The Miracle Theatre
Inglewood, CA
Material: To say Parlor Social knows how to put on a show is an understatement as “The Rent Party” is just that, a musical. What you are getting here is a modernized version of Harlem’s legendary Cotton Club. This love letter to the likes of Cab Calloway and Ella Fitzgerald is interspersed with rap from Mr. A.N.O.N., who plays the landlord in this story written by Ali LeRoi and Eva LaDare. The premise is a woman must raise rent through a type of barn raising known as a rent party, which was commonplace during the Great Depression. Musicianship: The band is solid and each musician is allowed plenty of room for soloing on songs like the classic jazz tune “Sweet Georgia Brown.” On “Say Hep Hep,” Pageot pulls off a righteous accordion solo that sounds like a keytar in an ‘80s rock band. The audience also went wild for the group’s spin on Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy,” which had a Benny Goodman “Sing Sing Sing” feel to it. The only element that the music seemed to be yearning for was clarinet, which so many of those classic tunes used to incorporate.
PARLOR SOCIAL
Performance: Given that this was the first performance of the musical, it actually ran fairly smoothly. The flow of the show could stand to be improved by only having a few select moments for audience participation and also by tightening up the pacing of the dialogue exchanges. The inclusion of tap dancers Assata Madison and Becca Nelson of the dance troop “Syncopated Ladies” definitely infused energy into the performance. Di Lauro exhibited expert control to either withhold or draw out phrasing, depending on the feel of a song. It is a true delight to see her performing in the jazz scat style of Ella Fitzgerald; at
times it is both surreal and haunting––she is so on point. Summary: During their intermission music director Pageot, along with Di Lauro, received a Senate Certificate of Recognition for their artistic achievement. This, as well as a guest performance by legendary tap dancer, teacher and choreographer Chester Whitmore, left you with the feeling that this is a show not to be missed! You can catch Parlor Social at the Playboy Jazz Festival on June 10 at The Hollywood Bowl. – Brooke Trout
MIGUEL COSTA
progressions from modern rock as well as punk rock, ROCKET draws an appropriate comparison to bands like Velvet Revolver and Sum 41. Barreto sings melodies from “Fever” and “Remain” in a manner that is reminiscent of Ann Wilson on Heart’s debut album (Dreamboat Annie) in 1975. However, if this bold songwriter wants her band’s music to match the commercial success of that album in today’s market, she may have to venture into a deeper level of subject matter and add screaming to her vocal repertoire.
ROCKET
El Rey Theatre
Los Angeles, CA
Contact: thebandrocket@yahoo.com Web: thebandrocket.com The Players: Janelle Barreto, vocals; Eric Wibbelsmann, guitar; Steve Kilcullen, guitar; Jordan Lawson, bass guitar; Paul DePatie, drums. Material: For better and for worse, every live show that ROCKET plays is a pivotal image that reflects off of the career-defining decision made by its two founding members, Eric Wibbelsmann and Paul DePatie. When the duo departed from their former band (The 52 April 2018
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Pills), they recruited a vocalist named Janelle Barreto and essentially put their careers in her hands. This crucial hiring granted Barreto creative control as frontwoman and primary songwriter. Today, the music of ROCKET parallels Barreto’s love life, social environment and attitude. Nevertheless, the hard rock remnants of Wibbelsmann’s past still remain intact, as his original guitar riffs and harmonic sets are the foundation for which every song from ROCKET’s upcoming EP (Get Huge) was written and recorded. Musicianship: With two lead guitarists and a plethora of compositions that feature chord
SIMBA SIMS
Contact: lauropageot@gmail.com Web: parlorsocial.com The Players: Dessy Di Lauro, lead vocals; Ric’key Pageot, piano, accordion; Mr. A.N.O.N., vocals; Jay Flat, saxophone; Chris Lowery, trumpet; J.P. Floyd, trombone; Shadarius Shields, bass; Channing Cook Holmes, drums.
Performance: Barreto lassoed the attention of ROCKET’s loyal crowd with her Joan Jettesque vocal tonality. She divulged the seven songs from her band’s set list on stage, as if she were attempting to playfully submerge anyone in the audience who displayed unfamiliarity with their content. The dual guitars of Wibbelsmann and Steve Kilcullen provided a hard rock undercurrent similar to the compositions that have been written by Audioslave. Meanwhile, Jordan Lawson and DePatie enhanced the audibility of ROCKET’s live show with the pop-punk elements that they provided as the band’s rhythm section. Summary: From Bad Religion to Guns N’ Roses, the rock scene in Los Angeles has spawned more than its fair share of startup bands who eventually achieved most of the lofty goals they set for themselves. Perhaps this L.A.-based band can ride the momentum from their first KROQ radio campaign (which aired during 2016) to Janelle Barreto’s ambitious goal of signing a major record deal. – Miguel Costa
