DATE / TIME
08/17/2018 at 8:30 pm
LOCATION
DETAILS
Audio Karate
Audio Karate is Arturo Barrios (vocals/guitar), Jason Camacho (guitar), Justo Gonzalez (bass) and Gabriel Camacho (drums).
“Sometimes you need a reminder of where you started. Punk rock may not have saved my life but it gave me something to be excited about when growing up in the Chicago suburbs. It gave me friends, a community, and a social context I wouldn’t have had otherwise. Punk rock has given me so much throughout the years but, at this point in my life, I don’t always give it the attention I owe it. Thankfully, Yes It Is, the fantastic debut full length from San Diego’s Western Settings, is the reminder I needed. I immediately fell in love with this album and band. I was blown away on my first listen and can’t keep it out of my rotation if I tried.
I’m usually able to pin down a band’s style or influences when I listen to an album. I couldn’t do that with Western Settings. The band is a diverse mix of different influences, reflected in the variety of songs on the album, that makes them stand out from other bands. They aren’t pigeon-holed into one style and aren’t afraid to take a chance with a song that other bands would save for a b-side (“Dying Without Children,” “Table for One,” “Bricks”). Western Settings regularly takes what would have already been a great song to a different place, turning songs into anthems that kids will sing along with. Western Settings will be that band that bridges the gaps between punk, emo, and hardcore, bringing the spectrum of the scene together for a rollicking good time.
On multiple occasions, I heard the band almost break into another level but not make that final push. Don’t take this as a negative when listening to the album. The best part of Yes It Is is knowing that Western Settings will get even better. The band displays a significant amount of potential in these songs. This band has the capability to be something really special and I have no doubt that Western Settings, with their considerable amount of talent and potential, can reach that level and set the bar in the foreseeable future to become a mainstay of the scene.
You don’t come across a band like Western Settings every day, let alone every year. They’re something special. This is the band you tell your friends about every day, imploring them to give it a shot. This is a band that brings friends together. It will be exciting to see what Western Settings does next and how they get there. They could be one of those bands you tell everyone you saw at a house show the first time they came through your town. Trust me, you won’t want to miss out on anything Western Settings does.” – For The Love of Punk
“Punk rock has long since embraced the emotional assurance of bands like Jawbreaker and the Replacements, to the point that heart-on-the-sleeve punk has become little more than a buzzword. It sounds great, sure, and the imagery it conjures up is of aggressive strums backing open-wound lyrics that cut as much as they stick, but its the rare band that delivers on that promise. Western Settings’ debut “Yes It Is” delivers hard. Filled from top to bottom with sticky melodies and muscular musicianship, Western Settings has written a record that rocks as hard as it resonates. ” – Dying Scene
“Their new album “Yes It Is” provides a glimpse into their enthusiastic melody driven punk, dominated by rousing vocals and driving guitars. Western Settings take the pop-punk formula and remove any shallow traits, leaving a rough and ready core surrounded by euphoric melody.” – Punktastic
https://www.sodabarmusic.com/event/1702849-audio-karate-san-diego/