The Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles, California is without a doubt one of the most iconic and infamous concert venues in the U.S., right next to the now gone CBGB, and on Sunday August 29, 2021, they hosted a special fundraiser, birthday bash for local Southern California legend, Skumlove.
This special concert benefit was for mental health awareness with the You Rock Foundation, they are a non profit organization striving to help those struggling with their own mental health & suicide prevention through the power of music. Each band preforming during the show donated 30% of all merchandise sold to the foundation.
Something that was truly unique and amazing, right at 7 PM when doors opened, they had a special guest panel to discuss their own personal struggles on mental and the impact the music community has on it. After this hour long panel spoke, the first bands to open the night were The Mendenhall Experiment and Fate Destroyed.
The Mendenhall Experiment has truly impactful story and presence, as their founding member & guitarist, Brandon Mendenhall, has cerebral palsy and still takes to the stage shredding like he was Steve Vai himself. They are also very active in bring awareness to others affected by cerebral palsy. And their singer, or actually front-woman, Alyce completely stormed the stage with guttural tones.
Second band to open the night was Fate Destroyed. Now I’ve known this band for a few years now and after a few lineup shuffles they have their A Team out. Guitarists Jonni & Roger have absolutely mastered their guitars flawlessly like a master pianist. Bassist Chris Kennedy, who is also a guitar player as well, had his sound dialed in and perfectly blending within the mix, their drummer Cameron looked like a fitting Tommy Lee as he raged for the crowd. Their front woman, Francescca, was the metal dominatrix to complete it. Her breakdown voice and death metal sound has beautifully evolved over the years.
For the main event and man of the hour: Skum Love.
After not performing for over a year, you would think maybe some dust may have settled on an artists first show back, not for Skum Love. Himself and the band, brought one of the best performances they’ve done yet. Off stage, Skum is the nicest human you could possibly know, but as soon as he took to the stage, his Mr. Hyde showed and gave fans an absolute show. Extra female dancers who also did backing vocals & percussion, matched the guitarist & bassist for aesthetic. Skum himself even changed for some songs with some extra props.
When the evening was finished and all the lights went down, Skum had this to say reflecting onthe night, “Considering everything going on, I think the show was truly successful. We reached out to make a difference and had many people come to us through the night. Every band sounded great and was professional and I truly enjoyed celebrating my birthday this way.”
For a Sunday night show, at The Whiskey A Go Go, Skum Love brought the love & passion of music to fans and raised money for an important cause we all struggle with.