Orange County, known for its weather, beaches, abundance of theme parks, and rich kid stereotypes, BUT it should be known for its plethora of venues (mostly 21+) that host ridiculously awesome residency shows! Detroit Bar, La Cave, eVocal (bless its soul), The Continental Room, and The Gypsy Lounge all host residencies. A few months ago The New Limb made my entire month of June worth living by delivering a fun and fantastic show every Monday at Detroit Bar. The Union Line took their controlled chaos to The Gypsy Lounge every Thursday the same month. Just last month Billy Kernkamp brought his form of love (cause he’s the nicest singer/song writer I’ve ever met) and song to The Gypsy Lounge as well. Dawes just finished up a double residency for the month of August with one at the Detroit Bar and the other at The Echo in LA. The list goes on and on and on with bands like The Living Suns, The Steelwells, and Handsome G all doing weekly or monthly shows at their given venue, or venues.
The latter of those bands, Handsome G did a residency at the start of summer at La Cave, which was the first time I had everhad the pleasure of seeing this friendly group of kids,and I loved their live performance. Its fun, energetic, tight, danceable, and did I mention FUN? Likewise their sound reflects their performances with a lot of rock and roll! They make me wanna drink beer, clap my hands, and dance; and I will do just that because Handsome G and all their fun are playing another residency this month! They actually have already played one out of their four shows at The Gypsy Lounge! That means the next three Thursdays we need to mobilize and descend upon Lake Forest like a plague of crazed indie rock fans thirsty for alcohol, cigarettes and music that helps us make bad decisions, like calling out of work the next day.
Handsome G is made up of lead guitarist Jay Akins, bassist Ali Zakka, drummer Danielle Robitshek, and guitarist/lead singer Andrew Corradini. I can’t say enough about this band as human beings…they are one of those rare groups that surpass the description of nice and go straight to down right kind. This only adds to their appeal as a band. This personality trait bleeds into their performance and music which makes the whole experience even more enjoyable. As if Handsome G and the promise of a great time watching them isn’t enough reason to break up with your loved one just to make it to a show this month, the opening acts isn’t too bad either. Last week Dancers of Delphi and folk artist Cory Case opened for the residency on its first night. ThenMatt Grundy and lead singer and guitarist for one of my favorite local bands ever, Satisfaction, Michael Rosas will be warming up the crowd. The following weeks will bring bands like Lemon Sun, Wake Up Lucid, the lovable Billy Kerncamp, and that band I play bass for… We Are The Pilots. All the shows will be something of a treat so don’t be surprised if you see me at all the remaining FREE Handsome G residency shows at The Gypsy Lounge this month. I am looking forward to it, and you should be too!
This article was previously published on the blog The Misguided Follies Of Kyle
Photos taken by Brita Corradini and Andrew Zelinko
