This past Saturday was a super memorable night in my books for several reasons:
Firstly, it was the highly anticipated CD release party for Ana Kefr’s VOLUME 1. This Riverside, California-based philosophy-metal band has been creating quite a buzz locally and therefore had my attention. Secondly, The Galaxy Theater in Santa Ana had been closed for over a year and recently begun hosting live entertainment again. Being this venue had a great deal of history in Orange County it was great to go in seeing an amazing facelift to the place and an ample size crowd on hand to celebrate. Lastly, it was a benefit show to raise funds for the Make A Wish Foundation (Orange County and Inland Empire chapter) and was really cool (and noteworthy) to see their Director of Development on hand to introduce ANA KEFR to the crowd.
For those of you curious about the name, a simple descriptor should suffice and also explain their very loyal following. Kefr: v. (Ar.) Root: K-F-R: To cover, to sow [as a seed]. English translation: Infidel, unbeliever, obliterator. These guys undoubtedly raise some eyebrows (but in a good way) as they challenge you to question your beliefs and look at things in a different light.
When I had the chance to ask vocalist Rhiis Lopez about the set he injected, “To be honest, we've never felt so comfortable and happy onstage. It felt more like just having fun than a show, we were jumping all over the place and just really into it, it seemed like we just had a lot of fun with our crowd.”
The night’s setlist was:
- Takeover
- Branded by Black Water
- The Day that Guilt Turned White
- Feed a PETA Member to a Starving Child in Africa
- T.ruthless
- The Giant Who had No Heart in His Body
- Avenue of the Queen
- The Orchid
- Tonight We Watch the Children Burn
I particularly noticed, ‘Ave of the Queen’ had an infectious and electric response from the crowd. Thought I must admit, the last three songs, had the crowd amped and screaming into the mic, (along with vocalist Rhiis), their fists proudly in the air and heads banging to a crescendo of excitement.
All in all, an amazing time was had, not only by myself but from appearances the crowd as well and I look forward to catching ANA KEFR back in action soon. For samples and more info on the band please visit their myspace at myspace.com/anakefr
