Aug 8, 20213 min read

Eric Dash x Jessarae x JAQ | Concert Review from The Moroccan Lounge

It is the return of live music in 2021! While the world isn't back to normal yet and we all need to keep wearing our masks and doing our part, concerts are back! With concerts in LA, Unheard Gems is back out with our cameras ready to tell you about the greatest new artists in live music.

This past week we went to one of our favorite small venues in LA, The Moroccan Lounge to see the incredible Eric Dash.

Eric Dash, born Eric Friedman, grew up writing and recording EPs in Philadelphia and New Jersey, and playing countless shows around the Tri-State area. In 2012, Dash was discovered by notable producer Jack Joseph Puig (John Mayer/Black Crowes/Weezer). Dash and Puig worked together for 5 years, releasing singles like “One More Love Song” which reached the Nielsen Top 40 Radio Chart. Dash describes working with Puig as “going to a one-on-one master’s program with a true genius.” As the music landscape changed drastically in that time, streaming Drake hits like Fake Love and Trap was everywhere, Dash felt singer-songwriter music and rock had pretty much been silenced, so he started to produce himself. In addition to self-producing, Dash has been producing up-and-coming artists, including Kaatii, who has been featured on iHeartradio, a CW morning show, and numerous Spotify playlists, as well as helping an artist produce and write the Celine Fashion Show.

With our introduction to the incredible headliner for this show out of the way, this is what you are here for! Here are our thoughts on these three amazing artists; JAQ, Jessarae, and Eric Dash.

JAQ:

JAQ was the first artist of the show and it started with a bang with a cover of Lana Del Ray’s “Summertime Sadness” with just the drummer and her starting out, it gave off a powerful silhouette moment building with the strong vocals. The band comes up for her next song “cold day in hell”. This personally gives me a synthpop vibe and is one of my personal favorites of the night. The energy throughout the show was very upbeat and kept the room on their toes. She ended the set with her song “City of Angels” which was a great way to end her set. It was a very emotional song talking about, you guessed it, Los Angeles and her ventures in living there.

Jessarae:

Jessarae was the second artist of the night. His set was also something not to miss regarding being an opener. His song, “Milk & Honey” was something I found super intoxicating to listen to. It gave me Hoizer vibes from the lyrics to the prominent drums, to the church chorus-like vocals. He goes on to sing unreleased songs like “Marching On”, “Freedom”, and “GLORY” all amazing songs to see life with the energy and his powerful vocals.

Eric Dash:

Now to the last artist, Eric Dash walks onto the stage and the room lights up. Complements arise from the crowd as he starts singing. Tonight, he was singing unreleased songs that he wrote over the pandemic for his upcoming album. With songs like “Jealousy”, “Good With It”, and “Everything Is Nothing”. One song that stood out to me was the song “I Must Be Crazy”. The soothing guitar gave it a very soothing sound and gave the visuals of a summer afternoon with the windows open feeling the breeze. Ending the set was “You’re Not The Only One” and it was an amazing way to end the set. It gave me the message of mental health and how we aren’t alone. The song was very catchy and by the end of the song, I was singing along with him. Overall, it was a rollercoaster of a set. From upbeat to calming songs that were really soothing to listen to, I would have to say I’d be on the lookout for the album.