Josh Ostrander took a long road to headline at the El Rey Theatre last night. Some fans still remember his days in Eastern Conference Champions, but after the band disbanded in 2015, Josh got by with odd jobs like construction work. In 2016, he started recording new songs under a new moniker and Mondo Cozmo was born.
Few artists get a second chance to make a first impression, let alone make a first impression at all. Mondo Cozmo has expanded from just Josh to a full scale band and has toured the country non-stop for six months. Wrapping up their intense schedule, they showed what a rock and roll concert is supposed to be. While many of today's bands are much tamer on stage and legends are increasingly choreographed, there was a certain spontaneity that drove the show. Multiple mic slams, leaps, and crashes to the ground got the crowd riled up.
Of course, the music is most important of all and the band did not disappoint. Quite possibly their best show of the year (this author is up to 5 Mondo Cozmo shows to date), this was a powerhouse homecoming performance. "Automatic", "Plastic Soul", and "Hold On To Me" from the album were on point as was their crowd favorite cover of The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony". "Shine" was a highlight as the emotion of the past few years hit Josh during the poignant bridge ending with "take me in your arms and never let me go".
The needle is pointing up for this band as they continue to dominate the clubs and festival grounds across America. Expect more greatness to come from a group of players who deserve every accolade coming to them. Their new album Plastic Soul is out now.
