Shaunt Avakian at The Viper Room

Shaunt Avakian, The Viper Room, August 16, 2018

Shaunt Avakian is a vibrantly charismatic singer / songwriter who has been making a name for himself within the confines of the massive Los Angeles music scene. The 18-year-old performer unveiled his debut Intensity EP earlier this year, unleashing a collection of superbly ironic and imminently memorable songs. Shaunt and his band performed an early show at the notorious Viper Room on a week night in the wilds of the Sunset Strip, and certainly captivated the audience with a stunning six song presentation.

Opening the set with the slamming inquiry of Are You Here?, Avakian and his band sent the room spinning with a truly intriguing performance. Unveiling the entire Intensity EP, each and every song was brought to an ultra-vivid life, highlighted by Shaunt’s dynamic vocal delivery and his dazzling lead guitar skills. Love To Love You was especially compelling when presented live, with Shaunt singing the blues with a high flying amount of style, emotion and conviction.

Hard To Focus was wickedly infectious, oozing to the core with passion and wonder as Shaunt mischievously conveys “high on love. high on lust, I do it all, when I must.” Another highlight of the set was the positively fierce rendering of Rats In The Attic, where fiery vocals and stunning guitar work sent this persuasive punk rock ditty into the stratosphere.

With Shaunt Avakian being such a magnetic performer, one almost misses the contributions of the other two members. Bassist Pat Cherry delivered a thoroughly professional low-end throughout the course of the evening. And in the back on drums was none other than Mike Hansen of the legendary hard rockin’ Hurricane, providing vast and solid beats to the proceedings. The night definitely belonged to Shaunt Avakian, who performed with a ton of heart and soul. To discover the wit and wisdom of this young performer is to see him live, and at The Viper Room, Shaunt delivered the spiraling goods tenfold. It will be exciting to see what the future has in store for this insightful and entertaining artist on the rise. Stay tuned!

(Review and Photo by Ken Morton)

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