Rallying up the Los Angeles locals with Get Busy Living Festival 2014

Get Busy Living Festival

June 7, 2014

The Granada Theater- Ontario, CA

Last weekend the Inland Empire was host to the what lead singer of Assuming We Survive would hope to be a continuing festival called The Get Busy Living Festival. The event kicked off their first year at the Granada Theater in Ontario, CA. The show was hosted by lead singer of Assuming We Survive, Adrian Estrella and local radio station X103.9’s Dirty D who is a big advocate of promoting the local music scene was one of the main sponsors of the event with even having some airtime doing a commercial.

The festival was the last show ASW will be doing for a while before they return to the studio to record for their second EP which coincidentally has a new titled song called 18 Days which talks about the trials and tribulations of being away from family while on tour.

The show had some big local sponsors and charities at the tables set up near the front entrance and on the second floor of the theater. What was interesting to see was that so many of the people who were helping with stage setup, merch booths, running errands, and generally helping the show run smoothly so everyone could have a great time were people like, friends, family members, and fans of each of the bands.

At the Tumani International booth, guests could pick up free stickers and make small donations to helping orphans in Kenya who have aids. The support shown for the event by the local community and bands were so supportive that everyone from kids to parents were part of the crew making the event an enjoyable one. Adrian Estrella even said

“Playing shows is my Disneyland”

While there was some big headlining bands with Speaking The Kings; Cromwell; A Thorn for Every Heart; and Behind The Fallen, who will now be playing Vans Warped Tour, there were also some stand out, up and coming talented acts like Shot in the Dark which is fronted by 12 year old Jacob Chabot who’s band was formed by the West Coast Rock School of Corona.

This is a local show consisting of the hardest working bands who still maintain a sense of positive attitude and humbleness, and there was so much interest to play at the festival that there had to be a showcase showdown with the final winner playing the show which was the band Clearview who are based out of Riverside, CA.

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The biggest surprise for the show had to be the band A Thorn For Every Heart coming out of retirement just to play this festival. After being on hiatus they looked like they never missed a beat. The night closed with Speaking The Kings and Assuming We Survive, which was nuts as all the bands joined on stage to sing the last song of the night; and along with all the fans, there was absolute chaos, but it brought people together and that was the goal of The Get Busy Living Festival. As fans of the bands walked away it could be said that everyone was able to find a new band to listen to and the show wasn’t about generating money, but it was the experience that unforgettable.

Review by: Johnathan Heier

Venue/Merch/Other