The 2nd night of the OCMA’s Live Showcase was held at the Lab in Costa Mesa. Among South County’s inhabitants, the Lab is also known as the anti-mall because of its open air pathways, its dedication to ma and pa stores, and its alternative art culture. The Lab is one of the hip Indie spots of South County, and it’s a perfect location for an acoustic show. Except for parking – the Lab has terrible parking.
The night began with the Orange Effect. Unlike their other shows, the Orange Effect came with fewer musical instruments than usual to play a simplified variation of their set. The Orange Effect combines a variety of instruments including a variety of guitars, bass, drums, mandolin, and sleigh bell. The Orange Effect’s style ranges from Indie pop to Americana.
After the Orange Effect, Brothers of the Castle played an amazing set. Brothers of the Castle is the acoustic project of Relative Stranger, and the band(s) is(are) composed of two sets of brothers. The coolest part about their sound is that they have a 12 string guitar and a minimalist 4 piece drumset. Their music ranges from some very poppy tracks, even almost Disney level poppy, to folk music. In fact, the vocals in unison are reminiscent of Simon and Garfunkel.
I Hate You Just Kidding followed Brothers of the Castle. Originally a two member band, they had a fiddler and another guitarist assisting them on stage. I Hate You Just Kidding reminds me of the Weepies, especially Jessi’s voice. From wispy folksy songs to upbeat pop, I Hate You Just Kidding wowed the crowd with an incredible set.
The Case Brothers played next. A mix of country and pop, the three-member band features Cory Case, who was the winner of the Orange County Music Award’s Live Acoustic Award in 2009. With soulful harmonica playing and dreamy vocals, the Case Brothers played to an incredible turnout. Most of their songs were short and sweet, lasting under 3 minutes, and one song, “Beautiful Girl,” stuck out because of its catchy tunes. Cory’s voice is reminiscent of REM’s Michael Stipe. They even covered REM’s “the One I Love” during their encore.
After the Case Brothers, Fast Forward Romance took the stage. Truly, if anyone could be called an acoustic set or minimalist, it would be Fast Forward Romance. Consisting of two members and a single guitar, they were more than capable of holding their own against the other bands. With relaxing tunes reminiscent of Jason Mraz and vocals like Macy Gray, I couldn’t help but find myself utterly impressed by them. And the crowd was full of fans who knew their songs and sang along.
Overall, it was an incredible night filled with fantastic music and good fun. All the bands put on a fantastic set, and props to the Orange County Music Awards for keeping everything running smoothly.
