Date: Sunday, September 30th, 2012
Line up: Fishbone, L.B.D.A., C-Money & The Players, Sinizen
Location: The Yost Theatre. Santa Ana, CA
Being the history major that I am, walking up to the Yost Theater in Santa Ana, CA quickly captured my attention.The theater opened up in 1912 and has seen its share of musicians, Vaudeville stars, Hollywood scandals, and oddly enough, makeshift jail cells in the basement for criminals back in the day. So to say the least, you can feel the energy of the building just walking in! Once the music started, the acoustics and design of the theater held great musical liveliness as classic red curtains highlighted the stage.
The night kicked off at 7:35pm as the 7 piece hip hop, rock, reggae outfit, Krooked Treez based out of Los Angeles, took the stage bringing their own Belizean cultural influence to their live sound.. The 7 band members brought a range of styles to the crowd incorporating hip-hop, rock, reggae, and their own Belizean cultural influence to the sound.
From Huntington Beach, Sinizen went on at 8:27pm. The four man band from the OC started off their set with “Youth Struggle” from their latest album Grass Roots Culture. Sinizen performed their bluesy reggae-rock jams with vibrant guitar riffs from vocalist and lead guitarist Kevin Brown.
C$ and Players, Inc. was up next. As a fan of Slightly Stoopid (like most of us are!), I was stoked to catch C$ rock out featuring his own band under him. With his dynamic and powerful musical ability on the trumpet and vocals, the set instantly captured the theater’s attention. With a set under 45 minutes, the 7 songs flew by which included a cover of Clinton Fearon’s “On the Otherside.”
The return of L.B.D.A. had fans gathering around the stage and when the music hit, we knew we were in for a great time. This is the third show the band has played after their 10-year hiatus, but have been welcomed back with warm open arms by old & new dedicated fans alike.
The six band members have ties with the Sublime and Skunk Records families that were a founding group of 
talented individuals who headed the reggae-rock genre from 1997-2002. The current line up is without founding members Eric Wilson on Bass & Bud Gaugh on Drums.
Sunday night, Opie Ortiz on vocals, Marshall Goodman on drums, Jack Maness on vocals/guitar/keys, Michael “Miguel” Happoldt on lead guitar, Tim Wu on sax/flute, & Edwin Kampwirth on bass brought out that old school sound everyone simply fell for. The 40-minute set that had technical difficulties with Jack’s microphone, was without a doubt enjoyed to the fullest. The group performed old favorites such as “My Own Life,” “Lonely End,” “Listen to DJs,” and Sublime covers “5446/Ball and Chain” and “Scarlet Begonias”. The group performed newer titles as a 6 piece unit with “The Viper”, “The Storm” and “The Dove”, which were originally credited as Jack Maness songs. The guys also did a cover of The Pincher’s “Bandelero” as well as Rancid’s “Hooligans”.
Due to the high anticipation of their return, I had to ask the band what they are up to. New band member but not new to the scene, bassist Ed Kampwirth said the band is just writing. They want to take it slow because it has been a while since they were on top of the scene and they want to do it right. As a fan of what L.B.D.A has done and will continue to do to the reggae-rock scene in the future, I can’t wait to see what their next move is! The next move looks to be with Jack Maness & Opie Ortiz heading to Japan on what Jack refers to as a “diplomatic mission to japan to spread the music and the vibes..”. The Pier is on it, so stay tuned with us!
Starting right after 11:30pm with curtains closed, Fishbone came out with a bang! Their instant energy on stage was so dominating that they took complete control of the Yost. With seven guys on stage jamming on different instruments at all times it was almost hard to keep focus on anything but the great sound blowing the crowd away. After 25 years of quality showmanship and with the efforts to keep the Fishbone style 
alive, the band delivered as promised. They played favorites like “Everyday Sunshine” and “Wish I had a Date” not to mention the Sublime cover of “Date Rape.”
It was awesome to witness the diversity of Fishbone fans. With young fans and young at heart fans moshing around the Yost, wearing Fishbone shirts, it was cool to see how long this band has been making an influence on people’s lives. The mosh pit showed the camaraderie amongst the fans by picking up fallen moshers and supporting each other throughout the show.
The infusions of reggae, rock, soul, funk, and much more gave Fishbone their unique sound for the night. The impressive long-lasting energy from start to finish kept everyone moving and when they slowed down, keyboardist Dre Gipson jumped off stage into the running mosh to pick everyone right back up.
The night was full of supportive groups that kept the crowd motivated for the next band. With such a line up that brought out nostalgia and great memories to the fans, it was fairly hard for them to contain their excitement for the great on-stage energy. Nothing like watching a band that you love from when you were young; it’s like they know you. Seeing them live only brings you back.
L.B.D.A. Set List:
Astro Dub
Lonely End
Frontline
My Own Life
Hooligans
The Viper
The Dove
The Storm
5446/Ball and Chain
Listen to DJ’s
Scarlet Begonias/Bandolero
Article By: Alyssa Torres
Photo By: David Norris
More Photos From The Night…
