Telltale, Divided Minds, Sincerely, Me at PBW, July 12, 2019
Telltale, Divided Minds, Sincerely, Me, PBW, July 12, 2019
If you missed the Vans Warped Tour this year, a pop punk three band explosion made their way into the wilds of Pomona, performing a show at PBW on Second Street. Right down the block from The Glass House, PBW has been the perfect place to discover new talent as of late – and not only that, but their pizza is pretty good too! The touring package included Sincerely, Me from Orange County, Divided Minds from Phoenix, Arizona, and Telltale from Richmond, Virginia – and what an exhilarating show the trio of bands presented at the PBW on a Saturday night in Downtown Pomona.
Telltale was up first, unleashing their own spirited brand of East Coast pop punk at the PBW. On tour in support of their Timeless Youth EP on SharpTone Records, Telltale kicked off their set with the spiraling sounds of Rose. Mixing melodic punk with a bit of intensive metalcore meanderings, Telltale exudes a dynamic amount of passion and conviction on the stage. John Carter is such a tremendously effective frontman, delivering the powerhouse lyrics while making sure each and every audience member is thoroughly engaged in the show. Bryce Marshall definitely tears into the guitar with a fierce magnetism while bassist Tim Fogg and drummer Travis Slack make for a wickedly solid rhythm section. It’s only their second time in the Southland, and Telltale left a lasting impression on the locals. Expect to hear a lot more from this charismatic band in the future.
Although Divided Minds is a trio, they certainly present a big and impassioned sound when performing live. On the road in support of their recently issued Mood Swings EP on We Are Triumphant, Divided Minds captivated the audience with their exhilarating performance. One noticed at once the dynamic lead vocal performance of Sean Collins, decked out in a spotted leopard shirt and singing his heart out tenfold. Also unveiling persuasive performances were Joshua Peters on lead guitar and backing vocals and Deven Palay on drums. Norterra Parkway is definitely the pop punk anthem for the ages and was highlight when unveiled live. Divided Minds closed out their set with two recently released singles Lovely and Pressure, which will be on their upcoming Guilty Pleasure EP. Here’s hoping Divided Minds make their way back to Southern California soon!
Headlining the show was Sincerely, Me from The OC, who packed out the PBW for an exhilarating hometown show. They killed it early on – massacred the power that is – which went out twice on the stage while they were performing. These guys are troopers though, and when all of the outages were taken care of, Sincerely, Me delivered an absolutely unforgettable set. Once known as Between California And Summer, Sincerely, Me played songs from their Half Empty EP on We Are Triumphant. The talented membership of Sincerely, Me includes Adam Cease on vocals, James Boone on guitar, Nolan Forstie on drums, Hunter Lyons on bass, and Will DesMarais on guitar. For a very well deserved encore, Sincerely, Me performed an exciting cover of 1000 Miles by Vanessa Carlton, ending the night on a grand and inspiring note. Pop punk is very alive and well, thanks to fantastic new bands such as Sincerely, Me, Telltale, and Divided Minds. Catch any and all of these collectives the next time they show up on you side of pop punk planet.
(Review by Ken Morton – Photos by Erica Vincent)
