Unsound Foundation

Hailing from the heart of the music industry, Unsound Foundation prides themselves on dark, bluesy instrumentation and honest, emotional lyrics. The quartet, consisting of guitarist Tim Cravens, bassist Josh Odaffer, drummer Gio Taracena and led by Lori Caulfield (with Cravens and Odaffer doubling as backup vocalists), has been traveling all around Southern California and performing shows at many different venues from the divey-est of bars to the chillest of lounges since 2011. No matter what the size of the venue is, they always seem to turn it into their own personal stage and rock out – even when a majority of the crowd are drunken bar hoppers.

Bands with female lead singers and male instrumentalists are slim pickins, especially in good ‘ol Los Angeles where bands are formed in the hopes of getting signed by a big rig label. However, Unsound Foundation is a band that performs merely for the sake of performing to people who genuinely enjoy this wonderful art form. Their passion for spreading their music to engaging audiences is shown all over their faces when they are on stage. The first thing you would recognize if you ever see them perform is their similarity to No Doubt, but they are a harder version of the famous pop-rock group. To be a little more specific, Caulfield’s voice mirrors that of Gwen Stefani while their performance style and musicality rivals female-fronted rock bands Evanescence and Flyleaf.

Their setlist definitely doesn’t discriminate against any theme, a good thing for a local band based in L.A. since I’m pretty sure we So-Cal people have musical A.D.D. From the uber-grunge revenge ballad, “Eye for an Eye,” to the solemn, serious song about drugs, “Withdraw,” Unsound Foundation’s music exceeds the audience’s expectations. Other tracks include the Edgar Allan Poe-inspired “The Raven” (which they have merch for that is available to purchase at their shows), an upbeat, girly anthem for all the cougars out there called “Pounce,” and the fun, perfect-for-those-L.A.-hipsters-out-there “Famous” (care to take a guess what it’s about?) They rarely cover songs, but there is one particular song by the songstress Katy Perry that never fails to get the ladies singing, regardless of whether or not they’ve actually engaged in this particular activity – “I Kissed a Girl.”

If you’re in the L.A. area and are looking for a passionate band who truly loves performing for music’s sake, check out Unsound Foundation. Take it from someone who’s seen them perform a few times – you won’t be disappointed and you will definitely be entertained with the quirky little jokes they tell in between songs.

P.S. They’ll totally grab a drink with you after the show. Enjoy!

- Heather Allen - Mind Equals Blown