The venerable Mason Jar has reemerged as The Rebel Lounge and they hosted an epic experience with Caspian, The Velvet Teen and Arizona local band Celebration Guns on January 31, 2020. Celebration Guns opened the show with vocals from Justin Weir (vocals, guitar), Ryan Miller (bass), Chris Blanco (guitar) and Timothy O’Brien (drums) performing “Cleaning House”, “Great Again” and “Thanks For Your Time”. Their smooth sound displays consistency within their quirky songs, allowing the band to be recognizable to the listener, as the track “The Me That Used To Be” was featured on Showtime hit series “Shameless” (season 7, episode 6). Band merchandise was not available at the show. Justin encouraged the crowd to support the acts of The Velvet Teen who was up next on stage, and headliner Caspian. We can show support for Celebration Guns by following their YouTube channel, Facebook page, and Instagram.
The Velvet Teen hit the stage and didn’t disappoint. I wonder about the name of the band and if it didn’t come about ‘because two guys loved music so much’ that it became real, much like a rabbit that shaped our childhood. The two original members are now residing in two separate worlds, but my thoughts are that Judah Nagler (vocals, guitar) along with bandmates Casey Deitz (drummer) and Josh Staples (bass) have never forgotten the role that Logan Whitehurst (founding member, passed in 2006) played during the early years of the band. The current trio delivers a nine-song set that gets the crowd moving and grooving to the beats and singing along with the lyrics. They open with “Sonreo”, hit their stride with “Parallel” and “Eclipses”, and finish us off with “No Star”. Their energy is infectious and builds the anticipation of what is to come.
The vocal stylings of Caspian do exist, but the show was true to the traditional roots of a monastic vow of silence. These artists use their music to evoke an internal journey of self-discovery and meditative reflection. Their attention to detail is evident throughout the set with epic crescendos and heart thumping beats. This is a show to be not just seen and heard but to be felt deep in the core of your being. Caspian just released their first album in five years “On Circles” Kicking off their eleven-song set with tracks from the new album, “Wild Blood” and “Flowers Of Light”, the amazing musical talent of these artists becomes apparent rather quickly and is reminiscent of a combination of Rush and Pink Floyd’s characteristics, yet maintaining their own unique style. The stage was dark as the focus is on the emotions and precision of the music, with the floor lit up with warm small lights and a blend of fog sweeping through the back lights. Everyone present could feel something the music presented, one’s own journey.
Setlist
CASPIAN
Wild Blood
Flowers Of Light
Quovis
Further Up
Further In
Division Blues
The Raven
Gone In Bloom And Bough
Arcs Of Command
Collapser
Castles High, Marble Bright
THE VELVET TEEN
Sonreo
Triumph
Mars Disney
Parallel
Mean Mind
Eclipses
Palace
Pavlov
No Star
CELEBRATION GUNS
Cleaning House
Great Again
Thanks For Your Time
A Window
The Folks Inside
Old Habits
You Aren’t The Only One
CASPIAN
THE VELVET TEEN
CELEBRATION GUNS
