EVIL BISEXUAL AND KADEN S BENEFIT SHOW, BY DON MARCELO

EVIL BISEXUAL AND KADEN SZYMANSKI OF THE BAND, ANOTHER ONE OF YOUR TONE DEAF FRIENDS, HELPED FIGHT THE LA FIRES BY ORGANIZING A BENEFIT SHOW WITH A LINE UP OF SOME AMAZING LOCAL BANDS AND ART VENDORS FROM THE GREATER LA AREA WITH PROCEEDS GOING TO CALIFORNIA FIRE FOUNDATION, ALTADENA GIRLS, PASADENA HUMANE SOCIETY, AND HABITAT FOR HUMANITY LA IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, CA AT THE ALTAR SOCIETY BREWING COMPANY.

Written by Don Marcelo

For most people in their late teens or early 20’s, often times they don’t have any idea of what they want to do in their life. But for Evil Bisexual aka as Audrey Herold and for Kaden Szymanski and the artists on this evening, it seems as if they know exactly what they are doing. I had a chance to talk to them (as well as the other artists except for the last two bands since I only got to cover 5 out of the 7 bands on this night) and asked them to give me a little tidbit about who and what they are and what this concert show was all about and below is what they said along with some captured moments from each of their set:

ANOTHER ONE OF YOUR TONE DEAF FRIENDS
Audrey Herold:
“I started playing guitar when I was 14 in high school, covering bands like Blink 182, Green Day, and Hole. I played music for a couple of class assignments, an original for ECON and a cover of Jade Bird’s song, “Uh Huh.” When I was 17 / 18 my friends and I formed our first band, Wavelength (now known as Graphic Tease), I was with them for a year. Then, at 19 I finally got up the nerve to start busking. I would play at malls, main streets, and various OC piers (I still do).

I also started up my second band around this time, Devil’s Kettle, a punk – hard rock – hair metal band that I was the front person for about a year and a half. We played all over LA/OC/IE. It was fun and I would spit blood at audience members. Briefly, I was in Call Cleopatra, an alt-rock three piece turned two piece featuring my current drummer, Ryan Stiles, a rotating door of various bassists, and myself. Now, I’m in Another One of Your Tone Deaf Friends with my true love, Kaden Szymanski, and friend, Ryan. We were named after a comment my mom said during Thanksgiving dinner. I was playing music and she said, “Audrey, is this another one of your tone deaf friends?” I would like to state that my family is very supportive and attend the majority of my shows, but they are also brutally honest.

For show organizing, I started doing that back in 2021 for my old band, Devil’s Kettle. I would book us / organize lineups at The Doll Hut, Pike Bar, and Klownski’s to name a few. Just last year I started doing it under my instagram handle ( @evilbisexual). I also started co-organizing shows with Kaden late last year, starting off with ‘Black Christmas,’ a birthday/ Christmas house show in Long Beach, that ended with a screening of the event’s name sake, the 1974 classic, ‘Black Christmas.’

The LA Fires Benefit show was a very meaningful one for us. Instantly upon hearing about the fires, we knew that we needed to do something. So I reached out to Altar Society Brewing Company, and right from the start they were down to have us organize there. From there we reached out to all the super talented musicians that ended up playing: Azalea, Grimson, ALYSSAD, Anti-Groupies, Lizi, and Catammonia.

All of them are very sweet people and they were so down to play. Chris from Boogie Bus, helped us run sound and members of Scarlet Redux (a college harm reduction group) helped us run doors. I would also like to give a shout out to the many vendors who came out to work at the show, helping make the show even more fun. We ended up raising a total of $722, proceeds going to California Fire Foundation, Altadena Girls, Pasadena Humane Society, and Habitat for Humanity LA.

Our next show is another Boogie Bus collaboration with friend, Chris. It’s going to be a 420 show in Long Beach. More updates coming soon!”

Kaden Szymanski:
“I probably started playing guitar around 12 years old as a joke so I could change the lyrics to green day and NOFX songs and annoy my friends. My biggest inspirations for writing music have pretty much always been Jeff Rosenstock, Lamonta, Wicked Bears, Steven Neufeld and Green Day. I’ve been writing music for close to 5 years now and I’ve put out 4 albums on Spotify and Apple Music (some of which aren’t too great lmao).”

Photo Gallery of the performance by © Don Marcelo Photography 2025

FOLLOW ANOTHER ONE OF YOUR TONE DEAF FRIENDS ON ALL THEIR SOCIALS:
https://www.instagram.com/anotheroneofyourtonedeaffrens/
https://www.instagram.com/evilbisexual
https://www.instagram.com/kadenszymanski/
https://www.instagram.com/drummingwithstile/

AZALEA:
Nothing new for me to say about the band called AZALEA since I’ve interviewed them already and have written two articles about them already except they are the sweetest and the best and on this night they had a guest drummer named Mackenzie. Click on the links below and read my previous articles about AZALEA and my photos of them:

AZALEA BLOOMED WITH A FANTASTIC PERFORMANCE FOR THEIR VERY FIRST DEBUT SHOW TOGETHER AS A BAND UNDER THE GLITZ AND GLAMOR OF SUNSET BLVD IN WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA, BY DON MARCELO

AZALEA “ENCOURAGES US TO EMBRACE THE PRESENT AND TO TAKE A LEAP OF FAITH**”, BY DON MARCELO

FOLLOW AZALEA ON ALL THEIR SOCIALS FOR MORE:
https://www.instagram.com/azalea.bandofficial
https://www.instagram.com/tarynhazeofficial/
https://www.instagram.com/madison.nicole.jones/
https://www.instagram.com/candy.7948/
https://www.instagram.com/mackthedrummer/

GRIMSON:
“After beginning in New York’s underground scene, 22 year old Swedish/American songwriter Aiden Berglund made his way to Berlin in the midst of the pandemic and began recording as Grimson, shifting his style into Burton-esque Gothic rock accompanied by sweet harmonies and baroque pop arrangements. Grimson found an audience on TikTok for his dark humor and challenging yet radio-ready singles, which has amassed over a million streams and views on his songs, animations, and viral videos. He incorporates an intricate multimedia element into the world of his songs, pulling from his work as a character designer and animator, which includes the video for Weyes Blood’s “It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody” and visuals for Jose Gonzales, Sharon Van Etten, and more. In 2024, Grimson supported other major Tiktok artist and chamber pop bastion ROAR on their European tour, securely cementing Grimson’s already strong appeal to young and wildly enthusiastic fans. For his bombastic live set, Aiden enlists help from Berlin-based and highly sought-after UK and Irish session musicians who have worked with Gang of Four, Tricky, James McCartney and more. Grimson’s latest single “I Made My Therapist Cry Today was released through Berlin indie label Duchess Box early 2025. Upcoming shows include multiple spots at New Colossus Showcase Festival in NYC at Bowery Electric and Arlene’s Grocery. Grimson is managed by Sam Spacassi from We Are Free (Weyes Blood, Beach House) and is currently independent.“

FOLLOW GRIMSON ON ALL HIS SOCIALS FOR MORE:
https://www.instagram.com/grimsongram/

ALLYSAD:
“ALYSSAD, the alter-ego of Alyssa de Boisblanc, stands as a multifaceted singer-songwriter whose journey to prominence traces back to her compelling performances as a child actress. With an early affinity for music, she seamlessly transitioned into her current role as a singer-songwriter of note. Influenced by esteemed figures such as Lana Del Rey, The Pretty Reckless, Paramore, and Maggie Lindemann, ALYSSAD’s musical repertoire represents an intriguing fusion of alternative, rock, and pop genres.”

FOLLOW ALYSSAD ON ALL HER SOCIALS FOR MORE:
https://www.instagram.com/alyssad/

THE ANTI-GROUPIES:
“The Anti Groupies are a hard rock band based in Long Beach, California. Inspiring all female musicians, this young all-female band is bringing female empowerment by showing that they can be loud and captivating. As a band that incorporates several musical influences within their music, a unique, inimitable sound is formed. An average Anti Groupies show would consist of Cassidy’s versatile and dynamic vocals, Isabella’s killer guitar licks, Sydney’s groovy bass lines, and Kyla’s tight drum beats tied with her alluring vocal harmonies. Anti Groupies’ relatable lyrics paired with heavy, classic-rock inspired instrumentals create the amazing dynamic that makes them who they are. With 5 singles and an upcoming album releasing in a couple months they continue to spread their music to new audiences.”