Date: Friday, September 30th, 2011
Line up: Seedless, Katastro, Natural Heights, 80 Proof, The Originalites
Location: Yost Theater. Santa Ana, CA
What: KROQ Locals Only Showcase
“If you build it, they will come.” Judging from the size and enthusiasm of the crowd last Saturday night, I’d say that is exactly what’s happening for up-and-coming Orange County band, SEEDLESS, and the historic Yost Theater was an epic backdrop for the cumulation of all their hard work to date.
Downtown Santa Ana has a lot of rich history, and a vintage facade that’s a throwback to the Art Deco era, and The Yost Theater itself is nearly a century old, celebrating its 100th anniversary next year in 2012. The town even comes complete with two horse-mounted police officers who were presiding over the line of people waiting to get in. As I entered the venue, The Originalites were just finishing with an upbeat ska set and the crowd was already beginning to fill in. The vibe was lively, and you could tell people were ready to keep it going all night!
I moseyed on backstage to say what’s up to the band and congratulate them on their #5 spot on the KROQ Locals Only list. There was definitely some partying going on in the green room, and rightly so. Seedless was formed in Orange County in 2006, and this past year, especially since their first national tour last summer supporting Tribal Seeds, they’ve really been building steam and gaining a lot of recognition in the So Cal reggae/rock scene. In addition to Seedless and the other artists performing that night, we also had Micah Brown in attendance, as well as Lew Richards from the fabled 17th Street Studios. For some strange reason, just before Seedless’ set.. the fire alarm went off backstage, and we were nearly evacuated until the mysterious source was uncovered. Hmm, yes, very strange…
Anyhoo, the band gathered round for a team huddle and celebratory toast before heading out to take the stage! With curtains drawn and lights down, they began to play their first few riffs. Cheers from the crowd erupted, and grew even louder as the curtain began to pull open. Switching off between co-vocalists, Casey Sullivan and Matt Liufau, they played an energetic hour and a half set, including several favorites from their album “Twisted Roots”, which “intertwines” that reggae-rock we all know and love so much with other genres of music that have influenced each of them.
– Article & Photos by: Jenni Anspach
Check out all of our past Concert Articles complete with photos (and some with videos), inside our Editorials section by clicking HERE
Here are some other photos taken from the night. Be sure to view all photos on The Pier Facebook by clicking HERE
Here’s a video from the night at The Yost theater in Santa Ana, CA for the song is “Energy” off their latest album Twisted Roots. The concept of this video is to give fans the feeling of coming to a Seedless show and experiencing the “Energy”.