By Liz Wood
Magic Giant performed at the Constellation Room at Santa Ana’s Observatory last Thursday night. Though a later show, it garnered no less support. A full and very excited room met the Venice Beach band of indie folk-rockers, who came on after a rowdy set by opening band Vinnie and the Hooligans. And we weren’t disappointed! The band opened early with the amazingly upbeat “Glass Heart,” which had the whole crowd dancing and singing along. Lead singer Austin Bis invited the crowd to sing louder and even beckoned us to “Harmonize with me!”. Listen and download a few free songs from Magic Giant
“Seamless Mix of Pop, Rock, and Folk Music”
The night only became more energized from that point on, with the four-piece band decked out in face paint, banjos, mandolins, fiddles, upright basses, acoustic guitars, lots of drums, and even a harmonica, rocking out to their seamless mix of pop, rock, and folk music.
The guys in Magic Giant were so infectiously enthusiastic about everything, thanking the crowd for being there and for singing along, even to songs we didn’t know, given that they’ve only released four of their songs via their Soundcloud. They also mentioned that their performance in the Constellation Room was the first show of their debut tour, which is amazing considering how well they engaged with the crowd. They had us all line dancing, while the members of the band, in particular singer Austin and guitarist Brian Zaghi, romped happily around the stage.
After the show all four members of the band stuck around to meet anyone who wanted to talk to them, and many people did! It seemed that not only did Magic Giant have a lot of fans, but a lot of friends also came out to their show. Many people also supported the band by purchasing their merchandise, which was all custom made, since the band re-purposes old clothing in order to make an environmental difference. I was lucky enough to meet, talk to, and joke around with all of the band, and was happy to tell them that theirs was one of the most engaging concerts I’ve been to!
Magic Giant goes to New York next on their tour, but will be local again on Valentine’s Day with a show at the Troubadour in Los Angeles!
