I Went to a Smallpools Concert

... and it was great fun. So, I know I haven't posted in forever. Please don't be mad. But now that summer's here (and I spent a week or two relaxing), I have an overwhelming amount of free time so get ready for a slew of posts.

Smallpools tickets!!!

I went to the Smallpools concert at The Observatory in Santa Ana for my birthday and I absolutely loved it! To start off, The Observatory is a great, intimate venue. Holly and I stood off the right side of the stage next to the speaker and were about 5 feet away from the band. It was standing room only and my legs were definitely sore by the end of the night, but it was still a great experience.

This is the first time that I've been to a show where I loved to opening acts as much as the main act. I actually didn't know either of the opening acts ahead of time (note to self: look up all bands ahead of time) but I was very pleasantly surprised. The warm-up acts were local bands Hunter Hunted and Grizfolk.

Me and Hunter Hunted lead vocals!

Hunter Hunted, an indie pop group, kicked off the show with a set list filled with fun, dance-y songs. I caught up with the lead singer, Michael Garner, after the show and he described his band as the ice cream flavor Rocky Road stating that it perfectly explains both their journey and their music. Their second album - "Ready for You" - will be released July 10th, and Garner's favorite song on the track is it's namesake.

Me with Grizfolk! (Adam Roth, Fredrik Eriksson, and the James Bay look-a-like)

Grizfolk, an alternative rock band with roots in LA and Sweden, followed. And they were fabulous. All of the band members were extremely interactive with the crowd and I even got the set list from the guitarist Fredrik Eriksson. After the show, I had a chance to ask them a quick question: What flavor of ice cream would you say describes your band? Adam Roth, the lead vocalist, decisively answered Chocolate-Chocolate Chip with a mix Swedish Licorice and a little bit of something sour thrown in. The bandmates unanimously decided that their favorite song from the set was "Vagabonds." My personal favorite is "Way Back When" but they sadly informed me that they only play the song at shows they headline - so it looks like I might just have to see them again. (Also, a quick sidenote, their drummer looks uncannily like James Bay.)

Time for the main act!

It was finally time for Smallpools - a relatively newly-formed indie pop group. They had an amazing, energetic entry and that energy carried through the full performance. Sean Scanlon, lead vocals, told a great many stories throughout the performance, letting his fans know more about the history of the band and the meanings behind the songs. Did you know that before the band got big, they used to google their band name? For the longest time they only found results linking to articles about not keeping killer whales in small pools, but they didn't let that stop them, they turned it into a song: "Killer Whales." It was interesting learning about their songs and I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for their next album.

Signing off for now!
Marisa