SWAMPGRASS WILLY'S @ PALM BEACH GARDENS, 9.23.23

By: Kiara Velez; Photos by: Leo Lobo

September 23rd, 2023, in the atmosphere at SwampGrass Willy’s in Palm Beach Gardens we found people stirred by the music and rhythms surrounding them. The night was upheld with music dowsed in hues of red and pink stage lights encompassing the crowd. Surrounded by a small venue draped with rock-n-roll posters on the walls and pool tables, the spirit created a place to enjoy each other's company, as well as give appreciation towards the local bands of South Florida. SwampGrass Willy’s was the venue to host these great local bands, found in the heart of Palm Beach Gardens, it felt close to home for the bands and many of the audience members coming to enjoy the night out.

‘Corazon Rabioso’ opened the evening dressed in psychedelic and infernal undertones on the verge of explosion with every song. Their vibrational 1960s experimental tones and Spanish lyrics rang throughout our ears, encapsulating our attention. A seance of colors and sounds to feed your soul, enlightening flames on stage ‘Corazon Rabioso’ upheld their band name of ‘rabid’ and ‘heartfelt’. A band all the way from Broward has been making their way into the Underground music scene since 2018, creating music you most definitely will not find anywhere else, and is uniquely special to them. The crowd stood in the ascending vocals and pounding keyboard, as the drums drove into our hearts, at a point it was as if the small venue could not contain all the noise and musical chaos before them. Fans were taken for a ride and transported into the sounds of ‘Corazon Rabioso’, and are definitely awaiting their next appearance to make more noise in the scene.

Following afterward to close the night off was ‘Young Fiction’, a band recently voted as South Florida’s most promising up-and-coming band. ‘Young Fiction’ took the audience from emo rhythms inspired by their favorites such as ‘Nirvana’ and ‘Blink-182’, which had a big response from the older fans in the crowd who recognized the tunes from their youth. To the moshing and excitement of punk rock with their original sounds, we collectively felt a seamless shift from psychedelic draining vocals that stood before them, to the fields of mayhem and havoc brought by ‘Young Fiction’. A band yearning to be understood with a hint of defiance to the power, had the crowd head-banging in their own angst. Between songs, we got a unique look into the band’s dynamic, as they joked and quipped with each other to introduce their next track. ‘Young Fiction’ took the Underground music scene by storm, and has been producing hard-edge music since. They are no doubt welcomed back to SwampGrass Willy’s again and we can not wait to see what else they have in store for us on the stage.

The night held loud storms of music, from the shredding guitar symphonies of ‘Corazon Rabioso’ to the hardcore sounds of ‘Young Fiction’, September 23rd at SwampGrass Willy’s will definitely have new fans searching for the band's great energy and styles again.