Live: Fortunate Youth, The Expanders, Thrive (11-15-14)

Date: Saturday, Nov. 15th, 2014
Line Up: Fortunate Youth, The Expanders, Thrive, The Approach
Location: Jazzbones. Tacoma, WA

Fortunate Youth Live @ Jazzbones. Tacoma, WA

The Fall With Friends tour with Fortunate Youth, The Expanders, and Thrive invaded Washington this past weekend with three shows in Seattle, Tacoma, and Spokane on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The Pier was in attendance on Saturday, Nov 15, 2014 where local PNW powerhouse The Approach kicked off the night.

Men, this is our month to grow our beards in the name of prostate cancer awareness. Unify to Thrive works tirelessly for the cause every month of the year in honor of their saxophonist, brother, and dear friend Scotty J. Schipper.

Read more about Unify To Thrive by clicking HERE!

Thrive told us about the support they receive from fans, notably in their hometown of Santa Cruz. Unify To Thrive gear is flying out of their merch table so pick up your shirts, hats, and hoodies before they are gone, but look for new designs to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Unify to Thrive was not the only cause we were supporting last night. The Expanders came through Seattle with Passafire last month and their trailer was broken into. The thieves made off with much of their gear and it doesn’t take a musician to know how much replacing equipment will be.

It would be easy to become overly discouraged yet, The Expanders remain positive and continue to work their asses off on the road. The reggae community has banded together to help them raise some funds necessary to start catching back up. Comments left on their GoFundMe page only prove the loyalty of their family, friends, and fans. The encouraging remarks almost outweigh the nearly $3,500 they have already raised.

They still need your help (I’m looking at you, Washington!). Either catch the bandits who snagged their gear or let karma have it’s day and donate by visiting GoFundMe.com/TheExpanders.

Picking up a t-shirt at their next show doesn’t hurt either.

Dan Kelly, vocalist of Fortunate Youth, had a reason to be all smiles all night watching the community come together to enjoy a night of good music. After the Fall With Friends Tour, Fortunate Youth will head to the Hawaiian islands for the first time. They will play each island and meet up with The Steppas.

Kelly walked through the venue and talked to nearly everybody. He even gave us a glimpse of the tattoo he received earlier that day from local artist, Scotty Tague. The Fortunate Youth Smoker’s Club was present and accounted for.

With all the love and support for various causes there was actually music last night. And it was a really good night of music to boot. The Approach’s Joseph Abarca was spitting rhymes all over the stage right next to his bassist brother Jeramey Abarca. They are led by guitar shredder Sam Morrow and drummer Bret Baile.

Thrive knows their way around the stage. Powerful vocals emanate from guitarist Aaron Borowitz, drummer Kenneth Rogers, and keyboardist Matt Masih with strong bass tones from Andrew Forgy. Dan Herrera, whose one trumpet is enough to kick off the prophesied apocalyptic events, pleasantly rounds out their songs.

The Expanders are just on point. Devin Morrison, John Butcher, Chiquis Lozoya, and John Asher play as if they have been together for thirty years with their classic rock-steady groove. With the support they have already received to replace their stolen equipment, they prove that it’s important to shrug it off and move forward without missing a beat.

Fortunate Youth still had their set. Dan Kelly is a beast with his microphone and immense talent surrounds him. It was hard to tell which instrument Travi Bongo, Jered Draskovich, Greg Gelb, and Corey Draskovich preferred to play, their own or each others. The name Fall With Friends was appropriate for what Fortunate Youth brings to the table.

The Fall With Friends tour moved to Spokane, WA on Sunday and they will back down the California coast ending just before Thanksgiving. It is one of the best line-ups on tour at the moment and a must attend from this writer’s perspective. Go out and make some new friends this Fall with Fortunate Youth, The Expanders, and Thrive.


Related Links:
Fortunate Youth Facebook
The Expanders Facebook
Thrive Facebook
The Approach Facebook
Unify to Thrive Website
The Expanders GoFundMe


Article & Photos by: Blake Taylor