march 15 • the swillery

The night was alive at The Swillery, the debut of Chunky Wonder’s new EP, The Tune Pack, was unveiled with killer performances by talented L.A. funk-soul singer Steven Roth and the almighty Noise Toys. Chunky Wonder can jam like it’s no one’s business, these dudes got serious skills – premier powergroovers led by Ben Johnson on the vocals hittin’ all the right notes. Down-right dirty falsetto sailing atop of a chunky force driven by heavy drummin’ and straight-up sexy melodies. The crowd fell in-and-out of rage mode for most of the night, but at all times you would see some hips gyrating and some booties shaking. The guitar solo’s peeled off by the dozen from lead guitarist Conner O’Neal were just ridiculous, showing no mercy upon his g-strings, vehemently blowing my mind with each flurry of pure shreddery. Altogether, Chunky Wonder tore it down and showcased their fresh new Tune Pack with a superb performance.
Next up, some unfamiliar faces took the stage as Steven Roth and his crew from the City of Angles kept the good juices flowing. Roth is a virtuoso on the keys with an impressive vocal presence as well, and his backing band were no scrubs either. The four-piece developed a synergy over the set which bled into the whole room. The music was fresh and original, like a new-age Ray Charles sound with pop aspects similar to Maroon 5, but with more funk, more soul, and more drive. Roth soothed us with ballads, and got us movin’ with some toe-tapping grooves, but more important than all, he left it all on the stage.
The grand finale had Roth rockin’ out harder than anyone else, with his love and passion pouring into The Swillery to be ever remembered by those who were lucky enough to see it.
Noise Toys have been absolutely killin’ it as of late, and the greatest part is they just keep on getting better and better. The righteous guitar tones of River Fleischner and Skylar Russel ascend to the heavenly musical realm where sounds are felt not heard, and my-god the rhythm encapsulates more energy than a black hole devouring a distant galaxy. A flawless set, showcasing two incredible new jams, Noise Toys once again delivered a wild rumpus of funk and force to wrap up a most-excellent night of live music at The Swillery.
–Mark Broyles