Review & photos by Andrew Bansal
December 13th 2014, Molly Malone’s, Los Angeles CA: Los Angeles’ very own purveyors of progressive, forward-thinking music, Socionic took the stage at Molly Malone’s on the westside of town, along with experimental shred/funk trio Elixir On Mute and a slew of local acts last Saturday. Having witnessed the impressive talents of these two groups on others stages earlier in the year and with both writing and recording new music in the interim, it promised to be different experience on this occasion as they would play newer tunes in their sets and display the development they’ve undergone as songwriters and performers during this period. Besides, getting to attend a gig at this venue for the first time in four years raised the anticipation level further.
I arrived late to the gig due to prior commitments, but reached well in time to catch the entirety of Socionic‘s set. The fourth band of the lineup, the quartet played a seamlessly smooth and clean half hour of technically proficient yet easily enjoyable music, their cause also boosted by the venue’s high-quality PA and acoustics. Their recent crowd funding campaign for the new album was successful, a rare feat to pull off for a local, unsigned band. The new tunes have enhanced their live show without doubt. Fronted brilliantly by singer Michael Meinhart and excellently backed up by his three band mates, they seem to be heading in the right direction in terms of their songwriting, stage presence and all other aspects relating to the band. They’ve been around since 2008 and started taking on gigs actively much more recently, but upon experiencing their live show, one might be mistaken into thinking they’ve been playing for decades. Socionic nails a progressive sound without being ‘proggy’.
Socionic links: website | facebook | twitter | instagram
The last act of the night was Elixir On Mute, hitting the stage no earlier than 20 minutes past midnight but putting forth a set that made it worthwhile for those that wisely decided to stay. Guitarist/vocalist Jordan Ferreira’s skills boggled minds the last two times I saw this band, and this performance amplified that feeling several notches higher. Most noticeably, Ferreira was backed by a new lineup of musicians, including versatile bassist Matthew Denis who pulled off triple duty at this gig by playing for Vette (a band I missed), Socionic and Elixir On Mute with extraordinary ease.
There’s no denying that this guitarist is taking his musicianship forward with every new songwriting endeavor and every single live show, pushing the boundaries of human ability on the instrument. The guitar play clearly comes naturally to him, but his biggest challenge is to deliver vocals that match up to his instrumental talent, and he is constantly getting better at that aspect as well. This Elixir On Mute set was worth its weight in gold. If Dave Mustaine is still looking for a new lead guitar player, he should look no further than Jordan Ferreira.
Elixir On Mute links: website | facebook | twitterÂ