Clifton natives TasteFull kicked off the month of October with a highly successful, highly publicized charity concert in the heart of Cincinnati earlier this month. Local bands, including Fruit of the Island, Fat Sal, TasteFull, and Saving Escape put on an outdoor rock concert at Bellevue Park, working in partnership with Monigold Studios to benefit Freestore Foodbank - Cincinnati’s leading food bank working to eliminate hunger and food insecurity in the Queen City. A donation station was set up at the event for guests to donate canned goods and pantry items, and in addition, monetary donations could be made quickly and efficiently online via the numerous QR code flyers hung up around the event. While listening to live music, guests were invited to browse pop-up vintage shop Mojo Casher Threads, as well as art from Kendall Matsey and jewelry from Earfunky.

With flyers being put up around town and numerous advertisements on local news, the event was, without a doubt, a huge success, drawing a large crowd of people in attendance. I was asked by my good friend, TasteFull and Fat Sal bassist Hunter Brookbank, to cover the event for BANDED, and, enthusiastically, I accepted the offer.

A very humble band, Fruit of the Island opened the night of music by introducing themselves and proclaiming “We suck” - (Spoiler: they did not). This is a band I’ve never seen live before, but I was very glad to have discovered them, as they play very well together and have great synergy on stage. I’d best describe them as “nu-indie pop rock with a punk edge”; listening to their set, I heard influences of Bad Suns, Hippo Campus, and All Time Low. This group brought the infectious melodies that got stuck in your head, and they made a great opener for the event, as they energized the crowd and got everyone hyped up. The most memorable moments from their set include: when they introduced an original tune with “This song is about how capitalism is really bad for the environment” (amen to that), and their very groovy and inventive cover of Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky”. To the delight of the crowd, the group closed their performance with a cover of Weezer’s “Say It Ain’t So” - and had everyone cheering. Overall, they put on an awesome show and I’ll definitely be looking forward to seeing them live again in the future!

Up second was Fat Sal, a band I’ve had the pleasure of seeing live a few times now. This band was highly energetic from the very start, and they definitely got the crowd moving. Plenty of superfans in the crowd could be spotted jumping, dancing, and singing along as if they drank several cans of RedBull - affirming the fact that this group brings the heat and the energy whenever they perform. In their music, I hear influences of The Strokes, The Cars, and Cake, with some blues essence - at one point, the group launched into a bluesy-soul tune reminiscent of Briston Maroney. I definitely admired their killer guitar solos, as well as their unique and inventive use of saxophone. In addition, I liked their very vibrant and varied setlist - Fat Sal are undoubtedly a versatile band who can successfully play multiple genres. The crowd was extremely pleased to hear the group take on a passionate, groovy, and smooth cover of Amy Winehouse’s “Valerie”, and to my excitement, they even went as far as taking it up a notch with a loud and gritty cover of “Helter Skelter” - one of my favorites to hear them play live. Lead singer Liam sings every song with passion, grit, and raw emotion, he has a smooth vocal tone with an edge, and bassist Hunter puts his all into every song - I swear he was seconds away from getting whiplash during the set! Overall, this group meshes very well together, and are a definite crowd pleaser at any show, bringing plenty of energy to the atmosphere.

Next up was TasteFull, and boy, did they bring the sizzle. Opening with energetic crowd favorite “Running In Circles” (which was, impressively, featured on Alice Cooper’s radio show Nights With Alice Cooper), the band got the crowd going from the very first note. Playing an engaging mix of classic originals, deep cuts, and teasing new releases, the band put on an electrifying performance (and the deafening screams of the crowd would agree). I say this with complete and utmost confidence: TasteFull gives it their all. One hundred and ten percent, every song, every show, every time. They’re an absolute treat to see live, and I definitely see them gaining more traction in the next year. It’s no secret they’re already gaining fans exponentially in the Cincinnati area - by the time of their set, the crowd was so congested with people that there was hardly any room to move around! As for more highlights from their set, I particularly enjoyed their psychedelic banger “Paint a Picture” (with the studio version featuring Saving Escape lead singer Kala Rose on an epic vocal solo, reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s “The Great Gig In The Sky”), a longer tune packed chock-full with rowdy jam sessions and delightfully chaotic musical tangents. But my absolute favorite part of their performance was their final song - a dark, brooding, and mysterious journey of a song entitled “Garden of Life”. Hearing this song only twice now, I’ve already drawn many similarities to Greta Van Fleet’s “Age Of Machine” (and anyone who has read my work knows how much I *love* Greta). I can already tell this will be my favorite tune off their upcoming album, and I can’t wait to hear the studio recording. Overall, TasteFull lit up the venue with their tenacity and ferocious passion for sound, and I’m super stoked to see them live again soon.

Last, but certainly not least, the final band of the night was none other than Saving Escape. Back in 2018, I actually waited in line with them for a few hours before a Greta Van Fleet concert up in Cleveland - and they were excellent and friendly company! It was then that I discovered their band, and I’m so glad I did. To begin their set, lead singer Kala Rose raised her wine glass and toasted to the crowd, and the crowd ate it up. I was especially thrilled to hear the band launch into their classic original “Indigo Road” - an extremely-catchy pure rock banger dropped in 2018 (and their most streamed song to date, with half a million listens). I instantly found myself dancing and singing along to the tune that introduced me to the band in the first place - and the very reason I became such a huge fan. In addition, I admired their use of saxophone, which was a fun twist that added even more flair to their set. Vocalist Kala has a versatile voice and stage presence for days, she’s a frontwoman with confidence who is very entertaining to watch. I also really like the fact that Saving Escape are a band of best friends - they certainly play like it! Every note is smooth, the synchronicity is perfect, and they put on a dazzling show every single time. To end their set, and the night, Kala asked the crowd, “Are any of you Turnstile fans?” to which many people responded with cheers. The band launched into a cover of one of Turnstile’s songs - and while I admit I’d never heard of the band prior, I enjoyed the punk vibe of the song, and the thumping bass was the perfect badass send-off to the band. Overall, Saving Escape ended the night on a very high note, and had everyone buzzing after such a fantastic performance. I’ll always jump at the chance to witness them live, as they truly play like no one else can.

Rocktoberfest was an absolute blast and one for the books, I had an amazing time and was thrilled to see so many people coming out to rock out for a good cause. Thanks again to Monigold Studios, Cincinnati Parks, Freestore Foodbank and TasteFull for such a wonderful night, and I’m stoked to cover more events like these in the future.

Rocktoberfest Cincinnati: Local Bands Put On Concert For Change

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