Rock and blues outfit The Vibrafonics play the Cinema Bar this week, so band member Craig Zund told the News about what they have in store for Culver City…
When did you start playing and performing? When did the band form?
We formed the band in January 2023 and got to work putting together our initial set based on tunes that I wrote (many were specifically written for Vibrafonics to get potential band members interested in the sound I had in my head). Our first show was February 22nd at Trip in Santa Monica.
The concept slowly developed with my great friend and bubble family member Craig Boreth (the other Craig in the band. Knowing Craig for years, I never thought he liked the kind of music that I created, until his wife Corrinne thought we should start a band together…we both agreed. From there, we immediately called Steve Fahlsing to see if he was interested in playing bass, and to my surprise he said, let’s discuss! In advance of the discussion, I put together a demo in my project studio with all the songs, parts, instruments and arrangements and played them for the group. I was surprised how into it they all were, Steve then agreed to join the band. The power trio got all the songs together and we started adding members from there. Gary Mendell, a piano playing jazz cat, was added into the mix, along with David Gotler on Trumpet. From there we added Ryan Woodward on Sax and recently Ashlee Chiles has started sitting in on backing vocals. We’ve had a number of shows since our formation, getting great feedback and having a blast.
Describe your sound…
I’ve been leaning into Philly soul, which forms the backbone of our sound, with elements of blues and rock. I love a good hook and tight chorus, which are major anchors for the groove oriented tunes. My good friend and music attorney Nathan had this to say when I shared him a few tracks for our upcoming album release “Digging it man. Reminds me of St. Paul & The Broken Bones meets Gil Scott-Heron/Curtis Mayfield with a bit of The Police sprinkled in”
What are your career highlights so far?
Our highlights have been putting together new soul music that is standing out, a welcomed change for listeners who aren’t used to hearing / seeing new original soul music performed around these parts. With all of the cover and tribute bands out there, we’re managing to stand out ! Our last show was at The Venice West in November 2025, we had a packed house eating out of the palm of our hands, we felt grateful and fortunate to have had that experience.
What recorded music is available?
Our album is fully recorded, produced and mastered and we are waiting to create some video content and press vinyl before the official release.
Have you performed at Cinema Bar before?
Yes, we performed at The Cinema Bar on March 21, 2025. We had one of the best shows there, the audience was engaged, reactive and lots of dancing and smiles !! We earned a lot of new fans that night. We always wanted to come back and we are grateful that Rod at the Cinema Bar was kind enough to have us back.
What can we expect from the set this time?
We’re gonna have more members this time….We’ll have a small horn section and backup vocals, last time we played with a four-piece.
What else do you have coming up?
Next show after The Cinema Bar will be at Killer Shrimp Yacht Club in Marina Del Rey on January 14th at 7:30 p.m.. We also have something in the works for Ireland 32 in the Valley for early 2026, and more to come with the release of our debut album.
The Vibrafonics perform at 8 p.m. on Saturday, December 13 at the Cinema Bar. Go to thecinemabar.com for more information about the venue.
Elsewhere this week
The next concert at Boulevard Music is on November 15, the Boulevard Music Holiday Show. Go to boulevardmusic.com for more info.