I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: March 20, 2026] Sodaseas

Sodaseas is from Philadelphia.  I can’t decide if their name has some meaning beyond the apparent seas full of soda image that comes up.  It speaks to the kind of melting pot and scene that Philly has that the band’s members come from Mexico, Venezuela, Chicago, Texas, California, South Carolina, and Baltimore.  And it should come as no surprise that they sing in Spanish and in English.

They are a six-piece band with all kinds of fun instrumentation.  Alex Ramirez sang (and screamed) lead vocals and played acoustic guitars. Next was Scarlet Brigham who played viola and sang backup on a song or two.  On the far side was Paul Awdisho on bass.  In the back was Vasco Madrid on drums.  In front of us was Brent Mackesey on electric guitar (mostly lead) and in the middle was Sasha Perlman on percussion.  The percussion was primarily a djembe (or something like it) but also included an array of electronic sound effects and samples.

I note this in particular because the electronics were WAY TOO LOUD.  This seemed like the kind of thing that could have been fixed. In fact, the electronics were coming from an amp on the stage and I could have easily walked up and turned it down a bit.  Sadly, sound was a bit of an issue for them the whole set.  The acoustic guitar was possibly not plugged in at first and I was a little bummed that I couldn’t hear Alex’s voice clearly except during the quietest moments.  I’m a little surprised because I’ve been to the Ukie Club a few times and never noticed a sound issue before.

Despite all of that I loved their set.  I loved the energy, the complicated rhythms and time changes and the band’s overall vibe.

I couldn’t tell what they were singing about, but they had so much passion.  Checking the lyrics of one song I see

ay, mi amor,
eras mi escudo
secuestrada
te perdi

in america
there’s nazi flags
flying from
my neighbor’s van

Now I wish even more that I could have understood the vocals more.

I also hadn’t realized how great the addition of the hand drum is until you hear it used to such great effect.  I am definitely a fan and hope to see them again. Next time with a better sound set up for them.

SETLIST.