BY STEVEN STUTZ, PRODUCTION DIRECTOR.

A show delivered with good vibrations and a bumping sound of modern psychedelia. Buffalo natives, Johnny and the Man Kids, opened the show at the Mohawk Place with their comforting indie garage rock vibes that made the crowd just totally jam out. Their performance resonated warm vibes throughout the crowd that lasted through the whole night. Performing some new tunes like “Poetry in Motion”, off their recent album Home, Wherever That May Be, which released back in July, combined with other releases throughout their discography, was an ecstatic head bumping mix to start off the night.

Next on stage was Boise natives Blood Lemon. These ladies brought classy 90’s guitar riffs and enjoyable intense vocals.Their music is music that deserves to be blared in the car when driving down the highway. Their energy on stage and musical composure created an image of rad ladies that knew how to pack a punch with their amazing sound. Singer and bassist Melanie Radford, singer and guitarist Lisa Simpson, and percussionist Lindsey Lloyd just had the most ultimate jam fest on stage, it was a pleasure to watch and listen to. On Blood Lemons website they tell us they “play music with their fellow women and they wanted a sound informed by 90s stalwarts like Pixies, Hole, and The Breeders” which they perfectly captured in this performance. With their oozing grunge sound and fun smiles on stage, I couldn’t think of a better performance to carry on the energy Johnny and the Man Kids created and pass on to The Shivas.

Through the different stages of head-banging and swinging it was time for Portland, Oregon formed band, The Shivas, to take the stage. Their music and image alike could have been pulled straight from a Quentin Tarantino film. It’s rad, intense, fun, powerful, and classy all in one. Their sound breaks barriers in music and throws you in wavelengths that transports you back to the 60’s psychedelia age of groovy music, art, clothes, and culture. As they took the stage they just rocked it with no delay. Drummer and singer Kristin Leonard bossed up with such an intense sound transitioning between jamming out on the drums to grabbing the mic and singing with her intense range of vocals. Guitarist and singer Jared Molyneux shared an energy with the crowd and members alike that made you just totally groove. The band’s chemistry and sophisticatedly fun composure was sensational. Performing some fan favorites “Undone” and “My Baby Don’t” off their recent album Feel So Good//Feel So Bad as well as their hit “You Make Me Wanna Die” made the crowd all come together to just jam out. The band did an amazing cover of “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane, which they have posted on their discography, perfectly capturing their wildly exotic sound. If you ever have the opportunity to see any of these bands perform, take it, you will not regret it at all.