Red Means Go (Recording Debut Album)

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Show review: Red Means Go at Caffe Mela
Posted by Brent Stecker For Wenatchee World
It’s not everyday that a promising young rock act makes it way to Wenatchee. Caffe Mela does a venerable job trying to change that, and more often than not they hit the mark. When the Ellensburg-based Red Means Go took the stage in our favorite local coffeeshop on Saturday, a little bit of that change was made.
I first came across Red Means Go last spring, when I went down to the Mela on a rare Saturday night off. I was surprised to see that the guitarist was Skyler Mehal, a guy who was a couple years behind me in high school in Ephrata. Seeing an old acquaintance there convinced me to give them a chance, but the music kept me there. So, when I heard they were going to be back on Saturday, I naturally made plans to be there again.
I made the right decision.
Now a five-piece with the addition of rhythm guitarist Markus Hoyer, Red Means Go put on a rip-roarin’ show where they expertly weaved in and out of heavy power-pop and sunnier piano-based pop. The band is currently in the mixing process of their debut album, and all that time in the studio has done them well. The arrangements, some of which were deceptively complex, were executed with precision by the five CWU students.
Fronting the group is the stunning Jazmarae Beebe, whose singing style and piano playing go well beyond her years. She’s blessed with an extraordinary voice that has just the right amount of smokiness, making it very easy to imagine her singing for a jazz trio. Her lyrics are very creative, and she has a knack for enunciating the words in a way that gives new meanings.
Oh, but she’s not the only virtuoso in the band. With a Fender Telecaster in hand, Mehal is like a cross between Jeff Beck and Andy Summers of The Police, mixing hybrid picking techniques with all kinds of on-the-fly knob twiddling. Where as Beebe steals the show on the more poppy affairs like “Sunny Blue Mellow,” Mehal owns the heavier, decending-chord tunes like “Frostbite” and “No Mood For Daisies,” usually pulling out a solo that not only sounds like it should be there, but also has some sort of wow-inducing pyrotechnics that make other guitarists shake their heads.
It was a treat to see the group debut new material on Saturday, as well as pay homage to an obvious influence. Around the bridge section of “Frostbite,” Red Means Go — which is rounded out by hard-hitting drummer Tom Noble and nimble-fingered bassist Janss Woldseth — broke into a shortened but note-perfect solo section from Pink Floyd’s “Money.”
I can’t think of a better way to spend a stormy Saturday night in Wenatchee.