Celebrating halloween like a brave

If you’ve been on Bradley’s campus for at least a semester, then you know what kinds of shows Brave Sounds Entertainment put on. As always, they delivered to the Bradley student body a dose of music that rocked the Michel Student Center Ballroom last Thursday at their second annual Halloween Show. Hailing from the great city of Chicago, My Gold Mask and Mister Lies traveled down to central Illinois for the event.
Trying to put My Gold Mask into a specific genre is a challenge in itself; think 80s Madonna meets Blondie, but also twist in a darker vibed Beach House, and you might have an idea of what their sound entails. The trio opened the show, playing tracks off of their new album as well as some older songs. To see them live, however, was a treat in itself. With Jack Armondo on guitar, Gretta Rochelle on vocals and percussion and James Andrew as the group’s newly appointed drummer, My Gold Mask sounds like your average three piece in description.
However, seeing the group’s actual setup makes it almost impossible to believe that the sounds they play are coming from the instruments they use. For example, Jack played a nylon stringed guitar hooked up to more effects pedals than one could imagine to create a synth-like organ sound, while James played a bass drum and a floor tom hooked up to a Roland drum machine to create the multi-layered electronic effects.
In short, the group really packs a punch, and is proof that big things come in small packages. The crowd definitely noticed this too, as the vibes during the set were almost palpable. For the group, this is key.
“We all really feed off of the audience’s energy,” Rochelle said. “It’s kind of like an AC/DC effect. They’re our battery.”
Finishing out the night was Mister Lies, a Chicago-based producer who supplied an ample amount of good vibes and bass drops that (literally) had people falling to the floor. The simplicity of his setup, much like that of My Gold Mask, was misleading in terms of how complex the music really was. With names like Skrillex and Bassnectar being who many think of when electronic music is mentioned, Mister Lies brings a fresh, new sound and is well on his way to becoming a force to be reckoned with.
On top of the already killer music performance, Brave Sounds had a costume contest for the best male and female costumes. Each winner received a $100 gift card.  In a sense, everyone won whether it was in a monetary prize or in sweet, sweet ear candy. Each year has been better than the last, so we can only anticipate another amazing Halloween show next year.