Along Goodwin Avenue, The Canopy Club welcomes rock band Rehash for its first show in Illinois. Under red lights with a crowd of fans below, it owned the stage.
Based out of Hallandale Beach, Florida, the initial duo, Renzo Valdez on rhythm guitar and vocals, and Sebastian Gamez on lead guitar and keys, released their first singles in 2022. After the release of their first album “Rehash” in 2023, they expanded their capacity with siblings Daseth Lopez on bass and Ethan Lopez on drums, establishing their energetic tones.
“I didn’t plan on being in a band or making music,” Valdez said. “But, when I met Sebastian, he also played guitar, and he was like, ‘Oh, let’s make a band.’”
The band’s performance elicited erratic cheers and shouts from people all across the room. Its melodic steez was apparent with the band members’ straight faces and familiarity with their instruments.
According to Daseth Lopez, the band’s pre-show ritual includes walking around the city after soundcheck and indulging in halal foods, which they discovered while on tour. However, they had limited time to explore campus to get a sense of Champaign-Urbana’s atmosphere.
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Rehash’s “mock” tour celebrates its latest album while playing songs from its entire musical catalog.
Jaiden Zhang, a sophomore in Engineering, has three favorite songs from the band’s discography: “yako,” “Back To Strangers” and “BRD.”
“My friend from Florida put me on,” Zhang said.
Rehash occasionally conversed with the crowd, making the show feel more intimate. Fans shouted song requests from its oldest projects, such as “Power Trips,” released before its first album in 2022. Valdez announced the title of the song and granted the audience’s wishes.
Preparing for the hardcore rock song, the crowd turned to each other and formed a mosh pit in the middle of the room. They abruptly began jumping and pushing into each other as the song intensified.
Ell Macias, a sophomore at Illinois Wesleyan University, accompanied Zhang and others to see the performance.
“I really like how they write their guitar riffs,” Macias said. “It scratches a really good itch in my brain, and it sticks.”
Gentle guitar tabs rang out from Rehash’s breakout hit, “Back To Strangers,” before Ethan Lopez slammed down on the cymbals and snare, making them sing. The audience sang passionately throughout the song, establishing it as a fan favorite.
Gamez entertained the audience with his solos on guitar and keys during songs like “insurance” and “6/8.” His stage presence stood out as he jumped up and down while playing, exuding a liveliness that connected with listeners.
With three albums out, Rehash has established its gritty sound, resembling artists such as Panchiko, Radiohead and The Strokes. Ethan Lopez categorizes the band’s melodies as a blend of ’90s and 2000s alternative rock.
Liv Poor, a freshman at Indiana University, is a loyal fan who came to hear the band’s instrumentals.
“They kind of do have their own sound already compared to other artists,” Poor said. “As their albums progress, you can hear more and more of the sound that they’re finding … I can see them getting pretty big.”
Rehash has racked up over 700,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and 100,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok. Its growth has encouraged the band to aspire for bigger festivals such as Lollapalooza.
Valdez hopes that in the future they will still be playing music and have the opportunity to take on larger stages.
At the end of the show, Valdez asked the crowd if they wanted to hear one more song. After everyone hollered in response, the band ended the show with “malaise,” the final track from Rehash’s latest album, “mock.”
As fans gently mouthed the words to the soft vocals in the beginning, it quickly escalated as Rehash brought in drums and chaotic guitar riffs. After the show, supporters waited to get photographs with each member while holding their vinyls and t-shirts out for signatures.
Urbana has gotten a taste of the notable quality of rock that can emerge from Florida thanks to Rehash’s performance.
