In Riverside, a lauded R&B revivalist turns his attention to Chicano ‘souldies’

The song itself sounds timeless, as if a record collector had plucked a 45 from a stall at the Pasadena Flea Market. I wrote something on the way over.’” Rowland hit play, and on the spot Benavides broke into a pure doo-wop falsetto to sing the hook: “Time, time, time, ticking away.” Not long after, Roth, who wears his hair shaggy and has a horseshoe mustache straight out of a 1970s discotheque, pitched Los Yesterdays the idea of joining forces with guitarist Brenneck to become a quartet and taking the song to Roth’s studio, which he had named Penrose, for a session. Songs such as the L.A.-born the Altons’ “When You Go,” East L.A. outfit Thee Sinseers’ hypnotic “Seems Like” and San Diego band Thee Sacred Souls’ “Weak for Your Love” express its sentiments with pitch-perfect clarity. While he was out of town, I moved all his furniture out, ran a snake down there and moved in baffles and organs — basically built a studio from scratch.” A week and a half later when they were finished, “the band left town, I broke it all down and put his furniture back.” The producer loved the results: “It was a rough place, but it sounded so good.” Comparing it to the classic Atlantic Records soul and jazz sessions of the 1950s and ’60s, Roth said the tone “had this big-studio, open, warm sound. “And it’s a scene that’s enjoying a renaissance in the last bunch of years.” Citing the popularity of Durand Jones & the Indications and Miami-based Jason Joshua, Roth added, “This is where they’re selling places out.” Thee Sinseers’ belter Joey Quinones, in particular, has built a loyal fanbase, as evidenced by the 2.5 million YouTube views for his 2019 record “Don’t Tell Me.” “It’s a Chicano experience,” said Benevides.