Each Tuesday in May, Newport Beach's the Jakes will be playing–along with a rotating cast of bands from OC and beyond–at eVocal. And also each week this month, Sameer Gadhia, lead singer of the Jakes (pictured) will be sharing his thoughts on the shows. Here's the first installment:
BY SAMEER GADHIA
Welcome to the first of four blog spots that have been gifted to me by the local music enthusiasts at the OC Weekly who have helped generate buzz about our May KROQ “Locals Only” residency at eVocal in Costa Mesa.
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This Tuesday was the first of four that kicked off our month of free
weekly shows. Although we, the Jakes, are headlining this series, its
success is largely credited to the local music and art scenes that will
give our clay beauty and contour each week with unequaled originality.
Tuesday night, we were accompanied by Django James N The Midnight
Squires, Melanoid, Saint Motel, DJ Dean, the screen printers who pumped
out KROQ special edition T-shirts and new Jakes t-shirts live at the
atrium, the Clearlight video crew, and our featured weekly artist,
Warren at eVocal.
Special thanks are reserved for Brett and the rest of the eVocal
community, who have sculpted sensation into dimension and
consciousness. On behalf of the rest of The Jakes, I am here to serve
as the humbled provost, the reluctant liaison, the genuflected Willy
Wonka as it will, of the local music scene that currently blooms in
every all-ages venue, bar, club, theme park, and garage across the
street from you. Joking aside, all you have to do is step outside and
lose yourself to the sights and sounds.
The
first thing you should know about local music is that it is diverse.
From heavy metal-acid jazz three pieces to 80s inspired glam-rock, the
local chops span the universe of musical creation.
The second
thing you should know about local music is that it is united. Be it
budding leaflet or sturdy branch, it all leads to the same trunk; the
pursuit of the creative spirit. For us, six kids from Irvine, this
pursuit was most concretely realized when we played the annual SXSW in
Austin, Texas this last March. After undertaking a 28 hour
half-the-country van trek in two days, we found ourselves smack dab in
the middle of Austin, Texas. Upon delirious arrival, Austin seemed a
foreign and altogether overwhelming city filled to the brim with
commotion. It did not take us long, however, to lose ourselves in the
SXSW pacemaker that we would soon learn to cherish and embrace. The
entire entertainment universe had congregated in one city, electrifying
the art and music scene boroughs scattered across downtown. It was as
if every live performance act from California to Osaka had uprooted and
pledged allegiance to Austin if only for a few nights. The effect on
the six of us was life-changing, for we finally felt a part of it all;
a part of the same intangible sensation that burned at the fingers of
Paul McCartney, the lips of every nameless street performer, and the
hearts of every listener. It was this silent pact; this acknowledgement
of the universal pursuit of creation that had allowed Austin to
transcend the sum of its individual musical parts into something
greater than life; something historic.
It was this sensation
of diversity and unity that has inspired this eVocal series. Every
Tuesday night, we will attempt to achieve an excellence that is greater
than any single person, a sense of togetherness that bonds performer
and listener, and a display of diversity and originality that
accurately depicts our thriving local scene with new artists and bands
each week.
Thanks to our friends at KROQ, the event is
absolutely free, leaving you some change to support the different local
acts that will be gracing the stage every night and a swing in your
step that will keep you up on the dance floor with DJ Dean all night.
Sometime this week, our KROQ series t-shirt will be available free
online as well. Keep posted for my blogs each week, and tune in this
Sunday night to listen to our interview and live in studio acoustic
performance on the World Famous KROQ 106.7. It's all natural; all you
have to do is step out the door and lose yourself…
