Down the Street #4 with Pacific Sunsets and Lunar Riptide

Spring is in full swing and things are quickly picking up for us here at Stanford Sound & Stage.

With Summer fast approaching, we’re filling our work calendar with some exciting new jobs and a handful of annual events we’re thrilled to have been asked back for! Providing top quality support for our clients’ events is what we’re all about. 

When and how do we take breaks, you ask? Lately it’s through Down The Street – the local band night we book, record, and produce ourselves once a month at El Indio in Downtown Santa Ana. It may sound like we’re spending a break night just doing more work, but we love it! And if you’ve stopped by for a Down The Street night, we hope you love it too. Each night brings its own unique flavor and welcomes incredible talent. 

Pacific Sunsets and Lunar Riptide graced our DIY stage for night #4 in April. They each performed strong sets that showcased their original music and paid tribute to great bands that have influenced their sound.

All the way from Tennessee by way of Peru (for two of their members), Pacific Sunsets brought a dreamy ethereal vibe to Santa Ana. We first had the pleasure of meeting them at Downtown Santa Ana’s Art Walk last December where Mo likened their sound to Bandalos Chinos and Camilo Septimo. For Gaby, they’re reminiscent of South American Rock en Español pioneers like Soda Stereo. Needless to say, Pacific Sunsets’ sound hit the right notes for both of us and we’re glad they made the move out west–it’s a definite win for our local music scene and we’re hoping to welcome them back to Santa Ana again soon. 

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Orange County heroes, Lunar Riptide blew us away straight out the gate with their captivating blend of genres. Their sound check alone had people coming up to us shocked and impressed by Sohpia’s powerful vocals. Lunar Riptide has plenty of more shows lined up this year so don’t miss out on catching them live. We’ve seen this band evolve over the years, and their current lineup is an excellent representation of the vibrant music scene here in Southern California.

We’ve chosen to feature “Emma Wood” by Pacific Sunsets and “Microwave” by Lunar Riptide on our YouTube page. Pacific Sunsets is giving us the formula we love from rock en español but in English! You’ll find “Microwave” on Lunar Riptide’s streaming platforms was recorded before Sophia Flores stepped behind the mic. And in this video she’s taken an already great Lunar Riptide song and really made it her own. 

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Speaking of making a great song your own, we can’t end this post without mentioning how much we enjoyed the covers both of these bands played. We love to hear who a band we like chooses to cover, it can say so much about them and both bands executed their covers flawlessly. Pacific Sunsets performed Quieren Dinero by Los Prisioneros and En La Ciudad de la Furia by Soda Stereo–two Rock en Español Sudamericanos who wrote timeless classics that carry important social messages reflecting on the world around them. Lunar Riptide performed South by Hippo Campus and Decode by Paramore in a way that STRONGLY rivals the original versions, incredible is putting it lightly.

Did you know we’re vinyl addicts? Resident Vinyl’s pop-up shop at Down The Street is a real test of our self-control. Owen never fails to bring out a brilliantly curated collection. From Owen’s Down The Street playlist for April, we’ve chosen to spotlight Foam by Royel Otis. Gaby picked this song when it came on the speakers as we began striking equipment at the end of the night. Coincidentally, Owen had mentioned earlier in the night that the Australian pop-duo, Royel Otis, is a band he’s been listening to a lot lately. The man has great taste! We’ve added Resident Vinyl’s shop link so you check the album out yourself. Owen has been making each Down The Street playlist unique for each night; you can find his playlists on Resident Vinyl’s Spotify.

Our next Down The Street night is coming up real soon! Thursday, May 23rd, at El Indio Botanas y Cerveza in Downtown Santa Ana. We hope you’ll be there to experience everything we love about the work we do and the music we get to be around.