Loud cheers erupted from the audience at a small concert sponsored by Red Bull on Sept. 13 as the band New Beat Fund took the stage.
The event included performances from three local bands, a pool party and DJ and was located in the backyard of a house in the foothills of Azusa. Partygoers were not short of Red Bull as they dove headfirst into the pool.
A mixture of 100 APU students and other guests attended the 21 and older concert. The house, which was on a quiet street, offered refuge for overheated guests and band members.
Dubstep music blared out of the speakers near the pool, which took up most of the backyard. Guests sat on a wall above the pool in conversation, or by themselves to escape the sun and splashing from those in the pool.
The 102-degree weather did not stop the headliners, New Beat Fund, from performing a high-energy set. They opened the show with one of their hits, “Fake Gold Chain.”
New Beat Fund playing their set this Saturday in Azusa. Photo credit: Kimberly Smith
New Beat Fund members Bernie, Jeff, Snapz and Silky play guitar, vocals, bass and drums respectively. The band, which is only a few years old, started in Los Angeles and is signed to Red Bull Records. The band’s name, however, is not such a simple story.
While recording in a studio, lead singer Jeff said, “There was a piggy bank with the words ‘New Boat Fund’ on it, so we changed the words around to “New Beat Fund,” then we smashed it outside, vacuumed up the dust from the bank, baked it into a brownie and ate it. We were then New Beat Fund.”
Although it is a fairly young band, it has already opened for Blink-182 and is currently on a nationwide tour. The group has an EP online called “Coinz” and will have its first album released early next year. For those interested in the music, more information is on the band’s website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The second band playing at the event was The Bash Dogs, a three-person group out of Orange County. Members are Jeremy, who plays drums; Trevor, who plays bass; and Nate, who sings. They describe their music as raw rock’n’roll.
“We’re a blend of indie rock and surf rock,” Trevor said.
The third band that played, Captain Nomad, is made up of Evan, Charlie, Mark and Will. They are native Californians with an eclectic list of musical influences. Will, who is the lead singer and plays guitar, said that the band’s influences are “classical, blues, rock, punk and California rock.”
Although members try not to focus too much on the future, the band would like to perform at the annual music and entertainment festival South by Southwest next year.
Despite the small space and heat, guests seemed to have no complaints as they danced to “Fake Gold Chain” and sipped on their Red Bull.