92.9 KjEE’s 11th Annual Summer Round Up ~ Sunday May 10, 2015 @ the Santa Barbara Bowl.

GET UP AND DANCE! 

Of Monsters and Men, photo by paul dunkley

The Summer Round-Up is a full day of music with performances from some of the hottest up-and-coming artists currently playing on 92.9 KjEE, Santa Barbara’s Modern Rock station – and 2015 may have been their biggest Summer Round-Up yet!

This year’s showcase ranged from Folk, to Electronica, to Indie Rock, drawing a very diverse crowd to the sold-out show. But let’s be honest, the Summer Round-Up is one of the Santa Barbara Bowl’s biggest parties, more like a homecoming than a music festival. It is not uncommon to see people running towards each other with excitement when seeing friends for the first time in a long time. It’s that kind of local party.

Supporting local music, more than 1000 people were in

The Blues and Greys, photo by paul dunkley

attendance at 5 o’clock sharp to catch Santa Barbara favorites The Blues and Greys.  The five-piece Indie band created a dark, new-wave sound while front-woman Lindsey Ann Waldon impressed the crowd with her contrasting, angelic voice. Local or not, they had the stage presence of international professionals.

As more people filtered into the SB Bowl under the bright late afternoon sun, Family of the Year took the stage. Widely known for their hit “Hero,” a catchy folk melody featured on the soundtrack of the film Boyhood, FOTY was well received by the crowd. With a quiet enthusiasm, the band whisked through a solid toe-tapping set.

 

Walk The Moon, photo by paul dunkley

The surprise stand-out performance of the night was from Walk the Moon, a four-piece rock outfit from Cincinnati. The SB Bowl was near full by this time and the audience was rowdy. WTM worked the crowd effortlessly, and had them baited on every word of every song. Ending the set with their hit “Dance with Me,” singer Nicholas Petricca exclaimed “If you want to dance, now’s your chance!” And apparently the crowd did - the entire SB Bowl got up and danced.

Perhaps the most anticipated artist of the day was Banks, the newest Electronica diva on the scene. With her recent hit

Banks, photo by paul dunkley

“Beggin for Thread” in regular radio rotation, Banks has generated quite the buzz. Strutting out on stage, Banks looked flawless in a gothic black pant suit, short cape, and high stilettos. Backed by only a keyboardist and percussionist, the set was all about her dark moody beats and sultry voice. Banks worked the stage like an experienced model on a catwalk, ending the set by thanking the audience for “filling her up” after she had been feeling so deflated before scampering off stage.  

Of Monsters and Men headlined the Summer Round-Up with a monster of a performance. Lights blazing in the dark night, they opened with “Thousand Eyes,” a dark, brooding song on their new album that is quite a departure from their usual foot stomping folksy music. OMAM’s performance was deeper and dramatic, demonstrating a maturity in their art. That’s not to say they didn’t deliver on the good-time tunes, tearing the SB Bowl up with their hit “Hey!”

Whether one was familiar with all, one, or none of the bands, the KjEE Summer Round-Up always delivers a good time and an opportunity to get acquainted with some new music. And perhaps even the chance to get up and dance!