Taking the idea of a ‘house band’ to a whole new level is the band Whale Tooth, which provides the diegetic or source music heard at the ‘Lux Motel on The L.A. Complex.
The Toronto-based band describes their music as dance/pop/rock, which probably characterizes just about any other band heard on The CW, but unlike most of the other bands whose music is used to fill a montage or set the mood for a scene, Whale Tooth‘s presence is different.
Whale Tooth Creates More Than The Soundtrack
The show uses the band like another character, which works to further develop the peripheral world of The L.A Complex. Their music wasn’t just added in post production for the sake of the viewers. Instead, the members of the band ‘live’ in the fictional motel complex and provide the soundtrack for the seemingly nightly parties or the daytime ambiance for their neighbors, which mostly consist of out-of-work actors and other Hollywood hopefuls of the sorts.
Considering their perpetual presence at The ‘Lux, its fair to say that the fictional incarnation of Whale Tooth probably doesn’t book too many gigs of their own. Perhaps more than anyone else in the motel, they epitomize the warped homeostasis that Los Angeles creates.
Everyone living at The ‘Lux is stuck in this limbo – unable to quit on a dream while simultaneously failing to succeed. But they remain there because they love what they do. And this seems most obvious with Whale Tooth. Their only listeners may be their neighbors, but they still get to perform for an audience and that seems to be enough of a reason to keep playing.
However, in season two you’ll notice that another Canadian band, The Rural Alberta Advantage, has since moved into The ‘Lux. Apparently there is only room for one house band. So whatever happened to the fictional Whale Tooth, do you think they signed a record deal and are making a name for themselves or simply packed it up and moved on? I’d like to believe that they’re still doing what they love (and getting paid for it), but as we all know, in the world of The L.A. Complex, dreams are generally out of reach.
As for the real Whale Tooth and The Rural Alberta Advantage, well I hope they find their audience. Each week I tune into The L.A. Complex, not just to see what’s going on with Conner, Nick, Abby, and Raquel but also to hear what what’s playing at The ‘Lux.
