By Marlon “Admiral” Joseph Cappucino

January 17, 2015. There was a rumbling in the earth, a whisper on the wind, and a single pale dove flew up to my window with a note in its beak. Pharout Magazine was returning from its hiatus and the legendary Burgerwolf was putting on a show at Bex I was to cover.

Now I don’t know much about Burgerwolf. I know not how he came to be, how he learned to grind meat with his bare hands, or for what past sadness he howls into the night sky. What I do know is that he consistently finds great bands to play for him, puts on a ton of regular shows, and gets people to go, none of which is easy to do by any stretch of the imagination. So of course I called up a Gorgeous Date to join me as I headed to Bex for the festivities. Immediately upon our completely punctual arrival, we noticed the lounge was packed. There was barely even a place for my Gorgeous Date and I to sit! Honestly, it was the biggest crowd I’d seen for a local show in a long time, since maybe the Desert Diva Dance off of 2015! Also, the lead singer of Elements of Kadence was happily running around the place with a selfie-stick taking candid photos of the whole event, very similar to what A GOOD JOURNALIST WOULD HAVE DONE.

While we waited for seats to open up, my Gorgeous Date and I looked around for familiar faces to ask about the line up in store for us. One such Mikey Mendoza let us know that we’d be experiencing heavy hitters such as Vultures of Vinyl, Litaoa, The Cellspringers, and Elements of Kadence.

Vultures of Vinyl has been playing show after show with crazy frequency and yet shows no signs of fatigue. Even with two of 3 members in multiple other bands, they deliver solid indie rock jams crooned out by the caramel-voiced Brian Burk that was so good, I might have blacked out a couple of times in the set. But, I remember for sure they ended the set with Radiohead’s classic “Creep” and had me waving my arms and screaming along.

Then came Litaoa. I have no idea what their name means but they’re a band who have been performing at least since I started going to local shows in 2007. After many attempts, I finally saw for the first time in 2014. They’re possibly the only local band from back then that’s still together and I can see why. They’re deep into the music. They played some stellar instrumental progressive rock that effortlessly jump from one time signature to another and giving fantastic displays that have earned them a spot as some of the most technically skilled musicians I’ve seen anywhere. I don’t know the titles of any of their songs but I have in my notes here that “the last song was a banger”.

Next up was The Cellspringers, an alternative rock band with some serious punk sensibilities. They brought a high-energy performance with lyrics charged with anti-establishment sentiments and they weren’t afraid to get shouty. And boy, do I love it when bands get shouty!

They also weren’t afraid to throw in an extended drum solo and boy, was that solo extended! It was so much fun! They definitely had my Gorgeous Date and I singing along. They had a couple of songs like, “Maneater” and “Basket Case” that, when introduced, I thought would be covers of Britney Spears and Green Day respectively. But, they turned out to be excellent originals. There was even a touching moment when we got to sing happy birthday to Grandpa Harry, a man with a stylish red hat who’s “82 but still here rocking out”. Even when things got a little too loud for him, he showed support. My favorite, though, had to be “I’ve Got A Hole in My Head” which is the kind of song I think anyone with a mouth, nostrils, or pores can relate to. They closed their set out with a Nine Inch Nails cover that had the whole room going wild.

Last up was Elements of Kadence, a heartfelt rock band that describes their genre as Rock Band with a strong influence from Incubus and Audioslave that at some points took me right back to the glory days of 2002, when I was a member of the chess club and first discovered the allure of electric guitars. They started off their night by letting us know how great it was to be back in California. They did not however, say it was great to be in Lancaster, which let us know they are true AV natives. They had just been on the Vans warped tour and I can see why. They’re a very polished and professional band and well rehearsed all the way down to the banter between songs. They had a lot of intense, punchy songs and even included a sweet anti-bullying tune. I have in my notes that I especially enjoyed the drumming.

This was all-in-all a great show although I wasn’t quite sure how to behave in the venue with the room as a blend between concert hall and restaurant dining area. We didn’t know how dancey we could get so my Gorgeous Date and I mostly stayed in our booth in the back. It seemed the other concertgoers felt similarly, which is a shame because I love to see people, especially such a large crowd, move around to such great music. I am definitely excited to get some dance pits started in future Bex shows of which I hope there are many as the atmosphere is excellent. And the sound guy! OH I almost forgot about him, he was absolutely my favorite part of the night. He kept the mix balanced and the vocals coming out clearly. A+ to him! Also they have good food and drinks available, everything a musician or a music lover would need especially with Burgerwolf pulling the strings.

Overall, I give the experience 23 out of 30 thumbs up.

 

If you’d like to hear Marlon’s thoughts on This Place is a Zoo’s album Strangers or Danstock in Lake  Hughes, CA,

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