Singing and Dancing at The Ballroom with Chanel Beads

By Evelyn Lopez

Music Journalist

Last April, when the debut album Your Day Will Come was released, I found out through the KTSW music inventory. I was so eager to hear the album that I took it upon myself to review it.

Like many listeners, I was first introduced to Chanel Beads through their 2022 single “Ef.” Being my first impression of Chanel Beads, I was enamored by their impeccable timing. Music in my life was feeling stagnant, like I was listening to the same old, same old. Definitely a personal issue but their singles felt refreshing and unlike other artists I had been listening to. The sound is more fluid, drawing in elements of ambiguity and digital rot-harmony. If Chanel Beads were a body, Shane Lavers would be the mind and soul, Maya McGrory would be the heart (I saw those recent Valentine’s reveal posts on each of their instagrams), and Zachary Paul (electric violin) and, in the context of this tour, Mari Maurice (steel guitar), aka More Eaze, are the limbs. 

On April 2nd, at the Ballroom, I doubted the possibility of a sold-out show because when I got to the Ballroom doors at 7 p.m., there were only ten people in line. Many fans were fashionably late for the openers. Maya and Shane were working their merch table before the show. I was second in line and Maya calls me over. The person in line before me gifted them deadstock collectible trading cards with musicians from before the 2000s. Our conversation started along the lines of how cool the cards are and for a second there was a pause. It sunk in that I was speaking to the singer for my top song of 2024. Aside from the discography of Chanel Beads, Shane also produces for Maya, aka Colle, which I am also a big fan of. To break the second of silence, I say, “Um…I literally love you.” Maya meets me with warmth in her response, “Awe! Thank you so much,” she said, pressing her hands to her heart. I explain to her how I first heard the album and it is the best project KTSW has introduced to me and how I was covering this show for our blog. “That’s so cool! We love when radio stations ask for that “Hey, we are Chanel-” 

“Oh gosh! You just reminded me, could I get a legal ID for our radio station?

“Just ask Shane—he would love to!”

Shane came over and I asked if I could get a legal ID for our radio station and a photo with the group for my article. He asks if I want to record it before or after the show, then he just decides, “Actually, let’s do it before, out there.” The Ballroom has this outdoor patio that gives you a break from the potential overstimulation of loud music and chatter. It’s a great setting for a photo. Shane, Maya, and Zachary stepped outside with me and my photo partner, Cole. I told them their lines for the ID and Shane began to practice as Maya and Zachary were playfully brawling.

“Sorry, we’re just goofing off.”

It took a few tries to get the legal ID down but it started with Maya saying, “We’re Chanel Beads—,” and trying to get Zachary to say it with her (he wouldn’t budge) and Shane following with “…and you’re listening to KTSW 89.9…radio.”

Soon, we all heard Felt Out begin their set so we wrapped things up and headed in. 

Felt Out is a duet of Sowmya Somanath and Walter Nichols. Their multi-layered sound has mirrored elements that Chanel Beads and More Eaze share. Distorted, heavy-tuned vocals with an ambiguous squeezebox and synth chords set the tone for the night. Their set and musical chemistry tranquilized me.

More Eaze filled in after, with Zachary joining in with the electric violin. Her music has similar fluidity as Mari cycles in collaborators often. The music filled the room with the sound of a steel guitar, electric violin, and synth chords, and of course more heavy-tuned vocals. Some of their sounds reminded me of the way Dean Blunt samples in his music with elements of Oneohtrix Point Never. An eclectic array of instruments that came together in harmony.

Mari joined Chanel beads on stage for their set. In my opinion, opening with “I Think I Saw” is genius. You know when you listen to an album and you have your initial favorites? Well for me it was “Idea June” and “Unifying Thought.” Until a few weeks ago it became “I Think I Saw,” and everything felt right. Shane brings a high-energy performance through his feral shouting intertwined with his singing. Live, Shane and Maya’s voices blend and create dissonance that reflects their studio vocals. It makes you think, “Am I hearing Shane or Maya right now—or both?” 

I guessed that “Idea June” would sound more like the music video version and it did. It was everything I could hope for. 

They played most of Your Day Will Come and before the big singles, there was music I had not heard before. A few songs were new and unreleased, one with an intro that reminded me of “Dire, Dire Docks” from the Super Mario 64 theme. There was a ballad as well.

“Ef” was the most high energy for the crowd. I saw this because I was next to some heavy, heavy fanboys that squealed when Shane looked into their eyes as they shouted lyrics to one another. The moment they shared was beautiful, I thought, then I felt someone push me and almost knock me over. I feared the idea of a mosh pit only because I was wearing a skirt that was for fashion purposes only, with little to no movement allowed. Well, their percussionist was missing and I realized he started a mosh with the fanboys next to me, and I’m sure they’ll remember that forever.

Once the show ended, Shane and Maya made their way over to the merch booth again, and the crowd shifted in that direction. There was finally breathing room. The whole night, you couldn’t move an inch without bumping into someone. I’m excited for what comes next after this tour; their fanbase is growing and from what I heard, there is more to come.