Your Fearless Leader is aptly named, as their leader Marcus Ghiasi is truly fearless: leading his 7 piece band into a headlining slot at The Rickshaw Stop. They have a genuinely unique sound in the Bay, combining an eclectic lineup of sax, trumpet, violin, keyboard, drums, guitar, and bass. It may sound like the lineup of an up-and-coming ska band, but they are far from it. Their sound is closer to a hard-rockin’ jazz band with anthemic guitar riffs and driving bass line which combine well with Marcus’s distinct vocals.
They have taken their diverse musical backgrounds and truly made a sound that is uniquely them. Your Fearless Leader has a deeply personal nature to them and holds a wide range of topics as opposed to just the usual love and heartbreak to relationships. They have a catchy quality that draws in the listener and can truly get them into the lyrics of the song.
It was great to see a reprise and reinvention of a song that Marcus originally wrote for GRMMR BCH (Grammar Beach); a band made up of Balanced Breakfast members Marcus Ghiasi (Your Fearless Leader), Alexi Belchere (The Y Axes), Nick Schneider (The Y Axes), Suzanne Yada (Little Spiral), & Fred Hausman (myself). The song evolved into something more than just a one-off project, as it was for GRMMR BCH. The amazing rendition fully realized the potential of the song and truly ushered it into a different realm.
I have never seen a venue so packed on a Tuesday night at the Rickshaw Stop was. Your Fearless Leader closed out an amazing night of music after The Old Grey Whistle Test, Ice Cream, and We Arsons (who was celebrating their EP release). I had not had the pleasure of seeing these artists before. It was great to see a diverse and talented lineup of artists performing on an early weeknight and to see the crowd staying late to support the amazing headliner, Your Fearless Leader.
