Scarypoolparty: The Roxy Theatre Livestream

by Katy Trinh

On October 9, 2020, Scarypoolparty (Alejandro Aranda) performed a livestream at The Roxy Theatre located on the Sunset strip in West Hollywood, CA. This legendary music venue is known by music lovers all over the world. Opened in 1973, The Roxy has been a

“…launching platform for aspiring artists and a home for those that are well established in the industry.” -https://www.theroxy.com/venue-info/history

Famous artists such as Neil Young, Billy Joel, Bob Marley and the Wailers and Stevie Wonder have graced their presence at the venue.

“In partnership with No Cap, the venue-based livestream service, these special shows are a show of support of LA’s local music scene. Local venues are the lifeline to live music. It’s massively important to support local venues because not only does it bring community, but it brings us all together to enjoy our favorite bands” says Aranda. -Shorefire Media Press Release-Sept. 20, 2020

For those of you who are not familiar with Aranda, he was a contestant in season 17 of American Idol (2019). He stunned the judges with his original songs, "Out Loud" and "Cholo Love" and the world instantly fell in love with his sound. He went on to perform seven original songs (the first ever in the show’s history) and amassed many fans. He ended up in second place behind the winner, Laine Hardy.

Aranda and his band played both albums, Exit Form and Doom Hologram in its entirety for the first time. His band includes Maxx Diaz on bass, Travis Couch on guitar, Michael Hoffman on drums and Andy Prado Jr. also on drums. Yes, people. Scarypoolparty has 2 drummers, which adds a unique touch and another level of musicality to the live performances. He is known to surprise the fans with a twist in the melody and/or lyrics to keep his performances fresh.

The set list included:

EXIT FORM

Black Cross

Diamonds

Dance the Night Away

Vampire Shade

Beneath the Skin

True Religion

Heartstorm

Millennial Love

Ten Years

Tonight

Cholo Love

Out Loud

DOOM HOLOGRAM

Return2Sender

Fake Smiles

Angel Delete

Deathwave

Judas

Sun Moon Earth

Doom Hologram

Paradox

Aranda began the livestream with an instant bang, “Black Cross.” This song has a hard, industrial feel; very much the likes of Nine Inch Nails and Ministry. The piano solo at both the beginning and end of the song certainly lightened the mood.

“Diamonds” was another banger and all I wanted to do was bang my head the whole time. The band was killer, each of them adding many layers to the song. Their energy was infectious.

During “Dance the Night Away,” Aranda did a little dance, which worked well for the song and added a bit of humor to the performance.

One of my favorites, “Vampire Shade” gave me a haunting feeling when he belted out “You left me all aloooooooooone.” That part certainly gave me chills.

“Beneath the Skin” is a piece that Aranda also played the piano on. Those arpeggios made my heart melt. Just like his guitar skills, he has genius piano skills, as well. His voice changed to a lower note at the end of the song, which added a creative element.

Aranda spoke to the audience after "True Religion" and welcomed everyone to the show. “We’re having fun here. Thanks for tuning in.”

When he got to "Heartstorm," the music lightened up. Aranda put the songs in order in his album to take listeners on a sonic journey from hard to soft.

For those of you familiar with "Millennial Love," the acoustic version on American Idol is nothing like the album version. This was an upbeat dance tune that I suspect he drew inspiration from the 1980’s/early 1990’s English synth/pop sound. This song reminds me of such bands as Erasure, Depeche Mode. New Order and The Cure.

The song, “10 Years” is a ballad and has a slower beat/tempo. Aranda has mentioned that this song was written for a close friend who was going through a divorce. Prado clapped after the song, which showed his playful side in the band.

“Tonight” is one of my favorite ballads of the evening. I just wanted to turn on the flashlight on my phone and wave it in the air during the song. Then I realized I wasn’t in the audience but in fact, was at home in my pajamas watching the livestream.

I loved the feel of “Cholo love,” which has a different sound in the album for Aranda. It had a jazzy, R&B feel...similar to the feeling of watching a jazz band at a nightclub.

Aranda played “Out Loud” with just a guitar and his smooth, soulful voice. This acoustic version is simply beautiful. You could feel his raw emotion as he belted out “It’s hard to say the truth out loud.” His fast finger-picking style on the guitar at the end of the song was magical, something I had never witnessed before in any other artist. This song marked the end of the album, Exit Form but it has also come full circle in his journey as a musician. This song started his fast rise to fame, as it is the song he auditioned with on American Idol and the very last song he performed on American Idol.

Very quickly and without much of a break, Aranda went right into the song, "Return2Sender." This marked the first song on his EP, Doom Hologram. He wrote this song with Keller Moore, who is a music producer. Moore also worked on the single, "Fading Away" with Aranda. This song is another soulful acoustic about a heart wrenching breakup. “Says that she wants me. Then she straight leaves me there for another man, another man now.” This song never fails to pull at my heartstrings and leave me in tears.

The song, "Fake Smiles" is a familiar one, as he’s played it a few times during his acoustic livestreams. Watching the band play this one was crazy! Hoffman banged on his drums like he was born to do this. Aranda’s scream towards the end of the song...was completely mind-blowing.

“Angel Delete” is one of my favorite songs on the album. It has a blend of slow and fast beats. You could tell he put his all into this song. A few times, I noticed that he moved away from the microphone between lyrics and back then back on with such force and emotion. He also did a jump in the middle of the song which reminds us of his iconic jump at Lollapalooza 2019 that stunned his fans in a really good way. It showed how emotionally vested he is in the songs that he creates and sings.

"Deathwave" is another favorite of mine. I noticed the lighting was going a bit crazy near the end of the song. Aranda has mentioned that visuals are very important during his live performances. It’s not uncommon to see the many flashes of colorful lights throughout the songs. The piano interlude after this song was beautiful and is like the icing on the cake for me.

During "Judas," Hoffman again banged on his drums full-force in this song. The many sounds in this song gave his band members a workout. At one point, all the members of the band were head banging. Again, the lighting added another dimension to the performance. Aranda said, “Man, that was fun” at the end of the song. I couldn't agree more.

The piano in "Sun Moon Earth" was simply beautiful. Aranda is known to blend genres in his music so the distorted sounds and classical arrangements together was both genius and not a surprise to many fans. The piano playing and drumming between Aranda and Prado at the end of the song was spell-binding.

After "Sun Moon Earth," Aranda introduced the band members and thanked everyone again for putting on and watching the livestream.

“Continue to support your favorite artists and watch out for each other. We need to save our venues. It’s crucial. Continue to support and watch the livestreams. Give whatever you can. It really means a lot.” -Scarypoolparty

The Nu Deco Ensemble layered orchestral compositions into the songs, "Doom Hologram" and "Paradox." This gave the songs a unique sound of nu-metal. In "Doom Hologram," Aranda surprised the audience by singing in Portuguese. "Paradox" is a heavy song in itself. It was so much fun watching the band really get immersed in it.

This livestream performance was absolutely incredible. The stand-out for me was the fact that Scarypoolparty performed all of the songs in order on both of the albums. This has never been done before and for any fan, it’s epic. The band exuded so much energy in this performance. I enjoyed it so much that the 2-hour performance felt like 2 minutes.

Aranda has a wide range of sounds. His music does not have a genre but instead, crosses many different lanes. This is what I call genius. He has the freedom to express himself by creating many sounds. He is exceptional at his craft of making music. The way he is able to put those sounds together like puzzle pieces that fit so beautifully… It’s awe-inspiring.

“His wide array of musical influence is apparent in his striking, multifaceted sound and expertise in varying styles. As an artist who cannot be attached to one genre, Aranda’s music ranges from guitar or piano-electric pieces which convey the more personal acoustic aspect of his artistry, to his industrialized music which borrows from electronic-inspired beats and incorporates a variety of synthesized textures. Together, both of his styles, in combination with his brilliant attention to lyricism and melody, result in his familiar yet progressive sound.” -Submit Hub, Jason Grishkoff

Aranda’s humble demeanor in addition to his level of musicality sets him apart from many other artists. He has such a vast knowledge of music which is clearly evident in the music he creates. His deep love for music is embedded in his being. He never stops thinking about music.

“Music is an outlet tool. I want to present music and share music. I love music in general. I’m doing this from an honest place.” -Volume West from Home-Farm Aid Podcast; September 9, 2020

Aranda has been given a very special gift. He is like no other artist out there. His ability to not only create any genre of music but also integrate various genres within songs is truly mind-boggling. How is he able to do that AND make his music sound amazing? I don’t know the answer to that. What I do know is that I’m beyond thrilled he never stops making music and lets his fans enjoy the insanely magical, musical world of Scarypoolparty.