I was recently lucky enough to be invited to check out Desert of Talking Shadows by lead singer Mikey Qubti at the Viper Room on Saturday, September 14, 2019. They were opening for Jared James Nichols for the second time. Their first time was their inaugural performance as a band. This Orange County band is prepped and ready for big things. They have a ferocious, high-energy sound and presence on stage. The band which was formed in early 2018 consists of all original members:
Mikey Qubti- Vocals and Lead Guitar
Kyle Vellanoweth-Guitar
Jack Thomas-Bass
Detrick Forster-Drums
The boys burst out with “One for the Road”. This being my first time seeing them, I was immediately engaged with the heavy riffs and the intensity of the crowd supporting them. Desert of Talking Shadows are part of the modern classic rock scene currently burning up LA. Their songs are pure, garage band rock and roll. They played “Drowning in Me”, “Cold Hard Floor” which are tunes from their existing catalog. Included in their set was the song “Crucify” off their debut EP, EYE FOR ANY EYE, which is currently their only video. You can find it on YouTube. Their set list consisted of a solid seven songs, both old and new. The two new tunes were “End of the Lie” and the newly released single, “Give Me Something”.
The show concluded with “The People”. This finale showed off the bands gritty edginess with each member breaking out of formation and thrashing through until the end of the song. A short clip of this is available on the band’s Facebook page.
Overall, the show was captivating and tons of fun. It great to witness a band that pays attention to the crowd and clearly loves to perform for their fans. Next up for the group is an opening gig at the Wayfarer in Orange County, CA on Saturday, October 19th for their friends in Them Evils.
