REVIEW: The Show Must Go On With Moxy The Band, Live in Sacramento

 

☆ By Makena Alquist ☆

 
 

FIVE MINUTES BEFORE THE OPENING BAND WAS SCHEDULED TO GO ON — the fire marshall showed up to Bottle and Barlow in downtown Sacramento. A bartender led the audience out onto the patio, underneath heat lamps that made the crisp 40-degree air bearable. A wall of windows separated Moxy The Band from the crowd, as we watched them desperately trying to salvage this album release party more than three years in the making.

Moxy The Band, a pop-rock trio — composed of Amber DeLaRosa, Michael Franzino, and Dryw Owens — from the greater Sacramento area, released their debut album, Dream Feeling, last friday, Nov. 11. The lyrics on the album explore feelings of connection and loss, over catchy instrumentation from synthesizers alongside hypnotic drums and bass. Coupled with a powerful lead vocal from singer Amber DeLaRosa, this creates a dynamic and intensely listenable pop-rock album. 

Leaning heavily into an ’80s aesthetic, the band manages to balance this by not having any songs on the record that feel like covers of ’80s songs. Instead, on Dream Feeling, Moxy The Band brings forward and repurposes all of the classic sounds of the era into the modern rock scene. 

At the show, as the band began to move instruments to face the windows of the bar and toward the patio where we were all standing, the sound guys frantically checked cables and plugs as each piece of the setup was placed in its new position, so that the audience could see it through the glass. Finally, a single door on the side of the building was opened, with a speaker placed in the doorframe. 

DeLaRosa thanked the sold-out crowd for coming to the show in a muffled echo . Most of the audience stayed throughout the technical difficulties, and was one of the most supportive crowd’s I’ve seen. Made up of mostly friends and family of the band, I don’t think they would have left for anything. 

The band opened with the song “Pawns,” the second single off the record. Despite the impromptu setup change and the glass windows they were playing through, the trio sounded just as dynamic as they do on the record. DeLaRosa’s voice shined — if she wanted to, she could have broken the glass she was singing behind.

They continued into the album’s third single, “The Feeling of Letting Go.” Featured on Spotify’s Fresh Finds playlist, the track is the second most popular release off the new album. The drums shake your entire body, so intense and frenetic they knocked two plants off the shelf behind where the band was playing.

With six out of the 11 songs on the record played, Moxy The Band stuck mostly to the up-tempo tracks. The audience, beyond engaged with the show, knew every lyric. At the height of the show, the crowd lost its collective mind in anticipation of the saxophone solo in “All That Could Happen,” as they clapped and hollered in support throughout. 

The show ended with “Cost,” the first single and biggest hit off the album. The group thanked everyone one last time, and after the two hours of near complete chaos, the band finally set their instruments down to hug the family and friends that came out to celebrate with them.

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We couldn’t be more stoked to have Suriel Hess as our new headliner for our upcoming LA show 🤩 🫶 Not gonna lie, us & Notorious Noise kinda went OFF with this line up & you’re not gonna wanna miss it - ticket link in bio 🎫
The lovely Dora Jar for our 18th Issue by Lydia Robinson ⭐️ 🤩 Get your digital or print copy of this issue now 🫶
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