Jannus Live Goes Crazy for the Welcome to Florida Tour

This past Saturday, January 28, Artikal Sound System came through to headline St. Petersburg's beautiful courtyard venue, Jannus Live as part of their "Welcome To Florida" tour. Along for the ride were Sierra Lane, Bikini Trill, and The Resolvers, making for a memorable night of incredible music. Each band led by incredible women, each celebrating the strength, courage, and resilience of their music, and creating a powerful night of potent and powerful vibes.

The night began with a fury of people rushing in to guarantee their spot along the rail. Once Sierra Lane started providing tantric tunes to kick off the night, the real fun began. Front-woman, Sierra Fitzhugh sang beautifully as her voice stretched across the venue, causing the bodies to move and sway like the beginnings of high tide, gearing them up for something special. Each strum of Fitzhugh's guitar put a hefty trance upon the swell of people.

Sierra Lane

Los Angeles natives, Bikini Trill electrified the swell of people with the snapping of their snare drums and tantalizing island guitar sweeps. Every song ended with hoots and hollering from every corner of the venue. At one point, bassist Kourosh Poursalehi, aka Roach, called out to the crowd, asking everyone where they came from. New York, California, and everything in between came from the mouths of devoted fans. 

Bikini Trill

Fans cheered louder and louder as the night went on, and the dancing feet multiplied by the minute. Once all nine members of The Resolvers came to the stage, the sound decibels went through the sky. The nine-piece band set Jannus Live ablaze with their roaring horn section and fierce vocals, sending shockwaves into the swell which billowed into a mass of dancing and grooving. While horns blazed, the energy coursed through the venue and infinitely into skies above. 

Resolvers

As if the jazz infused reggae provided by The Resolvers wasn't enough to get the crowd into a loose liquified groove, headliners Artikal Sound System pounded the crowd into a beautiful tsunami. The sounds coming from Chris Cope's keyboard hypnotized, as the booming sounds coming from Adam Kampf's snapped and popped, providing a bombastic beat. The crowd swayed and moved as Chris Montague's guitar and Fabian Acuña's bass melded together perfectly and through the music, the enchanting voice of Logan Rex roared.

Artikal Sound System

Eventually the ferocious cries of the crowd simmered down and the music came to a hush, but the lively crowd hummed out into the streets, but the music, the lights, and the passion were all in harmony creating a truly unforgettable night.

Photos by Brian “Porkchop” Nicholson

Review by Brendan Mcginley