Mike's Benefit Show: A Tear Sheds Reunite
Posted Jul 8, 2007, by Cristal <3.
On July 5th, a Benefit show was hosted at Long Beach's Di Piazza's for a young man that was tragically killed by a driver that was racing down in Downey, CA. For the love and rememberance of Mike Barajas, his great friends decided to throw a benefit show. Not only did it bring family, friends and his favorite type of music together, it gave everyone a chance to raise awareness of drunk driving.
In the line up we had The Tokyo Broadcast. Their bassist, Andres, was with Mike Barajas when this accident happened and survived with a broken leg. After having a few conversations with Andres, I can say that he was one the strongest people I've met. When The Tokyo Broadcast jumped on stage, the first thing you'll notice is their sex apeal not only in their appearance but also in their music. While wearing some neon bike shorts and a fanny pack, you can tell their singer, Ricky, was going to be interesting to watch. This Trance/Pop Rock band put on an amazing show to "Wow" me. The Tokyo Broadcast played an extreamly good set and I would not be surprised to see them go on tour or even get signed to a record label in the near future.
Next was a Hardcore/2-step/Metal band called Vengeance Upon Us. This band started the heavier side of the night with hardcore dancing, 2-stepping, and fist throwing. Their breakdowns are so amazing along with their guitar riffs that would just make you, well, you know the feeling. If you listen to bands like Killswitch Engage, Throwdown, Bleeding Through and/or On Broken wings, then you definetly want to check out Vengeance Upon Us.
BellePorte coming from the South Bay area, caught my attention really fast. Sounding like Norma Jean, Underoath and A Day To Remember, this band made a good impression. Lead vocalist, Matthew, has an amazing vocal range and he makes it look oh so easy! BellePorte was tearing up the stage during their set, making sure to leave an impression on their fans and also winning over some new fans. So if you're a fan of the bands I listed, be sure to check these guys out on Myspace and also on Pure Volume.
The last band I got to see was what everyone was waiting for, A Tear Sheds reuniting for their final show. Even though A Tear Sheds would be preforming their last show without their guitarist , Mike Barajas (RIP), they found someone who was perfect to play his parts, Andres from The Tokyo Broadcast. As A Tear Sheds got started, the fans weren't hesistant to open up the floor to show Mike Barajas what they had left for him. If you've been to Di Piazza's, you know how small of an area there is to do any type of dancing plus a pole that has no purpose, yet there was plenty of dancing. Not only was this a great set, it was very emotional for the guys of the former band A Tear Sheds.
Check out their music:
www.myspace.com/thetokyobroadcast
www.myspace.com/vengeanceuponus
www.myspace.com/belleporte
www.myspace.com/fromtheruins Two members from ATS new band
