With the nearest beach being more than 100 miles away from Roseville, making a usually sweltering small city burst with the kind of vibrancy only found as one enjoys a relaxing beach vacation would be no small feat.
Indie band Beach Weather, along with openers Almost Monday and Rec Hall, performed at the Goldfield Trading Post on Tuesday, April 30, and brought just that.
Doors opened 30 minutes ahead of time to begin letting in a crowd sporting beach-friendly attire, such as converse, band tees and bleached blond hair.
Before any of the three bands set to perform stepped on stage, the peaceful atmosphere created by palm trees, flowers and calm instrumentals were enough to transform the western-themed bar into a breezy, beach vacation.
Indie alternative band Rec Hall started off the night. From Southern California, the trio has a sound which blends “beachy,” upbeat tunes with a rock-inspired twist. Lead singer John Bary opened up the crowd by delivering lively and powerful vocals, while guitarist Ben Tyrell and bassist Lance Meliota excitedly jammed out with equally powerful force.
Rec Hall had a uniquely effortless stage chemistry. Together, they shared clumsy moments on stage which, although appeared choreographed, Bary later remarked were complete accidents. Along with sharing a slight awkwardness in engaging with the crowd, any mistakes made came off as endearing and ended up being forgivable.
“The only plan is really the music,” said Bary. As Tyrell later noted, plans are at every liberty to be thrown out the window according to the feel of the performance and the crowd, and the two, along with Meliota, thrive in their out-of-the-box flexibility.
According to Bary, the trio is looking to broaden their sound to lean more into the various alternative, punk and psychedelic inspirations they share as a band; and hinted at some unique upcoming releases different to what fans saw onstage.
As the crowd died down, San Diego’s Almost Monday, (stylized “almost monday.”) took the stage in front of a colorful ’70s inspired pinwheel backdrop. Lead vocals Dawson Daugherty, guitarist Cole Clisby and bassist Luke Fabry delivered songs with a breezy aesthetic similar to Rec Hall, but more rock and roll inspiration was present.
With a combination of breathy and sharp high notes, Daugherty sported a unique vocal style, which although surely isn’t for everybody, commanded the crowd and stood the test of live performance. Clisby and Fabry expertly utilized electric guitars to sound both traditional rock and island-inspired, depending on the song.
The wide array of performance lights mixed with the continuous spinning of the “Almost Monday” pinwheel induced a dizzying feeling that was surprisingly pleasant, because it only served to amplify the physical effects of the music.
Performing lyrics such as, “Beach blond, CD on, listening to your favorite song,” from their song “Tidal Wave,” Almost Monday resurfaced the carefree and youthful splendor of a favorite beach summer vacation from adolescence. Although the majority of the set’s songs did not dive into any substantial subject matter, Almost Monday’s sound created a unique and nostalgic atmosphere, which from the crowd’s reaction, was precisely what they needed.
Almost Monday and Rec Hall both delivered complimentary tunes to Beach Weather with their blend of both youthful beachy sounds with classic rock and roll energy, which made for a great transition into the headliner of the night.
Beach Weather, pop rock band composed of lead vocalist and guitarist Nick Santino, with backing members Reeve Powers and Sean Silverman, are best known for their summery hit, “Sex, Drugs, Etc.,” a song which went viral in 2022, six years after its creation. But through their live performance, exemplified they are much more than their viral hit.
Santino, sporting an ensemble of bootcut jeans, platforms, and a scarf tied fashionably around his neck, confidently utilized his whole body in his performance. As the audience jumped and grooved to the melodies, the lead vocalist accompanied them by outwardly feeling the emotions of his own music.
While Almost Monday’s performance played with a wider variety of unique style of sounds, what made Beach Weather stand out was their ambition to move beyond the realm of cheery, and at times superficial, subject matter of sunny skies and surfing atop big waves, into deeper waters.
The group expanded on ideas of self-consciousness in romance in their song “Unlovable,” and reliance on drugs and artificial happiness enhancers in “High & Driving.” All the while, the group performed these messages through the calm atmosphere that comes with sounds inspired by The Beach Boys and reggae influences.
Openers Rec Hall and Almost Monday delivered polished and unique brands of lively, beach-friendly indie pop greatness. But Beach Weather’s combination of more nuanced subjects along with the beachy melodies gave the audience a chance to be deeper enriched into both the exciting and debilitating effects of living a lifestyle carefree and wild.
