Greetings everyone and welcome to another edition of “The Outsiders Guide to the Inside of Hollywood”. As some of you know besides being a film lover I am also a huge music fan. I have spent a number of years managing and promoting unsigned bands in California. After moving from Los Angeles to the Bay Area in 2010, I was searching for a new favorite local band. It’s alway’s amazing when you can discover a new artist and get to watch them rise from local recognition to national. I’ll never forget seeing The Killers at the Hard Rock in 2005, in a small and intimate setting.

I had only seen a handful of bands play but nobody that caught my attention. That was until the fall of 2010. While listing to Bay Area station Live 105, I heard a band called The Limousines http://thelimousines.com/ and a song called “Internet Killed the Video Star”. As soon as I got home I Googled the band. One of the things that made me love this band so much, besides the lyrics and music, was it reminded me of bands I use to work with. One of those bands was called “The Mansions” a band that took their musical inspiration from bands like Depeche Mode, Pulp, and Blur. http://www.reverbnation.com/themansions

The Limousines are an Indie electronic duo from the Bay Area made up of multi-instrumentalist / producer Giovanni Giusti and songwriter/ vocalist Eric Victorino. After listening to the bands debut CD “Get Sharp” I was overjoyed to see them open for Weezer at Nob Hill Masonic Center in San Francisco in  November 2010. I was absolutely blown away by their performance and was looking forward to seeing them as a headliner. The band was signed a month later by Dangerbird Records.

Since that show I had seen the band at the Popscene for their signing party , The Independent, and Live 105’s BFD 2011. Each show was different and fantastic. The great thing about The Limousines shows are that the crowd always seems to match the bands energy. They always mix up the sets each time I’ve seen them. In a time where concert goers spend as much time at shows texting,  taking pictures, tweeting, and doing status updates, The Limousines fans are dancing and singing along with the band. For me personally that is what makes a live concert and shows like that so special.

Limos Death March show at The Independent – San Francisco – 1/19/2012

After touring in support of The Sounds in October, 2011 The Limousines will now be heading Overseas opening for “The Sounds” on their European tour at the end of the month. The band headlined a sold out send off show at the Independent last Thursday. I was eager to see Eric and Gio play before heading off to Europe. I sent a request and was allowed to photograph the show for my press wire service PR Photos that I freelance for.

After three very different but interesting sets by opening acts The Hundred Days, AB & the Sea, Doe Eye, The Limousines hit the stage around 11. The guys came on stage dressed for a zombie funeral that reminded me of a cross between “The Walking Dead”and My Chemical Romances “Black Parade”. The guys were in suits and with make up and fake blood covering them. The stage was dark and lit by only a few black lights in the background to go along with fog. The atmosphere created was a really cool vibe and feeling for watching the show, but caused a problem for shooting photography. As the band continued on with their set the crowd by the front of the stage got larger and turned into a dance party with fans hands getting in my shot. I ended up taking  a number of steps back and shot pictures with another lens waiting and watching the lighting.

The band and the crowd were amazing. The show really had the feel of a celebration with the fans and the band experiencing  it together one last time before  the guys head Overseas. The band played many crowd favorites like “Very Busy People” and “Internet Killed the Video Star” and more tunes from “Get Sharp”. The Limos showed their crowd their diversity by closing with their recently recorded cover of the Paul Simon classic “You Can Call Me Al” as the final serenade to their fans. For any of you in Europe or on your way there, here is there European Tour Dates with “The Sounds” starting on  1/26 in Sweden till 3/12 in Finland: http://tinyurl.com/7fg8vx7 Trust me when I say this band must be experienced live!

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Support Local Music In Your City

If you love and want to support Indie and local music check out bands and shows in your city. It’s wonderful to use the social media to help promote these bands but where they really need you their shows, and buying not burning or downloading for free their material. So many bands have to pay to play or just end up having shows cost them than they make. I can’t tell you how many great local artist I’ve seen in my day not make it out of their city. My challenge to you is to find your personal Limousines in your city.

One of my favorite new bands is from LA with a singer/ songwriter I’ve worked with Eddie O (The Mansions/  Closer To Venus (CTV) http://www.facebook.com/closertovenus?sk=app_2405167945 , who has teamed up with and James Goddard (Darlings Of The Day) to form “Death Of A Star”: http://www.facebook.com/DeathOfAStar?sk=app_178091127385

Thanks for joining me on this edition of “The Outsiders Guide to the Inside of Hollywood”. I’ve got a little down time before my next LA Adventure. So on my next blog, I’m going to take a look back at some of my favorite encounters with celebrities staring James Franco, James Hetfield, Bob Weir and Paul McCartney. After that I’ll share my most embracing celebrity moments, staring Drew Barrymore and Anne Heche.  Till then follow me on Twitter @Jonathanshensa.

http://jonathan-scott-shensa-photography.net/