Jason Lin/HIGHLANDER
Jason Lin/HIGHLANDER

I’ve come to love the Barn. In the evening under a velvety, black sky, it’s the perfect place to commune with friends, indulge in great food and witness some of the most talented artists out there — and with midterms underway, the Barn’s first annual Barn Fest gave stressed students a worry-free night full of great live music and a refreshing sense of community. Audience members danced the night away to the smooth sounds of indie rock band Seaside Audio, jazz band Gypsies and Judges and tropical Afro-Latin band Quita Penas.

First up was Seaside Audio, a band comprised of four incredibly skilled young men who lit up the stage with their enthusiasm. I couldn’t keep the smile off of my face as I watched keyboardist David Ajoku grin from ear to ear, bobbing his head as he encouraged the crowd to clap along during their set. Never missing a beat, drummer Luke Johnson kept the group in sync and intrigued the audience with intricate drumming patterns that breathed life into their songs. Vocalists Rolando and Roland Garcia displayed strong vocal ability as they lingered in and out of beautiful harmonies while also playing bass and guitar.

In an interview, Roland implied that it came quite naturally to layer their sounds with both the guitar and bass, and with the help of a pretty awesome gift from a celebrity bass player, they got their start. “I always liked the sound of me complementing my brother on guitar. I loved the sound of two different parts combined together. I was always a fan of a low tone, and realized how thin our sound was with just two guitars. Inspired by Fall Out Boy’s bass player Pete Wentz, I got his signature bass as a gift and learned from there on.”

Seaside Audio’s breezy, infectious sound is hard not to enjoy, and with influences like Young the Giant and Foster the People, it’s obvious where they get their style from — but don’t think the band is a carbon copy. Johnson made it very clear that they enjoy being unique. “In our material I’ve always wanted to create a style that was different and not repetitive.”

Seaside Audio left the modest crowd cheerful as they performed original songs and covers, exiting the stage to make way for jazz-swing band Gypsies and Judges. Members Chloe Keedy, Nathan Guze, John Duke O’Neill, Nadine Parra, John Garcia and Jordan Hang switched up the sound in the most interesting and rewarding way possible. Vocalist Keedy was electric as she shimmied to the music and carried each song with jazzy and soulful vocals. Between their original songs and modernized 1900s swing hits, Keedy made it a point to converse with the crowd in between songs, and things took a turn for the interesting when she began telling the story of an original song they were about to perform. She talked about writing the song after the cancelled Heat weekend and witnessing a scene out in the street in the wee hours of the morning between a couple. It just so happened that Keedy was talking about a girl named Gabbi Bravo, who happened to be attending the concert that night. There were hoots and hollers all around as Bravo made her way to the stage and had the next song dedicated to her. Overall, Gypsies and Judges had a solid set filled with drums, guitar, fiddle, bass, trumpet and trombone that made sure that they achieved the 1920s-inspired jazz theme they embrace in their sound.

I watched as the crowd dispersed from around the front of the stage and paced around the room as they waited for the last band to perform. Slowly but surely, I noticed the Barn gaining a slightly larger audience and heard screams echo as Quita Penas stepped onto the stage. Last but certainly not least, Quita Penas induced elated hollers and prompted some to pull out their cell phones to start recording. When the music started, it was as if the Barn had transformed into a full-on dance club. Couples were swaying swiftly, others were tapping their feet and some bounced around rambunctiously to get their friends just as excited as they were.

Quita Penas seemed to be laid-back and comfortable, but played just as passionately in a way that only an experienced band could. In an interview, band member Eduardo Valencia described their start. “We formed the band mid-2011 and decided to form the band because we all knew each other but had been playing different styles. The sound that we have was inspired by a collection of recordings and records that we’d acquired. It was appealing because it was familiar but also because it had a raw, vintage sound that has kind of been hidden because of the commercialization of music.” Valencia also attributed the Riverside arts scene as an inspiration as well. “I credit a lot of my inspiration to the Inland Empire and the people I’ve met here.”

It’s obvious that their music is received well in Riverside. During one of their songs, a dance line formed and zig-zagged around the Barn, creating a sense of community that made the night even better. Quita Penas graced the audience with one more song when the crowd began yelling “Uno Mas!” before they left.

The diversity of these bands goes to show the immense amount of talent to be found in Riverside, and the willingness of music lovers to embrace local talent. All in all, the first annual Barn Fest was a good time, and I’m sure that these bands will experience an enormous amount of success in the future.