EDITOR'S NOTE: A previous version of this article had the venue's location specified. It has been deleted at the venue's request. A previous version of this article also stated that "nowhiteflag" played at the event. "nowhiteflag" did not play the show on Sunday, however the artist "baby tuna" did. Additionally, the previous article also said “Meryl Streep Jr.” would be playing "TV Show Theme Song" as if it were a song, but what they will really be playing are songs from TV shows. Finally, a previous version of this article stated that "Vagabond Mafia" played in the show, but the group did not. "Jeffrey Misfit," who is in Vagabond Mafia, and a couple other solo musicians played, but Vagabond Mafia as a whole did not perform.
On Sep. 1, local show house, the Toy Barn hosted an art collective comprised of local musicians, ranging from hip-hop to, post-punk, and visual artists publishing their photography and stickers. The venue has hosted similar events but, according to most of the attendees, none to this scale.
At the event, the Daily Lobo interviewed some of the bands, encompassing what each act was about:
“Meryl Streep Jr.” brought the most noise to the show, blasting through about six songs. It became hard to hear the exact count after three of them. Hope Curtis (the band’s lead singer) sparked with personality in such a small venue. After the show, she handed out "time capsules” filled with stickers, while wearing a large plush bear across her chest.
It’s easiest to hear their music live because it can’t be found on most streaming platforms. A few music videos were put together by Kel Curtiz on YouTube. “Meryl Streep Jr.” will be performing at Launchpad’s “Night of The Living Cover Bands” Oct. 25, where they’ll be playing TV Show Theme Songs.
"Jeffery Misfit," a member of “Vagabond Mafia,” put on a distinctly precise performance considering he played MP3 files from a laptop for their instrumentals. He was also able to hold tempo over multiple measure breaks with no band to listen to for timing. He opened the show up with a solo act that drew most of the attendees back down to the stage.
Barring the audio clipping that can only be credited to the basement venue, and not the musicians themselves, the performance was personal and intensely energetic. The publishing consistency of "Jeffery Misfit" is prolific for an artist who's only been around since 2017. "Jeffery Misfit" and “Vagabond Mafia” can both be found on most streaming platforms.
“Yucca” closed the live music out with a set of indie-metal. Their latest album “BONES” is aggressively introspective and has some creative riffing throughout. They can be found on Bandcamp, where they’ve posted “BONES,” and where they have tracks available for sale. “Yucca” also has an upcoming performance at Launchpad on Oct. 7.
Another artist who played in this show was "baby tuna," who sings with soft and dreamy vocals. Her 2018 three track EP, "Go Call Ur Mom," can be found on Spotify.
Luke Standley is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @dailylobo.
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