On Friday, November 21 at 9 p.m., the Cinema Bar will play host to alt-blues rockers the Potential Suitors. The band spoke with the News about their career so far, and they have in store for Culver City…
When did the band form and when did it get serious?
The Potential Suitors formed in December 2013, after having played together previously in a weekly jam format since 2011. By 2013, we were ready to start playing shows, as we had written enough group material to perform live. Currently, the band consists of Mark Steggell on vocals/rhythm guitar/bass, Mike Newhouse on vocals/bass/rhythm guitar, Christian Paul Meadows on lead guitar, and Ryan Blandford on drums & percussion. We also have a variety of people who sit in with us from time to time, depending upon the show.
Describe your sound…
The Potential Suitors are a blues-punk-country based band from Venice Beach. Our latest album, Bona Fide, was released in June 2022, and is a collection of 12 original songs that were written and arranged to blend a variety of musical influences into a powerful and harmonic rock & roll sound.
What have you been up to in the three years since we last spoke?
Over the past few years, we have been productively writing music and honing our skills by playing a variety of shows in Los Angeles. In 2025, we introduced a new drummer/back up vocalist to the band, singer/songwriter/drummer Scott McClain. With the addition of Scott, we are working to expand into a more complex, harmony driven sound. All in all, we are pleased with the direction the band is heading.
Do you have any recorded music available?
In May 2025, and as a follow up to our 2022 LP “Bona Fide”, we released a 15 song, double album, titled “Delusions of Grandeur”. Once again produced by J.D. Andrew, we are very proud of this album, as it spans a variety of genres and musical styles, showcasing our flexibility and willingness to take risks into new musical territory. Highlights from the album include “Delusions of Grandeur”, “Someone Else”, “La-Di-Da”, “Forest Ranger”, “Peter Pan Rock N’ Roll Fantasy”, and “Since ’93”. Our music is streaming on all major platforms, but we also pressed some limited edition vinyl, which is available for purchase on our website at www.potentialsuitorsband.com
What do you remember about your last show at the Cinema Bar? Any specific memories?
We always enjoy playing at The Cinema Bar, as we are proud members of the musical community that resides there. We are honored to play there regularly, since the band’s inception in 2013. At our last show there in September 2025, we played a boisterous, crowd pleasing 18 song set. We then followed that up with a second set of “friends & family” blues jams, which we will do again when we play there on Friday 11/21/25. As always, that will be free show (21+), with music starting at 9pm+.
What can we expect from the set this time?
At our next show at The Cinema Bar on Friday 11/21/25, Scott McClain will open up the show with an acoustic set of original songs. Then, The Potential Suitors will play a career spanning set of original and cover material. After that, we will close out the evening by playing a second, blues style jam set, as referenced above.
What else do you have coming up?
With the holidays approaching, we are finishing up writing our next album of new material, and are excited to see what 2026 brings, as we continue to expand into new musical territory. To find out more about The Potential Suitors, please see https://linktr.ee/potentialsuitorsband
For more information about the concert, go to thecinemabar.com.
Elsewhere this week
The next concert at Boulevard Music is on November 15, with Dennis Witcher & the Brew. Go to boulevardmusic.com for more info.