ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 4, 2025, AT UNIVERSAL BAR AND GRILL IN NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA
Following the success of their debut show in October of 2024, HOLD YOUR FIRE, once again captivated the audience with their explosive and fiery performance in a packed house at UBG for their 2nd show ever as a band. The audience on this night were ready for the action and some early birds and die-hard fans of the band even got to wear and support the band by wearing their tees even before the merch table was to be put out after their set.
Written by Don Marcelo
Despite the fact that their style of music is influenced and described more on the alternative 90’s style of rock by some fans, Hold Your Fire carries their own unique sense of flair and rhythm. The band started off with two original songs that are heavy and hard, nothing alternative screams to me with these two songs. This is pure HARD ROCK. I asked one of the co-founders of HOLD YOUR FIRE, Matt Cruz, before their set if there are any meanings to their songs. This is what he said to me (NOTE: All song names are placeholders except for “FIND YOUR WAY”):
“The first song is called ‘WICKED’. It is a song about a toxic girl. That’s it.” Laughter ensued by the both of us after he said this.
After we shared our laughter about the meaning of the 1st song, he said that the title of the song for the 2nd song is called ‘FF’. Matt said that “FF is a song about being able to work with your emotions and being able to navigate those feelings caused by outside factors.”
Matt continued on and said, “The 3rd song is called ‘OTHERSIDE’. It is a song about waiting for someone you love to see them again. I wrote this song when I was 19 years old and it was revived by HYF a decade or so later.”
After a brief talk about other things, Matt continued on explaining the next 4 songs.
He said, “The 4th song is a cover called Higher by Creed. So no explanations needed. After ‘HIGHER’, the 5th song is called ‘FIND YOUR WAY’. It is a song about finding your way through life, figuring out what you are meant to do and finding the courage to do it. This song will be released soon, by the way. The 6th song is a Ballad. We don’t have a name for this song yet, but it is a song about a father losing his daughter. But I’m not sure where the story is from. The 7th and last song is called ‘SP.’ It is a song about our relationship with our passion for music and how big of a risk is to pursue it. Is this our only chance to make it? How risky is this?”
After our conversation, Matt got ready with the fellas of HOLD YOUR FIRE for their set. And let me just say this, the band is SOLID! Their music is GREAT with lots of hard rock and alternative rock infused into one unique style and sound. The song writings are SUPERB as described from my conversation with Matt and have meanings behind the songs. The riffs on the guitars are FIRE with two excellent guitarist. The vocals are AGGRESSIVE and SMOOTH at the same time. The bass playing is HARD and the drums are NON-STOP BEAT POUNDING action.
These guys are true to their craft and their passion for music. So I say this to Matt when he asked these two questions in general:
QUESTION #1: “Is this our only chance to make it?”
MY ANSWER (and my two cents): “NO! Because as long as you are breathing, everyday is a chance to make it. In fact you already have made it (each in his own special way) and you are still making it. You are a step “HIGHER” and closer to your destination than you were yesterday and the day before and the day before that. But also keep in mind and remember the saying, ‘It is not about the destination but rather the journey.’ So keep making it and keep creating. Because once you claim that you “made it,” you will need to create another one and another one and another one. Until the journey is over. Otherwise, as an artist, you will get bored and it’s just the end and the end stops with ‘we made it’. Thus, one must keep going even further and continue to create until…”
Question #2 “How risky is this?”
MY ANSWER (and my two cents): “VERY RISKY! So is any form of passion in life whether you’re an artist, a photographer, a musician, a doctor, a lawyer, a police officer, a business owner, etc. Everything is risky and has cause and effect. Sacrifices and compromises will need to be addressed and calculated properly. But as your song goes, you need to “FIND YOUR WAY” in this world and figure out what you are meant to do. After all, YOLO baby!
HOLD YOUR FIRE ARE THE FOLLOWING AMAZING MUSICIANS:
Matt Cruz – Guitar
William Morris – Guitar
Jaime Miranda – Bass
Piot – Drums
Ruben Molina – Vocals
FOLLOW HOLD YOUR FIRE in all their socials for more. An EPK and a website are soon to be released after writing this:
https://www.instagram.com/holdyourfiremusic/
https://www.instagram.com/williammorris_g/
https://www.instagram.com/matt.plays.the.guitar/
https://www.instagram.com/roooobenmolina/
https://www.instagram.com/jjmirandamusic/
https://www.instagram.com/23classics_longbeach_ca/
https://soundcloud.com/holdyourfiremusic/sets/epk-private-demos/s-tx379rGSXa7?ref=clipboard&p=i&c=1&si=8BB369E342FF41FD907E80881D5BAD3D&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
Photo Gallery of the performance by © Don Marcelo Photography 2025
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