Live on the Schmidy’s Tavern Stage – Friday, October 11th @9pm
by Lisa Morgan
Justin Ledesma is a long way from his Milwaukee roots but we sure are glad to have him. As the founder of Sunday Funeral, Justin has transformed his Southern Rock roots into a contemporary, edgy, rock sound-garden of original tunes that remind me of all that was good about the grittier alt rock music of the 90s (Nirvana, Wallflowers, Alice in Chains etc.) Award winning Brad Mercer, featured Sunday Funeral on his show, Bands and Fans, calling them“hard hitting, bluesy rockers with high energy, head pounding rhythmic riffs, with dual vocals and dual lead guitars that add depth to their already solid rock sound.” He added, “Sunday Funeral is one of those young upcoming bands that caught my ears for air play on my radio show. I would very much like to see them play live.” Thanks to Schmidy’s Tavern in Palm Desert, a venue that is quickly becoming the live music and entertainment hub of the valley, we will all be able to.
Sunday Funeral is: Justin Ledesma (lead guitar/lead vocals), Brian Frang (rhythm guitar/lead vocals)
Jeff Mazur (bass/vocals), Jason Obando (keyboards) and Johnny Elsewhere (drums/keys & also known for his ukulele skills). The band has been around since around 2007, but the latest configuration that launched the dual lead vocals and guitars has been dialing it in for the last two years. Just coming off their last tour, this band is tight and has an ample arsenal of original tunes to fire at the audience, along with some well-chosen, familiar and not so familiar covers thrown in the mix. They are launching their second tour which will take them all over the western states, so now is the time to see them local and live. They are already working on a slew of songs for a new recording that will include more than 10 songs, a sign of a truly prolific and actively creative band.
Joining Sunday Funeral on the Schmidy’s Tavern stage will be The Caesareans lead by Ledesma’s fiance, Kanima. Along with a varied range of covers and original tunes, The Caesareans pay tribute to the unique works of The Dresden Dolls, a “Brechtian punkcabaret” who are part of an underground dark cabaret movement that started gaining momentum in the early 2000s. With Kanima Ledesma on lead vocals and percussion, Jason Obando on keyboards and Justin Ledesma on drums and vocals, the two bands, like their two founders, are an ideal line-up.
The Caesareans are: Kanima Ledesma (lead vocals and percussion), Jason Obando (keyboards) and
Justin Ledesma (drums and vocals). This band is known to consistently deliver a high-energy, visual stage show. The band came together almost accidentally. In 2008, Justin placed an ad for a backup female vocalist to assist in Sunday Funeral. Kanima Beck, soon to be Ledesma, responded to the ad and it was a match made in music heaven. The album was recorded and Justin even filmed a mockumentary of his band’s development. Obando was singing vocals in his own band, Croccodile Rock, until the idea of a hard-rocking keyboard band with Kanima on vocals came into play. Much like the Dresden Dolls, this project refused to be neatly placed into a music genre. The set list grew and in 2012, The Caesareans were “born”. Originally starting out as a Dresden Doll tribute band, they do a wide range of covers and originals and guarantee entertainment and energy.
Enjoy both of these bands live and in person while you can – before the road calls them away again. The show will start around 9pm, this Friday, October 11th at Schmidy’s Tavern located at Fred Waring and Hwy 111 in Palm Desert.
You can check out their music and Justin Ledesma’s “mockumentary” at the following links:
Wanderer Music Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_284637&feature=iv&src_vid=wg2EBtSNiT0&v=zTXnUPJfqbw
This is Sunday Funeral (2010 Mockumentary)
www.facebook.com/CaesareanPunk
http://www.youtube.com/TheCaesareans
