I treated myself to a night of local music and auctioneering at Modesto Sound’s fifth annual Tropical Garden Concert held at the beautiful private residence of one of the board members of Modesto Sound this last weekend.
The wide range of genres helped make it an event any music lover could enjoy, and all the proceeds went towards a local cause – providing opportunities for students of all ages to learn how to record music and hone general audio engineering skills.
“We’re a non-profit organization with a board of directors and we have a free after-school program at [Gregori High School in Salida],” Brenda Francis, founder of Modesto Sound, said. “Even though it’s at a high school, Modesto Sound is open to the whole community, all ages, but our after school is junior high through college.”
Proceeding down the steep drive towards the back of the house, I was met immediately with the smell of barbecue and the strums of a guitar soundcheck. I entered the grassy, spacious yard and into a private tropical paradise: tiki torches, a “natural springs” style pool and jacuzzi and even a tiki-style bar and barbecue. A wooden canopy housed auction items that would interest all ages: family packs to Pier 39 and Great America, wine packages and a variety of music lessons.
Liisa Davila, a local solo soprano, opened Modesto Sound’s Tropical Garden Concert, carrying herself with a posture I’ve only seen in “Phantom of the Opera.” With each number Davila became the character, reverting back to herself at the song’s end with a musical laugh and a bow. Instead of losing us in the language – each piece was in either French or Italian – Davila transformed the audience into avid listeners by explaining the story of each song she was about to sing. By the end of the first set I was an enthusiastic opera fan.
Next to take the stage was Tristan Gianelli, a student of Modesto Sound’s summer camps. Being the youngest performer of the night at age 11, Gianelli’s keyboard looked too big for his arm-span until you closed your eyes and just listened to him play.
Gianelli brought modern pop to the stage by playing covers from popular artists such as Bruno Mars and P!nk, as well as from video games like Minecraft. Gianelli had a fun stage presence, making quirky comments as he went through his set.
Gianelli was followed by the band Madie Boyd, who took me back to my high school days listening to my friends jam in the garage. This group brought a little punk into the classical and acoustic sounds of the evening, inspiring a few screams and head bangs in the crowd.
Davila made a second appearance, bringing some feminine presence between the previous all-male group and the headliner of the evening, the Josh Rosenblum Band.
Having just won this year’s band category in Valley’s Got Talent and signing a recording contract with Anomaly Records, the Josh Rosenblum Band’s introduction made me wonder if I’d one day be saying, “I saw them before the fame.”
Their performance did not disappoint; playing with both passion and charisma, they belonged on stage. Their sound reminded me of a blend between Jason Mraz and Michael Bublé, with a little bit of funk thrown in the mix, soliciting some whistles from the back and wrapping up a fun evening of showing what the sound of Modesto has to offer.