Singer-songwriter Jam Now performed a wonderful, high-energy, groovy set at Rebel Lounge to record a live music album! It was history making, being the first live album ever recorded at Billboard’s “Best Venue Under 500-Capacity”!
Sophia Humbert
Opening the show was a Phoenix local we adore: Sophia Humbert.
Watching Sophia live is bittersweet; she’s such an incredible performer that it’s hard to understand how she hasn’t sold out Madison Square Garden yet. Rebel Lounge got the treat of hearing the produced versions of all her latest singles, set to release throughout the year. Her music is quintessential pop, with catchy choruses you can’t help but sing along to and lyrics that seem to bounce off the beat.
Besides her incredible voice – which is absolutely mind blowing – she showed off her multi-talented music abilities as well! She grabbed her guitar for an acoustic cover of “You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morissette and took to the piano for one of her heartbreaking original songs.
The genuine, sweet, humble personality that seeps through her only comes out when the music stops. But while the music plays, Sophia is a powerhouse. There is a confidence in how she performs that is rightfully deserved. I can’t wait to finally be able to stream her music.
Awzy
I was genuinely surprised by Awzy. Admittedly, they weren’t an artist I had heard of before. But he and his band came out swinging! Their set was groovy-rock mix with a dash of worship and I was pleasantly surprised. Growing up on worship music, it always had a very distinct sound. Awzy takes that sound and makes it more universal. There isn’t one genre to describe Awzy, he makes music for everyone.
The entire band’s stage presence is nothing short of fun! Everyone was singing along and bouncing and smiling. It’s a small thing to notice but it always makes the music feel that much more enjoyable. The band enjoys what they do and they enjoy doing it with each other, which makes for a really fun performance.
Prezence
Hailing from Sedona, Prezence set up his drum and computer, and sat down alone on stage. There were murmurs from the crowd, genuinely confused. ‘It’s just one guy?’ was thrown around quite a few times. Even I put my camera down and looked towards the stage questioningly. But as the reggae beat played through the computer and Prezence started drumming, the crowd quickly engaged. The questioning glances changed to smiles.
Prezence is all about good vibes and spreading love and light. And that’s exactly what his set did at Rebel Lounge. Despite the ‘lack’ of typical live performance pizzazz, there is a magic with his music. You don’t need to watch, you just need to hear. His lyrics are powerful and the music is good!
Jam Now
The man of the hour, Jam Now, was a blast! His music has a dash of folk, jazz, rock, pop – whatever kind of music you like, Jam has it. The music feels good and it’s hard not to sway your hips with a smile while listening to him and his band perform. They’re another band that has an eye catching physicality, feeling the music as they play it. They were dancing and jumping and screaming the words right along with Jam.
Somewhere towards the beginning of the set, I noticed a super bright light out of the corner of my eye. And then I heard someone say ‘I think it’s the news.’ Turns out, Fox 10 Phoenix’s Cory McCloskey was doing a short segment on Jam! His set was being recorded for a live album, which I think is absolutely news worthy. And maybe even made for a much better performance.
Jam’s bassist was also a highlight of the show. Not only was it hard to keep your eyes off him, he even threw a few jokes into the mix. At one point, Jam introduced a song titles ‘Love, Light and Peace,” which his bassist, as he proceeded to tell the crowd, called ‘Love, Light and Weed’.
Jam Now and his band are engaging, fun, and make good music. It may not be music for everyone, but sometimes feel-good, toe-tappin’ music are just what you need when you’re in a funk.
