By Tracy Dietlin
This past Sunday night the 2nd Preliminary Showcase of the 4th Annual CV Music Showcase took place at The Hood Bar & Pizza. Four bands competed for $200.00 cash and the chance to advance to the Finals, which will be held on Saturday, May 4, where the Winner will take home $2,000 cash, a professional photo shoot and 4 hours of recording time at Melrose Recording Studios.
The 4 bands were: Cody White & The Easy Ride: Cody White, vocals/guitar; Samantha Clark, bass; David Driver, drums. Giselle Woo & The Night Owls: Giselle Woo, lead vocals/guitar; Jose Ceja, drums; Cesar Flores, vocals/percussion; Marco Murrieta, bass; Christian Colin, lead guitar. Cakes & The Assholes: Monica Morones, lead voaclas; Aaron Ramson, bass; Joshua Fimbres, drums; Nick Hales, guitar; Rene Almodovar, percussion. Reborn By The Sunshine: James Dorris, vocals/guitar; Chelsea Dorris, banjo/tambourine; Brett McLaughlin, bass; Scott McLaughlin, drums; Brian Gelesko, lead guitar.
The winner of the evening (just 4 points shy from a perfect score) was Giselle Woo & The Night Owls.
Judges for the evening were: Todd ‘TK” Killiam, Program Director for 93.7 KCLB; David Williams, Owner of Melrose Studios, Julie Montante, Owner of PSA Organica and the 420 Lounge in PS and Lynn Wiley, musician/frontwoman of the Inland Empire band One-2-Many. Sound was provided by Nigel Dettelbach and photos by Robert Chance.
Below are my comments along with the judges.
Cody White & The Easy Ride- This band had a late 60s early 70s heavy rock sound with a bluesy feel. They really don’t sound like anyone else in the desert which was refreshing. Their last song had a Tom Petty vibe to it.
TK- The whole set had a good texture and feel to it. Good songs. Maybe just involve the audience a little more.
Lynn- You had a nice tight groove and the female bass player was right in the pocket.
Julie- I would have liked to see more eye contact with the audience.
David- You have that power trio going on, the holy grail with that guitar sound and the bass and drums being super locked.
Giselle Woo & The Night Owls- Woo has crystal clear powerful vocals and is a badass on the guitar. The band is very cohesive and play to each other very well with impeccable timing.
TK- That was such a great performance.
Lynn- I loved your chemistry. Your guitar player was able to step up and shred and then give you your space to do the same.
David- You were all having such a good time. The musicianship was beautiful. I loved the percussionist. You guys are concert ready.
CAKES & The Assholes- Monica Morones is a sultry, charismatic frontwoman. Nick Hales (Sleazy Cortez and a slew of other bands) is a beast on the guitar and let loose like I’ve not seen him do in such a way before. It was fun to watch. With Aaron Ramson (Perishment) on bass and Joshua Fimbres (Thr3Strykes) on drums this band is definitely of “Supergroup” status.
TK- That performance was badass. The vocals were great and the band was tight.
Lynn- You guys rocked it! I loved your original songs and you have a great stage presence.
David- That was an electric performance. The guitar player took me back to Hendrix. Very strong drummer too. I was impressed.
Reborn By the Sunshine- This band has a country, rock sound with a bluegrass twinge. Very melodic, well-crafted songs that I could easily hear on the radio right now.
TK- You are going to be the first out of format band to be on the radio at KCLB. You make me want to go home and listen to Ryan Adams. Strong vocals! Nice job!
Lynn- Very original! Loved the banjo and harmonies.
David- Loved the musicianship and your high lonesome voice. It had a Grateful Dead feel.
Julie- You have a New Orleans country vibe and I loved it.
