'Winging it has served us well': How one band pushed through wildfire loss to unveil its debut album

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Set us as preferred In the beginning of 2025, Taylor Olin had decided she’d seen enough of Echo Park and decided to relocate to a cozy ranch up in Altadena.There, she’d begun to plant her roots in an artistic community, spending most of the last year and some change nestled in with her new flock of bohemian neighbors.It would be the perfect sanctuary for the Something Specials frontwoman, that doubled as a creative space.By the first week of January, she moved her belongings into a rented stationary camper situated on a ranch owner’s sprawling land, that they’d lived on for more than 25 years.

In the shadow of the San Gabriel Mountains, her L.A.chronicle would continue, as dreamed.But within a week of settling down, she’d receive a knock on her door, step out of her home, and see flames burning a nearby hillside.

When she saw the fire she knew to leave, packing as much as she could before making a run for it.“Every successive update we would get from her was just unbelievably surreal,” said Josh Augustin, who plays drums and keys and does production for the band.She didn’t know it yet, but all that was left of her camper was its frame; it’s burned, twisted metal was another casualty of the L.A.wildfires.

For the next couple of weeks, she’d couch surf until ultimately sleeping in her van, waking up early to wait tables at an oyster bar on Sunset Boulevard.“From there, I went back to Florida, and I put on a benefit show for some specific people in Altadena that I wanted to give some funds to,” Olin said.She’d then relocate to Europe and start fresh with aid from a GoFundMe created by a friend.Roughly a year and a half later, she’s still there and has had time to reflect on the experience.“As much as I was directly affected, I really have held the space in my heart for those who have been there for their entire lives,” she said.“My commitment to the community had only been ...