Guest Blogger: Sameer Gadhia of the Jakes on Third Night of eVocal Residency

By Albert Ching Fri., May 22 2009 at 5:54 PM

Categories: guest blogger

Keith May

All month-long, Newport Beach's the Jakes are playing Tuesdays at eVocal in Costa Mesa. And each week, Jakes lead singer Sameer Gadhia is giving us his thoughts on the nights. This is the third installment. (The penultimate edition, if you will. Yay vocab!) --Albert

BY SAMEER GADHIA

Hello, and welcome to the third segment of my May blog. For the past three weeks, I have covered The Jakes KROQ Locals Only Residency at eVocal with alarming wit and alacrity, and be it the blog itself or the general glut of exposure that the series has gotten within the past month, the residency has become the place to be every Tuesday night. Despite all the exposure, it really isn't that hard to sell the residency. I mean, it's free; sponsored by KROQ and Red Bull. Most importantly, we have new bands, beats, and featured artists each week, providing a unique combination of diversity and unity unmatched by any other residency out there. Attendance rates have gone up exponentially each show, and I don't imagine numbers slowing down for our last session next Tuesday.

Last Tuesday, we had DJ Dean spinning house beats at atrium court, and featured visual artist Robert Verbarg doing sketch on woodwork. The night was kicked off with local band Western Front--a more musically mature and cohesive version of The Fray. Every song was thick with emotion, but was beautifully controlled and visceral. From composition to overlay, it is apparent that the boys have some background in classical training; and the exchange is brilliant.

Next were local darlings Nature Tunnel (Strange Birds), a band as musically diverse as their individuals. From trip-hop to soothing jazz and funk rechorus, Nature Tunnel managed to recreate the natural, wild, and unabashed spirit of creativity that has previously been diluted in contemporary rock groups. Their beats are organic and resounding, and despite a few technical difficulties, Nature Tunnel's bare-bones talent gleamed with strength and resilience.

Following were The New Limb, a Costa Mesa band that has recently picked up many indie accolades in surrounding areas and beyond. Personally, The New Limb can be compared to a Pacific Arcade Fire and a tamed Black Moth Super Rainbow; a precious pearl with the fury and emotion of brimstone. Like us, The New Limb have elected to live together, and their music reflects their personal intimacies and memories with one another. Every performance I have seen of theirs has been better and better. Watch out for The New Limb's June residency at the Detroit Bar--right across the street from eVocal!

This last week was one of refinement for us. Though we did not play any new songs, we played all the new songs that had been performed the previous two eVocal segments. Thanks to audience reaction and feedback, the songs have been reorganized into a healthier picture of our creative psyche, and we are pretty happy about that. To reiterate, this residency is all about recreating a feeling of universal participation that excites creative movement. We thank all of those who have made this residency possible. I urge you to come on out for our last segment on Tuesday. After all, it really isn't that hard to sell!