The stage can be a scary place for some people but not for the Anaheim based band Feste. To them, the stage is where five guys with different personalities can step on and become one.
After finishing “Twelfth Night” at Fullerton College as the musical directors of the entire production, things became full circle for the guys.
The band name originated from a character in the show, which gave the band a Shakespearean influence. While there may be an influence, the guys won’t be seen on stage in tights and ruffled sleeves.
Feste is made up of lead vocalist Tony Torrico, guitarist Charlie Magdaleno, keyboardist Mark McCombs, drummer Carlos Macias and bass player Chris Standifer.
Bands like Led Zeppelin, Black Keys and the Foo Fighters provide them with a lot of inspiration to create new music that they themselves are proud of and seem to really get their fans excited.
While the guys share a common interest of musical theater, don’t be fooled. They’re rockers when it comes to leaving it all on the stage. During the day, they are five total goobers. Magdaleno believes that one wouldn’t usually look at them and say, “That guy’s in a rock band.”
The band originally started with Torrico and Magdaleno and occasionally, a third member if they needed someone to play a certain part. Eventually, though, the guys realized that they needed more members. The great thing was that they were already friends with the Marc, Carlos and Chris, so it all just worked itself out.
The band raised $5,700 on a site called Kickstarter that helped them complete their debut album. Kickstarter is a virtual fundraising website that allows people to raise money for their creative projects.
“First Folio” was released back in August 2013 containing 11 songs and two songs from “Twelfth Night” to which they added their own twist.
Feste even performed at the Vans Warped Tour in 2013 and since then have continued working on new music for future albums.
Another unique thing the band does to introduce new music for fans is to put on a performance that they like to call “new music, new year.”
With the new year approaching, the guys are in preparation for that special performance. While some of them are still in school and some who have already started their careers, it’s a mystery that they still find time to practice together.
When asked if they feel like they “made it,” their response was that they are still trying to determine what “making it” means to them.
The dream is to take it as far as they can go. The music they play will “continue to get better,” and they’ll only stop when the music is “no longer there,” according to Magdaleno.
They all have mutual respect for each other and keep an open mind when it comes to creating their music. They believe it stands on their own and that their bond is only going to get stronger the longer they continue to create music together.
