Rock Night at the Hip Kitty

The Hip Kitty is a restaurant and bar in Claremont, CA which is known more as a jazz venue with tasty fondue than a loud rock and roll club. But Thursday nights seem to be the time when they deviate from the norm and feature local indie and rock bands from all around. I was there on a recent Thursday to catch my friend Greg Jackson sitting in with Sean Amato (Fiction Alley, Podgiegaloop) and his band. They kept the mostly young crowd entertained with tracks from the Podgiegaloop release as well as new original roots rock tunes.

The featured band on that particular night was the alt rock band, ME vs. ME. Hailing from Hesperia, CA, this local indie favorite is comprised of Sean Espinoza (guitar/lead vocals), Trevor Clemente (drums), and Josh Mejia (bass/vocals). They drew an exceptionally large crowd to see their high energy show, considering the week night Claremont crowd isn't known for staying awake much past 10 o'clock. The boys gave the locals a reason to stay up and hang out with their catchy songs and tight performance. This band is definitely hot, with big shows recently played at the Dragonfly and Viper Room, and a big upcoming date supporting Rock Sugar at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip. Their success may have something to do with their association with Sean Amato as well as Ben Carey from Lifehouse, who have been offering guidance and opportunity to the young trio. Watch for big news from ME vs. ME.

I shot both bands using the available light in the room, fast shutter speeds and high ISO. I definitely could have benefitted from a little bit of front light, but the hanging lamps on the stage threw off some interesting highlight and shadow patterns nonetheless.



Sean Amato feeling the Hip Kitty energy















The Hip Kitty features all kinds of cool artwork, including these lighted paintings.







Guitarist Greg Jackson got a chance to take the lead on a cover of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' "Mary Jane's Last Dance."



Josh Mejia, playing on an awesome Gibson Les Paul bass.



Singer/Guitarist Sean Espinoza charged up the relaxed dinner crowd.







Trevor Clemente aims for the floor.