From left to right: Jake Reynolds, guitar and lead singer; Saunj Briancesco, bass and vocals; Marcus Newell, drums; Justin Reynolds, keys and upright bass.
ALMA’s Battle of the Bands was such a fun event! With 5 bands and more than 125 attendees, Club 17 in St. Ives was the hopping place to be on March 30th. The prize for the winner is a paid Sundays at Six concert this summer on August 25th. The community saw performances from Landon Kreps, the Valley Cats, the High Vibes, the Locomotives, and Blue Sky. The bar was open and people were dancing and singing along whenever they could. In a very tight competition, the High Vibes won the crowd, with their set of all original songs. The Valley Cats came in a close second. The High Vibes came from Santa Fe, for their first performance out of New Mexico. A doubly young band in that they formed just eight months ago, and they range in age from 17 to 31.
Their short time together as a group has not limited their productivity as they have over 20 original songs and will be releasing their first album “The Way It is” on April 26th. You can find The Way It is on spotify, itunes, and other digital platforms as soon as it’s released. They describe their music as psychedelic funk rock. They are always exploring new realms of sonic bliss with lyrical ideas that promote one love, peace and the expansion of consciousness.
The band formed almost through happenstance with the two Reynolds cousins connecting one Christmas to discover the potential of playing together. Through random chance encounters and Craig’s List the rest of the group came together. Their lives outside the music illustrate the diversity the group has as Justin is still in high school, Marcus is a DNA analyst, Saunj works in clinical software development, and Jake refers to himself as a professional bum scraping together rent each month. Together, this group is aiming for music to become their careers.
Be sure to attend their Sundays at Six Concert this summer on August 25th to hear more original songs as well as a dynamic display of musicianship across the board including instruments such as the ukulele and the upright bass.
Don’t miss ALMA’s next concert, which will again be held at Club 17 in St. Ives and will feature Euforquestra, by popular demand. The concert will begin at 7:30 PM and tickets are $15 and free to ALMA members. There will be a meet and greet from 6:00-7:00 PM prior to the start of the concert where ALMA members will enjoy hors d’oeuvres and drinks as they socialize with the band. The meet and greet is free and is only available to members. You can become a member at the door. Remember this year all ALMA concerts are free to members. You can go to http://www.almaonline.org to become a member today!
