From San Jose, CA, Issac Pech, Tarrek Abdel-Khaliq and Joseph Barros, Dominic Pizano, and Jorge Olazaba – the Peach Tree Rascals did a pit stop at Phoenix, AZ’s SOLD OUT Valley Bar to show us what 12 years of friendship looks like. – June 9th 2024
Before the Peach Tree Rascals took the stage, Vietnamese-American artist Monét Ngo took us back to high school, in promotion of his most recent album, “After School Club”… Ngo decorated the stage with a quirky grade school desk. This gave us the illusion that we were in a classroom. As soon as he reached the stage the crowd cheered and he began his set. along with his bassist Dominic. Both wore similar outfits- a white button-down shirt and a pair of dress pants – giving school uniform vibes.
I would describe Monét Ngo genre – as a blend of indie pop-rock with R&B. One of HEAR IT!’s favorites of the night was “Ruby Sparks”. This song has a very mellow but also wavy guitar riff that makes you want to slowly sway your body side to side. Toward the end of the song, we get a twist. Ngo distorts his vocals to a low pitch and slows down the song creating a cool effect live – similar to the studio version.
Throughout Monét Ngo’s set, the two performed comical skits. These skits were school storylines and references that would then lead us to the next songs. We didn’t just get a musical performance but also got to see some of Ngo’s acting skills. The crowd was enjoying these silly bits.
Monét was very engaging with the crowd. To come to find out, both himself and his bassist are elementary school teachers from the Bay Area. He gets to create music during his downtime and has the opportunity to go on tour during his summer breaks. It’s amazing seeing music artists being able to balance a lifestyle doing two things they love and it was noted for Monét Ngo. The way his facial expressions changed through the emotions of the songs which he sang were apparent to me he loves making music.
Finally, the Peach Tree Rascals came out and the venue was filled with energy. Talk about fun shows – this show was filled with fun, hype, and all good vibes. Looking at the audience, you can tell these boys have a loyal and strong fan base. Everyone was excited to be there and happy to see them.
The boys began with “End of Time” from their 2022 EP “End of Time”. These guys came out and were giving their all as soon as they took the stage. There was jumping, dancing, and we even got some booty shaking from them. With the amount of movement and energy- there was not a place on that stage where they didn’t step. The chemistry these boys goes to show how great their 12 year friendship stands.
The setlist was stacked – performing all of their viral hits along with an unreleased song, “Come Around”. Their songs are filled with emotions and heartbreak but with a sense of hope that everything will be alright. Within each song break, the boys did their best to engage with members of the audience – connecting “heart hands”.
The show ended with their most popular song “Mariposa”. Peach Tree Rascals can be seen as a good example of a fun and carefree friendship within a musical group. The boys were living in the moment.
