Yeah Yeah Yeahs at The Hollywood Bowl 10/6/2022

Karen O of Yeah Yeah Yeahs at Hollywood Bowl 10/6/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

After working the return of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in beautiful Golden Gate Park in the heart of my beloved city of San Francisco then spending time with friends and family in the days that followed, I impromptly hit the road back down to SoCal. It had been eight years since their last album and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' September 30th release Cool it Down, was still hot off the press when I got word the night before their  show at the Hollywood Bowl that there was a chance I'd get in. So on October 6th I packed up, said bye bye to SF and headed to LA. 

It had been nearly five years since I last saw Yeah Yeah Yeahs live: they played a limited number of shows in 2017 including a night at The Fox Theater in Oakland over Halloween weekend.

Rocktober is the time of year they like to treat theur hungry fans with sweet little tours apparently!

Yeah Yeah Yeahs at Hollywood Bowl 10/6/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

I got to the Hollywood Bowl just as doors were opening. Throngs of people swarmed the surrounding streets as they made their way to the outdoor amphithear like bees to a hive. It was my first time seeing a show at the Hollywood Bowl and I quickly learned that parking is not a fun task there. 

Since they only offer paid stacked parking I opted to for paid parking outside of the venue to avoid being stuck at the end of the night. My co-worker friends both got stuck in traffic trying to find parking. which resulted in us missing both opening acts but without a moment to spare, we all walked in together as the house went dark for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs!

We found a spot to watch situated behind the sound board as the crowd's excitment audiably grew with each rythmic thud of the kick drum. It could have been a number of any of their songs gearing up and as the beat went on, Karen O introduced thousands of adoring fans to the band, "We're the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and we're back!" giving way to the first single off of their new album "Spitting Off the Edge of the World" with special surprise guest Micheal Alden Hadreas of Perfume Genius. 

 

She shed her big, floppy, technicolored hat and matching cloak after the first song and the rest of the night the stylish songstress showed off the pink silk gloves featured in all of the press photos for their two 2022 shows. 

Karen O of Yeah Yeah Yeahs at Hollywood Bowl 10/6/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

The end of each song brought a new wave of excitement for the next.

With a smile splashed across her face and interminted awkward giggles while she sang, Karen O tiredlessly yet effortlessly worked the stage and engaged the crowd, even getting into crowd at one point causing a dancing frenzy as she passed. Her and drummer Brian and guitarist/keyboardist Nick were back in their element. All of this magnified the shared happiness of all the other fans being there seeing the Yeah Yeah Yeahs  again. 

Karen O of Yeah Yeah Yeahs at Hollywood Bowl 10/6/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

As they weaved songs from 2003's Fever To Tell  "Cheated Hearts" and "Pin" with songs from 2022's Cool It Down "Burning" there was something distinctly different from the times I'd seen the Yeah Yeah Yeahs before. Karen O was more or less an instant lady in rock icon when the Yeah Yeah Yeahs hit the scene. She dressed the part. She acted the part. And with her grunts, growls and screaming vocals she sounded the part.

That night at the Hollywood Bowl she sounded great, perfect even. Yet, as I waited for her to go full on punk, especially on some of their older stuff,  I realized that time probably wasn't going to come. As heard through out their new album, Karen O's singin style has become what we heard from her on the Where the Wild Things Are soundtrack. Poised. Polished. Passionate. Karen O's singing style is grown up and that's what she brings to the stage now. At one point she talked along the lines of learning who you are, finding your voice and being comfortable with it and that's what LA saw that night. How magical is that? There was couple songs were she ebbed and flowed between edgy and polished which was actually quite fun to hear.
And she's still got antics.
She didn't deep throat her mic or chug champange from the bottle then spew it in the air but there was some microphone love going on, some water spewed into the air  and a purple sparkly covered her head for half a song. 

Karen O of Yeah Yeah Yeahs at Hollywood Bowl 10/6/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

As the end of the set neared it was as if everyone in the place got more and more excited, probably because bands typically save their most popular material for the end of the show. They had already played a few of my favorites: "Pin", "Zero" and one of my new faves, "Fleez". Sure enough after two back to back new songs the rest of the show was Yeah Yeah Yeahs classics. The intros to those last four songs were long and drawn out making the moment, that moment last just a little longer. "Maps" might have taken the cake for the longest intro with Brian and Nick teasing us with licks and riffs from one of their biggest, if not the biggest, hits of theirs. 

It was around this time that Karen O pointed out the fact that all three bands on the bill that night: The Linda Lindas, Japanese Breakfast and Yeah Yeah Yeahs all have Asian or Asian-American frontwoman. Her message was delivered with such love and vigor, then met with a roar of applause that I am getting chills typing about it. It was definitely somehting I noticed when the show was annouced and thought, "that's cool" but it's bigger than that. It's actually a huge deal, one many of us probably don't think about, realize or really understand. Heck one of my co-worker friends had no idea Karen O is Asian until that moment. Then after what felt like forever "Maps" song started and people were singing so loud I couldn't even hear the band. Before I knew it "Heads Will Roll" was playing and confetti was flying. Everyone that I could see in the crowd had a smile on their face. 

Yeah Yeah Yeahs at Hollywood Bowl 10/6/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

I have been a fan of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs since their first album, Fever To Tell came out in 2003 and as far back as I can remember, Karen O has been an icon since hitting the scene. That show that night was her shining moment. Yeah Yeah Yeahs brought The Linda Lindas and Japanese Breakfast back out on stage for the first of their two encore songs for a most memorable iconic rock show moment!

This show and the show they played in New York a few days prior come just one year shy of the twentith anniversary of Yeah Yeah Yeahs' first album which leaves me wondering...is there a 2023 tour hiding up those pink gloves of Karen O's?  

set-list 10/6/2022
1. Spitting Off the Edge of the World
2. Cheated Hearts
3. Pin
4.Under The Earth
5. Burning
6. Zero
7. Wolf
8. Fleez
9. Soft Shock
10. Lovebomb
11. Blacktop
12. Maps
13. Gold Lion
14. Y Control
15. Heads Will Roll 

encore
1. Kids in America
2. Date with the Night 

Red Velvet Cupcake from Sweet Jill's

Whisps of sweet cinnamon and sugar tempted my senses long before ever seeing Sweet Jill's storefront as I walked down the sidewalk one sunday afternoon. The comforting scent of freshly baked goods frolic outside of the second street location, easily coaxing passersby inside like a pied piper of baked goodness. Stepping into Sweet Jill's is what I imagine stepping into an actual cinnamon roll might be like: an instant engulfment of warm cinnamon, buttery sweetness and spice and everything nice.

cupcake from Sweet Jill's 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

I didn't know what to expect my first time at Sweet Jill's because I wasn't expecting to be lured into a bakery as I explored the Belmont Shores area in Long Beach. From the abundance of indulgent aromas coating the already warm air, the cozy vibe of something fresh from the oven upon stepping inside and the exceptional proportions each mouth watering serving offers, Sweet Jill's brings the phrase "eyes bigger than your stomach" to life. The pastry cases are filled with all of the baked goods you could think of. All sorts of cookies: biscotti, macaroons, chocolate chip/oatmeal/sugar, cookie dough topped brownies, nut topped brownies, plain brownies, cakes: frosted cakes, coffee cakes, cupcakes, upside down pineapple, cheese cake bars, cakes you'd never heard of like upside down German cakes plus an assortment of morning pastries not limited to muffins, apple pull-a-parts and cinnamon rolls. 

It was that first visit when I got my first cinnamon roll from Sweet Jill's and it turned out to be the best cinnamon roll I've eaten to date. Gooey, not soggy, and served warm, you can get your cinnamon roll with or with out frosting and or nuts. I knew as soon as I walked into Sweet Jill's for the first time that I would be back because some of the biggest cupcakes I've ever seen are there. 

On my second visit to Sweet Jill's there were four cupcake flavors to choose from:
1) Carrot Cake
2) chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting

3) Red Velvet 

4) Double Chocolate 

Red Velvet cupcake from Sweet Jill's 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Like everything else at Sweet Jill's these cucakes are BIG. I'd say they're about three times the standard cupcake size and they all looked so good.  Three of the flavors were decked out in a healthy layer of 

off-white frosting while the the double chocolate cupcakes yielded a rich, dark chocolate frosting that looked like fudge. I was very close to choosing the chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting (the tuxedo cupcake if you will)  but my hesitations around chocolate cake swayed me to choose Red Velvet instead. It came in a plastic clamshell fit for one of their cupcakes, perfect for squish free traveling and I was on my way. 

With the dash of  rainbow confetti sprinkles on top, it's classic, homemade frosting asthetic and bright red shade of red velvet cake, this was this was a fun cupcake photoshoot. While this is a huge cupcake, it does tapper down from the dome to the cup like a pair of good fitting joggers. Unwrapping it yeilded one of the most vibrant red velvet cakes I've encountered. 

Red Velvet cupcake from Sweet Jill's 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

This reddest red velevet cake isn't densely decadent nor is it moistly rich. All of the pastries and bakes goods at Sweet Jill's are baked fresh daily making the cake buoyant yet it was still buttery. Red Velvet is a tricky flavor, it's more of an essenese in my opinion. In most cases, it's a cake mix with coco powder, red food coloring and sour cream or a mixture of buttermilk and vinegar to give the cake that velvety texture. Sweet Jill's Red Velvet cake hits the bullseye. 

I appreciate the appearence of the frosting on these cupcakes. As stated above it's a classic, homemade assthethic rather than from an icing tube or rounded smooth like a cupcake helmet. 

Red Velvet cake is often paired with cream cheese frosting, probably becausethey're both subtle flavors but together they give a full flavor. 

Cream cheese frosting tends to be a little thicker than than standard frosting and not and creamy as buttercream frosting. There's also a tinge of tanginess found within it's sweetness due to the cream cheese. This cream cheese frosting is as creamy as buttercream frosting and it's definitely more sweet than it is tangy. The ratio of frosting to cake was spot on despite the size of the cupcake. Some might think, big cupcake, more frosting. Well yes, more cupcake more frosting but Sweet Jill's doesn't over do it. 

There's a first time for everything and this was the first time I have eaten a cupcake with a fork. I sat down with my cup of coffee, unwrapped the cupcake on a plate and dove into an indulgent breakfast not to mention quite a sugar and caffine rush to jumpstart the day. 

Red Velvet cupcake from Sweet Jill's 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Eating this cupcake with a fork was great because it allows you to tailor each bite. More frosting? Sure. Less? You got it. Cupcake sandwhich bite (cake, frosting, cake)? Help yourself. 

Red Velvet cupcake from Sweet Jill's 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

When I sat down I didn't expect to eat the whole thing in one sitting but it was too good! Plus it wouldn't be or taste as fresh if I saved some for later. 

Make sure you have cash on you when you go to get all of the treats because Sweet Jill's is cash only. 

Goose at The Greek Theatre in LA 8/21/2022

Back in May, new-ish kids on the jam band block, Goose, hit the road in support of their then upcoming new album.Dripfield, dropped on June 24th and nearly two months later Goose graced the stage at The Greek Theatre in LA to play us some of those new tunes. 

Goose at The Greek Theatre in LA 8/21/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

The show started at 7:00pm with openers Lawrence and by 8:30pm, Goose's headlining set was already underway. Since it was my first time at The Greek Theatre in LA I decided to peruse the scene before finding my seat.
In some ways The Greek in LA is similar to The Greek in Berkeley: it's an outdoor theater, with stadium seating but unlike The Greek in Berkeley, The Greek in LA doesn't have a GA pit and instead of a lawn area up top there's bleachers. 

Goose at The Greek Theatre in LA 8/21/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Fans were up on their feet for every song that Sunday night yet there was a lot less noodling than expected. People sang and swayed as Goose jammed but not too much of the signature jam band dance move was happening.

Maybe because the Goose fanbase is a bit younger and are too cool to nood? Or maybe people don't really noodle in LA?
 Whatever the case might have been, people were enjoying the show in their own way. 

Swirling, color changing lights featuring every color of the rainbow, enhanced the already trip inducing, psychedelic rock show as Goose jammed on. 

Singer/guitarist Peter Mitarotonda and bassist Trevor Weekz wore shades through out the set, further permeating their chill vibe from the stage into the crowd. 

I was a little worried that I missed the beginning of the set since I arrived a little late but it turns out I couldn't have had better timing. It's hard to tell exactly how much  of Goose's set I had missed out on due to their time warp jamming but after about one song in (give or take)  Goose brought a surprise special guest out with them. That surprise special guest was Lucius and together they are Goosucis as told by the headlining band. Cloaked in matching black and white, ying-yang style cape like coats Jess Wolf and Holly Laessig were welcomed to the stage by a warm round of applause from the crowd. The ladies' lovely vocals accompanied two songs including a cover of Peter Frampton's "In Your Eyes" before the final song of the first set. That's right, there was a healthy 30 minute intermission followed by more face melting moments when Goose took the stage again. 

Goose and Lucius at The Greek Theatre in LA 8/21/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Nearly two hours after I got there around 10:30pm, as I walked around the venue taking it all in, the familiar sound of my favorite track off their new album danced through the warm night air, tickling my ear drums.  The serene song which I interpret to be about setting personal boundaries for self discovery, "Borne" stopped me in my tracks. I stopped to fully take in the moment and noticed that Goose had given me goosebumps. The song sounds as good live as it does when listening to the album. 

Goose and Lucius at The Greek Theatre in LA 8/21/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Title track "Dripfield" came a little later in the set followed by another surprise special guest, The String Cheese Incident's Jason Hann for the final song of the night, "Hot Tea". 

Goose at The Greek Theatre in LA 8/21/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Goose is moving on up since their first performance in LA in 2020 opening for Pigeons Playing Ping Pong at The Troubadour. 

The Dripfield tour is littered with arena shows stretching all the way until December 17th. 
No wild goose chase needed to catch Goose live this year!

Goose at The Greek Theatre in LA 8/21/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

set-list 8/21/2022

set one

1. California Magic

2. Echo of a Rose

3. Rockdale

4. Western Sun

5. Pancakes

6. In Your Eyes

7. Slow Ready

- intermission - 

set two 

1. Madhuvan 

2. Borne 

3. Hungersite

4. Dripfield 

5. Hot Tea

The Head and The Heart at The Greek Theatre in Berkeley 8/19/2022

 

The Head and The Heart at The Greek Theatre in Berkeley 8/19/2022
photo by Marc Fong 

One thing I've never seen is a bad The Head and The Heart concert. The Seattle raised Indie Folk band always puts on a technically proficient and beautiful live show. 

The Head and The Heart at The Greek Theatre in Berkeley 8/19/2022
photo by Marc Fong 

Of course, their show at The Greek Theatre in Berkeley on August 19th was no different. They took the stage under an eye catching blue hue which accentuated the fact they opened with the title track off of their new album, Every Shade of Blue and the night took off from there. You knew right off the bat that The Head and The Heart had brought it. 

The Head and The Heart at The Greek Theatre in Berkeley 8/19/2022
photo by Marc Fong 

The Head and The Heart at The Greek Theatre in Berkeley 8/19/2022
photo by Marc Fong 

After two new songs they played one of their biggest singles to date, "All We Ever Knew" and if you weren't already feeling it, you were feeling it by that point.
Tracks off their new album to beloved fan favorites, the band was dialed in with great sounding acoustics. The Head and The Heart have a way of maintaining an emotional sincerity that transcends from their albums to the stage. It's an element that fans have come to expect at a THATH show. 

The Head and The Heart at The Greek Theatre in Berkeley 8/19/2022
photo by Marc Fong 

Their fifth instalment, which was released earlier this year,  is a great introduction to The Head and The Heart as it encapsulates their melancholy optimism and their show at The Greek in Berkeley was a great introduction to not only their live show for anyone there who hadn't seen them live before. 
 The very next night The Head and The Heart played at The Greek Theatre in LA and fans at that show likely shared the a similar experience. 

The Head and The Heart at The Greek Theatre in Berkeley 8/19/2022
photo by Marc Fong 

Luckily if you missed them in NorCal and SoCal, The Head and The Heart's Every Shade of Blue 2022 North American tour rolls on through October.  

set-list 8/19/2022

1. Every Shade of Blue 
2. Don't Show Your Weakness
3. All We Ever Knew 
4. Another Story 
5. Tie Breaker
6. Let's Be Still 
7. Lost My Mind 
8. Honey Come Home
9. Enemy Lines 
10. Missed Connection 
11. Honeybee 
12. Same Hurt 
13. Paradigm
14. Ghost 
15. Hurts (but Goes Away) 
16. Down The Valley 
17. Shake 

 

 

review written by Marc Fong 
edited by Nikki DeMartini

(The) Melvins @ Pappy & Harriet's 6/16/2022

 In 2021, the band that helped pioneer the grunge and sludge metal scene, (The) Melvins released their 24th studio album, Working with God. Just shy of four years since the release of their 23rd studio album, Pinkus Abortion Technician the new album reunited three of the founding band members from the 1983 ensemble: Buzz Osborne, Mike Dillard and Dale Crover . 

Buzz Osborne of The Melvins @ Pappy & Harriet's 6/16/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

In 1982 near Joshua Tree National Park in Pioneertown, The Cantina owner's daughter, Harriet and her husband Claude "Pappy" Allen bought and renamed the now not so hidden gem of a music venue, the desert honky-tonk known as Pappy & Harriet's (Pioneer Palace).
40 years later, on June 16th, 2022 (The) Melvins played at Pappy & Harriet's. 

With lockdowns and mask mandates lifted, (The) Melvins hit the ground running with Buzz Osborne, Dale Crover and Steven Shane McDonald on tour for the better part of this year. Their show last month was near the start of what they're calling the Electric Roach Tour, their second of three separate tour stretches this year.  

The Melvins @ Pappy & Harriet's 6/16/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Pappy and Harriet's has an indoor stage and an outdoor stage and from as far as I can tell, it's not clear what stage a concert will be on until you get there. My first time there was to see another legendary "punk" act, Bikini Kill this past April. That show was outside but this time the show was inside. And it was packed! And no one was wearing a mask. 

Men outnumbered women there by a landslide and the age demographic had me feeling like one of the youngest ladies in the room. The crowd was sticky and dripping sweat as grown men threw back their heads back as they belted out lyrics to the songs being played. Teetering to keep balance, the crowd swayed on the brink of breaking out into a mosh pit throughout the entire set. 

Buzz Osborne of The Melvins @ Pappy & Harriet's 6/16/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

It was hard to fathom how front man Buzz Osborne and bassist Steven Shane McDonald both wore long, long sleeved cloaks: Osbornes embroidered with gold and eyeballs while McDonalds looked to be a plain off-white linen under the wash of amber lighting.  They both remained cool as they mechanically dish out song after song under wildly long locks: Osborne's curly and boisterous while McDonald's hung long and wafty (honestly, Osborne's hair stole the show).
As soon as the last song of the night ended around midnight the crowd disbursed, some to get a drink at one of the many bars there, some to move to where there was more room to move, others to get a breath of fresh air and head home. 

Pappy & Harriet's 6/16/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Though minimalistic in every aspect except the music itself, it was quite a show to see. It was (The) Melvins at Pappy & Harriet's! The setting of amber lighting and acoustics that didn't overachieve fit the grumbly grunge sound that is (The) Melvins, or (The) Melvins fit it.

Their last show of this stretch of their tour finds (The) Melvins at Cornerstone Berkeley on July 20th. The next and final stretch of their 2022 tour deemed, The Five Legged Tour amply named after their 36 song acoustic double album of the same name, also released last year, starts on September 5th and runs through October. 

Buzz Osborne of The Melvins @ Pappy & Harriet's 6/16/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Orville Peck at The Fox Theater in Oakland 6/14/2022

 

Orville Peck at The Fox Theater Oakland 6/14/2022
photo by Marc Fong 

In 2020, gay country star sensation Orville Peck was slated to play shows at small venues outside of and in the Bay Area including Pappy & Harriet's in Pioneertown, The New Parish in Oakland and The Independent in San Francisco. 

Orville Peck at The Fox Theater Oakland 6/14/2022
photo by Marc Fong 

Those shows so happened to be Faux-Chella shows as they all fell between weekend one and weekend two of Coachella but that was two years ago when everything, including Coachella and every other festival, show, anything and everything was canceled due to COVID. 

Two years later, the masked man with that deep, velvety voice that cries Chris Isaak re-emerged with a new tour and new tour dates including Coachella, Stagecoach and Faux-Chella shows. This time around though Orville Peck played a sold-out show at The Fox Theater in Oakland which is nearly three times the size of his scheduled 2020 show at The Independent. Days shy of  making the Faux-Chella cut off (90 days before and/or after Coachella in a 100 mile radius of the Empire Polo Fields) Orville Peck's June 14th show was also just in time for pride celebrations! 

Orville Peck at The Fox Theater Oakland 6/14/2022
photo by Marc Fong 

Orville Peck at The Fox Theater Oakland 6/14/2022
photo by Marc Fong 

And the wait was worth it. 

Before masks were a common thing whether you liked them or not, Orville Peck made them fashionable with long tassels giving off a mysterious allure. Even under the mask, he made many in the crowd weak in the knees: swooning, singing and swaying to his trademark sound. 

Orville Peck at The Fox Theater Oakland 6/14/2022
photo by Marc Fong 

From the strings of the guitar to the keys of the piano Orville Peck passionately caressed each instrument he played bringing an intimacy to life right before his fan's faces. He could be a crooner from the past or perhaps a visitor from the future gracing us with a new, fantastical genre of music that we've been missing.  

Orville Peck at The Fox Theater Oakland 6/14/2022
photo by Marc Fong 

Clad in barbed-wire attire, many in the crowd mirrored him in similar masks as he played hits and a smattering off his phenomenal new album, Bronco. He proved to be a born performer with an active, engaging stage presence, plus a unique and superb sound, with an air of intrigue that is inescapable. 

Orville Peck at The Fox Theater Oakland 6/14/2022
photo by Marc Fong 

Orville Peck is someone you gotta see live to believe. 

review by Marc Fong & Nikki DeMartini

Sunflower Bean @ Moroccan Lounge 6/2/2022

It's been a month since Brooklyn based Sunflower Bean has been on the road touring in support of the third instalment to their catalog, Head Full of Sugar. The new album dropped on May 6th and on June 2nd the East Coast garage rock three piece were in the West Coast playing a sold-out show at the Moroccan Lounge in LA. 

Sunflower Bean at Moroccan Lounge 6/2/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Shortly after the opening band --- finished their set, the doors of the room where live performances are held opened and the crowd spilled out into the adjacent room where the bar is. Even with two rooms the Moroccan Lounge is on the smaller side which made a great setting for an intimate show, especially since it was sold-out. The change over didn't seem to last long as the crowd started making their way back into the performance room almost as soon as they had left it. 

Sunflower Bean at Moroccan Lounge 6/2/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

The air was thick in the dark room and as we packed in like sardines for the headliners I noticed that my friends and I were the only people I could see with masks on. At this point in the pandemic this shouldn't be surprising to me but it definitely strikes a cord. 

Sunflower Bean: singer/bassist Julia Cumming, guitarist/back up vocals Oliver Faber and drummer Nick Kivlen, didn't make us wait too long, taking the stage a few minutes past 10:00. With Julia stationed stage left, Oliver stationed stage right and Nick tucked in the back, they opened with the title track of their new album, "Head Full of Sugar". Opening the show with what is one of their most psych-rock songs easily got the crowd into the same groove the band. It was also a great indication that we'd be hearing a bunch more from the album, Head Full of Sugar.  

Under the surface of all the smug faces taking in the psychedelic live music moment a need to rock-out was bubbling. Alas, the chill aesthetic continued on to new song number two of the night, "In Flight".

Sunflower Bean's music is wise beyond their 20 something years, more so now than their 2016 debut,
naturally. On their 2022 release, they tackle existential life contemplations which were probably magnified by the pandemic as many can relate to, with a sense of youthful maturity heard not only in their lyrics. The harmony of Julia on bass and Oliver on guitar is a profound driving force while Julia also takes command as front-woman effortlessly.  

Sunflower Bean at Moroccan Lounge 6/2/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Looking very 90's grunge/early 2000's emo in a old torn up sleeveless T-shirt that could pass as a dress and hard A-line hair cut, Julia introduced the third song as one from a few years ago called 22. She then asked if anyone there was 22, rallying the 22 year olds there to make their presence known. As a circle pit formed and thrashing began, their presence couldn't be ignored. From that point on it was pretty much a full on garage-rock, rock show complete with mosh pits, thrashing and elbows being thrown. 

As the band played on, more and more of their new music coursed through the crowd including Julia's proclaimed favorite track off the record, "Other Side" and my two favorites "Baby Don't Cry" and "Roll the Dice." 

Sunflower Bean at Moroccan Lounge 6/2/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Sunflower Bean at Moroccan Lounge 6/2/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini

There wasn't too much action happening on stage and it wasn't needed, their innate passion for playing a live show was all that fans needed and wanted. But as the end neared, Julia riled the crowd by getting into the crowd, causing a flurry as she wailed. Their last song that night is also the last song off of their new album, "Feel Somebody". When a band releases a new album then hits the road, fans expect to experience that new music live and that's what Sunflower Bean did. From the set-list, to the venue to the stage presence and minimalistic set up Sunflower Bean is on the road bringing fans what they've missed, an intimate garage-rock show. 

Sunflower Bean at Moroccan Lounge 6/2/2022
photo by Nikki DeMartini