BeachLife Festival is underway today at Seaside Lagoon in Redondo Beach for the whole weekend with three days of rock, blues, indie-pop, reggae and lots more with headliners Gwen Stefani, The Black Keys, The Black Crowes as well as John Fogerty performing music of Creedence Clearwater Revival, CAAMP, Sublime with Rome, Pixies, The Head and the Heart, Band of Horses, Iration, Tegan and Sara, Dispatch, Noah Cyrus, Mavis Staples, Kurt Vile and the Violators, LP, Sugar Ray, Trampled By Turtles, The Airborne Toxic Event, Travie McCoy, Shwayze, Tomorrow’s Bad Seeds, The Wailers, Poncho Sanchez and many more. The Redondo Beach festival continues to be a tastemaker event with legendary acts, buzzed-about talents and rising stars and just about everyone knows a song from the headliners and top-billed artists. So PassTheAux.co has whittled down 5 Can’t Miss Undercard Acts to look out for this time around: The Beaches and SHAED playing on Friday, Aly & AJ on Saturday and finally on Sunday both David Ryan Harris and Winnetka Bowling League.
The Beaches
Friday, May 5 – 3:30 – 4:30 PM
JUNO-winning Canadian four-piece rock band The Beaches will be fired up to play the first day of BeachLife Festival with their angsty indie-rock with punk influences. Having kicked off their careers in 2013, sisters Jordan and Kylie Miller on vocals/bass and guitar/background vocals along with keyboardist/guitarist/background vocalist Leandra Earl and drummer Eliza Enman-McDaniel are sure to start a party. The Beaches have recorded a pair of albums as well as four of EPs and just today release the single “Blame Brett” with the announcement of new album Blame My Ex due September 15. With catchy tunes like “Blow Up,” “Let’s Go,” “T-Shirt” and “Want What You Got” and a tour history that includes previously joining Glorious Sons, Passion Pit, Foo Fighters, Avril Lavigne and even The Rolling Stones, these badass women are certain to drop some new music on the sand before a North American tour which includes a number of festivals including Lollapalooza.
SHAED
Friday, May 5 – 5:30 – 6:30 PM
Indie-pop trio SHAED made a splash on the world with their 2018 multi-platinum track “Trampoline” and the Washington, D.C. act follow up their Wednesday night show at The Venice West with a set at BeachLife, their first LA-area shows since a pair of November 2021 dates at the Mayan Theatre. And for good reason —Chelsea Lee and Spencer Ernst welcomed their first child in May 2022, while Ernst’s twin Max has been enjoying uncle duties. On the music scene since 2011, the “No Other Way” band have already collaborated with Zayn, Steve Aoki and Two Feet and hit the road with tourmates like AURORA, Bishop Briggs, Marian Hill and Verite. SHAED’s addition to the lineup will be a highly anticipated return for the electro-pop trio —listen up for Chelsea’s alluring vocals, the Ernst brothers’ impressive production and a chance for the beach crowd to be a testing ground for some new tracks.
Aly & AJ
Saturday, May 6 – 3:10 – 4:10 PM
Pop-rock duo Aly & AJ released their fifth album With Love From back in March and it’s an Americana-flavored collection of tunes that are sure to kiss the sun on skin of revelers on the beach. With inviting harmonies and a carefree energy, Aly & AJ Michalka have had an active few years touring and they are not slowing down any time soon with spring and summer dates across North America including stops in San Diego on September 7 at Humphrey’s By The Bay followed by the Greek Theatre on September 8. The new record has a number of standout tunes including the summer-ready, garage rocker “Baby Lay Your Head Down” and folk-pop tune “After Hours.” Having already headlined The Wiltern in 2021 and joined Ben Platt’s tour which played at the Hollywood Bowl last fall, these sisters are sure to make an impact by the surf with lots more on the way.
David Ryan Harris
Sunday, May 7 – 12:30 – 1:30 PM
Los Angeles-based David Ryan Harris has been an industry fixture for decades, playing guitar and producing his wife Dionne Farris’ music, playing alongside John Mayer, Dave Matthews, Santana and many more. DRH plays residencies often in Los Angeles and he is a welcome addition to the BeachLife roster this year as the setting is perfect for his soulful melodies and impressive guitar skills. Listen up for “Kerosene,” “Shelter,” “If I Had A Dime,” “Our Day” (which features Mayer and Indie.Arie) and the timeless “Pretty Girl”, songs that are sure to unify the crowd in song.
Winnetka Bowling League
Sunday, May 7 – 3:30 – 4:30 PM
This witty band name is singer, songwriter and producer Matthew Koma’s latest act, which formed in Los Angeles in 2018 with bandmate Kris Mazzarisi. The pop band has released a string of catchy hits including “Congratulations,” “Kangaroo,” the very appropriate “Come To The Beach” and the Sasha Sloan-featured “Barcelona.” Koma has been known to work with a number of heavy hitters in the industry including Bruce Springsteen, Keith Urban, Demi Lovato, Britney Spears, Tiesto, Shania Twain and lots more. Some anthemic songs are expected to shake things up as well as some possible new ones.
Aly & AJ photo by Stephen Ringer
