Musician Sets Sail on “Yacht Stops” Show
June 30, 2021 Charlotte Kovalchuk
A floating music scene, newfound love of fishing, surprising seasickness—singer/songwriter Angelyn Iturbide’s experience starring in Amazon Prime’s newest show was unlike any other music tour she ever experienced.

Originally dubbed Bus Stops, the show about a touring recording artist and her bandmates became Yacht Stops to ensure a safer, socially-distanced experience. Instead of stopping at bars and restaurants, the cast set sail in May and performed in ports along the East coast. “Because of COVID, for every musician, it was crazy,” the 22-year-old musician says. “Something like this is a godsend. It was so dead for so long in the music scene.”

WELCOME TO TEXAS

Photos courtesy of “Yacht Stops”
Before her high seas adventure, though, Angelyn embarked on a different escapade—moving to Austin to jumpstart her music career. A lifelong music lover, her journey here began as a visitor from California—she admits she wasn’t a fan of the Texas capital until she noticed its “popping music scene” and made it her home in 2019. She later settled in Georgetown and ultimately Round Rock, although you can still find her giving music lessons at Ken’z Guitars in Georgetown.

Four years and a record deal later, Angelyn found herself signed up for a show that pulls back the curtain on the lives of touring musicians. The series takes the bandmates on a 14-city marina music tour from South Carolina to Florida on a luxury yacht.

While it sounds like a vacation, the cast had to pull their weight during the trip by taking on the responsibilities of a boat crew—cleaning, fishing, and everything in between. Angelyn soon discovered touring on the ocean was much different from taking her music on the road. “On a bus, you can drive to the nearest grocery store, whereas you have to plan ahead for a few days of being out on the water,” she says. “On the ocean, when you leave your windows open for a long period of time, condensation will be all over your bed. That doesn’t happen on a bus.”

Despite challenges—seasickness to a car accident—Angelyn came to love fishing and everyone she met, “From the boat captain to the camera guys. They’re just great people.” Most of all, she loved inspiring listeners through her music. “I love relating to people,” she says. “Every time I hear something inspiring, I’ll grab a guitar and write a song about it. I’m not sure how I feel about something until I write about it.” - Georgetown View Magazine

YACHT ROCKERS BRING UNIQUE CONCERT TO LOCAL MUSIC FANS
Posted by Tim Wood | May 17, 2021 | 0 |


Singer-songwriter Angelyn Iturbide (second from right) with her new “Yacht Stops” bandmates. The band will perform May 23 at Shelter Cove Harbour – from the deck of a 140-foot yacht. COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

The live music industry has been decimated by the coronavirus pandemic. Locally, we’ve seen artists consistently get creative in finding ways to both continue to share their music with fans and to earn a living through Zoom and Facebook Live concerts.

One rising artist has taken that creativity to a new level.

California-born, Austin-based singer-songwriter Angelyn Iturbide has taken to the high seas to get her music heard. She and a crew of new bandmates, including Charleston guitarist Kelly Morris, have traded a tour bus for a yacht, docking at more than 20 ports across the East Coast to give concerts from the boat.

They will be playing a concert live from the yacht at Shelter Cove Marina on May 23.

The concept is so original that Amazon Prime has picked up a reality series around the tour, called “Yacht Stops,” based on a concept by former “Last Comic Standing” writer Michael Bloom. The show, which premieres May 24, will follow Angelyn and her mates in a “Below Deck”-“The Voice”-“The Heights” mashup. (Please tell me I’m not the only one that remembers the latter, a 1992 Fox show that spawned one-hit wonder “How Do You Talk to an Angel.”)

“It’s something I never imagined myself doing, and it’s been pretty cool overall. You never get to see the behind the scenes of the touring, and now, you’ll get to see it from a whole new angle,” Angelyn said of her adventures at sea, which included a two-week boot camp aboard a fishing vessel before boarding their 140-foot luxury yacht complete with private chef. “I didn’t plan on getting seasick but that happened a lot on the fishing boat.”

Cameras have captured her bandmates and family aboard the fishing boat and the yacht as they’ve sailed the East Coast, making previous area stops in Myrtle Beach (May 11) and Charleston (May 14 and 17) before docking on the Hilton Head Island shores.

Angelyn has been singing since childhood and started taking formal lessons at age 13. After placing second in a Battle of the Bands competition in California, she knew she was hooked.

“I told my Dad this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life then and there,” she said.

She and her bandmates had been building a following on the West Coast pre-COVID, earning 2019 praise from Rolling Stone as “the best new sound to come out of Orange County since Gwen Stefani.”

The pandemic caused a shift in strategy for Iturbide, as she left her original band and headed for Austin before hearing she’d been selected for the show.

During the “Yacht Stops” tour, which concludes with a Miami concert broadcast live on Amazon July 4, she has not only developed new fans in a pioneering new approach, but she’s been mentored by fellow musicians along the way. While in port, established rockers like South Carolina native and island icon Edwin McCain and Maia Sharp have offered advice and coaching.

In between the concerts and the mentoring, the band has run the boat and fished for what they eat.

“It’s been great to meet a whole bunch of new musicians and pick their brains. It’s always awesome to play with other singer-songwriters,” she said. “The cast and crew have been incredible. We’ve fished, we’ve snorkeled and scuba dived. It has been an experience of a lifetime.”

The Shelter Cove Marina show is free and is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.

Tim Wood is a veteran journalist based in Bluffton. Contact him at timwood@blufftonsun.com. - The Bluffton Sun

ANGELYN & BLIND INNOCENCE (BI) The Next Best Thing Out of The O.C.
lifoti 5 years ago FEATURES, MUSIC


First beginnings started with, Angelyn, an incredible young talented singer/songwriter. Growing up listening to her parents’ playlists, from the 60’s and 70’s. Her love of music would be inspired by such pioneer artists as The Beatles, Janis Joplin, The Eagles, and many more from that era. Though she had not yet learned to play a musical instrument, she would sit for hours in front of the family piano picking out melodies in her head and patiently transferring them to the piano. Consistently feeding her musical growth in this way, she soon began to write music with deep meaningful lyrics and captivating melodies. She would perform these songs for her family and people that would come over the house, showcasing not only her music, but a signature vocal that is always unique and recognizable.

On her 14 th birthday, Angelyn was introduced to a young, local guitar teacher in Huntington Beach, Kevin Celinder. Kevin, who had just started to give guitar lessons to Angelyn's older brother Joe, was a graduate of the Huntington Beach Academy of Performing Arts. Ironically this is where Angelyn would be admitted several months after they met. Right away Kevin was very impressed with Angelyn’s unique vocals and music, while Angelyn was fascinated by Kevin’s guitar tones and riffs. It was this meeting that initiated the spark that would ignite a movement to come. Yes, the beginning of a new sound had come to the O.C. planting its roots right into the sands of The Huntington Beach Music scene. For the next two years Angelyn and Kevin would perform and polish their craft alongside several other great artists, searching for that would be ''Perfect Fit'' for their new and creative style of music. The music of Angelyn and Blind Innocence (BI).


In the beginning 2016, Christian Demman played bass for the rock band,''Broken''. By the end of that September, he was looking for a new band. He had heard that BI was holding auditions for a permanent bassist and drummer from a fellow musician, and he contacted them. After a 2-hour audition which took place in the bands practice facility, which also doubled as a garage, Christian became the new and permanent bass player for the band. Demman was not only a very talented bass player, but his unconventional style, versatility make him extremely unique (like when you first notice him on stage playing his bass guitar with a drum stick). but he could also play many other instruments, making him very versatile. His song writing ability turned out to be a bonus that went along with the entertaining style which blended perfectly with the BI sound. Blind Innocence had performed with a lot of talented drummers such as: Ron Lee, Blake Rehling, Luke Mentor, Jonathan Rodriguez, and Edo Tancredi over the years. However, that beat they were looking for that would round out their sound continued to elude them. Like the early Beatles, BI was searching for their own
Ringo, a permanent member to round-out the band and sit upon that drummer’s throne. The search would drag on through September of 2017, when a young man by the name of Mark Pacpaco entered the picture. Mark had just come from being crowned the champion of the 28th annual Guitar Center-Drum Off, the world’s largest drumming competition, bringing with him an unbeatable beat that rounds out an incredible foursome of talented young artists and one of the best young bands around…The One, The Only, Angelyn and Blind Innocence!


2018 saw BI release their debut album "Little Girl", which has gotten rave reviews, drawing recent comparisons to Super Star Bands such as "No Doubt" and “Fleetwood Mac”, by many in the music scene. Continuously on top of the Reverbnation charts for the LA/Orange County areas and are also ranked in the Top 10 alternative rock bands both nationally and globally. If you haven’t heard
or seen this young up and coming band, you can find their music on iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify and Soundcloud, to mention a few. Several music videos can also be found for songs on their YouTube, Reverbnation and official site - Lifoti Magazine

Blind Innocence Presents "Bands For Blind Kids" Live Concert At Surf Dog's Sports Grill
May 18, 2014 from 1PM-10PM, BLIND INNOCENCE and musician friends are teaming up for a concert to raise awareness of Braille Institute's programs for the blind and visually impaired youth.
By: NorCal Press

Blind Innocence
Blind Innocence
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. - May 17, 2014 - PRLog -- The all day event, hosted at Surf Dog’s Sports Grill, 5932 Warner Ave., Huntington Beach, will feature live entertainment, excellent grub, and a special guest performance with Blind Innocence.

BANDS FOR BLIND KIDS

“Bands for Blind Kids” is a one-time concert presented by Blind Innocence and will feature local singer-songwriters Ria Rosae, the American Vagrants, Cali Conscious, Echo Love Chamber & more. Created through the evolution of the music industry and used to raise awareness for the blind and visually impaired youth. All proceeds raised will be donated to the Braille Institute’s Youth Program.

BLIND INNOCENCE

Blind Innocence is a new Country/Pop & Rock Band from Huntington Beach, California. Members of this group include a very talented blind keyboard player Greg Weins, 15 year old Lead Vocalist Angelyn , Kevin on the Drums, Renne on the Bass and & Brandon on the Lead Guitar. The band was formed in 2013 and has performed throughout Orange & Los Angeles County, California. For more information, visit: www.BlindInnocence.com

SURF DOG’S SPORTS GRILL

Huntington Beach's Best Sports Bar, serving a variety of draft and bottled beers along with the best Pizza around. Pool Tables, Games and 17 Flat Screen TVs.

BRAILLE INSTITUTE

Braille Institute is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to eliminate barriers to a fulfilling life caused by blindness and severe sight loss. A variety of free programs and services are offered at locations throughout Southern California. Each year Braille Institute serves more than 75,000 people and provide an environment of hope and encouragement through integrated educational, social, and recreational programs. On May 16, the Friday before the concert, http://www.brailleinstitute.org will display a drop menu on their Donate Now webpage under “Orange County Youth Programs” for donations and will be removed Monday, May 19, 2014.

Blind Innocence Upcoming Shows:

May 29: Harvey’s Steakhouse, Huntington Beach, CA

For more information, contact Andre Iturbide, 714-719-2952, 4BlindInnocence@gmail.com - PR Log Press Release Distribution