The Jakes residency at evocal: Night One

Last night, I attended eVocal to see The Jakes, who have a residency every Tuesday for the entire month of May. The last time I had seen The Jakes was in July of 2007 when they played the Troubadour. I hadn't really been listening to much of their new stuff since that time, but I was very impressed with their performance last night.

They have always been a fun band to see live, and have always had great dynamics and stage presence. But these guys are no longer the high school kids who performed on the Tomorrowland Stage at Disneyland various times throughout 2006 and 2007. Two years and a few lineup changes later, The Jakes have evolved into a mature band with a mature sound. I am so proud of them for growing so much musically in the past few years.

There is no doubt that their popularity is rising around Orange County and Los Angeles. They have come a long way since the Disneyland days, and they will continue to go far.

The Jakes weren't the only band that impressed me last night, however. Three bands performed before them; Django James and the Midnight Squires, Melanoid, and Saint Motel. All three bands were great and a lot of fun to watch, but my favorite by far was Saint Motel.

Saint Motel really knows how to put on a show. It was my first time ever listening to them, and I couldn't stop smiling or dancing for that matter. They have such a powerful sound live...so powerful in fact that the power went out three times during the first song. They had a good sense of humor about it. I would definitely see these guys again, without a doubt.

I spoke with AJ, the singer, afterward, and he's basically the nicest guy ever. Hopefully I'll be playing a song or two of theirs on my radio show this Saturday.

So, long story short, if you feel like dancing, listen to Saint Motel...or any of the other bands mentioned in this blog post for that matter.

Be sure to come to a show this month at eVocal during The Jakes residency! There will be new bands playing with them every week, as well as talented visual artists showcasing their work. For more info visit evocal's myspace.