“Jesus Christ, I’m 26” Benefit Show

“Jesus Christ, I’m 26!”

This was the title of the show that Rolando Ybarra (Pancho Villa’s Skull) put together to celebrate not only his birthday, but his late friend Scientific Sunshine as well as two charities.

Suck it, Suicide! is a part of non-profit organization Six Feet Over. The organization works towards a world free of suicide loss. Specifically “one where people from diverse backgrounds have access to the resources and tools they need to live peacefully and support their family and peers around issues of mental health” according to their website.

Do Only Good Rescue is based in Rochester Hills and works to find the best homes for animals that have been left at the shelter. Donations can be made here.

The show was hosted at up and coming local venue Alley Cat Cafe in Pontiac – a very intimate space that allowed the bands to interact with the crowd.

This night, bands were performing cover acts of some of their favorite artists such as Paramore, Childish Gambino, and The Wonder Years. 

The opening set was The Daddies fronted by Dakota Phillips and made up of members of Dak, Labour Day Weekend, PVS and Grey Matter.) Playing as Paramore, this was the perfect way to get the crowd fired up and singing along. They played a mix of songs off of their new album After Laughter as well as the iconic album, RIOT!  The bands cover of “Fences” was one to take note of. 

Rafyele followed up as he covered Chance the Rapper. Rafyele did a fantastic job of covering all the ranges that Chance hits in his songs. Engaging the crowd and having some playful banter in between songs had everyone smiling and enjoying themselves. The end his set, he also covered a handful of Childish Gambino songs. With a little encouragement from the crowd (especially Ybarra) he performed two originals songs.

The Aubreys (made consisting of members of PVS, Grey Matter, Freshman, and Solemn Judgement) took to the stage promptly after to show the crowd their favorite Wonder Years songs. TWY has always been a staple band in the pop punk scene and will always be. Ybarra Fronted the band and did an excellent job of putting his own voice to the iconic songs. He was far from shy, moving from the stage to the crowd and back again – bringing everyone in the room to the front of the stage. 

Within ten minutes of finishing his set, Rolando and his brother Tino reformatted the stage and began playing as Pancho Villa’s Skull. The Mariachi Punk band has such a unique sound and a captivating stage energy. Fast paced and full of emotion, Tino is able to convey his message through singing in English or Spanish. 

You can listen to the bands most recent single, “Mira Alrededor” here.

The Daddies

Rafyele

The Aubreys

Pancho Villa’s Skull