Requiem's Undaunted Man in Black

As I stood in the dark room, doors covered with stickers, benches along the one wall, no tables or chairs, a feeling of curiosity came over me. I was the new face in a room of people who knew one another. There was a bar behind me with no stools. It was odd to me. The stage was in the left corner of the room and many were standing right in front. I positioned myself in the back and observed. The people were fascinating to watch. All of them fitted with unique garb that no doubt matched their personality. Some were gothic, some were punk, some had cat ears and then there was me in my Johnny Cash dress.  

Suddenly I see him. He is perfectly dressed man wearing black and standing in front of me listening intently to the band on stage perform. Who is this man? I thought to myself as I watched him posed in his stance. I knew he was not just a fan or spectator. His presence drew many to him and I became increasingly eager to know who he was. Suddenly the band on stage finished their set and walked out to the merchandise table to meet fans. It was then I noticed that the man I had been watching was gone. 

To my surprise he reappeared as front man for the next band, Requiem. It was Steve Juliano. You may know him as the lead from his previous band "I am Ghost". The presence this man has is perfection. On stage he was this wild and rowdy, fun, happy performer with a feisty side. He was very spirited in his performance. He joked with everyone and told us that he had been told not to do what he had been doing, so apparently he was quite enthusiastic at his previous shows. Requiem is rock, punk and metal. It is nice that they are not another cookie cutter band. They are a mixture which works well with this audience. Steve's voice was very familiar to me. He reminded me of the original singer from Sublime. That tone was undeniable. It makes perfect sense that he used to cover their songs during Karaoke, before his first gig as a lead singer in a band. 

It is no wonder the fans were screaming, shouting and banging their heads. Requiem has an energy together that just ignites the fire inside of their fans. The delivery of each song seemed perfectly executed. The entire band fed off of each other and the crowd, creating an exhilarating atmosphere. Without realizing it I joined in. As I was taking notes for this review I found myself moving along to every beat. Hands down this was an awesome band to see live. I encourage you all to seek them out and give them a listen. They are from Santa Cruz, Ca. and they finished wrapping up the punishment tour on June 11, 2015.