By: David Garcia
Seedless/ Solution
OC International Street Fair
8/30/14
Located in the historic downtown district of Orange, the city's 3-day Orange County International Street Fair still hosts its annual bash in the hot summer sun with arts, crafts, live music, multiple vending booths, tons of new food and tasty beverages for all ages to enjoy. Saturday is easily the most popular day to partake in the fun as it contains nine different stages featuring live performances that start as early as 10am and run until 9pm. Over the weekend locals favorites Seedless and Solution performed for free on two different stages and settings in the middle of the day.
]
Seedless started jamming around 3 p.m. inside downtown haunt the District Lounge. Although the closed-door performance was 21 and over, the locally owned family-run business was packed from the front door all the way up to the stage.
The set consisted of beloved crowd favorites from their 2011 release, Twisted Roots, as well as new songs from their unreleased and highly anticipated sophomore album. As a special addition to the band's performance, Seedless incorporated the help of Yorba Linda's Adrian Olmos as he put his lungs to work by providing multiple saxophone solos during the high-energy set. This is no easy task for a horn section, let alone one person, as Seedless is known for adding a faster and heavier sound much different to what the normal reggae lover is used to.
Seedless – “Harmony” (raw footage at The Orange Street Fair)
The guys were right at home, showcasing their comfort as they joked around on stage and gave shout outs to their loved ones in the crowd. Just as their set was coming to an end, another “non-traditional” reggae act was about to begin just outside the doors of the town's original post office turned landmark local watering hole. Seedless wrapped up their performance while saving some of their most well-known and crowd pleasing songs for last. After the band was unplugged, the drinks and good vibes were still flowing as the mid-day Cali-reggae takeover carried on and out into the So Cal summer sun.
Anaheim's punk-influenced reggae quartet, Solution, was set to take the main stage at 4pm out in the streets of the Orange Circle. The heat was at its peak and the crowd was starting to liven up (or get buzzed) as the band took their place on a platform that was close to 10-times the size of the stage inside The District Lounge. The atmosphere did a complete 180 as it went from a dark side-by-side packed house for Seedless to an open invitation for all ages on the blazing hot blacktop for Solution.
[
This was the band's debut performance at the weekend-long event but certainly not their first time making noise on the grounds of Orange's downtown district. Throughout the set, Solution showcased a blend of songs from unreleased tracks intertwined with songs off their first full-length album, Take Me High. The crowd continued to grow despite what felt like a heat wave hitting the ground in front of the stage and the band was not shy about their merchandise as they kept their listeners close by tossing out multiple shirts and albums in between songs.
As drummer, Jeff Berger, continued to trade vocal duties with lead singer and rhythm guitarist, Nick Papageorge, Solution also took the time to invite a few friends out, adding a horn section during one of their smoother sounding hits. Joining them on stage to perform “Irie Love” were friends and fellow Anaheim musicians, Eric Zamora of Save Ferris on the saxophone and Chris “T-Bone” Willy on the trombone. Both are currently part of a ska-influenced reggae-rock-funk band known as Starpool.
Solution ended their guitar shredding, bass thumping performance with their signature cover of Ben E. King's 1960's hit, “Stand By Me.” Featuring a fast-paced take on a soulful r&b classic, the band invited multiple children up on stage as they rocked out in front of an audience full of content live music lovers who were thirsty for more (music and beer). The recorded version can be found on 2012's Sacrifice EP, which was almost played in its entirety on the main stage and is currently available for FREE download on Solution's soundcloud! (https://soundcloud.com/solutionreggae)
Don't forget that Seedless performs at the Hilton-Costa Mesa, 3050 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, (714) 540-7000; for the 11th annual OC Weekly Decadence; Fri., 7pm. $30. 21+
See also
10 Punk Albums to Listen to Before You Die
10 Goriest Album Covers
10 Most Satanic Metal Bands
Follow Heard Mentality on Twitter and Facebook!
