Justin Courtney Pierre and Modern Maps at The Echo

Justin Courtney Pierre, Modern Maps, The Echo, December 4, 2018

Justin Courtney Pierre

Justin Courtney Pierre and his band made their way into the wild of Los Angeles, presenting an absolutely epic set of tunes at The Echo on an otherwise sleepy Tuesday night. Best known for his extensive work in Motion City Soundtrack, Justin Courtney Pierre has hit the road in support of the recently unveiled In The Drink album on Epitaph Records. Pierre and Company would rage through a set of solo songs, as well his selections from his other projects Motion City Soundtrack and Farewell Continental. In addition to the solid tunes, the onstage banter between Justin, his other band members and the audience was nothing short of sublime.

Opening the set with a hefty amount of solo material pretty much delivered in the order of his In The Drink manifesto, Justin and his band won over the crowd with the new material. And what it treat it was to witness the various Motion City Soundtrack songs performed such as Stand Too Close and When You’re Around. There was even a Guided By Voices cover presented within the wickedly captivating set – a rousing rendition of Motor Away. It was back to the solo material at the end of the show, when Justin and Company sealed the deal with album closers In The Drink and Goodnight Hiroyuki. Justin Courtney Pierre presented his fans an absolutely memorable night jammed packed with songs from a brilliant career.

Modern Maps

Launching the glorious night of music was L.A.’s own Modern Maps, presenting their own intoxicating version of pop rock and roll. In addition to performing selections from their recent hope you’re happy Rise Records debut, Modern Maps unveiled quite a few new songs within their short yet very dynamic set. Heatwave is definitely a standout cut from their full length, a should-be hit single that vibrantly scorched the early arrivals at The Echo. The new songs definitely showed a band on a journey to even greater glories, with the highlights being Sweet Talk and Radio Killer.

Now in DIY mode, Modern Maps is continuing their journey on to what is sure to be an adventure in sight and sound. The inspiring Modern Maps lineup consists of Trever Stewart on vocals, Dominick Hall on guitar, Matthew Hall on drums, and Daniel Navarrette on bass. Expect 2019 to be a breakout year for this underrated collective.

(Review by Ken Morton – Photos by Jack Lue)

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