Reggae fans congregated at DiPiazzas on Thursday to see local bands perform like they were already huge rockstars.
That 70’s Bush were the first to take the stage. Dressed in grunge-like attire tie-dye shirts, their appearance was similar to ’90s band, Blind Melon. Travis King (vocals) kicked off the night by introducing their songs as “some tasty jams.” The first few songs performed were rooted in reggae, but as their set went on, their tracks became heavier and leaned more toward a grunge-like sound. King mentioned how their band had only been playing for a few months. Despite their recent inception, their songs were catchy and enjoyable.
Most bands focused their sound on reggae and surrounding subgenres, but Brewfish seemed the most prominent of the night with their infusion of reggae roots, contemporary rock and Alex Kay’s (vocalist/guitarist) effective use of his voice. The three-piece band immediately drew a crowd toward the stage with Kay’s infectious personality. Brewfish played an eclectic set, ranging from fast-paced tracks that got a few people skanking, to slow, standard reggae beats that emphasized Andrew Valero’s (bass) catchy bass licks. Their overall set was entertaining, and the band’s faster-paced tracks like “Insomnia” were the most memorable.
Hailing from Sacramento, Simple Creation took the stage with a Bob Marley flag decorating their keyboards. Not straying from reggae, the band mixed hip-hop into their sound. Unlike most band lineups, Travis Olmos (vocals/drummer) was not up in front of the stage, but behind his set of drums. Olmos and Joey Steeb’s (bass) were the highlight of their performance with the funky beats they played off one another. The overall performance fell short due to the band’s lack of diversity in sound, making a handful of their songs redundant.
Originally, High Tides were scheduled to perform next, but due to the band missing their cue at eight, Sonovero, the original headliners, took the stage earlier than intended. Word had spread among the venue and fans began to congregate by the stage, despite the sudden change of set times.
Sonovero gained a strong following in the Long Beach area after the band’s recent success at the Shoreline Jam in September. Shoreline Jam was a reggae music festival that featured artists like Iration and Pepper. Sonovero were able to perform for a larger and more diverse crowd than previous gigs. It’s likely that through the band gained a larger fan base after this festival.
Sonovero’s Ollie Kaminskas (guitar), Cal State Long Beach student, realizes that they were fortunate for being presented with that opportunity.
“It’s a long road to the top. Every gig we play gets bigger and bigger,” Kaminskas said. “We got lucky with that gig. Anything is possible. We literally went from jamming in my living room to playing onstage with thousands of people in the audience.”
The eight-piece band kicked off their set with an instrumental track that immediately got the crowd grooving to their contemporary reggae roots. The band’s use of keys, percussion and saxophone helped expand their sound more than most bands.
Eric Hirschhorn (saxophone) solos were a highlight of Sonovero’s set. They made the audience cheer in delight. Charlie Ueda’s (vocals) interaction and enthusiasm toward the crowd was infectious throughout the night. Midway through the band’s set, Ueda invited friends onstage to freestyle, which further illustrated the band’s vivacious energy. Despite being relatively new, Sonovero performed like a band with years of experience under their belts.
After Sonovero, High Tides took the stage for a short set due to their missed timeslot. By their set time, the crowd had drastically diminished, but that did not affect the band from bringing their all to the stage. Kennedy Peneueta-Peapea (vocals) was charismatic and kept the small crowd entertained with his humor. The two trombonists and saxophonists were the most diverse horn section of the night, which seemed promising. However, they disappointed when the horn section was hardly an emphasis throughout songs.
The turnout was relatively small compared other local shows, but those who attended definitely enjoyed the contemporary reggae mix local bands brought to DiPiazzas. For a list of upcoming events at DiPiazzas, visit DiPiazzas.com.
