On Saturday, June 9th, the band showed up to my house in their RV sometime in the early afternoon. After many hugs hello, the band relaxed in my house, catching up on some internet activities, as well as naps. Guitarist/vocalist Matt Geronimo had food poisoning from the night before, so he never quite made it into my house and just passed out on a patch of lawn by a tree in my townhouse square (poor thing!). Considering it was a hot day, most of them decided to take a swim in the pool before getting ready for the show that night. An hour of splashing around in the pool and six showers later, we were all ready to go to the Britannia Arms in Cupertino.
The night started off mellow, I was chilling with my friends on the outside patio while guitarist Chris Johansen and singer Danny Aguiluz set up their merch table and got familiar with the venue and other bands playing that night. The rest of the band stayed in their RV until the show started. Once Attaloss took the stage, the Brit became more alive. This band really knows how to engage their audience and after a few songs, Danny was able to get a good crowd going in front of the stage. Ladies were hanging on every lyric, their eyes never straying from the band. Having seen them before and listening to their CD multiple times gave me the advantage of singing along, giving me some eye contact moments with Danny, which is definitely not a bad thing! I felt sorry for Matt as it was obvious that playing and singing background while still feeling ill was not working out the best. He was definitely keeping it low key and leaning against the wall for rest between songs. I especially enjoyed the two covers, "Nights In White Satin" by the Moody Blues and "Talking In Your Sleep" by The Romantics. To the disappointment of the female audience, Danny did not take his shirt off, which I remember him doing at SXSW; I even shouted out for him to do it! After their set, the band schmoozed the audience, sold a bunch of CDs, autographed them, and just worked the room socializing with everyone. It was such a fun night and I was so happy Attaloss got to play my hometown.
Sunday started off slow. I went to church with Pookie (my former roommate Laura) and then went to buy all the groceries for the BBQ she promised the band the night before. We spent the day in the pool, BBQing, eating delicious food, drinking beers, and chatting with everyone. We had a good crowd that included Attaloss and their tour manager Doug, their friends Michelle and Jill, their other friend Ben from Tulare, and my friends Pookie, Emily, and Nadia. After the wonderful meal, most of us headed to the Brit for karaoke, which sadly ended up being an unusually dead night. Matt, Emily and I were the only ones that sang from the group, but it was still fun. At midnight it was Chris and Matt's birthday, so we had the KJ break into "Birthday" by The Beatles while I sneaked a round of shots to surprise Matt (which I successfully pulled off!).
Day 3 was a working day for me, so the band hung out with Jill while I went to my corporate job. They did end up coming over around 7pm since they wanted to film their regular live Stickam program from my backyard. That was quite an entertaining evening; Danny, Chris, and Matt played acoustic songs and chatted with their audience online. My cat Lovebug loves being outside, so he kept jumping up on chairs next to them to be part of the group. Chris even sang to my Lover Bugger and the members logged in watching were all commenting about the band's new mascot, which prompted Chris to call him Cattaloss. My cat will forever be known as Cattaloss now; I'm keeping it as his middle name! After the Stickam show, they band kept playing acoustically in my house, so I requested to be serenaded. Much to my surprise Matt obliged my request by singing one of his songs called "On Your Own," which is a really beautiful song that I hope he records. To celebrate the birthday boys, we went to eat at Original Joe's and then played some pool at South First Billiards. Matt was on a roll that night dominating the table, but he was sweet enough to let me get some shots in during our game, even though I still ended up losing by scratching the 8 ball!
Tuesday I headed to work while the band chilled at my house and enjoyed the pool. I put Matt in charge and heard he did a great job from bass player Zo. By this point my cat had an even newer name -- Mr Dr Mittens -- thanks to Matt; guess that officially makes him Mr Dr Lovebug Cattaloss Mittens?! I ended up going to the Brit that night in celebration of my friend Ross' birthday and the band stayed in watching TV while Zo cooked. Generally my OCD would kick in, but they impressively cleaned up my kitchen 90% to my liking, which is quite a feat!
Wednesday I went to Santa Cruz for their show at the Blue Lagoon. My friend Carl met me out and we grabbed a great Mexican dinner before the show. I'm always happy when friends of mine meet and get along, so it was cool to see Carl bond with Matt during our meal, as well as with the rest of the band at the show. The stage at Blue Lagoon is somewhat small and the lighting is terrible, so I didn't get that many good shots of the band that night. But they were on top of their game as always, and I got to run into Valerie, whom I know through The Relay Company, and as it turns out, is also a huge Attaloss fan.
Sadly it was now Thursday, my last day with the band. I went to Gilroy for their show at 9 Lives, which is one of my favorite venues. The stage is huge, the lighting is amazing, the whole place is just meant for live music. This was the best show of them all. The band was more alive on that huge stage with their two Attaloss banners on each side of the drum riser and the lighting was a camera's wet dream. I finally got to take some amazing live shots of the band while rockin' out hard to their amazing set. Danny serenaded an older lady during "Nights In White Satin" and I'm pretty sure that lady fell in love with him right there on the spot! The whole place was into it and you could tell the band enjoyed performing with all that extra space. Each of them worked the stage, jammed out together, and connected with their audience. Matt smiled for the camera a bunch of times and Chris was jumping all over the place, working that axe of his. Plus I got to see more energy from drummer Dakota and bassist Zo. The audience even requested an encore and got treated to a great cover of Fun's "We Are Young." I forgot to rain the $20 of $1 bills I grabbed from the bar earlier, meant as a joke for Matt who told Carl and I about a show in Little Rock where that happened, so I improvised later showering Matt and Danny with the money while we were all taking photos. Watching them roll around in the cash was quite amusing!
To sum up Attaloss and their music, let's just start with they are an amazing rock band signed to Rock Ridge Music. They are influenced by Anberlin, 30 Seconds To Mars, and Foo Fighters, who's undertones you can hear in their music. Danny has a distinct voice that goes from a soft roughness to a melodic dream, which is complimented by Matt's slightly higher pitched, harmonizing background vocals. Chris has all the guitar moves down with great facial expressions and a unique "happy dance" (as The Alliance calls it). Dakota with his eye-lined blue eyes, and Zo with his head-bopping saunter, are a solid backbone for the band who are also entertaining to watch, but most of the showing-off is left to the front three guys. I have seen many bands and I can tell you straight up that these guys are one of the best bands I've seen when it comes to talent, stage presence, and over all entertainment. They truly leave you with wanting more!
I had texted Chris earlier in the day saying I was sad they were leaving and he suggested I come with them to LA for their show at the Viper Room with Unwritten Law the next night, and I was really tempted to go. I even looked at plane tickets so I could ride back with them in the RV and fly back Saturday morning! I wasn't prepared to leave that night after the show and in the back of my mind knew that Saturday would be hell if I went, so instead I sadly said my goodbyes with many hugs and drove away in silence, already feeling "at a loss."
What impressed me the most about Attaloss is seeing first hand how hard working this band is and how genuinely they love their fans and want to spend time with them. Many bands will work the room before and after they play and bond with their fans, but for Attaloss it's much more than that. They put the extra effort in to make each fan feels special and I truly believe that this effort comes from genuine love for the people they meet. They don't just flirt to make fans and sell merch (well maybe a little), they make real, solid connections. They want to be in touch with their fans and build a true relationship with them; hence why they are building a dedicated fanbase that is loyal to them. It reminds me of what 30 Seconds to Mars does with the Echelon and The Hive; a family of fans that work with them towards their success.
I'm officially a die-hard fan of Attaloss, plus I can say that of all the bands that has stayed at my house, these guys were the most respectful group of guys I've ever hosted. They even left me the sweetest thank you note! I'm proud to be friends with such a terrific band filled with genuine souls and I really hope they become a huge success -- they deserve it! I'm off to LA next week to see them play The Viper Room and I can't wait to see what they're like playing to their hometown crowd!
Check out more photos of Attaloss here!
-Barbara-
