Band Review – Brando’s Island
Leave a commentFebruary 3, 2013 by shockboxtv
Matt and I rolled out to a groovy bar on Lincoln Blvd. in Santa Monica called TRiP, a cozy little den that serves $5 Stella pints with a smile. The stage is tiny but earnest, putting full electric bands just a foot or so away from the audience, super convenient when the players want to join the crowd… or vice-versa. Still, decent sound with
Brando’s Island, playing at TRiP in Santa Monica
good separation emanates to the back of the room thanks to a Soundguy who knows what he’s doin’, thank ya man.
A band we got a nice taste for is Brando’s Island, a 5-piece rock outfit that’s been playing under the Brando’s Island banner for bout a year; I def think it’s a better name than what they were previously going by, Space Cock. Anywho, Brando’s Island makes sweet noise with Jordan Bennett (bss), Josh Bushueff (gtr), Chris Reed (gtr), Brent Stranathan (drms) and Brandon Wardell (vox.) These guys play hard, fast and delightfully loud; it was all they could do to remain tethered on the lil stage while the crowd raged unrestrained. Musically, B’s Island strikes a strong balance of technical proficiency with all the Ushe influences meshing nicely with raw emotion that lead singer Brandon Wardell brings to the stage. He’s got that Morrison-esque, fresh-off-a-party-at-the-beach feel and an unpredictable flair that makes him as much fun to watch as he is to listen to. I understand there’s an EP in the works for these guys so we’ll keep our eyeballs peeled for a sneak peek. Here’s a slideshow of some shots we took at the show:
