The Aces Play Their First Los Angeles Gig On A "School Night"

Hollywood, CA- The Aces are a fairly new rock band from Utah on the rapid rise to stardom. I only just discovered this band after my editor covered them at SXSW. I heard their new single at the time, “Stuck”, and was immediately hooked. I shuffled through their Youtube channel and social media outlets, but to my surprise discovered very little. The popularity of their music seems to be accelerating them to the top faster than they expected. Signed to Red Bull Records, this casually awesome group of four, have been best friends since childhood. The band is comprised of Cristal Ramirez, Katie Henderson, Mckenna Petty, and Alisa Ramirez. After deciding to be in a band together, there’s no denying, IMHO, that they’re destined for world domination.

I arrive at venue hours early to ensure a good vantage point. I take a few test shots with my camera, and jam to the earlier bands. The hours tick by as I notice more people filing in. Finally, The Aces come on. I quickly scan the room and notice people of all ages and backgrounds, which tells me their music is for everyone.

What made this performance special and highly anticipated for me was that I knew I would be seeing a band before they blew up too big for me to ever have this experience again. Their tunes are ear-worms for the masses, and clearly the masses showed up. It became so crowded that stragglers who came in had to sit on the floor and I became stuck in my corner along with two other photographers with nowhere to go. It became impossible to move without stepping on someone! A lady behind me even resorted to sitting ON the table for lack of room to stand. (So much for getting close with a wide lens). Regardless, this is a huge testament to The Aces rapid growing popularity.

The girls hit the stage and without an introduction and they immediately jam out a few covers to warm up the crowd. Taking a moment, Cristal, the lead vocalist, announces it’s their first official show in LA, (surely with MANY more to follow). She then asked if anyone in the audience was from Utah, alluding to The Aces origins. A few girls sitting on the floor raise their hands and scream in acknowledgement.

Cristal then checks in with the crowd to make sure everything is sounding good. After nods of approval, she intros their new single “Physical”, and one of The Aces’ moms whips out her phone to livestream the performance. Between the girls rocking out, and the mom strategically infiltrating the stream with emojis, I was having a great time.

Next up was their song, “Baby Who”. Unashamed and proud, I knew almost all of the lyrics. The chemistry between all of the band members is undeniable in how they perform and how they play. Everything works without the slightest communication and flows so seamlessly. “Baby who”, a slower jams, gives off HAIM vibes, but when they really rock, it’s like re-living The Runaways with a pop twist. Their last song came too soon for me, but they end on “Stuck”. With over 1 million streams on Spotify, everyone knows this track and sings along while waving their hands in the air. It was a perfect highlight leaving you wanting more.

At the end of the show, the girls melt in with the crowd with a few Youtube celebs to hear the last band play. At the core of everything, they’re down-to-earth best friends, who are extremely talented musicians, just wanting to make, listen and appreciate good music. Their level of confidence in who they are, and how they perform is magnetic. It goes without saying, but in the spirit of feminism, this isn’t a “girl group” with matching rock boots- they are a rock band. With an unbreakable bond, this force of four can shred their instruments and shout with indelible vocals that will surely rock the world.

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