For my summer vacation I decided to follow two of my favorite bands around California. I’ve been loving Toad the Wet Sprocket since the early 1990s and their opening band Beta Play for the past three years, since I first saw them open for Toad at an unforgettable show in Fresno under their former band name Tommy and the High Pilots. This post covers four shows that I attended and will be a little more personal than my usual posts — part travelogue, part recap. The first show I saw on this road trip was at the Crest Theatre in
Tag: Tom Cantillon
I Bleed You and I Know You Know I Do
I was thrilled that Beta Play booked another L.A. show just a couple weeks after their previous one at The Troubadour. They played on The Hotel Cafe main stage in the middle time slot on Tuesday, June 28, 2016. They were once again playing with new drummer Joshua Daubin and so the set list was the same as at The Troubadour to cover all the songs he has already learned. No matter, it was a fantastic and energetic set list, including their best and newest songs: “The Way We Play,” recently released as a single on iTunes “Innocent,” from Only Human
There’s Something Exciting Outside of Me
On Wednesday, June 15, 2016, I was at The Troubadour to catch one of my favorite Southern California bands, Beta Play, opening for Rita Wilson. The last time I saw them was back in October 2015 at their EP release show in Santa Barbara, California. Beta Play band members are: Tom Cantillon on vocals and guitar, Mike Cantillon on keyboard, guitar, and backing vocals, and Mike Dyer on bass and backing vocals. Recently, drummer Matt Palermo sadly left the band to pursue other interests and to spend some time in India. Joshua Daubin, from Nashville, expertly filled in on drums
This is How I Want to Be Remembered
I was thrilled to be able to attend Beta Play‘s EP release show on October 17, 2015 at Blind Tiger in Santa Barbara, CA. I first became familiar with the band when they were known as Tommy and the High Pilots and opened for the band Toad the Wet Sprocket in May 2014. They were fantastic. Bought their most recent album that night and had all the band members sign it and met four of the nicest, friendliest guys. The band is made up of phenomenal, charismatic lead singer and guitarist, Tom Cantillon; keyboardist, synthesizer/laptop master, and sometimes guitar player,