The Aces: Under My Influence Recap
We caught the Provo, Utah rockers in Phoenix on their Under My Influence Tour!
It’s not every day that you stumble upon a band that absolutely encapsulates you from the first little taste you get of a debut single all the way until they release their second full-length album. That is how I describe my feelings towards the Provo, Utah rockers, The Aces. Made up of sisters Cristal and Alisa Ramirez (Lead Vocals/Guitar; Drums/Vocals) and friends Katie Henderson (Guitar/Vocals), and McKenna Petty (Bass) started as The Blue Aces in 2012 but quickly got to work and transitioned into, The Aces! They have released two studio albums When My Heart Felt Volcanic in 2018 and Under My Influence in 2020. I first caught the band when they were supporting, COIN, up in Phoenix a few years prior so I was extra excited this time to see how much the band has matured and grown as an act! We were lucky enough to catch them on their most recent tour supporting their album, Under My Influence, in Phoenix on November 22, 2021!
The night started off with Madeline the Person giving the crowd an opening set that felt very intimate as she sang about losing love and finding her identity in the world and as a person. We learned that she only started posting singing videos on Tiktok over a year ago and caught the ear of The Aces who asked her to come along and support them on this tour!
After the conclusion of a wonderful, Madeline the Person set, The Aces took the stage! Opening the night with the song, Can You Do. An upbeat and true to, The Aces style, riffy! That is something we love about this band! Guitarist, Katie Henderson comes up with some amazingly catchy guitar riffs that will have you strumming your air guitar right along with her! The band played a mix of songs off their newest record and a few from their previous sprinkled in! Stopping for a moment to talk about growing up in Utah before playing the song, 801, which is the area code of where the band grew up. Lead vocalist, Cristal Ramirez talks about exploring her sexuality in a traditionally conservative city only to express to the crowd to be themselves no matter what! Something the crowd took in with grace and embraced to the fullest! Continuing on with more hits from their newest record, Under My Influence, with songs like, Thought of You, My Phone is Trying to Kill Me, and Zillionaire before thanking the crowd and leaving the stage. The absence of the band was short-lived however when they rejoined the crowd on stage for an encore which included their hit, Stuck! I will say that the song, Stuck, was the reason I started my original music blog. That song resonated with me and actually stuck with me (no pun intended) and pushed me to try something new that was outside of my comfort zone. I have been a fan ever since and here I am still today writing about music! It really is a full-circle moment!
Make sure you catch, The Aces, on the tail end of their tour or when they hit the European market in 2022! Find tickets here!