LOS ANGELES, CA- The Ready Set is band created by Jordan Mark Witzigreuter. It was a project that released its first album in 2008 (Syntax & Bright Lights) and was put on hold following the 2016 release I Will Be Nothing Without Your Love. Jordan had since been performing and recording music under the name Onlychild, but seemingly out of the blue, Jordan brought back The Ready Set repertoire to perform at a number festival and headline dates this year.
I was familiar with some of the The Ready Set’s music, most notably their single “Love Like Woe”. The double entendre alone was enough to catch my attention, but the song … like almost all of The Ready Set’s repertoire… is an infectious pop bop. Feeling a bit down? Press play on “I Wanna Get Better” and you’re bound to feel a little better.
When I arrived at the Moroccan Lounge where The Ready Set were scheduled to perform, I chatted with a die-hard The Ready Set fan who informed me that she had travelled from Northern California for the show. When I playfully teased her about her fandom, she was quick to point out that Jordan had hardly performed as The Ready Set even when he recorded music under that name… so this performance was something to be treated as a sacred anomaly. Something that I shouldn’t take for granted. Noted.
The band opening for The Ready Set was the Brooklyn, NY based duo Daisy Grenade. I had only caught wind of this act the week before, but their music caught my attention and I was excited to see them take the stage.
Daisy Grenade call their music “bubblegrunge” and consists of Dani Nigro and Keaton Whittaker. These two young ladies crossed paths through their work in musical theater, and when their production of American Idiot shut down due to COVID, they decided to make a little bit of music on their own.
Their debut EP, Sophomore Slump, which was released earlier this year, was produced by Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy and Alex Suarez of Cobra Starship and is a very solid debut. Hey… it got me interested in them! Stoking the fire while its hot, Dani and Keaton decided not to wast any time and they got to working on their follow-up EP, Are You Scared Of Me Yet. Coincidentally, the forthcoming EP is produced by The Ready Set.
Their performance was a ton of fun. Clearly, their stage experience is paying off in full as they looked like naturals on stage. You’d think that the room was all there for The Ready Set, but I saw at least a pair of Daisy Grenade T-shirts in the audience. For a brand new band, that ain’t nothing to sneeze at.
If you weren’t familiar Daisy Grenade before the show, and you were there just for The Ready Set, I’m pretty sure were looking up Daisy Grenade’s social media accounts when the evening’s performances were done. When Jordan came on stage to perform Daisy Grenade’s latest single, “Already Dead”, that visual co-sign was all you needed to verify that these young ladies are no passing fancy.
I was able to spend a few minutes with Dani and Keaton prior to the show. CLICK HERE to check out the INTERVIEW.
I’ve been listening and attending a lot of pop-leaning performances recently, but th nothing more pop than what The Ready Set gives their fans. It’s not just the music, but it’s the energy of the music/performance that really makes for an undeniable pop music experience.
There’s the way Jordan acts the music. His expressive facial expressions. His sly smiles and winks to the audience. The way he moves his body, hand and arm gestures. It all just emitted a limitless enthusiasm that was undeniable. Whether you knew all of the lyrics to his music or not, you couldn’t help but feel inspired to have a good time.
I’m not sure what The Ready Set’s future looks like… is this year of shows just a one-off for The Ready Set? Will Jordan be writing and recording new music under The Ready Set? Jordan’s obviously in demand as a music producer and most likely has a commitment to his other musical project, Nikokat (with Cameron Walker and Jess Bowen), but if the excited room in the Moroccan Lounge was any indication, there’s always room for more infectious pop music.
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LIVE CLIPS
