The list of bands that credit Mudhoney as an inspiration is endless, but Electric Children is one of the more exciting ones.



The story of Electric Children starts with Ramblin’ Eddie Lopez in the summer of 2006. Lopez had previously played rhythm guitar for Vaporeux and the Tarpaulins, and had visions of creating a band molded by the blues but powered by the same ferocity as his heroes — the aforementioned Mudhoney, along with bands like Blue Cheer, the Scientist, Billy Childish and the Stooges. After recruiting his ass off, an official lineup was settled upon in ’07. Drummer Albert Avina, bassist Lionel Perez, second vocalist Laura Ann Wight, lead guitarist Krist Siordia and guitarist Eddie Monrov made Electric Children complete.



“The first time I picked up the guitar I knew for a fact I didn’t want to play 30-minute solos. Steve (Turner) once said ‘I don’t really admire skill.’ Words to live by,” says Lopez.



“It’s impossible to predict the future, but I know for a fact we’re going to release one record per year for the next 20 years. Mudhoney, Sonic Youth, and Billy Childish are still around and just like those great bands we could care less what the lame stream is playing. We refuse to wave the flag for any one genre or scene, which is why we’ll survive. The plan is to rehearse, record, tour, and take a holiday, a break in a continuous cycle.”



Lofty goals, for sure, especially from a band that’s still putting the finishing touches on not one but three recorded efforts. The debut Electric Children single, “Goodbye,” is set to be released March 25. The band’s debut EP, We Are … Electric Children, should be available in May. And that’s not to mention a 20-song, self described “rock opera” called Fantasy Land, which Lopez and Company plan to drop in September.



“The problem is we’re working on three records at once. Some people say it’s commercial suicide, (but) all those people have no vision and, of course, don’t play in bands,” says Lopez.



“Fantasy Land will have orchestration, lots of harmonies, and will expose the pharmaceutical, meat, and military industry for the frauds that they are among the many topics and themes. It’s the kind of record people will be able to relate to 50 years from now.”



While, especially considering Lopez’s grand visions, Thursday’s show at Le Voyeur probably won’t be your last chance to see California’s Electric Children, it will probably be your first. It’s always good to get in on the ground floor. Twenty years from now Electric Children may still be going strong, or they may have faded into obscurity, but one thing’s certain. At this time and point in history, they’re producing some cream-of-the-crop rock. It’s rock that would make Mudhoney proud, and rock you’ll be kicking yourself if you miss.



[Le Voyeur, Electric Children, Mystechs, Digital Lov, March 27, 10 p.m., no cover, 404 Fourth Ave E., Olympia, 360.943.5710]