It’s always risky when a band, especially a well established band, welcomes a new member into the fold, particularly a new singer.

Not to say the other members in any band aren’t integral parts of it, but a singer has the ability to completely change a bands sound. Because of that, I’m usually a little worried when any band changes vocalists, because there’s always that chance that it could turn me (and other fans) off of the music.

It’s something the Dallas Metal band Drowning Pool knows all too well, though, having been through a couple vocalists since the death of the bands original singer, Dave Williams. They recently found the latest addition to Drowning Pool, after former singer, Ryan McCombs, left the band late last year.

This night marked their first hometown show with Jasen Moreno in the lineup. As usual, they were performing at Trees, and I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say this would probably be one of the biggest hometown shows the band had done.

Several acts were opening, including one I didn’t even know was on the bill. I’m not sure who they were, though they were not from Texas, and I’m relieved I only saw the last minute of their set.

They were very Metal, which is a good fit for this bill, but with the excess screaming that I heard, they were too Metal for my taste.

The Fort Worth based, No Scope was on after them.

I had seen them a little over a year ago, when they also opened for Drowning Pool, and didn’t much care for them then.

That held true this second go around, mainly because I just don’t dig their singer’s voice. It’s more of a borderline scream (again, that’s just not what I’m into), but even when he does sing, he doesn’t have a very strong voice.

On the other hand, they do put on a good live show, and it was better than what I remembered it being. And whereas the last time I couldn’t wait for them to get off stage, I did at least find some enjoyment in the performance this night. It probably didn’t hurt that they didn’t even get a 30-minute set, though.

They have a few records that you can purchase in iTunes, and for more information on the band, check out their FACEBOOK PAGE.

There was one local act after them, and it was Serosia.

I had missed their CD release show a couple months ago, so I was pretty excited to finally get another chance to see them.

As the curtain opened on them, guitarist, Derek Troxell, was hitting the back of the guitar’s neck, creating a killer sound. Soon, drummer, Anthony D’Agata, ripped into their first song with some hefty beats, while Joseph Kuban proceeding to attack his bass and Derek started thrashing about. The song was one from their new “Variables” EP, “Friendly Fire”. It was an explosive way to start the show, and they didn’t let up, following it very closely with “Criminal”. “I am concealed…” sang/shouted singer, Lucas D’Agata, upon starting the song. They did another tune after it, and afterwards Lucas announced they were now going to play some stuff from their new EP. “…We recorded it up in New Jersey with some guy named Cristian Machado…” he said, adding, “If any of you know that guy. Oh yeah, he’s in Ill Nino.” That got a roar from the mass of people, most of whom seemed more excited about seeing Ill Nino then Drowning Pool this night. “This song’s called The Architect.” Lucas finished. It’s one of the bands slower songs, in the sense that he sings on the entire song, but he brought out his signature brutal scream for parts of their next song, “Sway”. Sadly, they only got a 24-minute long set, and at this point, they just had one more to go. “I feel a war… A war’s going to start tonight.” Lucas said to the crowd, who seemed unsure of what he was talking about. The Serosia fans knew, though, and it was the song I had been most looking forward to hearing from them. “I feel a war, fast approaching like a storm…” he sang, while his band mates tore into “Superposition”. Lucas tired to get some audience participation towards the end, asking everyone to join him and shout, “I FEEL A WAR!”, though not enough people did to really make it audible. After a few times of that he resumed command and finished out the song by flailing around while producing some violent screams.

Honestly, even though I’ve only seen Serosia a few times, I’ve seen much better shows from them than this one was. Lucas’s voice was off. It was worst on the first song, and while it did improve steadily throughout, it never hit its full potential. But what they were lacking in sound was more than made up for by their performance.

Very few bands in the Dallas are (or probably the world for that matter) bring it like Serosia does, where everything is left on the stage. And even them on a bad night is about then ten times better than what most bands could ever hope to do. Really. It’s the raw energy and passion they all put into it, and more often than not, it’s hard to figure out who to watch, because they are all very intense performers.

They have a show coming up on December 31st, if anyone wants to ring in the new year with them. It will be at the Boiler Room in Dallas. And to listen to/purchase their music, go to either ITUNES or their REVERBNATION STORE. A few of their records are on iTunes (including their newest one), but the latter has their earlier stuff.

So, I mentioned everyone was pretty pumped for Ill Nino, and I overheard countless conversations by people talking about they couldn’t wait for them to take the stage.

I wasn’t one of those people, though. I knew the band was pretty hardcore Metal, and while I may like Serosia and Drowning Pool, what I listened to of Ill Nino seemed to push my tolerance for the genre. But I was just going to have to suffer through it.

Now not being a fan, I obviously don’t know the band’s music, but I think I may have pieced part of the show together. And if correct, they opened their 45-minute set with “If You Still Hate Me”. I hated the screaming Cristian Machado did on this and every other song, and the music was much heavier than I care for, but even with all that, I found something odd happening. I was enjoying it. All that aside, they were excellent performers and just that one aspect was more than enough to keep my eyes glued to the stage. They continued with “This is War”, and upon finishing it, Cristian thanked everyone for coming out. “…We’re just a little Latino Metal band from New Jersey…” he said, seeming to sincerely mean that, though I think that bands history and achievements speaks to the contrary. They did a couple more songs which I didn’t know, and before starting the second of those two, Cristian got a Texas flag from somewhere and draped it over his back, proclaiming how glad they were to be back in Texas. It was also that song that had an acoustic guitar part, and a roadie of the bands brought what appeared to be a mic stand out on stage, though it had a acoustic guitar secured to the top of it, which one of their guitarists proceeded to play for a few lines. I can honestly say I had never seen anything like that before, and it was pretty cool. They got back to some really heavy material with their next tune, which I think was “I Am Loco”, and was my favorite of theirs. “Does anyone here have our new record, Epidemia?” Cristian asked before they started the next song. Some people seemed to, though it was awfully silent. “…This one’s called The Depression”, he said, starting the lead track from their most current record. One of the most interesting things about Ill Nino to me was the fact that they used two drummers. The mere idea of that seemed like overkill to me, but then I heard it. Oddly enough, both full drum kits meshed well, and I believe it was the secondary drummer, Daniel Couto, who even delivered some of the beats by slapping the cymbals and drums with his hands. Anyway, at this point in the show, drummer, Dave Chavarri, tore off on a short solo. It was just the right length, long enough it showed off the skills he posses, but short enough it never got boring, and shortly after finishing it, they fired up their next one, which might have been “How Can I Live”. “Alibi of Tyrants” followed it, which sounded like one of the heaviest, most aggressive things they had done thus far, and then came yet another song from 2001’s “Revolution Revolución”, “What Comes Around”. That album seemed to be the main focus of the night, and before doing one of the earlier songs from it, Cristian asked if it’d be okay if they took everyone back to 2001. “…Eleven years later and you are all still coming out to shows and singing along to these songs…” he said, sounding humbled by the peoples dedication. It’s also worth noting a later conversation he had with the audience, saying back in his day people “had the balls” to go into a record store and walk out with an album, not pirate the music, which is so easy these days. He went on to encourage everyone to keep buying music, one way or another, to keep them and other bands, like Deftones, alive. There time was almost up after that one, having just enough time for one more, and I think it was “Liar” that concluded their set.

I said I thought I’d have to “suffer through” their set, but that was proved very wrong.

There’s no doubt about it, Ill Nino is a beast live, and their performance was impeccable. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like nor can I appreciate their style of music, but some things transcend music and can appeal to everyone, and that was what happened with their show. And looking at it in both my unbiased and personal opinion, they were the best band of the night.

They have a few show dates scheduled, and to see where and when, check out their OFFICIAL WEBSITE. And to purchase their albums, go HERE.

It was getting close to the moment I had been waiting for, and I figured I’d either really like this new incarnation of Drowning Pool or really hate them. And at 12:08, after their intro song played, the curtain opened and it was time to find out.

Guitarist, CJ Pierce, bassist, Stevie Benton, and drummer, Mike Luce, were at the ready, and as they tore into their opening song, “Step Up”, Jasen Moreno removed his microphone from the stand, and they were off. It got the excitement going, with its untamed, aggressive sound, and to follow it up, they had a classic and the title track of their 2001 album, “Sinner”. The crowd went crazy upon realizing what song it was, and sang along to almost every word. “…You look at me but you don’t see, understand I’m a sinner. Don’t corner me, don’t lecture me. Raise your hands, you’re a sinner…”.  Most of their set this night was comprised of songs from that release, but they of course had to add in some other stuff, such as one more song from the “Desensitized” album, “Think”. It didn’t do much for me, but I grew more interested with the next one, as Mike started them into “Let The Sin Begin”. It was after all the song that got me interested in the band in the first place. It became apparent with it, though, that I was not digging Jason’s voice, which was a mix of a growl and a scream. I thought (and hoped) it was just those first few songs, but here you had my favorite Drowning Pool song. A song that they opened with when I first saw them a little over a year and a half ago and it had me instantly enthralled. A song that I loved so much it caused me to go to a store and buy their most current record (2010’s “Drowning Pool”). A song that both previous times I had seen them sent me into a state of euphoria. Yet now, I felt nothing. It was just another song. Oh boy, that couldn’t be a good sign for how I was going to enjoy the remainder of their set. Pretty much the same thing could be said about their next song, “Children Of The Gun”, which lacked the edge it did, and afterwards, the sirens from the sample track revved up, beginning their anthem for the people who keep this country safe, “Soldiers”. The talk was kept to a minimum during their set, but after that song, Jasen said they had some members of the service at the show this night, and asked everyone to make some noise for them so they’d know how much we appreciate what they do for us. “…Do y’all want to hear a new song?” he asked after that, which the fans seemed eager to hear. I found it to be so-so, again, because of the vocals. It was still Drowning Pool, though, and in terms of the music it’s about what you’d expect from them (in the best way possible). It kind of surprised me that, that was only one of two new songs they did (I guess they’re keeping the bulk of it under wraps until their new record is out). But that meant they could do a lot of what people wanted to hear, like “Pity”. I will say this, Jasen’s voice is most comparable to Dave Williams voice than any other singer the band has had since, so he was able to pull of those classic hits quite well, but it still didn’t engage me. So far this night there had seldom been a break, with at least one of the musicians playing an instrument to bridge the songs together, and that held true at this point, as Mike went into a short drum solo. As he neared the end of it, CJ proceeded to lace a few soft guitar notes over it, sounding just enough like a certain song of theirs. It was a cool prelude to lead them into “37 Stitches”. And near the end of it, before the final chorus, CJ ripped into an amazing guitar solo where he really rocked out. Mike again brought them into the next song, one of the singles from the “Full Circle” record, “Enemy”, before hitting a string of classics. “Follow” was one of them, while Mike next got them going on “Told You So”, which was one of many songs that showed off how tight they are, with Jasen and Mike alternating on who sang certain words of the chorus. For example, one shouted “SHUT UP!” then the other would, and it went back and forth. Jasen made a statement before their next tune, encouraging everyone to pay close attention to the lyrics. “…It’s probably the truest rock song you will ever hear…” he said. I think he was referring to the line, “…I don’t care about anyone else but me… I don’t care about anyone or anything…” from “Tear Away”, and he was sort of right about that. They then broke out another new one, and the first single from their forthcoming album, “Saturday Night”. It is a stellar rock song and I am fond of its mantra (chorus), “…I’m gonna live my life like it’s Saturday night. I’m gonna live my life, sleep when I am dead and buried…” I suspected that was a sign their set was nearing its end, and that seemed even more likely with yet another single, “Feel Like I Do”. Then came the part everyone had been waiting for. Mike began pounding out some beats, and eventually CJ and Stevie added the guitar and bass into the mix. Jasen walked back and forth across the edge of the stage, holding the microphone out towards the crowd, who were shouting, “Let the bodies hit the floor!…” over and over again. I believe it was Mike who started singing “Bodies”, of course whispering the first couple of lines before letting out a scream on the third one. That staple song ended their 75-minute long set, and once it was done, before leaving the stage, they took time to shake some hands of some of the people down front and threw out some picks to the people. I think that’s pretty cool, because not every band makes their appreciation of theirs fans so obvious.

In regards to the show, it was not what I was hoping for. I had listened to that single (“Saturday Night”) and liked it. But be warned Drowning Pool fans, Jasen’s voice does not sound remotely the same in the live setting as the recording(s) would lead you to believe.

No one this night seemed to have an issue with that, and I imagine most Drowning Pool fans won’t. His voice is somewhat of a mix between Dave Williams and Jason Jones’ voices, so if you’re a longtime fan of the band, you’ll probably like it. But for me, it was too big a departure from Ryan McCombs vocal style.

I just don’t think he has that good of a voice, and I guess because of it, I won’t feel like I have to see Drowning Pool the next time they stop by Trees (or any other Dallas area venue).

At least I saw two amazing Drowning Pool shows when Ryan McCombs was a part of the band, and I’ll just have to be satisfied with that.

However, this is still a Drowning Pool concert, and they all (yes, Jasen included) go all out. It’s as intense a performance as you could ever see, and even that one aspect makes it well worth seeing a show.

As for now, they have one last date scheduled, on December 21st at The Midland Theater in Kansas City, Missouri. And to buy all their music, go HERE.

The below photos are courtesy of James Villa Photography. All rights belong exclusively to him.

Drowning Pool

Ill Nino

Like so many people, I became a fan of Blue October back in mid-2006, when their song, “Hate Me”, flooded the airwaves.

There is no denying it’s a solid song, seeing as it did help catapult their “Foiled” album to a platinum status, and after checking out their previous records, I wanted desperately to see them live. Also, factor in that every Dallas area publication (mainly the Dallas Morning News) who wrote reviews of the band always mentioned that Blue October put on one of the best live shows there is.

So, a little over three years after I became a fan, I splurged and bought a ticket to the second night of their Dallas shows, during the bands “Crazy Makin’” Tour. I was beyond excited when I walked in, and by the time I left I was asking myself, “Why did I spend money on this?”

Justin Furstenfeld was the only real player that night, while the rest of the band seemed to have about as much life in them as a piece of wood. (If anyone cares to read it, you can find my review of that show HERE.)

I figured the band suffered from a bad case of being over hyped, and were just one of those bands that are best enjoyed in CD form. But every time they played the Dallas area over the next few years, I always read how amazing they are live, and I knew it was just a matter of time before I had to give them a second chance.

Enter “The Quiet Mind” tour. A tour where the band had promised to play fan requested songs from every album they’ve released, and I’m one of those who thinks their older stuff is much better than the bulk of the newer material. So if nothing else, I knew I was going to hear some songs I loved, though I also hoped Blue October would change my opinion of their live show.

As always, this two-night Dallas stand was being held at the House of Blues, and they had some good opening acts.

At 7:59 the lights dimmed and the first band made their way on stage. Most people probably had no idea who A Silent Film was, but I had seen them twice earlier this year, and at this point was more excited about seeing them then the other two acts on the bill.

The quartet walked out and took their spots, while singer and multi-instrumentalist, Robert Stevenson, began chatting with the crowd. “…How about them Cowboys?” he asked, adding something like, “We were watching that debacle with you…” The teams disappointing loss might have been a sore subject with a lot of people, but he was right, too. He then announced to everyone who they were and where they hail from (Oxford, England), before getting to their first song, “Reaching the Potential”. “A scholar’s wind in a boxing ring, went floating by on a hummingbird wing, wide enough to guide you in. With a sun in rise, we started shivering…” he sang, then proceeded to softly hit the keys on the keyboard, as he sang the next several lines. It didn’t take off, though, until Spencer Walker started in on the drums, with bassist, Ali Hussain, and guitarist, Karl Bareham, following suite, while Robert leapt up from the keys. It’s obvious he is best suited at being a frontman, as he dashed back and forth across the front of the stage, stopping at each “section” of the crowd and looked out at everyone while he sang. “This next song is from our first record, it’s called Driven by a Beating Heart” Robert said as soon as their first song had come to an end, while the sample track for this next song kicked on. That love song was where their 30-minute set really took off, as they hit their stride, yet continued to improve throughout the remaining songs. They once again slowed things down a bit, while Robert quietly crooned on the little prelude to their next song, before starting the first line of “Love Takes a Wrecking Ball”. It soon roared to life, though, and when it did, he again abandoned the keys so he could work the crowd, while belting out the chorus, “…Love takes a wrecking ball. Will it take a wrecking ball tonight? Will it take a wrecking ball to open your eyes?…” They rolled right along with one of their favorite songs to do, “Anastasia”, and upon finishing it, they took a small break. Robert went over to another set of keyboards that was next to Ali on stage right, then said to Spencer, “You’ve been quite tonight…” “…You already said that about the Cowboys. Can I use that again?” he asked, before deciding to promote the merch that they had for sale. When they were ready to continue on, Robert told everyone the next song was a sing along, and asked anyone who might catch on to help them out. It ended up being their newest single and one of my favorite songs of theirs, “Harbour Lights”, and the part they tried to get some audience participation on was the “Oooohhh” parts that are done periodically throughout the tune. That song is nothing short of amazing and is highly catchy, and you could sense the people getting a little more into the music during this one. When it was done, Robert picked up his guitar and stated they only had one left. They began the lead single from their newest album, “Danny, Dakota and the Wishing Well”, and the best part of it was the instrumental portion before the first verse, where both Karl and Robert were shredding on their guitars. The song tells a real story, which is something only the greatest of songs do, about two people in love with one another who are eventually brought back together. It’s a neat story, so give it a listen. Right close to the end, there is a pause in the music. “LET ME FUCKING HEAR YOUR VOICES, DALLAS!” Robert screamed when they hit that part. He didn’t even say it into the microphone, but he was still so loud it was very audible.

That ended their set, and while I’m more partial to the nearly hour long set they did the last time I saw them, I still have to say this was the best performance I’ve seen from them. It probably has something to do with the fact that there were more than fifteen to twenty people in the room, and you could tell that was making a difference. That’s not they say they haven’t been lively the other times I’ve seen them, they have. But when you have hundreds and hundreds of pairs of eyes watching you, you’re going to dig deep and become even more passionate about what you’re doing, which was exactly what A Silent Film did this night.

They create a superb blend of Indie/Pop/Rock music, and you need to give it a listen. You can find both of their full-length records in iTunes, and keep a check on their TOUR DATES page to see where they’ll be next. They don’t have a whole lot coming up right now, but after doing a tour like this, I imagine they’ll be getting back to these cities soon to try to capitalize on the new fans they’ve gained opening for Blue October.

After them was a trio from Seattle, Washington, by the name, Barcelona.

I had seen them sometime within the last year and a half or so, when I won tickets to their headlining show in Dallas. They were good from what I remembered, but in all honesty, I went to that show for the local opening acts. I was looking forward to seeing them again, though.

They had some technical issues, which kept them from starting, even though they appeared to be ready. I’m also not sure if that played a part in making their show the disaster it turned out to be.

“…We’re called Barcelona, and this song is Murder In the City” said singer, Brian Fennell, who was playing an acoustic guitar as they started. It was a cover of The Avett Brothers song, and it sounded alright, though I thought such a slow song was an odd choice to open with. I like for the opening song to grab me and show me what the band is going to be about, but for that song my thought, “Well, that’s nice.” Things did get a little better with their original material, like “Slipping Away”, from their newest album, “Not Quite Yours”, however it still sounded off. Brian took to the keys with the next song, “It’s About Time”, another one that has the hook, but failed to deliver in my opinion. The piano driven ballad, “Come Back When You Can”, didn’t ignite any heartfelt emotion like the recorded version does, while “The Takers” was awful, and had me hoping they would finish soon. Luckily, that wish was answered in the form of “Falling Out of Trees”, which concluded a very forgettable 28-minute long set.

During it, I had been thinking that the wrong band went on first, but at least they got to play the longest out of the opening acts.

After they were done, my dad and I were talking about the bands, and how much better A Silent Film was over Barcelona. That conversation caught the ear of a fan, who stepped in to defend them, saying he had seen them four times, and they were off this night.

I understand that can happen, and I try to be forgiving when stuff like that does. I’ll even admit, the Barcelona I saw before was completely different then the Barcelona I saw this time around, but that still can’t change the fact that this was a bad show.

It was as if nothing ever clicked between Brian, lead guitarist, Chris Bristol, and drummer, Rhett Stonelake. Nor did the vocals or music ever reach a point of sounding pleasing to the ear.

Maybe this can all be attributed to whatever issue they had in setting up, and I understand shit happens. But man, they were terrible.

The same does not go for their recorded music though, and I would highly urge everyone to check out “Absolutes” and “Not Quite Yours”. It’s kind of your generic piano based music, though it sounds good. They don’t have any more dates booked at the moment, but stay tuned to see when they’ll be on tour again.

It was getting close to the moment of truth, would Blue October be better than what I had seen before? I hoped so, because I didn’t want to feel like I had flushed fifty dollars down the toilet again, and I had already decided that if that happened again, I’d continue to buy their albums, but would never again bother in going to a live show.

A little before, the bands intro song started to play, and that was enough to put the bands diehard fans on edge, as they anxiously awaited the band.

The smoke machines were getting a work out here at first, as a billowing cloud of smoke arose, wafting out towards the audience and to stage left.

Lead guitarist, Julian Mandrake, was the first to walk out on stage, taking a spot at far stage left. Then you saw Jeremy Furstenfeld as he took a seat behind his drum kit, while bassist, Matt Noveskey assumed his spot next to Julian. Suddenly, Justin Furstenfeld made his way out of the thick smoke, his guitar at the ready, while the silhouette of Ryan Delahoussaye and his violin could somewhat be made out on stage right.

I can’t come up with any other word to use then showboating , which was what Justin did for a few seconds after taking the stage, as he walked up and down the edge of it, leaning out towards the crowd. It wasn’t done in an arrogant way, though. No, it was more like a boxer who had just gotten into the ring and was trying to amp up the crowd. It worked.

He then assumed his spot behind the center microphone, while Ryan briefly grabbed the spotlight and played a beautiful piece on the violin. Justin then asked a couple of questions, in song form of course. “What if we could put our lives on hold, then meet somewhere inside of the world? I would meet you, would you meet me?…” Things roared to life when they hit the chorus of “What If We Could?”, and right then and there I could tell this was not going to be anything like the other Blue October show I had seen. They really never went from one song directly into the next, though there also wasn’t much time wasted in between songs, as the stage again fell into complete darkness for a few seconds. The first few guitar notes was all anyone needed to again be thrown into a frenzy, realizing it was a single from the “Approaching Normal” album, “Say It”. “…Why are you fucking with my mind?” sang Justin, changing the line up a bit from how it appears on the record. That wasn’t the only small liberty he took with the song, and instead of “…I breathe it out  and I spit it on the crowd, cause they lift me up…”, he changed “they” to “you”, while pointing at the audience. “Okay, here we go Dallas!” he bellowed after the second chorus, then continued on singing, “I’m sick of standing in your line, so now you’ll have to take it. Take this to heart…” At this pointed he held the mic towards the fans, who screamed in unison, “I will never let you fuck me over.” Next, they broke out a twelve-year old song that I thoroughly enjoy, “Libby, I’m Listening”, though to be honest, it was lacking a bit in the live setting. I’m not sure what was lacking exactly, but there was something amiss. “The Chills” was another song the fans, myself included, seemed to be excited to hear. That was only one of a few offerings from the “Any Man in America” record, though, which was somewhat saddening, because I view that album as the best overall thing Blue October has done to date. Thus far, their show had been pretty intense, but at this point, they hit the first of a couple of lulls, the first of which was “Everlasting Friend”. From a musical standpoint, the song has never appealed to me much (I’m just not a fan of the slower pace), but it is rich with the one ingredient that makes Blue October’s music , and that is exceptional lyrics. So at least listening to it was enjoyable to some extent for me. Now, as I mentioned, this tour the band was doing was “The Quiet Mind” tour, and what would the tour be without including the song of the same name? Ryan used a mandolin for part of this song, which he softly plucked the strings of, at the start of “A Quiet Mind”, while Jeremy set up a slow, steady beat for them. These older songs were really making for an extraordinary setlist, and they followed it with yet another song from “History for Sale”. But first, Justin shared a few words with the audience. …I used to be kind of a dramatic writer…” he said, and even he seemed slightly shocked when thinking about some of the earlier stuff he had written. Focus then shifted to the coming song and how he wished he had “paid attention to the lyrics” in recent years, like, actually have taken it in and learned from it. And though he never instructed everyone to, you got the feeling that he was urging all the fans at this nearly (if not completely) sold-out show to pay attention to what was about to be sung. The song he had been speaking about was “Chameleon Boy”, and it was hands down one of the best things this night. The emotion was conveyed perfectly, especially the sadness on the line, “I try to think of all the people I looked up to, while growing up, who would I be? Now the twisted part, where’d all my idols end up? They all passed away…”. There was another set up before their next song, and this one Justin dedicated to producer, David Castell, who was in the audience. Justin mentioned he brought a song to David years ago, “…And he helped turn a dump into a diamond…” he said. The audience had little reaction to that. “Okay, I was expecting a lot more laughs from that joke.” Justin quipped, laughing while he said it. No one seemed too enthused by that speech, but their mood changed upon realizing that “diamond” Justin spoke of was “Into the Ocean”. Once it was finished, they got back into the rhythm of doing one song right after the other, and broke into one of three songs I really hoped they’d do this night. I believe it was Matt who started “Inner Glow” with some thick bass notes, while the other instruments were added on top of it. I love how positive and upbeat the song is, and live it was every bit as good as I had hoped, and then some. They kept the good vibes going with the next tune, which was “18th Floor Balcony”, and also considerably slowed things down. After finishing it, Justin took another moment to connect with the listeners, saying that everyone who was here had to either be in love, or at the very least thought they were at some point in the past. “…Maybe it’s been with a boy, a girl, or a goat…” Someone evidently said something about that, because Justin responded, “Hey, don’t knock that shit until you try it.” He proceeded to walk people through the steps of a break-up, steps that had his own personal flare to it, as it was something he experienced not too long ago with his now ex-wife. He talked everyone through the demise of a relationship, and then got to “the best part”. That was, as he put it, when the person you broke up with, suddenly shows back up at your place, and is sitting on your couch, watching you TV, acting as if nothing ever happened and everything is fine. Then they look at you, start sobbing, and say, “I messed up!” He said that imitating a weepy voice, then said that is the point you get to say this. “Yeah, I know you fucking did. Know get the fuck out of my house.” “This one’s called The Getting Over It Part.” He stated, a song he had mentioned just a few minutes before was his favorite part of the shows. I have a feeling it’s because every musician I know talks about how cathartic the songwriting process is, and the same can be said for performing the songs live. I’m sure that applies to Justin, and with that song he gets to work out all of his emotions about what may well be one of the most difficult things he gone through in life. “…I’ve seen that look before, leave that shit at your door…” he belted out, while flashing his middle finger. Then you have the powerful line where he plainly put it all out there, “…Let’s burn this house we built up down and simply walk away…”, which gives way to the incredible chorus. You could tell he was relishing that song, and while there are plenty of others that are packed full of emotion, this was on an entirely different level. He got to channel his anger and release it all, and when it was all said and done, it seemed like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. You knew they were approaching the end when they fired up another single, “Dirt Room”, which was pretty explosive. The raw intensity continued as they barreled into “James”, which is even more eerie and ominous live. And while I’ve never much cared for the song, it certainly had my attention here. There were many songs were Justin didn’t play a guitar, the previous one being one of them, and now one of the bands roadies brought out an acoustic guitar and handed it to him. Then the sample track kicked on for their biggest hit, “Hate Me”. I assumed that would be it, since most acts do save the most popular song for last. But no, they still had one last offering for the main set. It was “The Worry List”, which provided a very fitting, positive end to a whopping 80-minute set. “…But now I know this. I know that God exists. I held her in my arms…” Justin sweetly sang, while he positioned his arm as if he were cradling a baby, presumably his first daughter, Blue. That is after all whom the bands current album is practically all about, especially this song. “…Just listen to the stories, not everything is glorious. Some hurt, some love, some shout. I fought the world and I lost that bout. And you are what my album’s about. I might have been gone, but I never walked out.” He sang, while the drums, bass, guitars and keys gradually fell silent. Yeah, despite the sad situation the song is about, it was a wonderful note to end on.

Surprisingly, people started leaving after that. I guess they wanted to beat the rush, but I thought it was pretty obvious an encore would be involved. Sure enough, after a thirty seconds or so, Justin returned.

The odd thing was he alone. Just him an acoustic guitar, while his band mates could be seen waiting in the wings. He then started a song, “…Every rose has it’s thorns…”. He didn’t get much further than before stopping and laughing, and shortly after did a line from another song. Someone booed that, but he defended it. “Hey, that Poison. You don’t boo that…” He began to tell everyone that he had written this next song when he was seventeen (so nearly twenty years ago), and that, “…Even to this date, I’m not sure what a lot of it means…” “…So, while I’m singing this, when you see me roll my eyes, that’s means I still don’t understand what I wrote…” he said jokingly, and reinforced the fact that he wrote it when he was seventeen and it sounded good at the time. He described this as being a “once in a lifetime” opportunity, and he was probably right, ‘cause how many times will they do “Breakfast After Ten” from the fourteen-year old album, “The Answers”. Nearly halfway through, the rest of the band joined him, just in time for Ryan to add the essential violin part, that sounds more like a fiddle. He switched to an electric guitar during the brief pause, before they started into a prelude of sorts for the next song. It was quite good, and I had actually started thinking it was a full song, before it gave way to “You Make Me Smile”. The rolled it right into the final song of this 19-minute encore, as Justin started shredding on his axe. “No way!” I heard a women behind me exclaim, realizing it was “Italian Radio”. There had been lots of energy and emotion showcased during this show, but no song was more intense than this one, and the icing on the cake was when Julian marched over to stage right and rocked out a killer guitar solo.

“Thank you, Dallas!” Justin said repeatedly, then promised, “…We’ll be back. With a new album”

Before filing off stage, they all walked to the edge of it. Jeremy tossed out several drumsticks to anyone who could grab one, as well as his setlist. The other guys did similar things, with guitar and bass picks, and anything else they didn’t need that could be a memento to someone.

The show was astounding, and a far cry from what I recalled seeing before.

In terms of a performer, Ryan was almost on the same level as Justin, and had a strong presence about him as he gracefully ran the bow along the strings of the violin. Matt has a lot of prowess as a bass player, and even though he (and the other members) didn’t stray too far from their assigned spots, his talent more than made up for it.

The you have Julian, who I first heard over five years ago when he was with the Austin based band, Mothers Anthem. It’s been nearly two years since they disbanded, so it was god to see him back on a stage rocking out. He has a real slickness about his playing that makes it look like the simplest thing in the world, though it didn’t seem quite as impressive as what I had seen several times before. I guess part of that might be because he was eclipsed on stage.

There’s no denying that when you get down to brass tacks, Blue October is Justin Furstenfeld, who did nothing short of own the stage this night. He was at his best when he was able to roam about just holding onto the microphone, but even when he had to add the rhythm guitar to the mix, it was still only for parts here and there, and he broke away whenever he could and focused on engaging the crowd.

He truly was like a boxer this night, delivering every jab at the precise moment, hitting just the right spot it needed to, to connect and give the fullest emotional impact to the audience.

He poured every fiber of his being into his performance, and you could tell it. That is what separates a great musician from an exceptional musician. All of that made him one of the most entertaining, aggressive frontmen I’ve seen live, which fits hand in hand with his unique knack for penning deep, heartfelt songs. Lastly, he’s only the second singer I’ve seen who can make the microphone into a legitimate weapon.

So, they changed the opinion I had of their live show. And next year, or whenever they are touring in support of their forthcoming record, I will be back here at the House of Blues to see another Blue October show. Hell, I’ll probably at both nights of their two night stand.

They aren’t done for the year yet, though, and have one last show in EL Paso, TX on December 31st at Speaking Rock. And to preview/purchase their music, go HERE.

What is the only venue in Dallas where you can always catch a great, local rock show? Why, the Curtain Club, of course. And I’ve said this many times before, but it can’t hurt to say it again; I also view it as being the best club venue in Dallas.

A couple of bands were doing their last shows of the year this night, and three out of the four acts I am big fans of, so I knew it was going to be great.

The first act up was Werewolf Therewolf, and by the time I got to the Curtain, they were mostly through.

They were good, I’m not going to say they weren’t. However, nothing that I hear ever really grabbed me or made me listen too intently. They did sound better live than what little bits I had listened to of their record, though.

If you want, you can check out their BANDCAMP PAGE, where they have their EP, “Initium”, available to listen to. If you dig it, well, you can get it for a free download.

Second up was the Fort Worth based Rock band, Waking Alice, who was doing only their second Dallas show with their current line-up, and also last show of 2012.

They immediately started in on their 35-minute set with what is becoming one of my favorite songs of the bands. I’m not sure if it’s one of their older songs or one of the few new ones they’ve recently written, but either way it’s a stellar rock song, and Rus’s voice sounds killer on it. They followed it with a couple of songs from their “Retribution” EP, the first of which was “Treason”. They sped it up quite a bit, though, with guitarist, Brandon Brewer, drummer, Jon Levey, and bassist, Brayton Light, playing at a blistering pace. The thing is, the song is already pretty fast paced, so they really blazed through it this night. Rus commented on that when the song was finished, and seemed a bit out of breath, but he managed to keep up with it. Within a few seconds, he had recovered, and Jon launched them into their next tune, “Scars”. There was a slight bit of humor thrown in after that song, as Rus made a remark, saying that Brandon “…hates everyone…”. He then looked at Rus, “Fuck you, I’m wearing a sports coat…” It was a nice little retort, and they then got “Biggest Lie” underway, and during it Brandon really ran with his guitar solo. It was obvious he was feeling it and completely consumed by the music, as he just kept going. At one point Rus started to get up from the drum riser, where he had taken a seat, and almost started singing again, but realized Brandon wasn’t done shredding, and sit back down. “…We had some fun with that one…” said Rus, when it was all said and done, adding they were about to have some more fun. He pulled a box of Twinkies out from his backpack. “…This might be one of the last boxes of Twinkies in the metroplex…” he said. “Now, I could be a selfish asshole and keep them all for myself, or I could be a cool rock star and give them to y’all…” He chose option two, and proceeded to throw the Twinkies out to the handful of fans gathered around the stage. He lobbed one high up in the air, where I couldn’t see, and really wasn’t even paying attention to it… Then it nailed me in the head. “Oh no, I hit Jordan!…” said Rus, then said something to the effect of, “…That Rus, what an asshole…”, like that was what was going through my mind. It wasn’t, ‘cause hey, it’s kind of hard for a Twinkie to hurt you, and it was a hilarious part of their set. Once all the pastries had been handed out, they got back to business with “Fates Design”. Following it was the epic, “Wasting Time”, and then they only had one left. Rus joked about the title, making one up, then Brandon said another one. “No, Hasselhoff’s and handjob’s?” Rus asked him, then repeated it. That title would probably make for an interesting song, but one that is just as good is “Chasing Memories”, which was a nice end to a fantastic set.

This show was much better than the other one I had seen, simply because everything was in perfect working order. See, last time Brayton was having some technical issues with his bass, and he had to hold back, quite a bit from the looks of it this night. He really rocked out this night, and all four of them seemed to be at the top of their game.

Waking Alice is certainly an awesome band, and have churned out some killer songs with Rus. Go check out the “Retribution” EP in iTunes and see for yourself. And I’m interested to hear what else they’ll churn out in their little time off. See, I was told it will probably be spring before they get back onto a stage, so that should provide plenty of time to write a new song or two.

After them was a band I had not seen in far too long, probably close to a year or more, and that band was Pistol Whippin’ Ike.

As the curtain started opening, guitarists, Barry Lorberbaum and Jason Rutledge, bassist, Alex Fowler, and drummer, Jeff Hathcock, tore into the first song of their 42-minute set, “Life As We Know”. Just one song deep and they already seemed like a completely different PWI than what I had seen before. They appeared even more focused and driven, and had even stepped their stage show a few notches. They kept right on going with one of their newer they’ve churned out in the last couple years, before pulling out a classic. Jeff lightly tapped the drums, while the rest of the band made sure they were all ready, as Mario Cadena stepped towards the front of the stage and shouted out, “Open up my eyes!…”, the first line of “Awakening”. Here and there Mario did take a moment in between songs to thank everyone, but for the most part they stayed pretty on point, and they were on a roll because of it. They barreled on with “The Way”, and at the end, Jeff segued it right into “Last Cigarette”, a song off the bands new EP, “Dying the Dream”. It turned into a bit of a sing along, as a few of the fans could be seen singing right along with Mario on the chorus, “…My time is coming. I want you to know this. I’m not afraid. Waiting for something, waiting for nothing…”. Around this point in the show, Mario took a minute to address the “caterpillars” they had on their faces. See, they were all participating in “Movember”, and were growing some mustaches during this month. “…I mean no disrespect by this, but you ladies get all year to support your causes. But November, it’s for us guys…” he said. He also noted that he knew they looked ridiculous with their staches. “Speak for yourself!” Jeff said, standing up from the drum kit, which got a laugh from his band mates and the audience. When they got back to it, they did the powerful, “I Used to Dream”, and then another newer tune that is one of my favorites of the bands. Mario turned it into a sing along, and even for those who didn’t know it, it was easy to learn. “…It’s so hard to say. I love you, but I hate you…” a handful of people shouted along, with Mario occasionally holding out the microphone where just the audience could be heard. It seemed that “Liar” might be their last song, and it would have been a strong one to finish on, however, while there might not have been many people at the show (it was a slow night overall), they were eager for more, and made it well known. “…Because of you, we’re going to do one more…” said Mario, also acknowledging they wouldn’t be here in the first place if it weren’t for everybody supporting them. They then ended things with what is probably the heaviest song in their arsenal, “You Should Run”.

I’ve seen Pistol Whippin’ Ike more than a few times, and have always thought they were great. But with this show, it’s like they tapped into a whole new well of potential and possibility. Mario was even more ferocious as a frontman than I’ve seen him act in the past. And Jason, Barry, Alex and Jeff all appeared to have added just a little extra slickness to their talents, which really helped in tightening things up.

You can next catch them on Saturday, December 8th at the Bryan Street Tavern in Dallas. It’ll be a benefit concert for Toys for Tots, so bring a toy and get in free. As for their music, they have their full-length, “.44 Caliber Confessions”, a live record, and even the single, “I Used to Dream” available, and all of them can be found HERE.

It was getting close to Night Gallery’s time to take the stage for their last show of 2012. (Well, last one in their hometown area at least. They do have a out of town show coming up, though.)

They, too didn’t waste any time, and the instruments roared to life a few seconds before the curtain was ever pulled apart. When it was, guitarists, Jeremy Root and Nathan Hanlon, bassist, Mikey Auringer, and drummer, Randall “Duckie” Etherton, were well into the first single off the bands “Loud as the Sun” record, “My Friend Pretend”. Patrick ”Otter” Gonzales then bounded on stage, succumbing to the music, rocking out while he dragged his mic stand around until it was time for him to start singing. Since releasing their record at the end of June, they’ve found an awesome groove which for the most part finds them being relentless. Such was the case this night, as “Duckie” blended that song right into the short but intense, “Dirty Side”, which in turn was brought straight into “Crazy Brave”. They took a much needed breather after that, where Otter introduced themselves to anyone who was maybe unfamiliar with the greatness that is Night Gallery. “…We’re going to slow things down with this next one…” he then said, noting the next song was called “Lynne”. It is slower compared to their other songs, but not by much, though it is more of a love song than their other music. Take for example the chorus, where Otter crooned, “…Another lost love song, another kiss goodbye. You cannot take all the lies, but I need you by my side…”. They paused once again after that song, and for the second time this night, talk turned to the highly endangered Twinkies. “We were going to do an auction…” Duckie said, with Otter adding they had planned to auction boxes of the snack off throughout their show, but after searching everywhere, could not find enough to do it. It was then mentioned that they had thought about having Otter dress up as a giant Twinkie, but the idea was axed. “…I could just imagine everyone running on stage after a giant, human sized Twinkie…” he said, laughing. They got back to it with two more great songs, “Without Regret”, and another single, “The Tide”, and after it was when things got interesting. “Is anyone here a fan of AC/DC?” asked Otter. That made it sound like they were going to do a cover song, and covers are not something Night Gallery does too often. “We’re gonna have fun with this one.” added Otter, as his band mates began the song. They chose to do a rendition of “Big Balls”, which was quite appropriate, since Night Gallery is all about having fun, and hearing them do this song was a riot. The best part was that they all seemed dead serious while performing it, especially Otter, who sang as if there were no intended innuendos in the lyrics. For example, the line, “…My balls are always bouncing, my ballroom always full. And everybody comes and comes again…” It was brilliant on many levels, and very neat to hear, because I’m sure this was one of the only times they will ever cover it. The fun was far from over, as they next did the fan favorite, “She Runs”, and “Separation Anxiety”, before things took a turn. “Untimely Demise” has always been different from the bands other songs, in the fact that it is slower and is completely serious, having an undertone that deals with death. Otter even dedicated to a loved he lost earlier in the year, and sadly, now it was Duckie’s turn. “This one’s for my dad.” He said, before they started the song. It did create a somber mood, but was lifted by the next song, “Mr. Ripper”. It’s kind of funny to say that, because who would have ever thought a song about Jack the Ripper would be fun? With that, there was only one song left from their album they had to do, and there is no better way to end a show then with the “The Signal”. With it they essential say, “We’re Night Gallery. Nothing more, nothing less. And we’re here to put on a fun, honest to god rock show.”

They put on an incredible 51-minute long set, and despite the low turnout, it was a great last hometown show of the year.

They have one more show for the year at the Iron Horse Pub in Wichita Falls on December 14th, and will hopefully be back in action in early 2013. But until then, check out their album, “Loud as the Sun”.

Waking Alice

Pistol Whippin’ Ike

Night Gallery

It was that time of year again. Time for the Dallas Observer Music Awards, and with that comes the DOMA showcase.

Five different venues were participating this year, some of which boasted some outdoor stages, bringing it to a grand total of eight stages that sixty bands would rock over the course of eight plus hours.

And I figured, “Hey, why not get the most bang for my ten dollar ticket and get there as early as possible!”

The set times were staggered, with some acts at some venues beginning right on the hour, while at others they started twenty or even forty-minutes after the hour, which ensured you could maximize the experience. And I had sifted through all the acts and times and compiled a list of fifteen bands I could at least see some of.

My schedule called for me to begin the night/late evening at Club Dada, so after I arrived in Dallas at about 5:50, I headed towards the venue.

Sarah Sellers was performing there, and until this event, I had never even heard of her. She was however a constant on season 10 of American Idol (though I’m uncertain how far she got), so that should count for something. At least that was my thinking in deciding to see her performance.

Her set was comprised of both originals and a few covers, none of which I knew, though that didn’t matter. Because the 20 or so minutes that I caught, it was her powerhouse voice that was the most captivating thing. Yeah, it was readily clear how she got on American Idol. It was very forceful, sounding like a blend of numerous genres, such as Soul, Blues and R&B. She and her band (the two guitarists I recognized as Josh Goode and Daran DeShazo) played some songs, some of which fit into those previously mentioned genres, while others were a little more Pop and Rock sounding. And possibly the best moment was when all the instrumentalists, sans the keyboard player, took a backseat for a slower song, where her voice really soared.

Honestly, while I enjoyed it, I didn’t like enough to “become a true fan” by buying her music. That’s not to say she doesn’t boast a great deal of talent, though, and I wouldn’t mind seeing another show at some point in time.

Now, she doesn’t have any music for sale (that I can find), but you can enjoy plenty of her music either on YOUTUBE (where she is a bit of a sensation) or REVERBNATION. Also, check out the latter for future show dates.

Once they finished, I stepped out on to the patio at Club Dada, where The Rich Girls were already going. They are a Hall and Oates tribute band, and nothing against the music, but I’ve just never cared for it too much. Still, out of all the other acts playing the various stages at this time, these guys seemed to have the most potential in my opinion.

In the end, they didn’t do much for me, though. They were a rather large ensemble, having six members in all, two of whom were keyboard players. The main turn off for me was their singers voice, which sounded off on everything I heard. It didn’t seem too strong to begin with, either. They were entertaining, though, and the comedy they used in between songs managed to get some laughs from some of the crowd.

Once they ended, I ventured back inside where the next act was supposed to be starting shortly. It turned out though, that he was already playing.

The guy was Clint Niosi, a Fort Worth based musician who, somehow, I had never heard of until this.

He was at the tail end of one song, and next did a song from his latest record, “For Pleasure and Spite”, called “Little Heart”. I was instantly enthralled. It was quickly clear his the lyrics were the main focal point of his songs, and the simplicity of the music, which was just an acoustic guitar (at least for now), made sure you truly did focus on what he was singing. At least that’s how it worked for me. Most of the people who were in Club Dada, though, seemed to care less and were talking amongst themselves, making it hard to fully enjoy the performance. It was after that song he welcomed a fellow musician up on the stage, Claire Hecko, who added a violin to the mix for most of their remaining 30-minute set. The now duo did the song, “Shark In Your Water”, which, like several in the set, had a very ominous undertone to it. Aiding that quality was the fact that the first few lines, such as, “I was a shark in your water. You were drinking like a fish. You offered me a bite…”, were spoken rather than sung. It made it quite eerie, and even a bit frightening sounding. “New Light” came next, and afterwards, Clint announced the next song was titled “White Elephant”. After a lengthy instrumental intro, that, for a moment, had me wondering if the song even had any words to it, Clint began to speak them. I’ve always thought music needs to be song, but the way he does it in speaking adds such depth to it all. He achieves a slightly gruff, melancholy sound by speaking, packed with emotion. Granted, that emotion is more sadness than anything, but it’s still a strong feeling. They next did “The Sum of Parts”, which found Claire aiding Clint with some backing vocals, proving that not only is she a great talent on the violin, but also has a nice set of pipes on her. With “While I’ve Got You on the Line”, they finally did something that had more of an upbeat sound to it, albeit not much of one. Upon finishing it, Claire left, while Clint remarked they had done pretty good on time, and concluded his show with “We’ll Meet Again”, the final track from his 2008 album. It was an appropriate end to the show, but when he finished it, he was informed he had a little time left. “Does anyone want to hear another song?” he asked. Again, most people seemed like they could have cared less (I’ll get to that in a minute), but myself and a girl who was enjoying the music answered his question with a “Yeah.” “That’s good enough for me.” He responded, and proceeded to do one final song. If it was one of his, it’s not on any album. However, after searching online, I somewhat think it was a cover of the song, “True Lies” by the band Esqarial. At least after finding the lyrics to that song they seem to match up with what I remember he sang. Either way, I found it to be the best song of the set, and I’m glad he had time to do it.

Getting to the crowd, they were pretty loud in relation to this acoustic act, and it was visible that it upset Clint. “I’m sorry I’m not a louder act for you all…” he sarcastically told everyone, while he glared at the people gathered around the bar. It was an annoyance, even for me just trying to enjoy their music, so I can definitely understand his frustration.

That leads me to say this: Give the artist the respect that they deserve. If this had been some loud rock band, this would not have been nearly as big an issue, but it wasn’t. So really people, if there’s an act performing and you’re not enjoying what they are doing and want to talk with friends, then leave. Go out to the patio area (which I realize was also hosting bands this night) or go out front of the venue and chat. It’s not fair to the singer, who is trying to do their job, nor is it fair to people (even if there are only five or less of them) that are loving the music. It’s common courtesy and simple respect. I mean, how would you like it if someone showed up to your place of employment and started disrupting you when you were trying to get something done?

Well, getting something done is exactly what every musician is trying to do when they’re on a stage. Sure, it might not be their full-time job, and is most cases, they aren’t even making money doing it, but it’s a job nonetheless.

I don’t mean to sound like an a-hole by saying that, so I hope it doesn’t come across that way, but people really need to think before they start loudly talking to one another, or at the very least watch how loud they are being. Also, Clint deserves some serious props for not losing his cool during the show, because you could tell he wanted to go off on the patrons.

Anyway, while that did subtract from the show slightly, it was still an amazing performance. Clint Niosi is a great singer, but a phenomenal songwriter. The music was awe-inspiring and lyrically, is some of the best I’ve ever heard. Which makes me wonder, how am I just now hearing of this guy?!

He has two albums available, and you can purchase them in either ITUNES or BANDCAMP. You can also see him on December 17th at The Grotto in Fort Worth.

As soon as he finished that last song, I headed out the door and walked a few building over to LaGrange.

The Arlington Pop/Rock band, The Breakfast Machine, was playing there, and was scheduled to start anytime now. Keyword, scheduled.

They ran into some technical difficulties, and Brandon Reynolds couldn’t hear his bass, and it took them about ten minutes, give or take, to finally get everything in working order. You wouldn’t think something like that would impact their set time, seeing as it wasn’t the bands fault, but it did.

As soon as everything was in order, they took off, and got going with a pretty killer, Pop infused song. They kept the pace going with “Cloudy with a Chance of the Mondays”, though the song has some more dreamy sounding parts, especially when it comes to the guitar lines from Ryan Sobczak and Chris Mansfield. That song is the opening track from their “A Pitch to the Wind” EP, and they followed it up with the song that comes next on the album, “Meanwhile in the Cherry Fields”. During those first few songs, vocalist, Meghann Moore, took a little time in between to tell the decent sized crowd who they were and how to vote for them for Best Rock Acts in the Dallas Observer Music Awards. Though, from the next song out, they stepped into overdrive and did a rapid succession of songs, one right after the other. Drummer, Zach Mayo, informed the audience that their next song was a new one. “…It will be on the next record, just as soon as we record it…” he said, before they started it. As it drew to the end, Zach then rounded it into their next tune, “Jumble Jet”. Towards the end, Brandon sang a few lines of it, before getting to what I find to be the best part of the song, and that is the duet he and Meghann do. Her voice is impeccable, and there’s no doubt he is a good singer, too, and when combined, their voices sound rather heavenly. They raced through a few more newer songs, three to be precise, before asking how much time they had left. “You can do one more.” The sound guy informed them. They were shocked by that, and you could see Meghann mouth, “WHAT?!” I assume they had to cut a few songs, because it looked like they had a short band meeting as to how they should end their 32-minute long set, and settled on another newer one.

It did suck, both for them and their fans. In some ways I understand, because with an event of this magnitude, you have to strictly adhere to the allotted time slots. But it also doesn’t seem fair to me that their late start counted against them. Oh, well. Not much that could be done.

As for the show, it was alright. My main complaint was it was very hard to hear Meghanns’ voice, which is hardly the fault of the bands. But that aside, I thought they were really good this night. Despite the technical issues, and the smaller stage they had to work with, they still put on an energetic performance. And the way Brandon rocked out, you never would have known he had been having trouble hearing his bass.

The band has an EP, “A Pitch to the Wind”, available for FREE download on their BANDCAMP PAGE. And to keep up-to-date on their future concerts, then keeps tabs on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

When they were done, I returned to Club Dada, where Home by Hovercraft was finishing up their performance. I had hoped to catch a little more of them, but knew my chance of that was pretty slim.

This unique band, which features the use of a tuba, as well a step dancer, was finishing one song when I walked in, and afterwards started one of their newer songs, “Modernized”. I had seen them once before a few months before, and didn’t think I remembered much of their music, but once that song got underway, I realized it had left more of an impression on me than I thought. It’s pretty catchy, in a weird, offbeat sort of way. Their newest single, “Rocket”, came next, as Shawn Magill began playing the keyboard, while she and singer, Seth Magill, harmonized for the first line, and periodically throughout the tune. “If I die in the summer I want to be buried. If I die in the winter, I want to be burned. If I die in your arms I want to be put inside a rocket and shot up to the sun…”, they sang. It’s a lovely song, in a way that is completely its own. To end things, they did a song from the musical they’ve helped write, and were joined by some of the actors that will be a part of the musical. So, what’s the story of this musical you ask? Well, it’s about Marie Antoniette and the first time machine. Seth told everyone that general plot, then added something like, “So if you’ve wondered why we’re kind of weird. It’s because were also theater people, and theater people are kind of weird…”. There’s nothing wrong with being weird, though. Especially when it makes you stand out as much as Home By Hovercraft does.

They have an EP, “Seams”, that you can buy from their BANDCAMP PAGE. You can also listen to Rocket on there, which will be included on their full-length album, “Are We Chameleons?, due to be released sometime next year and it will feature songs from their musical. By the way, it runs through December 15th and will be in Dallas, so visit their FACEBOOK PAGE for more info on that.

It was back to LaGrange after that, where Jessie Frye was the next scheduled act, and was practically ready to play when I got back into the venue.

I was a bit surprised that it was only her and guitarist, Jordan Martin, since usually she does a full-band with her, though I didn’t think on too much. The duo opened the short, 25-minute long set with “Powerlines”. Out of the very few new tunes I’ve heard at previous live shows, this one has been one of my favorites, and this scaled back version sounded even better. The piano was hauntingly beautiful, while the guitar notes were rather soft and greatly complimented the piano. New songs were the main focus, though there were a couple of older songs thrown in, like “Red Angel White Devil” and my personal favorite, “Sleeping Tornadoes”, which has almost more of a classical sound when done in this format. Before that latter song, Jessie addressed why the other band members were missing, saying it just worked out that they were out of town this particular weekend. Really, that was fine with me, because it’s not too often you get to see her perform in this setting. As they finished that song, Jordan unplugged his guitar and left the stage, but after finding out they still had plenty of time remaining, he returned and they did a new tune. When it was over, he was done for the night, and watched from the side of the stage while Jessie did a solo version of the final song.

It was a great, albeit short set. Still, in watching it, there’s no denying that she’s one of the most talented female vocalists in the D/FW area (a category which she was nominated in for this year’s DOMA).

You can find her first two EPs, “The Delve” and “Fireworks Child” in either ITUNES or BANDCAMP. It’s also worth noting that on the Bandcamp site, you can get a free download of the latter EP. The band is also working on recording their debut LP, which will come out sometime in 2013. Because of that, shows have been pretty sparse lately, but just keep an eye on their websites to know when she and her band will be performing.

I was really getting my exercise this night, especially between LaGrange and Club Dada, which was where I returned to at this point.

Already performing was Ronnie Fauss, who is an exceptional Americana/Country singer. I had only seen him twice before this, with the last time being a little over a year ago, and during that time a lot has happened for Mr. Fauss. He has signed with Normaltown Records (which is a division of New West Records, which some pretty notable acts on their roster.) He’s released a full-length record on that label, and instead of just being a solo singer, he now has a full-band that adds to the depth of the music.

There hometown shows had been very few since the release of that record, and I had been unable to make the one they had done, so I pretty excited to catch this one.

I had missed some of their show, but from looking at their setlist, I think it was only one song, while they were in the midst of their second tune. During that half a song I first caught, it was already noticeable that the pedal steel guitar, drums, bass and electric guitar improved the music exponentially, and I got the feeling this would be one of the best acts I saw this night.

A lot of what they did was songs from the new record, though some older ones were mixed in here and there, such as the first full song I heard, “Tia Maria”. It was slightly different from what I recalled, and was a little faster paced, though it still told the same story that makes it get the listeners interest. …This next one is called A Pretty Nice Night for Houston…” Ronnie told the audience, leading them into a song from “I Am the Man You Know I’m Not”. The song is laced with some sweet riffs on the pedal steel guitar, which is the quintessential instrument for any true Country band, well, that and the acoustic guitar, which Ronnie played for just about every song. The following number was possible the best of their set, and Ronnie set it up by saying they “get into trouble” when they play it anywhere outside of Texas, and that they even upset some people with it a recent show in Colorado. The song is about how Texas is better than any other state, “…Like we needed another one of those songs…” he said laughing, then added, “But I wrote one…” It’s called “Answers You Already Know”, and is a slower song with some deep lyrics (actually, that “deep lyrics” part is a trait that all of his music has.) “…Dreams they ain’t nothing but wishes that have not yet turned in to lies…” he crooned on the first verse, which is filled with other similar ponderings.  And then there’s the line that probably upset their Colorado audience, “…And the stars shine brighter in Texas, then they do up in Colorado…”. Following it was the lead track and single from the album, “The Night Before the War”, which Ronnie mentioned had been getting some airplay on KXT 91.7 in Dallas. They started to wind things down with “Good Enough”, while rounding out the 28-minutes that I caught was another favorite of mine that had gotten a new spin put on it, “To Ease My Mind”. It’s a strong song to finish on, and also offers a more fitting end to the show then most other band’s closing songs do.

Like the singer/songwriter I saw here early this night, Ronnie is a true genius when it comes to penning songs, and not only does he write great ones, he writes ones that tell actual stories. And that is a true gift, and one that a lot of musicians seems to be lacking these days. He also has quite a distinctive voice that is unlike any other singer I’ve heard before, and it fits perfectly with the Alternative/Country style of music he plays.

Then you have his band, which is a team of great musicians that really help bring these songs to life. They put on a good stage show to boot, and Ronnie built a nice rapport with the crowd, too.

All of that is reasons to go check out a live show, such as his next full-band performance, right here at Club Dada on December 15th. The next night he’ll be doing a solo gig at the Kessler Theater, also in Dallas.

As for his records, you can find “I Am the Man You Know I’m Not” on iTunes, or probably on the website of any big name retailer (Amazon.com, Best Buy, etc.) There’s also another record on iTunes, “The Sun is Shining Somewhere, But Somewhere Isn’t Here”, which compiles many of the songs from his first three EPs he released over the years. Be sure to check both out and buy ‘em if you like it.

I also want to add that I am impressed and surprised that Ronnie remembered me. I think it has been about a year and a half or so since I saw him at Lochrann’s Pub in Frisco (a restaurant/venue that is now closed), yet after their set, when my dad and I approached him to tell him we liked the show, he looked at me, “I’ve met you before.” I know musicians meet a lot of fans, especially in the long of a timeframe. So I think it’s cool he did remember it, and “vividly” at that. I remember it rather well, too, and he’s really a nice guy to talk to.

Guess where I went to after his set? Yes, LaGrange.

By this point, the women working the door remembered me and no longer asked to check my ID. Awesome.

Bad Design was on stage here, and they are a semi-Punk band from Denton.

I’ve heard a lot about them over the last year or more, and decided to check them out for a bit to see what they were like. Honestly, I was none to impressed. They were brash and raw, which isn’t a bad thing, but their singers voice wasn’t all that great in my opinion. I caught a few songs, and that was enough for me.

On a side note, this was the last time I was ever at LaGrange (at least in its current incarnation). Sadly, the venue closed during the following week. It’s always bad to lose a venue, especially when it’s one that was as cool as this place. It was a smaller club, and offered more of an intimate connection between the fans and bands that played there. It will be missed, but maybe, hopefully, someone will buy the space and re-open it. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for that.

Trees was the next destination, where Mystery Skulls was scheduled to play. Unfortunately, either the schedule changed without me knowing it, or Trees got ahead/behind schedule, because a completely different act was just starting when I walked in, and since he was a Hip-Hop artist, I could have cared less for his music.

I’m still unsure what the deal was, and upset that I missed Mystery Skulls. While the Electronic band is from Dallas, they have been absent from the North Texas scene since the end of May, and have been doing shows in California and such. I’m also not sure when they will do another Dallas area gig, but I guess I’m just going to have to wait for it, even if it is another five and a half months.

Suddenly, I found myself with a large chunk of empty space on what had been a thoroughly planned out schedule. And with no other bands playing anywhere that appealed to me, it just made sense to go to the patio back at Club Dada and wait for The Blurries to start.

This gave me about a half hour long break of sitting in a chair, which did my legs some serious good. Otherwise, I’m not sure I could have made it standing for eight plus hours.

The quintet opened up their 36-minute long set with one of the singles from their “Paper Cuts” album, “Pretty Knife”. One thing about this band is that they tear through their songs, and soon after finishing it launched right into their next one, the fast paced,  “Your Love”. The song is filled with some intense guitar shredding and nice vocal harmonies to boot, making it one of the best songs in their live performance. After the title track from their record, “Paper Cuts”, the bands singer stated that their next one was a cover song. I couldn’t hear him to well as he dropped the name of the band who originally did the song, though I think it was The Hollies. While I believe the song was “So Lonely”. If that is the right song, it was a great choice for the band, as they have an older Rock sound like that, though there’s a lot of Indie Rock flare added to The Blurries material. They got back to their own stuff with the shorter, percussion driven, “Jumping Up And Down On The Ice”, and followed it with “Sunlight”, which has one of the catchiest guitar chord progressions I’ve ever heard. The song will probably even act like a ray of sunlight and brighten you up a little, as it just has a cherry mood to it. Another upbeat song is “My Love Is A Fuse That Burns So Slowly”, which I believe was one of a couple of songs that required their singer to switch his typical, six-string guitar for a twelve-string one. They continued on with “For The Night”, and then did another fan favorite, “Little Marie”, before ending with “Pulling Teeth”.

My words on their set might be light, but that’s because they stick mainly to playing their music, and their music speaks for itself.

It’s undeniable great, and to help set it apart further from most other bands is the falsetto voice their singer possess. It has a real unique sound to it, I guarantee unlike any other voice you’ve heard before, and it fits well with the music.

As of right now, the bands next gig will be on December 14th at The Doublewide in Dallas. And be sure to check out the “Paper Cuts” record in either ITUNES or BANDCAMP.

Trees was the next destination, and I hoped the band I wanted to see would be playing this time around.

They were, in fact, they were already at least a song into the performance. Oh, “they” is the best Punk/Rock trio in the state of Texas, The Phuss.

Most likely “Strike You Down” was their opening number, so sadly I had missed it, and they were at the very end of another tune. It was too late to do anything about that, but damn, I hated that I had missed that song. After that song, singer and guitarist, Joshua Fleming, began plucking the guitar strings, leading them directly into their next song. “You make it so hard to love you, that’s not to say I don’t try…” he sang, the first line of “One for Now Three for Later”, while drummer, Trey Alfaro, added some hefty beats during each pause between the lyrics. The venue was pretty full, and everybody was either a dedicated fan of the bands or were in the process of becoming one, as they gazed at the band. I’d go with the former, though, because after Josh sang, “…Just give me my chance to speak.” the audience knew what they had to do, and yelled out, “BITCH!” during the short pause. They kept on going with the heavy-hitter, “Stupid Girl”, which bassist, Forrest Barton, really rocked out on. While the band released a new record only seven months before this, they already have cooked up some new songs, and did one of those next. If memory serves me correctly, Josh prefaced it by saying he hoped everyone got “…high and laid…” this night. “…That’s why I started a band in the first place…” he added, before saying the song was about, “…Fucking someone you shouldn’t.” The song has a line that goes something like, “…If god don’t agree, then the devil’s got a friend in me…” I’m sure I’m paraphrasing that, but it’s something similar. They were on a roll at this point, and Josh kept things going by leading them into “Bleed”, which has some intense, near blood curdling screams. “So Hard to Swallow” came next, and was a nice little surprise to me, as it’s one they don’t do much these days, but has been one I’ve always loved. Upon finishing it, Josh asked how much time they had left. “…Okay, we got ten minutes left and three more songs…” he told everyone, before asking everyone to pack in as close to the stage as they could get. The final three songs of the 30-minute set included “The Romantic”, with its sick guitar solo, and “21 Ain’t What it Was”, which could be construed as being an anthem of sorts. Then they were on their final song, which is possible one of the best songs that has been written. Trey started in with a steady beat, tossing each drumstick in the air after hitting his kit, juggling them if you will, which is the coolest part of “Preacher, Preacher”. “…I want to be born again, and again, and again…” Josh continuously growled at the end of the song, before the closed it out, by all either rocking out some notes or pounding out some beats on their instruments.

In terms of performance, there’s no question that The Phuss takes the cake for putting on the best one this night.

The band has always been a beast live, and even I didn’t care for their music much at first, though was captivated by their live show, before finally being reeled in as a true fan. But as good as they were, they’ve now greatly exceeded that.

I think that can largely be attributed to their two East Coast tours they’ve done (the second of which they had only recently returned from). There’s no better way to become more cohesive then spending weeks together in a van, and no better way to tighten up a live show then by performing almost nightly for a few weeks, and in the case of The Phuss, all of that has really paid off.

They’ve transcended what they were before, and if you don’t think they’re one of the best Rock bands in the state of Texas, then there’s something wrong with you. It’s as simple that.

Their next two shows will be in Fort Worth and Denton, The former will take place on December 7th at Whiskey Girl Saloon, while the latter will be December 21st at Hailey’s. You can also find their self-titled record in ITUNES.

Once they finished up, I headed to another venue, which was where I planned to spend the remainder of the night. That venue was Reno’s Chop Shop.

Somebody’s Darling was the first band I wanted to see here, and they were about halfway through with the first song of their 38-minute set, “Weight of the Fear”. I hate that I had missed part of my favorite song of the band, but I at least walked in at the best part, as the guitars, bass and drums subsided, and singer and rhythm guitarist, Amber Farris, belted out a few lines, like, “…So, here’s my rebel screaming, you hear it loud and clear…”. They didn’t waste much time, mainly because they couldn’t afford to, so drummer, Nate Wedan, wound them right into their next tune, “Back to the Bottle”, with a little drum solo/intro. There’s some killer instrumental parts on that song, which nicely show of all the instruments, from Mike Talley’s skills on the keys, to David Ponder’s ability to seriously shred on his axe, though Amber can almost rival him, while Wade Cofer meticulously (and casually) pounded out his bass notes. Next was a cover song, which was one of the best things they did at their CD release show the previous month, though I wasn’t sure what song it was then. But now I know it. It was an out-of-this-world rendition of Jack White’s, “Love Interruption”, which was given a more Americana based sound to fit the bands style, and sounded  heavenly as Amber’s rich, soulful voice delivered the lyrics. Here’s to hoping that song is kept in their live show for a while, because they definitely do it right. They then did some more stuff from the new album, “Jank City Shakedown”, one of which was “Pretty Faces”, while the other was “The Middle”. They slowed things down with that latter song, though Amber didn’t break out her acoustic guitar like she had done at their CD release show. It didn’t greatly affect the song, though it does sound more like the recorded version when the acoustic is used. Another cover song was played next, and I’m not sure what it was. Regardless, they cranked it out and made it sound just as good as their originals. Speaking of their originals, they had saved some of the best for last, such as the impressive number, “Cold Hands”. “Keep Shakin’” followed, and it comes across much stronger in the live setting than it does on the record, before Amber announced they had one last song to do, and that was “Wedding Clothes”.

I haven’t seen many Somebody’s Darling shows, but this one was proof that the band doesn’t cut corners, even if they have to cut songs.

I certainly wasn’t expecting an hour long set like they had done at their CD release show, but they packed just as much energy and intensity into those 38-minutes as they had in sixty. That’s the sign of a true performer. Well, that and the fact that their passion and dedication for what they are doing shines through during each performance.

As for their CDs, they have two available, and you can purchase both of them in ITUNES. As for their next few concerts, they have one on December 7th at Hopkins Icehouse in Texarkana, Arkansas. You can see them at the Firehouse Saloon in Houston on December 29th, while on the 31st they will do a hometown gig at The Granada Theater in Dallas. They also have a couple scheduled in the new year on January 4th and 5th. Those will both be at the Parrot Bar inside the Choctaw Casino in Durant, Oklahoma.

I stepped outside on to the patio/deck area when they finished, where some more great Americana/Country music was already being played, by the wonderful, J. Charles & The Trainrobbers.

I had been wanting to see these guys ever since my first (and only encounter) with them back in January, but had been unable to. And sadly, a few songs would be all I would catch this night, but that’s better than none at all.

The “stage” out here on the patio is set up in the corner, and isn’t much of a stage. Because of that, three of the four band members, singer and guitarist, J(effrey). Charles Saenz, drummer, Steve Visneau, and pedal steel guitarist, Danny Crelin, were squeezed onto the stage, while bassist, Justin Young, was a bit removed from them, standing in front of the stage. They finished the song they were doing, then did a couple others, none of which I recognized, though they sounded quite good. The they got into a few songs I recognized. “Something Wrong” was one of ‘em, and damn it is a solid song. Jeff somewhat shouted much of the song, and a fiery passion could be heard in his voice, growing with each passing second. “I’m a man that’s been searching for something wrong!…” he declared . I was blown away just from that one song, and if you are going to listen to just one song of the bands, make sure it’s that one. Then you’ll be itching to hear more. They then toned things down a little with “Three Shades of Black”, though the quality of the song was every bit as good as the one that preceded it.

Those four songs were all I caught. But I’m definitely going to have to make it to another one of their shows soon. By the way, they’ll have a free on coming up on December 7th at Adair’s Saloon in Dallas.

As good as I remember them being, I think they were even better this night. To the point that I’m fairly certain that this was not the same band I had seen earlier in the year.

Also, go give a listen to their debut record, “Upon Leaving”, and buy a copy if you dig it.

After that, I returned inside. I had been wanting to see Zhora for quite some time, now, and the acoustic set I saw part of a few weeks prior to this didn’t cut it for me. So I wasn’t going to risk missing any of their set.

They were finishing setting up, which involved having some screens placed behind them to project some video onto. So, it looked like it would be interesting enough.

The first song of their set was really good. Both catchy and had a trippy, spacey vibe to it. The bands computer/electronics expert, Taylor Cleveland, who is a DJ of sorts, segues them right into their next song, while lead vocalist, Taylor Rea, picked up a bass. That added a whole new element to the show, and made “Sunset” a pretty heavy rhythm based song. Her softer, yet powerful voice soared on it, though, offering a nice counterbalance. At this point, Taylor R. told the massive crowd that she wasn’t too good at talking in between songs. “…So I just don’t do it…” she noted, though she also thanked everyone for coming out and choosing to see them over all the other great bands that were performing opposite them. They then got going with another song, and after it did the dreamy, “The Hold”. When it was done, Taylor ditched the bass she had been using, and this were I felt the show reach a whole different level. There’s no argument that the additional instrument adds a lot to their sound, but she’s better suited at being a frontwoman, and moved somewhat seductively around the stage as she sang their next song. Upon finishing it, she picked the bass up again, this time to do “Futuristic Land”, and like most of their other songs it required her using her vocal pad to add various effect to the sound. Then you had final two songs of their 33-minute set, which were done sans the bass.

It was a pretty straightforward show, which is cool. And while I’m not usually a big fan of bands using visuals, as I think they subtract from the performance, it was quite the opposite with Zhora, as the footage they used fit well with their music. And speaking of their music, they need to get a full-length record, or at the very least another EP, released soon, because after hearing the other songs that are a part of their arsenal, they have some extraordinary sounding tracks.

They are also all real good at what they do. I already mentioned Taylor R., who was great as a backing singer in the band Ishi, however has reached a whole new depth, both as a singer and performer, now that she is the primary vocalist. Taylor C. has a real knack for what he does, and could easily compete with some of the best DJ’s around, and I also like the fact that he blended almost every song into the next, which gave the show a nice flow. The you have drummer, Ross Martinez, who to be honest, I couldn’t see too well this night, though it sounded like he did a spot-on job, while guitarist, Logan Kelson, rocked out.

I’m glad I finally got to see what all the fuss is about, and Zhora is definitely worthy of it. You can catch them on December 22nd at The Doublewide in Dallas. Also, head over to their BANDCAMP PAGE where you can download their self-titled EP, as well as a cover of The Cure’s, “Just Like Heaven”.

At this point, there were no other bands playing that I had any desire to see, meaning for only the second time this night I had some downtime. That wasn’t a good thing, though, because as always when you have nothing to do, you get bored. Thankfully, there was only about 40-minutes to kill before the last act of the night (that I wanted to see), The Roomsounds, hit the stage.

They didn’t start too much later from their scheduled 1:20 start time, and embarked on their 35-minute set with the lead track from their debut record, “Ripper”. That’s a nice, powerful Rock song to start off with, especially when they got to the chorus, where lead guitarist, Sam Janik, bassist, Red Coker, drummer, Dan Malone, and singer and rhythm guitarist, Ryan Michael, really cut loose on their instruments. While Ryan soulfully shouted out, “…You don’t want me there, I don’t want you there, let me be and take you jealousy with you…” As soon as that one concluded, Ryan announced their next one. “This next song is called Chasin’ a Fox.” he said, as Dan led them off on it with some rapid beats. I believe they followed it with one of their newer songs, but then got back to their material from “We’re #1” with the upbeat, Classic Rock sounding, “Honest Man”. Somewhere around this point in the show the encountered some technical difficulties, which caused them to be inactive for a couple of minutes or so. I wouldn’t say it was really detrimental to their show, though it did kind of ruin the flow they had established thus far. I’m fairly certain “Don’t Come Home” was rocked out next, and then came a single of the bands, “Couldn’t Break My Spirit”. They did a couple more newer ones, and before starting the second one, Ryan told the fans they had “a couple left”. I think their time ran out, though, because when they finished it, they bid everyone goodnight and thanked them for coming out.

It was a bit strange, since the two other times I’ve seen them they’ve played for a little over an hour, so it was weird for me to see such an abbreviated set from them. Still, I thought they were a bit more raw this night then those past couple of times, and that goes a long way in making an incredible show. Basically, I’m saying this was the best The Roomsounds show I’ve seen yet.

Both their shows and music are incredibly lively, and out of any band in the North Texas area that is mining the Classic Rock genre, these guys are doing the best job at (somewhat) emulating it and paying it the respect it deserves.

You can purchase their “We’re #1” record in iTunes, and even download the single version of “Couldn’t Break My Spirit” HERE. As for shows, they have one tentatively scheduled at The Curtain Club in Dallas on February 23rd, but will no doubt be doing plenty of others in between now and then. So just keep a check on one of their websites.

It was 2:01 AM when they finished, which is pretty late for me when it comes to being out in Dallas. It was an awesome night, though, chocked full of fantastic music. It was also nice to see so many other people out roaming the streets and packing the clubs. Deep Ellum is on an upswing, but still, you don’t often see this many people down in the area, which is a real shame. But at least there are a few events like the DOMA’s each year which are guaranteed to bring people down there.

And while this should go without saying, do check out all those acts I blogged about. They’re true talents, especially The Breakfast Machine (who days later won the award for Best Rock Act) and Somebody’s Darling (who took home the award for Best Country Act).

The Breakfast Machine

Home By Hovercraft

Jessie Frye

Ronnie Fauss

The Blurries

Somebody’s Darling

It seemed to me like it had been way too long since I caught a show at the Curtain Club, and the one they had going on this night was a can’t miss.

A little over a year into their existence, Admiral Grey was finally ready to release their debut record, an EP, which they had been doing a little tour in support of it. This was their fourth show this week, and I’d bet money that it was the best one of their tour.

The first act of the night was the Dallas based, Son of Swan, who was an instrumental band.

Now, I’ve stated my opinion on instrumental bands (and even songs) many times in previous entries here on my blog, but if you’ve missed those, I hate almost everything that is pure instrumental. So, when I found out that was what this band was, I pretty much wrote them off.

I was a bit too quick too, judge, though, because they ended up being the one exception to my “Instrumental bands suck” way of thinking.

They were a trio, comprised of Neil Swanson on the guitar, Steve Wilson on bass, while Billy Walker rounded out the rhythm section on the drums. Neil was a force to be reckoned with, and had lightning quick hand movement playing the axe, which he did rather casually, as if it were no big deal. It was, though, and quite honestly, he was one of the most astounding guitarists I’ve seen. A majority of the songs in their 30ish-minute long set had some blistering guitar solos that were captivating. The other guys pulled their own weight, too. Steve was a beast on the bass, often jumping up on the monitors and showing of his skills, while Billy was one of the few drummers I’ve seen who deserved your full attention for the duration of the show.

Their performance was ferocious, and they were constantly running across every square inch of the stage, making for one of the best sets of the night.

They succeed at changing my opinion of instrumental bands, mainly because their musicianship was outstanding, which in turn made the show so enjoyable. Then again, even without lyrics, the songs were still killer.

You need to check these guys out. Go to their REVERBNATION PAGE where you can listen to some of their stuff (including a couple live cuts from this show) and you’ll also be able to find out when they have more shows coming up.

After them was a band I was very excited about seeing again, and that was Bravo Delta, who had come all the way from Los Angeles.

I had seen the band back in June when they played up in Denton, and instantly became a fan, and was psyched that they were getting back through the area.

They hit the ground running, and opened their 30-minute set with “Already Gone”. It was a nice way to get going, and the song is a little more in-your-face live then it comes across on their EP, probably in part because of their stage performance. However, it was with their next song that I thought the set really took off. Scott Decker blended the two songs together with some drum beats, which was then followed by the first few notes of my favorite song of the band’s, “The Product”. “…If comfort is closure, I’m uncomfortable to say the least…” Singer and rhythm guitarist, Brandon Davis, belted out on part of the chorus, before getting to the best line of it, “…This I know, I am a product of the lack of your design…” That song is Alt/Rock at its best, especially when you’re seeing Brandon jumping about the stage, and lead guitarist, Andy Ingraham, just shredding. Scott again wound one song to the next, which I believe was “We Stand, We Fall”. That was the end of segueing the songs into one another, and as they stopped, Brandon took a moment to talk to the (small) crowd. He mentioned that this was the first time the band had ever been to Dallas and how glad they were to be at The Curtain Club. They then did a couple more songs that aren’t found on their EP, and the next song was my favorite from their set. Their bass player, who was obviously not Ryan Flores, as it was a chick, got them going on the next song with some low-end bass riffage, before it tore off into a full-blown rock song. “Not Enough” followed that, and it is the one song where Brandon shows not only is he a fantastic vocalist with a unique tone to his voice, but he is also capable of some volatile screaming, and can transition between the two at the drop of a hat. The slightly slower, “Sleepwalker”, came next, and then came the final song of the show. Brandon and Andy each rocked out a few notes on their guitars, alternating back and forth, as they broke into “Loose Cannon”. That gritty tune proved to be a great number to end on, though I hated that it had to end so quickly in the first place.

Bravo Deltas’ music is incredible, but when you see their live show, there’s no doubt that, that’s where it’s all at. They go all out and leave everything on the stage, just like a great band should.

You can find their debut EP, “Sunset Wasteland” on both ITUNES and BANDCAMP. And if you live in California, check out their TOUR DATES and see if they’ll be performing anywhere near you. And hopefully, sometime next year, they’ll come back through Texas.

After they finished, I left and walked through the patio area and into the adjacent venue, the Liquid Lounge, which was hosting an acoustic night of music.

The Brandon Callies Band was doing a full-band acoustic show. Honestly, they didn’t get my full attention, as I saw a few different people I knew and talked with them. I still kind of tuned into the songs, though, like “Whatever You Want”, “Midnight Drive”, “Beautiful Girl”, and “Who Are We to Say?” Those are the ones I heard, and all of those sounded really good in acoustic form.

If you want to read a better review of the band, I saw another show of theirs recently, so just look back on my blog to find it.

Either way, though, check out the bands album, “The Gunner”, especially if you like American inspired Rock music.

I walked back to the Curtain after that, where a Pop/Rock act was getting ready to hit the stage.

It was Zoe Ann and her band. Actually, when they first started, it was just her band on stage, which included Justin Labosco (of Admiral Grey) on drums. The four musicians went all out with an aggressive instrumental piece, which briefly subsided once Zoe bounded on stage. But while the notes were still resonating, they broke into their first song, the fast paced, “Burning Hollywood”, which is filled with several catchy hooks. It appeared cramped with the five of them on stage, but they didn’t act it, quite the contrary, actually. They all interacted with each other, and even though they were all prowling around the stage, they somehow managed to avoid accidently hitting one another. They seamlessly patched it into “Hero”, which kept the seemingly endless amount of energy they exhibited flowing. After officially introducing themselves to the audience (which was rather large for this early on in the night), Zoe mentioned that the next song they were going to do was a track from her newest three song EP, and was called “Never Change”. The songs a bit different from her previous stuff, having a bit of a harder edge sound to it, which subsequently makes it more mature sounding. They hit a lull with their next two songs, the first of which I didn’t know, but Zoe played a acoustic guitar on it. Afterwards, she traded the guitar for the keyboard on stage left, and began telling the crowd how she had been writing a lot of songs this year, but had to pick her three favorite songs to record for this new EP. The next song was another from it, and she noted she wrote it during “…one of the lowest points…” in her life. The mood was lifted, though, when she noted what a powerful outlet song writing can be. Most of the song, which was “Wake Me Up”, was purely her singing and playing the keys, sounding a lot like a ballad, and when the guitars, bass and drums finally kicked in, they really complimented the piano part. When it was done, Zoe returned to just being a frontwomen, as they began to wrap things up with a few of their singles, one of which was “Girlfriend”, while another was one from the new batch of songs, “Better Than Revenge”. Being that, that is the current single, I figured it might be the last song of their set, but no, they had a couple more left, and one of those two was a cover. I didn’t expect to hear a classic from Journey this night, yet that was exactly what they did next. The song they did was “Separate Ways”, and it was a splendid rendition at that. They did have one last song to offer after that, and that was “Stronger”, from Zoe’s first record, which concluded their 37-minute long set.

I thought it was a great set, and they definitely put on an engaging performance. Their music even blended with the other bands better than I thought it would. There’s no question that they have more of a Pop flare when compared to the other acts on the bill, but in the end, it all meshed.

For future show updates, stay tuned to either her FACEBOOK PAGE or REVERBNATION PAGE. And if you’d like to purchase her music, then you can find it all HERE.

Up next was a band from Austin, and in some ways, I was more excited about seeing them than any other act this night.

I guess it has been about three years since I first saw Distant Lights, right over at the Liquid Lounge, and it had been over two-and-a-half-years since the last time I saw them.

They just stopped coming up to the North Texas area, and during that time they had dropped the one instrument (and member) that (at the time) I thought made them stick out from any other Rock band, and that was the cello. It was an odd fit, but a good one, and I was also curious as to what they were like sans the instrument, especially since it was crucial to most of their older stuff.

Their old stuff was scarce this night, though, which made sense. After all, in two plus year’s time they sure should have cooked up some new material. They started before the curtain even opened, and once it did,  they were already at their peak performance mode, and opened with a dynamic song, which I think was “What’s On Your Mind?”. It was almost like I was seeing them for the first time again. Just from that one song, their performance was everything I remembered it to be, and then some, as it was clear they had tightened it up during that large time frame. They blazed through their far too short 27-minute long set, and almost immediately started their next song. Sure, at a few points Gabriel told everyone who they were, and of course pointed out that they had merch for sale, as well as thanked Admiral Grey for having them on this little tour. Still, the music was the main focus. For the next tune, guitarist, Gaelan Bellamy, drummer, Kevin Abbenante, and bassist, Sam Marshall, exploded into “Tightrope”. Like the other couple of songs they had played thus far. And like the few others that were left, there was a real sense of urgency to it. It’s just some serious Rock ‘n’ Roll, which you can never go wrong with, and that urgency was only aided by Gabriel’s presence, as he crept about the stage, often bending over slightly to get more at an eye level with the audience. Another newer tune of theirs followed that, before they slowed things down (ever so slightly) with “Suffocating”. At this point they mentioned they had just a couple of songs left, and Sam and Kevin led them into the next tune with a little rhythm solo. And then they arrived at their final song. Out of the handful of shows of theirs I had seen in the past, the closer was always the same, and I hoped it still was, because not only was it my favorites Distant Lights song, but also one of the best songs I’ve ever heard. I had doubt, though, since the cello was a large part of it, especially the intro. Thankfully, “Artifice” is still in the setlist. Gaelan proceeded to shred viciously on his guitar, emulating, to an extent, what the cello used to do, only this was much more intense and Rock sounding. Somehow, they had managed to improve the already spectacular song, and it is still the best possible ending they could give their show.

Total awe. That was the feeling I had after they finished. I do wish they had gotten, say, ten more minutes or so, but even in that shorter set, they managed to pack in more energy than most bands achieve during an hour.

I really hope they start getting back to Dallas on a semi-regular basis, because Distant Lights is too outstanding. And I’d prefer not to be deprived of their live gigs.

You can find their first album, the concept record, “Simulacrum”, in iTunes. They are also currently working on their second record, which based on what they did this night, will be comprised of some stellar songs. On that note, though, I was a bit surprised they didn’t do “Heart of Fire”, which was a newer song around the time I saw them previously, and was a staple back then. I just hope it hasn’t vanished completely, and was maybe just excluded for this specific show.

It was finally getting close to time for Admiral Grey to hit the stage, and they had amasses a nice little crowd. It was definitely the most people I’ve seen at one of their shows, and all seemed very eager for them to start.

Admiral Grey began with a slightly newer song, “The Ride”. That was an appropriate song to kick off with, because the next 51-minutes was definitely a ride, an a epic one at that. They appeared to be feeling pretty good after that song, as well they should’ve. They already seemed like a completely different Admiral Grey from what I had seen before, and I’m sure some of that could be contributed to the mini tour they had been doing. Because really, what better way to get in the best show shape possible then by doing one night after night after night. They next unveiled a new song, which singer and rhythm guitarist, Aaron Pose, said was titled, “Animals”. It was gritty, kind of grungy sounding. Definitely different from their current roster of songs, but if this is the evolutionary path their music is headed down, I dig it. The next song got a short setup, as Aaron asked where all the redheads were. Evidently, not many were in attendance this night, but one or two did raise their hands. “…I have a weakness for you…” he confessed. If you were familiar with the band, then you knew what that meant, and that was that they were about to break into “Dirty Red”. I was a tad surprised by that, though. Usually, that’s what they end the shows with, which had me wondering how the rest of this show was going to shape up. “Is it okay if we play a cover?” Aaron asked the fans, who seemed down with the idea. I had hoped he would say that at some point this night. Back in June they began covering Adele’s, “Set Fire to the Rain”, and the couple of shows I caught were they did it, it was a very memorable moment. Thankfully, they did still have it figured into the live show, and while I don’t usually care for cover songs a whole lot, they’ve really made this one their own, and it’s a far cry from the song as Adele does it. I was a bit surprised that so far they hadn’t done anything off the EP, since that was the cause for celebration this night. But that was all about to change. First, though, after that cover Aaron gave a little speech. Something about “not giving a fuck” and that, that was why they make music, and more specifically, this CD. The basic gist was it doesn’t matter what others may think, just do what you love. “…This next song is called I Don’t Care” said Aaron, as they ripped into the song, which featured some thunderous beats from Justin Labosco. It’s similar to the second song they did this night, just in the sense that it’s real raw, and has some sweet licks from lead guitarist, Krishen Anthony, as well as Aaron. The set up for the next song was that it was about a girl Aaron met at one point. “…The other night we concluded it was for sure a girl. It wasn’t a dog or anything…” he joked. The song was titled “Forget About You”, which I’m fairly certain I had never heard before, though it turned out to be one of the strongest songs from their set. “…I cover up the wounds to hide the thought of you, but the bleeding won’t end. You’re memories like a knife, a slow suicide and it cuts me again…” crooned Aaron on the second verse, shortly before raising his voice for the chorus, which was were Krishen, Justin and bassist, Geneva Arena, really roared to life. They did have a slight technical issue before their next song, which required a sample track, and for some reason it couldn’t be heard at first, though it was quickly fixed. “…We weren’t going to do this next song if we hadn’t been able to get that to work…” stated Aaron, making me all the more thankful it did work, because there were several people (myself included) who would have been devastated had they not done the next song. The track then kicked on, which is predominantly some strings, while they began their slower song, “My World”. Things started to wind down with “Don’t Know Me at All”, while they concluded this spectacle with the lead single from the EP, “Pulling Strings”.

I’ve though Admiral Grey was great since I first saw them, a little over a year ago, and they continuously improved upon their live show. However, I have never seen them as on point as they were this night. Really, they were like a completely different band.

The performance went above and beyond anything I had seen from them before. Krishens’ guitar playing was incendiary, while Geneva slayed on the bass, and the two of them had some good chemistry throughout the show, and once or twice stood facing each other while they each rocked out on their instruments. Also, Justin seemed more lively than usual, as he wildly banged around on the kit, and I’m pretty sure Aaron sounded even better than he typically does.

It’s bands like Admiral Grey that the music scene needs more of, as they are pure Rock ‘n’ Roll and all about having a good time, which is something some bands tend to forget about these days.

Their debut EP, “Long Road”, will be on iTunes eventually, but for now you can order a physical copy through the bands ONLINE STORE. Also, stay tuned to their REVERBNATION PAGE for future show updates, and you should expect to see them back on a stage near you in 2013.

This was an incredible show all the way around, and quite easily one of the best ones I’ve seen this year. So, kudos to Aaron Pose for orchestrating the whole thing!

The Granada Theater was the place to be this night, at least in my opinion, and evidently, a ton of other people thought the same thing.

The Canadian act, Lights was headlining the Granada, and this was her second stop at the venue this year. Last time she sold it out, and when I got there this night, there was already a line that wrapped around from the front of the theater to the parking lot behind it.

It was even more crowded inside, where a throng of fans had already secured all the spots in the front, and even a good bit of people stood at the back. None of that mattered to me, though, as I was just glad I got in with some time to spare before the opening band started.

The opening act on this U.S. tour was Arkells, who hail from Hamilton, Ontario. After seeing they were performing at this show I gave them a listen and really liked what I heard, and hoped they’d be a good live band. Others had doubt though. One of the fun things the Granada has is a live Twitter board, where if you mention the venue in a tweet, your tweet then appears on the screen for the masses to see, and several people had posted stuff like, “This first band is going to suck.”

You shouldn’t knock something until you know what it’s like, and I think those people quickly found out how wrong they were.

After they walked on stage, they got pretty much right to it, starting what was around a 30-minute long with the title track of their new album, “Michigan Left”. “Are you ready to go downtown, Dallas?!” asked singer and rhythm guitarist, Max Kerman, after a line from the second chorus, “…Let’s talk a little and we can go downtown…”. That was definitely an electric opener, and gained them my full attention, and from the looks of it a lot of other peoples, too. The band really got into it, perhaps a little too much for Max, who kicked the air at the end of the song. His foot hit the microphone stand, though, and it suddenly fell over, into the audience, with the mic hitting someone up front. “Are you okay?!” he asked, genuinely concerned, and asked that a few times while drummer, Tim Oxford, wound them right into their next song. After being assured the person was okay, he and lead guitarist, Mike DeAngelis, began the opening notes of “Book Club”. It’s a song that exemplifies the band’s sound, which is somewhat reminiscent of  80’s Rock, though is a bit more Pop based. That song and many others remind me of Bruce Springsteen’s music, though, in the sense that the storytelling is similar. They wasted no time, and again Tim segued them into their next tune, which came from their older album, “Jackson Square”. “Hey, hey, hey!” Max shouted, accompanied by most of his band mates, which got “Ballad of Hugo Chavez”, another catchy tune, going. They took a break after that one, and Max chatted with the crowd briefly, before they got another song from that first record underway, “Pullin’ Punches”. It was during that song that they had what was arguably the best moment of their set, as keyboard player, Anthony Carone, tore off into a fiery solo. It was amazing and very pleasing to the ears. And not only was it probably the best part of their show, but I would even say the whole night in general. They got back to their newer stuff as the band set up a slower melody, while Max told everyone they were going to do more of a love song. “…As if you couldn’t already tell from the music…” he added. Honestly, this one, which was “Kiss Cam”, was the only song I didn’t much care for. The same goes for the album version, and I don’t know why, ‘cause it is an alright song, though it isn’t as poppy as their other stuff, which is the only reason I can come up with. At this point, Max mentioned this was a special night for the band for various reasons, saying “…We’ll get to those in a minute.” One of those reason I believe was that their sound guy lives in Dallas, and Max said they had driven most of the night before to get to Dallas early on in the day. Another reason this was a special show was because of the next song they were going to do, which he said they hadn’t done too much. They then welcomed to the stage the lead guitarist for Lights, who Max passed his guitar off to. Soon, they started a classic from Hall and Oates, “You Make My Dreams Come True”. It was a delightful cover, and shortly into the first verse, Lights herself (for those who don’t know, yes, Lights is her legal name) ran out on stage, and co-sang the chorus with Max, before taking more of a lead on the second verse. It was an incredible few minutes, and not only was a fun song to do to incorporate the headline act into, it also raised the excitement level a lot, as most of the fans screamed like crazy when Lights joined them. The excitement somewhat subsided once she left, but Arkells didn’t let up one bit, doing the infectiously poppy, “Where U Goin’?”. I was enjoying their set so much that I would have been happy if they had played another fifteen or twenty minutes, but they didn’t have that much time, and now brought things to a strong conclusion with “Whistleblower”.

I was highly impressed by Arkells, and in my opinion, they easily rivaled the performance that Lights would soon put on.

Max has quite a set of pipes on him, while the whole band, including bassist, Nick Dika, knows how to put on a performance that will the eyes focused on them at all times. As for the music, it has a very radio friendly sound and is just the right mix of Pop and Rock. That is to say it’s not true Rock ‘n’ Roll, though it isn’t Pop enough to make me wonder that if me listening to it should count as a strike against my man card.

You can purchase both of their records on ITUNES, and check out their calendar HERE. They have plenty of dates already scheduled in Canada for 2013, and hopefully sometime they can make it back down to Texas and Dallas, ‘cause I for one now I would really like to see them again.

Lights missed their set time, by about fifteen minutes. Nobody seemed to mind though, and I think it only helped build the anticipation. I say this because once the house lights went out, there was a deafening scream from the largely female audience. Really, it was, and made me wish I had already gotten my earplugs put in, because I think that collective scream was louder than the music was all night.

The main instrument the band used was keyboards/synthesizers, and several were on the stage. One at center stage, some on stage left, and some at the back of stage right. The band made their way on stage, beginning with the keyboard player and occasional bassist, who took the stage left spot. He started playing some notes, gradually building it up from total silence, while the drummer and other musician, who also dabbled on the guitar, walked on stage. They then joined him in creating the full music bed for “Fourth Dimension”, and soon enough, Lights rushed out on stage and began singing on the tune. It just took a couple of lines for me to realize they would not achieve a sound exactly like that on the albums. See, on the record there is a definite electronic sound to her voice, like some synthesizers are used on it, making it better fit with the music. That’s fine and everything, but when you listen to a record, it doesn’t take long for the songs to build a standard, and to me they had build one that I doubted they pull off in the live setting. Maybe it was just me, but whichever way you slice it, that song was lackluster, and I don’t think it’s suited for the live environment. I hoped it would get better, and quickly at that, and sure enough, once the drummer started the next song, things did improve. “Peace Sign” has become one of my favorite Lights songs, and live it brought the same upbeat, positive energy as the recording does. Granted, Lights’ voice still wasn’t exactly like what I was expecting, but sounded much better on it. (I’ll address all of that later. So, Lights fans, drop the nooses and pitchforks. I promise it won’t be too critical). They next did a song from 2009’s, “The Listening”, “Second Go”. It was the turning point of sorts, at least for me, and during it I could hear the band start on the upswing. So far the main focus had been the music, but at this point, Lights took a few minutes to chat with the crowd, mainly to set up the next song. “…I recently did a music video for this song…” she said, which made the diehard fans gasp in excitement. She added she got to do a lot of dancing in the video, “…And I’m the most ungraceful person there is…”, telling everyone that if she could dance to it, so could everyone else. She said something else. I don’t remember what exactly, but it was somewhat clever and incorporated the song title, “Timing is Everything”. With that, I felt they finally hit their stride, and even though they’d hit one or two bumps along the way, nothing deterred them from here on out. One of the highlights of their set was the title track from their current release, “Siberia”. It’s catchy, especially the chorus, “…I would sail across the east sea, just to see you on the far side. Where the wind is cold and angry, there you’ll be to take me inside. We’ll find ways to fill the empty, far from all the hysteria. I don’t care if we suddenly find ourselves in Siberia…”, which flowed so smoothly. Afterwards, she told the crowd they were going to do another old song, as they slowed things down a bit with the love song, “February Air”. That slower vibe continued with the rhythm heavy, “Where the Fence is Low”, and upon finishing it, they changed things up. Lights began talking to the fans, with the main point of conversation being how this was the final tour in support of “Siberia”, and how she would soon begin “…a new era…” While she said all that, her band mates trickled off stage, and she eventually found a seat behind a piano/keyboard on stage right. She proceeded to do a unique, piano only version of “Saviour”. It came across really well, and the softer tone helped pack more emotion into it, over what the full-band version has. She finished, then stood up and again chatted with the crowd, killing time as the band returned to the stage. They started to build the pace back up by doing “Heavy Rope”, but really exploded back into action with their next song. It required both the guitar and bass, which so far had rarely been played both on the same song. They played some notes, mainly creating some distorted feedback, while Lights looked eagerly at the fans, like she was wondering if anyone would figure out what song it was. Probably not, because it turned out to be a cover, of a Blondie song no less. “Once I had a love and it was a gas. Soon turned out had a heart of glass…” she sang, the opening line of “Heart of Glass”. She did an outstanding job of emulating Debbie Harrys’ voice, or rather the tone she sang the song, which meant they pulled it off to the tee, though it also had its own Lights flare mixed into it. It was unexpected, but quite a treat. They returned to their own material with “The Last Thing On Your Mind”, which seemed to me to be a fitting end to the set, and I even thought it would be, but they still had a few more planned, and had saved some of the best for last. “Flux and Flow” was the best song of their set, and sounds a bit otherworldly, and that mood continued with the electronic heavy, “Suspension”. Lastly, they did the catchy, Pop laced, “Toes”, which brought their 58-minute long set to an end.

The fans loved every bit of it, especially those final songs, which is kind of remarkable in some ways. She pointed out herself that she doesn’t have any songs playing heavily on the radio, nor does she have any music videos that are getting a ton of press, saying that, that means a lot of people are telling their friends about her music. “…And it’s really cool that I can come here, twice in a year, and still see so many people out, singing along to the songs…” she stated, seeming genuinely moved by the fans dedication.

But I digress.

There was still an encore left to do, at least the audience hoped so, as no one moved a muscle, while the chanting of “LIGHTS!” soon started up.

They let it go on just long enough before they walked back out. “Do you all want to hear one more song?!” she asked enthusiastically, which was greeted with a resounding, “YES!”

The one song they had yet to do was the first single of the current album, “Banner”, which was an uplifting note to end on.

First off, I’ll tackle the earlier comments I made about her voice.

I stand by what I said that her voice is not the same live is what you hear on the recordings. That is fact. I also believe she fluctuated here and there throughout the show, and there were three songs that I found to be sub-par. But however that might sound, it’s not a slight against her voice. Sure, it wasn’t what I had come to expect from the records, but she still had a really good voice. Plus, those differences make her more real, and she also deserves serious props for actually singing and not relying on, say, a patch through the soundboard to alter it on the spot, or worse yet, a backing track to lip synch to. So, to sum up, yes, her voice is good, and much better than most.

The performance was quite entertaining, too. Lights was definitely the main point of focus, since the other guys were glued behind their instruments, but she helped compensate for that, covering every part of the stage that she could, and is a strong frontwomen. The only negative thing, or rather piece of constructive criticism I can think to offer is there didn’t seem to be much chemistry between her and her band mates. I know it’s hard to interact with them when they’re busy on the keyboards, but still. I guess that’s the only thing I’d like to see more of, and besides that, it was a great show.

The Siberia tour is now done and over with, which I guess means in another year or two there will be a new record from Lights hitting the market. And until that happens, you can find the older albums HERE.

Fun night, and I thought about making it even longer by going to Sundown at Granada for the after party, where RTB2 was performing, but didn’t want to wait around there forty minutes with nothing to do. Luckily there doing a few month residency at the joint, so I’ll have plenty more chances.

Delta Spirit. The band has been around since 2005, but it wasn’t until early on this year that I first listened to their music. I dug it.

They stopped in Dallas back in April, but I opted to catch a local show that night, hoping I’d get another chance to see them in the not too distant future, which turned out to be this night. They were stopping at the House of Blues, and I was very much looking forward to seeing what their live show was like.

The House of Blues seemed nearly empty when I arrived, with maybe eighty or so people in there. It kind of surprised me, but as is the norm, the masses got there closer to the headliners set time, which probably wasn’t a bad idea.

See, the opening band was Fidlar, from Los Angeles, California, and I didn’t find them to be anything special.

They opened with one of their singles, “Cheap Beer”, as their singer and rhythm guitarist said something like along the lines of they liked drinking cheap beer. The song didn’t strike me as being anything special, nor did the ones that followed. Then, a few songs in, their singer/guitarist spoke to the crowd. “How are we doing, Housto…” he shouted, before trailing off. His band mates began to laugh, while the crowd booed. “I’m sorry, my whole life has been a blur…” he said, laughing himself. I understand that touring can make the days long, and how you could make a mistake like that. Still, it’s a rookie mistake. Especially when so many people of Dallas look at Houston as a cesspool. Now, I’m not one of them, and think Houston is an alright town, though I don’t appreciate the two getting mixed up.

After that I really had no interest, and it simply due to bad vocals. The music was very Punk influenced, and honestly wasn’t half bad. It was aggressive and fast-paced, and while it wasn’t anything new, it did recall a much simpler era of the genre. But the vocals, from all the guys who sang in any capacity, but especially the lead singer, was nothing but a whine.

It failed to engage me, and I was glad their set was kept to 29-minutes, which still seemed like 29-minutes too long.

No, I did not like them in the least. However, you can find their records HERE, and if you do like their stuff, then HERE is there Facebook Page.

The HoB crew and the roadies then started prepping things for Delta Spirit. After nearly half an hour it looked like they were ready, and the lights even dimmed, but that proved to be nothing more than something to tease the crowd, which now numbered several hundred.

Shortly after 10:30, it was time for them to start, but the stage was so dark at first, it was hard to tell what was going on. But then some lights came on, to reveal Brandon Young on the full drum kit on stage left, while Kelly Winrich was standing in front of a partial kit at the back part center stage, which boasted a pretty large drum, too. The two started a percussion intro, and lead guitarist, William McLaren, soon began playing some notes over it. It was an intriguing way to start, and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t immediately pique my interest. Singer and rhythm guitarist, Matthew Vasquez, and bassist, Jonathan Jameson, walked on stage after a few moments, and they gave the thunderous percussion more of a structure, as it began to transform into more of a song. “Thunderclouds have been making faces, my friends are on the front porch getting wasted. Freedom sits this side of the hill, calling me back but I never will…” Matthew sang, the opening line of “Idaho”, one of the hardest hitting songs from the band’s latest, self-titled release. It’s not often where a band can leave a member of the crowd in awe with just one song, but such was the case with Delta Spirit. Actually, I felt that feeling just about halfway through the tune. It quickly became obvious that Matts’ voice would be the main essence of the show. There was a slight twang in it, which is an element not captured by the studio recordings, and he seemed to aggressively yell many of the lines. Then again, I don’t know if that’s the right word to use, because even the yelling had a heavenly sound to it. They were no doubt off to an explosive start on their 60-minute long set, and they kept the momentum going with a track from “Ode to Sunshine”, “Parade”. Kelly had moved over to the keyboard by this point, while Matthew rocked out the opening chords of the song. Many of those older songs of theirs have more of a Folk sound to them, to a lesser extent on that specific song, but it’s still there. That proved irrelevant to the live show, though. It sounded like it had been tuned up slightly to better suit the live environment, plus you had Jonathan and William getting into the song, rocking out on their respective instruments, and even Matthew did the same, breaking away from the microphone every chance he got and shredded on his axe. After that one, Kelly made his way back to the secondary drum set, as he and Brandon started the band off on “Tear It Up”, which was a good one, though it was their next song, “Money Saves”, that was one of the highlights on the night. It had become a personal favorite of mine and was every bit as good live. Perhaps even better. It was the chorus where it really sprang to life and was nothing short of dynamic, with Matthew belting out, “…They all said what you had, you let it go. Like managing a hurricane, let it blow. With your money saved, your money saved. I alone, yes, I alone with you…” Just the raw energy they put into it (as well as their live show in general) was enthralling, making it easy to retain the audiences’ attention, but with the dominating rock songs so too must there be some slower, softer stuff to balance it out, and that was what they got into next. The song was “Ransom Man” from 2010’s, “History From Below”, which couples an acoustic tone with a Folk style. It was a vast departure from practically everything else they had done thus far this night, but acted as a nice breakup. The stuff from their newest album jump out at you, grabs you and shakes you around, which is what I love about it, and I just don’t get that with their previous records. That’s not to say there aren’t several great songs from those albums, such as this specific one, they’re just not as intense. But to get back to the point, that’s what made that song so enjoyable, because it showcased a different side of Delta Spirit. However, that “different side” was short-lived, and as it trailed off, they wound it into some feedback, which served as the transition into “Empty House”. “…How could one little speck make a difference to the rest? Well it doesn’t, never will, just like me.” Crooned at the end of the song, a line which I think sums up how important and deep their lyrics are, as they are the true essence to every song. “Salt In the Wounds” brought things back down, before rising back up with “Bushwick Blues”. There’s a local band here in Dallas that I’m a fan of and they have been known to cover that song from time to time. Personally, I think their live version trumps Delta Spirits’ recorded version, but when comparing both live versions, it’s no contest. They again left awestruck, a feeling I seemed to experience quite a bit of during their set. They then dove into “People C’mon”, which has somewhat of an eerie melody that will stick with you for awhile. Then, they did a tune that pleasantly surprised me, and that was “White Table”, which seemed to me to have an extended jam outro, and was killer. They followed it with “St. Francis”, which struck me as being a deeper cut, though one that the fans enjoyed hearing, as you could hear some shouting along, “…Everyone wants, what nobody needs…” They had saved the best for (close to) last, and made a transition before the next song, which saw Matthew taking over keyboard duties, and Kelly seemed to briefly disappear from sight. When he became visible again, he was holding the lid of a metal trashcan, which he promptly began to beat on, starting the aptly titled, “Trashcan”. It was hands down the most fun song of their set, and I think a lot of that could be attributed to the upbeat, catchy piano lines, which had most of the fans moving around at least a little bit. I assumed they would do their main single from the new album now, but no, they had something else planned. Matthew quickly said they were going to end with a song that was a mix of “…Crazy, Rockabilly and Psychobilly…”. The first band that came to mind was the Dallas based, Reverend Horton Heat, who I’m not necessarily a fan of, but certainly am aware of. But Delta Spirit wouldn’t be doing one of their songs, would they? Turns out they were, and after Matthew mentioned the band, he stated that this cover was, “…Just for Dallas…” Not being a fan of the bands, I don’t know their material, but I’m semi-certain that they covered “Octopus Mode”. Whatever it was, Rockabilly sound fit well with Delta Spirit’s live show, and was an interesting way to cap off the set.

They made it seem like that was it, and more than a few minutes passed before they all made their way back on stage.

Sure, that was expected, because there was one song they had yet to do. I figured it would be that one song and that would be it, though. Instead, they had a couple more to offer up as well.

The Americana sounding, “Children” kicked off the encore portion of the show. It was a good way to get going, and no sooner had they finished it, then Brandon set the beat for the song everyone was wanting to hear the most, “California”. Not only is it a stellar song, it’s also a unique one, as it lacks a true chorus. Some might say that’s the backbone to every song, and I would be one of those. However, it gets by well without one, and seems to tell an even better story of loss and letting go because of that. Most bands would use their current hit to end on, but not these guys, at least not this night. Kelly shook some maracas for the last song of the 15-minute long encore, which was “People, Turn Around!”, and once it picked up, he stood by the main drum kit and occasionally beat on one of the cymbals with said maracas. All of that made it much more engaging live than it comes across in listening to the recording, and as it drew to an end, Kelly went over to the drum kit he had used periodically and threw what appeared to me to be a bass drum right onto center stage, where it rolled around before settling.

Yeah, that seemed like a perfect ending to a set that had been no-holds-barred.

As I’m writing this last part, it’s been a little over a week since I saw this show, and I’m still astounded from it.

For starters, they know how to work the crowd, and often got everyone clapping along to the beat, and even on a couple songs had the audience sing the chorus a few times.

The you have their stage show, which was truly one of the most entertaining, aggressive and tactical performances I’ve seen. They commanded your attention with their high-strung, off-the-walls performance, and to any and every singer who also plays a guitar, you could learn quite a bit from Matthew Vasquez.

This doesn’t apply to every band I’ve seen, but, as I touched on earlier, so many singers who are also the rhythm guitarists seem glues behind the mic stand. I get that, to an extent, because after all, they do need to sing. But Matthew is proof you don’t have to be and was a beast of a entertainer. Honestly, I found him to be the most captivating of the whole band, and if you’ve seen Delta Spirit before, then you know that’s saying a lot.

They were one of the best bands I’ve ever seen live, and are in a class all their own.

The band has a few tour dates left, and will be doing a Australian tour in January. To find all the dates, go HERE. And you can find all of their music in ITUNES.

There wasn’t a whole lot going on in Deep Ellum this night, at least not a whole lot that interested me. But then Club Dada got a nice little Rock show together, and one of the bands on the bill was Descender. I try my best to never miss a Descender show, and since it had been a few months since I last saw them, I of course had to go.

Opening up the show was a band called Midnight Movie, who, sadly, I can find absolutely nothing about online. They put on a great 41-minute set, though. At times their music had a Surf Rock sound to it. It was very subtle, but it was there from time to time, and sounded cool. However, their sound had a more dominant Rootsy flare to it. They did something like ten to twelve songs, which seemed like a surprising amount for an opening band, but I have no complaints, seeing as I thoroughly enjoyed every one.

Their music is a little more unique from most Dallas bands I’m familiar with, and standing apart from everyone else is never a bad thing. Also, their singer had a really great voice with a nice range to it. I really hope I can find more out about them sometime (i.e. a website) because I would like to see another show sometime in the future. Who knows, maybe I’ll stumble across them at another concert down the road.

Descender was up next, and it was refreshing to learn they had switched up their setlist, as they opened with a newer one, “Slow and Gold”. With its softer, yet percussion heavy intro, it made for stellar opener, kind of warming you up for what was to come, before getting right down to it and showing you firsthand. Yeah, it was killer. As it faded out, singer and guitarist, Casey Hess, as well as lead guitarist, Jeff Gruber, and bassist, Zack Busby, kept some of the notes going, which faded to more of a mangled feedback sound. They drew it out several seconds before Duncan Black started beating on the drums and got “Hats Off To Your Reflection” underway. It was nice that the opening song had been changed, but this one is a perfect fit as the second song, and if you aren’t engaged in the performance yet, it’s bound to finish reeling you in. “We’re called Descender…” said Casey, officially announcing who they were to anyone who might not have known. He then went on, “We’re from The Colony High School. This is our second gig, minus the backyard gig, and we’re nervous as hell.” He said stuff similar to that at several other shows, and it’s still just as funny to me now as it has been the other times. Then the conversation turned a little awkward as he set up the next one, saying it was about “…Summer, fucking and dead people. Not fucking dead people…” he clarified. Jeff then made some remark, saying something like if people wanted to do it, it should be okay. He was obviously joking. I even thought about yelling, YEAH! NECROPHILIA!”, and maybe I should have, ‘cause with only about a dozen other people there, I surely wouldn’t have gotten too many strange looks. They then led them into “Spinning On the Surface”, another sweet, newer tune. I think it was during that one that they, specifically Duncan, started having some trouble. After one of those last two songs, he took his hi-hat cymbal off and messed with it. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but after the show he told me it kept turning upwards. Personally, I didn’t notice it affecting their performance, but it was a bother to him nonetheless. When they got back on track, they revealed they had a little trick up their sleeve, in the form of a deep cut from the “Dark Water” EP. “…This song’s called Blinding Side. We rarely play it” Casey stated. It’s a slow song, and on the first verses Jeff used a slide to play his guitar, but it’s also one of my favorites of theirs. “Lay down your guns, make the breeze light. Open your arms, I will play this out right…” Casey softly sang. It picks up pretty good around the tree-fourths mark, though, where it’s bridged into more of a rock song as they jammed on the lengthy instrumental outro. That gem was followed by another new one, “The Language”, which is seriously giving their opening song a run for its money, in the sense that it’s close to edging that one out as being my favorite new song of the bands. It’s just one of the most intense ones they’ve done, and I dig Casey’s voice on it, too. When they tore into “Army Of Elephants”, that was a sign their set was nearing the end, but they still had to get through the 6-minute plus long song, first. Lastly, to cap off their 42-minute long show, “Armor”, forgoing the feedback intro, and instead starting right when Duncan explodes on the drums, with Zack, Jeff and Casey tearing it up on their instruments. And as always, it was a nice, strong finish to the show.

I found it to be a good show, and despite whatever small issues they had, it still sounded good out where the fans were, and that’s the most important part.

Something else about this Descender gig, it was the 26th time I’ve seen them. That means I’ve seen them live more than any other band. Yes, after a 6+ year long run, and 25 shows, The FEDS no longer claim that title. And it didn’t even take me a full three years to rack up that many Descender shows. That probably means I have way too much time on my hands, but I think that also speaks to how impressive they are that they’ve kept me coming back out to that many shows. So, go see ‘em won’t you? You’re bound to like it.

I don’t know when or where their next gig will be, but just keep tabs on their FACEBOOK PAGE. You can also find both of their EPs in ITUNES, and sometime, hopefully in the not too distant future, they will add another EP to their discography.
   
The final band of the night was Hawk vs. Dove. Now, I had seen the band before, or at least a little bit of their show earlier in the year when they opened for Descender, and didn’t care for them at all. But in most cases I’m all for given a band another shot. Besides, it’s not like I had anything else to do.

I stuck around for about the first four songs, but could never get really invested in their stuff. I did like the flow of it, as their drummer rounded one song right into the next, but music is supposed to speak to you and make you feel something, and it just didn’t connect with me. It’s nothing against the band, and I will say I found this better than what little I saw of them earlier in the year, but not to the point where I wanted to stick around for the whole show.

So that was that. Still a good night, and well worth venturing out.

This was bound to be an awesome night at Rubber Gloves.

The best Metal band out of Austin, The Sword, recently released their new album, “Apocryphon”, and of course with a new album comes a new tour. And tonight, their tour was leading them to Denton, and seeing them was a perfect reason to make the drive up to Denton.

The first act of the night was an instrumental band from Austin, Eagle Claw. Now, I’ve said many times in the past, I am not a fan of instrumental music, so I wasn’t too excited about seeing them. Luckily, I didn’t have to.

By the time I made it up to Rubber Gloves the band had already done there thing and the next act, Gypsyhawk, was pretty much setup and raring to go.

I’ll be frank, personally, Gypsyhawk’s music didn’t appeal to me a whole lot. I wouldn’t say I disliked them, but music is supposed to ignite something within you. It’s supposed to get you excited and make you feel something, and that did not happen for me. Not with these guys.

However, I believe being impartial is a must, and just because I didn’t enjoy their music doesn’t mean I couldn’t or didn’t appreciate it.

When it comes down to music it’s always the voice that makes it or breaks it for me. And while I wasn’t too keen on vocalist and bassist, Eric Harris’s growl of a voice, it did fit well with the nostalgic Metal sounds they produced. And by that I mean they had a Classic, true Metal sound. Most of what they did this night came off their latest effort, “Revelry & Resilience”, such as the second song of their set, “The Fields”. “…This one’s about quantum physics…” Eric said before they started the tune. But some songs from an older EP were also performed this night. I believe one was “Commander of the High Forest”, and I know they did a song that bears the same name as the band, as Eric simply put it as a song about, “…Fucking girls and then leaving town…”.

Okay, those songs and everything else they fit into their 35 to 40-minute long set might not have been my cup of tea, but there’s no denying that these guys are excellent musicians. Guitarists, Erik Kluiber and Andrew Packer, did nothing but shred and rock out. Eric had a nice swagger as well, and knew how to play the bass with the right amount of force, yet also seemed gracefully in doing it. As for drummer, Ian Brown, I couldn’t see much of him, but what glimpses I caught, he was tearing it up.

I might not have become a real fan of Gypsyhawk’s, but they are a great band.

You can find both of their records right HERE in iTUNES. They will also be joining The Sword on all their show dates through December, and you can find all the cities they will be rocking HERE. They’ll also be in Dallas on December 17th at Trees.

After a seemingly short set change, everything was ready for The Sword to take the stage, and then came the waiting.

They didn’t leave the packed Rubber Gloves waiting too long, though. And shortly before 10:30, lead guitarist, Kyle Shutt, singer and guitarist, John Cronise, drummer, Santiago Vela III, and bassist, Bryan Richie, walked onto the stage, too much fanfare. They waved a bit and smiled at the fans as they got their instruments, and then it was on.

What better way to begin a show than with the lead track and single from the bands new album, “The Veil of Isis”. The intro itself got the fans fired up, and once Santiago started pounding away on the drums, a good portion of the people began banging their heads in synch to it. Then John opened his mouth to sing the first line, “As the night arrives the day concedes her crown…”. Sadly, this was were the only hindrance of their set came in to play, though it was certainly not the bands fault. The sound system at Rubber Gloves isn’t always the best, and such was the case tonight, and for the first few songs, it was next to impossible to understand what was being sung. Yes, it sucked, but there are some lengthy (and heavy) instrumental parts on that song, and at least those weren’t impacted. They fiddled with their instruments for a moment, and whether it was their intention or not, that little delay succeed in building anticipation for their next song. It was the only of their set that I didn’t know. Perhaps a cover, or maybe a song that has never made a record, either way, it was every bit as good as everything else they did this night. Santiago wound that song right into the next, “Hammer of Heaven”, before John and Kyle ripped into their guitars and Bryan started attacking his bass, truly getting it underway. I was slightly surprised, seeing as the song was released as a one-off single earlier this year, which gave me the impression it was more to get something new to the fans rather than one that would make its way into the live show. It was a beast of a song live, though, and Bryan and Kyle shouted the chorus, which is the song title, right along with John, giving it a lot of extra force. By this point, all of the technical kinks had been resolved, and the vocal were much clearer… And just in time, too. They soon busted into “Tres Brujas”, which got everyone worked into a frenzy, and a small mosh pit was born. It lasted throughout the show, though fizzled out here and there, and it did make it hard to fully watch the band, but that’s part of what comes with seeing a band like The Sword. Anyway, it was great getting to hear that song, seeing as it is my personal favorite of the bands, and it was the mythical lyrics like those in that tune that captivated me and made me a fan of theirs in the first place. The music was obviously the main focus of their performance, in the fact that they seldom spoke to the crowd, instead doing the songs as close together as they could, and next up they pulled out “Maiden, Mother & Crone”. After it, they did an older one from 2006’s “Age of Winters”, “The Horned Goddess”. The song has never stuck out to me on the recording, but life, it’s a whole different matter. While instrumental stuff isn’t my thing, it’s the instrumental portions that really make the song. Be it the full-band going with the flow of the music bed or the short, incendiary guitar solo Kyle goes into. It’s just thick, delectable Metal that will have you banging you head to the music at every possible chance. “We’re gonna play some new songs for you…” John said after that song concluded, as they geared up to do some more stuff from “Apocryphon”. “Cloak of Feathers” was song they did from it, while Bryan started them on the rhythm heavy, “The Hidden Masters”, with some light bass notes, which soon grew more thunderous. “This next song is called Seven Sisters.” John told the crowd. It’s a standout track from the album, and it’s every bit as good live as the recording would lead you to believe. I liked that tactic, start with mostly older stuff, then throw some new tunes in around the halfway mark, but they made sure not to overdo it, and next got back to their classics with the fan favorite, “Freya”. It was pure, in-your-face Metal complete with some killer guitar licks, proving that old-school Sword songs are sometimes the best. After “To Take The Black”, they did two final new songs, the first of which John dedicated to the East Coasters who had survived hurricane Sandy. “…Hopefully they aren’t in the Eyes of the Stormwitch…” he said, then added that was the title of their next song. It’s a good one, but I was more enthralled by the title track itself, “Apocryphon”, which was one of their best songs of the night, as it was one they seemed to be really into. They had been telling their fans for the last few songs they were nearing the end, and now came the final song of their 71-minute long set. They then lit into “The Chronomancer I: Hubris”, which gave the show a nice, finalized feeling, yet also left you wanting more.

And surely there would be more. Right?

Maybe thirty seconds passed from the time they disappeared backstage to the time one of their roadies walked on stage and to the center mic. “Are there any Sword fans here!?” he asked. The fans erupted, to which he said, “Well let ‘em know!”. After he finished and started to walk away, the band reemerged, took their spots, and got ready for a 9-minute encore.

They had in-store two fan favorites, both of which are my favorites by the band. First up was “Barael’s Blade”, and when they got to the part where John starts singing, they chose to instead repeat most of the intro again. When they got to the chorus of the song, they let the audience handle it, as almost everyone shouted out, “Behold! The bastard’s blade!” They quickly moved on to the next and last song, and with a few light taps on one of his cymbals, Santiago revealed it to be the song that everyone seemed to want to hear most, “Winter’s Wolves”. “Can’t you see what you have wrought here? Bloody battles will be fought here…” John soon sang, before getting to what is my favorite line from their songs, “…I would mount your head on bloody spears outside your palace gates, and watch as crows peck out your eyes, and your cities are laid to waste.” They then brought it to an end as most bands do, all striking their instruments a few times in unison, Bryan viciously so, allowing the sound to resonate a little in between, before stopping it all together.

Even with the technical difficulties at the start, this was still a spectacular performance. They brought their A game and left it all on the stage, and how many bands do you see these days that do that?

Really, The Sword is one of those bands that every other band could take lessons from. They’re phenomenal performers and incredible musicians who know how to make extraordinary music. Metal music that is. Anymore, (most) Metal bands have singers that scream incoherently, but just like the band that opened for them, The Sword is a band that pays homage to the classic sound of the genre, but with a definite modern influence. And John actually sings, not doing anything even close to screaming.

I was blown away by their set, and my third time seeing the band live was definitely the best.

The band will be touring the U.S. in support of “Apocryphon” until December 18th, with a European tour starting in early January. You can find all their tour dates HERE, and if they are coming to a city near you, believe me, you don’t want to miss out on them. Also, they will be back in the area on December 17th, performing at Tree’s in Dallas. Also be sure to check out their records in ITUNES.

When they finished, it wasn’t even midnight yet, making this a VERY early show by Denton standards. I was glad for that, though, because that meant I could get home at a decent hour, even with the hour long drive back.

In between the acoustic show that was going on at another venue, I headed over to The Liquid Lounge where The Bedlam Brothers were set to take the stage. Actually, I timed it just right, and got there right before the band took the stage.

I had been wanting to see the band for a while, which I guess has been since they first started. After the band Skylines met their demise a little over a year ago, the bands singer and guitarist, Nick Santa Maria, eventually moved down to Austin, where he soon started The Bedlam Brothers. The band has played Dallas a few times before, and now it finally worked out where I could make it to one.

The trio got up on stage and began their 39-minute long set with a killer song that was a prime example of their awesome Southern Rock sound. It was a powerful tune that reeled you in and got the adrenaline flowing, making it a good one to open with, and the performance fit well with it, as Nick started rocking out, getting pretty into the song. There was even a guitar solo where he wailed on his guitar, creating a moment that was straight up Rock “N” Roll. After another song, they pulled out one that I was pleasantly surprised to hear. Evidently, some of the songs from Nick’s previous band have been brought over to The Bedlam Brothers, and the song they did now was “Not Enough”. It sounded like it had been tweaked a bit, though, in the sense that it had a tighter, more aggressive sound. They followed it with the slightly slower, “240 Miles”, which has a slight bluesy quality to it. It was after that song that Nick made an announcement that the week before they had signed a deal with, I believe it was a management company, which meant they will soon go back into the studio to record their second record. Exciting stuff, and even though they were only about halfway into their show, it was already clear they are deserving of that. “…This next song is called “A Woman the Devil Sent”, he then said, and led them into the tune. There was another pause after that one, where they thanked the two girls who let them rehearse in their garage in Austin, and then told a story about one of the rehearsals getting ready for this gig. He said they were practicing with the garage door up, not thinking a whole lot about it, because it wasn’t too late. He added that some of the neighbors apparently didn’t appreciate it too much, and called the cops on them. “…So where playing, when we see a cop car drive past the house. He didn’t do anything, though, and Nick said as soon as they saw him they stopped and shut the garage door. It was a funny little anecdote and that near constant communication they had with the audience in between songs really helped build a rapport with the crowd. They then got back to it with “Sunrise Blues”, and after it Nick looked at his band mates, Craig McLaughlin and Gio Suarez, the bassist and drummer, respectively. “Are we doing it?” he asked them, as they nodded yes. He then explained to the crowd they had decided to do a song that fit with Halloween, and also noted it was a bit nerve-racking, “…’Cause it is from the best selling record of all-time. That pretty much gave it away, and yes, it was a very unexpected rendition of Michael Jackson’s, “Thriller”. It was an exceptional cover, and even though I’ve never been a Michael Jackson fan, they made me into a fan of “Thriller”… Or at least their version of it. After another song, “The First Time”, the bands time was almost up, and they ended with another song that used to be a Skylines staple, “My 9 to 5”. It’s great to know that Nick has kept this one alive, ‘cause it was always my favorite, and it has been enhanced over the other version. It now has a sound that fits their Southern Rock sound, and has been polished and tightened in other aspects, too, making it an even stronger closer than it used to be. It was also during that song, near the start of it, that one of Gio’s drum sticks broke, and fell to the floor. He didn’t grab a new one right away, though. Instead, he picked up part of the broken stick, which probably wasn’t even half of it, and proceeded to play the drums with that portion. Now that is Rock ‘N’ Roll.

As much as I liked Nick’s previous band, after this one show, I have to say, I like The Bedlam Brothers even more. Nick just seemed a little more at home playing these songs, and Gio and Craig are great fits to round out the band. It was a very solid performance, and one I am looking very forward to seeing again.

Check out either their FACEBOOK PAGE or REVERBNATION PAGE to keep up to date with everything, and you can catch them back in Dallas on November 24th at The Prophet Bar.

I stuck around for a little bit after they finished, but after the next band butchered a Hayes Carll song, “Stop and Holler”, I decide to head back over to the other venue to hear some more acoustic music.

Trees was hosting a special all local concert this night, but it was no mere local rock show. It had been dubbed “Powered Down”, and featured a slew of bands rocking the venue… Rocking it acoustic style that is.

An interesting and great array of bands had been tapped to play this show, which was being recorded live for an eventual live CD, and beginning the night was the Electronic based band, Zhora.

Unfortunately, I missed most of their set, because for some reason the traffic going to Dallas moved painfully slow (40 MPH or less, instead of 60+). I was bummed by this, because I had been wanting to see the band for months now and just hadn’t been able to make it to a show, and this night only got to hear their last three songs or so. Alas.

They were the only band who didn’t really to a true acoustic set, instead, it was toned down. The only music was provided by Taylor Cleveland, who makes all the electronic sounds with a computer, and also acted as a DJ of sorts. While Taylor Rea did the singing, and had a little pad attached to the mic stand, allowing her to alter her voice and add various affects to it. They did the catchy, “The Hold”, and I believe did another song in between it and “Sunset”, which I think was what closed their set. (Note: I haven’t familiarized myself with their music completely, hence why I say “think” and “believe”).

What I caught was really great, though. I guess I can’t draw comparisons to their full show since I haven’t seen one, but this sure seemed to show off Taylor’s voice more then I would imagine a full-band show does. And might I add she has quite an impressive voice.

Great set from what little I caught, and it made me more eager to see a full-band show. I don’t when that will be, but keep a check on their FACEBOOK PAGE to find out when they will have more shows. Also, you can find a four song EP on their BANDCAMP PAGE, which is available for FREE.

The bands sets were kept pretty short this night, but they were also able to get them on and off stage very quickly. So, after a twenty minute or so break, Admiral Grey was ready to do a 23-minute long set.

I was surprised to see the band as a trio, rather than just singer and rhythm guitarist, Aaron Pose, and lead guitarist, Krishen Anthony. The other member joining them was Justin Labosco, who added some beats on a cajon. Another thing that surprised me (and pleasantly so) was that they did some of their heavier songs, which frankly, I didn’t expect to hear. That included their opener, “Dead To Me”. It actually translated pretty well into an acoustic form, and in some ways, it even gave it an extra punch, as Aaron belted out the chorus, “There’s no more tears for me to cry, no more loving you tonight. I won’t regret you, just forget you. You’re dead to me…”. Justin tore it up on that song, maybe a little too hard, as shook his hand like it was hurting him. “Oh, did you hurt your little hand?” Aaron asked him, in a tone a parent might talk to a two or three-year old child, resulting in most of the crowd and Justin laughing. They then moved on as Aaron asked the crowd a question. “How many hard working men do we have out here tonight?”. That was the set up for “Just a Man”, which was one of the songs I expected to hear this night. Afterwards, Aaron took time to promote their upcoming CD release, and told everyone who hadn’t heard of them before that they could look up the band on Facebook to find out all the info on those upcoming shows. “…I have no life…” he stated, after informing everyone he was on there all the time, and jokingly warned that he might even become a stalker on your page. There are moments like that in their full-on rock show, but this one did a much more laidback vibe to it, and that played a part in making this show so enjoyable. They then did “My World”, a softer song that was definitely made to be performed acoustically, but not the same thing can be said for “Pulling Strings”. Don’t get me wrong, it still sounded fantastic, but as gritty as the song is, I really didn’t think they’d do it here, but am glad they did. Aaron gave the show a bit of a storytellers feel, stating that, that previous song was about the music business, and how people are always pulling strings, and it was either it or their final song that he said was originally going to be the title track of their forthcoming EP. He continued, saying they then settled on the title “Long Road”, because each of them have been down some long roads in their musical endeavors. And a song that kind of fits along those lines is the one they closed with, “Don’t Know Me at All”.

Their set passed by rather quickly, but you can’t do much in terms of making it longer when you have six other bands on the bill. They were able to hit the highlight songs, though, and I have been wanting to see one of Aaron’s solo shows for a little while now, so it was cool to finally catch one. Granted, this wasn’t solo, but it was acoustic, and that’s the main thing. And after seeing one, I’d like to see more.

By the time I get this posted, the band’s debut EP, “Long Road”, will have been unleashed upon the world, and their Texas tour to celebrate its release will have already happened. So, you might be able to find it online in say, iTunes. They also have another show coming up on November 17th in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma at the Chameleon Room. Oh, and you can find a FREE download of their single, “Dead to Me”, on their REVERBNATION PAGE.

After them was a band I had not seen in far too long, and even if it was an acoustic show, I was looking forward to finally seeing them again. And that was Exit 380, who was doing a full-band acoustic gig.

Before the curtain even opened you heard vocalist, Dustin Blocker, start playing his harmonica, and if you knew the band’s music, then that made it clear what song it was. It was the final track from their latest record, “Missy Gardner”, which is my personal favorite song from the album. It sounded more fitting being performed acoustic, and while I didn’t the song could get any better, this made it better. I believe Jeremy Hutchison played a mandolin on that song, while Jon Hutchison softly plucked the strings on his acoustic bass, and really, all of the instruments on that song seemed to play towards Dustin, and making his voice even more prominent. Perhaps the best part of that song on the record is the closing piece that comes after a minute or so of silence. I guess it is a reprise of sorts of their song, “Soul Burning Train”, but is just played on the keys with Dustin singing the chorus, and I was thrilled to hear them add that on the end here, as he softly crooned, “I woke from a dream and escaped this soul burning train. A driver or a rider? Either way, it’s a coatless day in the rain.” That served as a prelude to the full version of “Soul Burning Train”, which lead guitarist, Aaron Borden, started, while Jeremy switched out to an acoustic guitar. The pace did pick up with that song, and Jody McCauley was able to get a little more aggressive on the drums, or at least the partial kit he was using. After finishing it, Blocker formerly introduced the band to the crowd. “…We’ve been around for awhile, but tonight we’re playing our newer songs…” he announced, then told everyone what their next song was going to be. “I think it’s called Where Do We Go?” he said, then looked at Aaron. “Where do we Go From Here”, he then said, getting the title right that time. It was another tune that really fit the acoustic vibe, and I also think it was the one that Aaron played with a pedal steel guitar. It was followed by a short little song that was exclusive to a compilation record their record label released, “A Song About Us”, while capping off their 20-minute long set was “Run For The Gold”.

I see these guys so infrequently that I really forget how amazing they are. Even with this acoustic set and even with the abbreviated set time, it was still incredible. Blocker’s voice was nothing short of superb this night (and that can also apply to pretty much every other show they do). And while the Alt/Country sound is a big departure from the bands previous material, they still pull it off with ease, and it really came in handy in this scenario, since so much of the “Townies” record can translate perfectly into acoustic songs.

If you want to listen to or purchase their music, you have a couple of options. They have it for sale on either BANDCAMP or ITUNES, so check out whichever outlet you prefer. And everything aside from “Townies” is more Rock music, if that is more your style. Also, be sure to check out the first Hand Drawn Records Compilation, which features one of those songs from their set, and the label also just released a Volume Two Compilation. Both feature a plethora of artists and can be downloaded for free.

After they finished, I ducked out and headed to another venue one street over. Nothing against the other bands that were playing, but I wanted to see this other band more and if you want to know more about that show, I’ll have a review of it up soon.

I got back right when David Cote was finishing his set, which meant The Orange was up next, and they were the band I was most intrigued to see. If you don’t know The Orange, they aren’t really an acoustic band. They’re high-energy Rock with even a Psychedelic flare to it, so they were definitely going to be out of their element this night.

The Orange began with only three of their members on stage, singer and guitarist, Scott Tucker, guitarist, Kirk Livesay, and drummer, Cody Waits. However, Cody wasn’t doing anything with percussion, instead, he too had an acoustic guitar. They were also joined by the skilled harmonica player and their go-to guy of sorts, Chicago Dan. It sure looked like it was going to be different, and it was, as Scott announced their first song was called, “We’re All Going Down”, and Cody sang it. It was a bit weird to see Scott relegated to being a backing vocalist, but on the flipside, Cody has a really great voice. I was kind of surprised, since it’s easy to think of him as just being a drummer, since that is his typical instrument, but this made it clear his talent goes well beyond that. Their next tune I believe was titled, “Peace of Mind”. Cody again acted as the main singer on it, though it was more co-sung between him and Scott, with the two voices mixing perfectly. I think it was after that song Cody took over his normal role of adding some beats, while they welcomed a guest musician to the stage. His name was Buddy Neighbors, and according to Scott, he’s a legendary Blues guitarist. Scott also said something along the lines of he was the best musician he knew, then added, “…Right after Chicago Dan.” “This is an old Orange song…” he went on to say, telling everyone it was “Kiss, Kiss. Bang, Bang”. For the record, that is one of my all-time favorite Orange songs, like, top three, and it had been years since I last heard it. I never forget about, though, and hoped it would sometime find its way back into the set, as some of the songs off their EP had done after the band got back together. Anyway, the song was every bit as good as I remembered, even done acoustically, and like so many of the bands other songs, it is insanely catchy. At this point, Jason Wessup made his way down the stairs from the green room and to the stage, to add the sounds of his bass to the bands new single, “Mr. Moneymaker”. It was (obviously) toned down, and did lack the high-strung performance that usually accompanies it, but that didn’t mean it was any less good. Upon finishing it, Buddy left the band, while Kirk switched out his guitar for a cello, and Chicago Dan also helped turn the show on its head, by using a rain stick instead of his harmonica. Scott’s sister, Melissa Tucker, also joined them, and she brought a clarinet into the mix. Not that they didn’t have it before, but all of that made sure they had my undivided attention. I missed the name of this last song of their 27-minute long set, but it was truly gorgeous. It didn’t sound like your standard Orange song, but that’s okay, because every band needs to do the occasional song that breaks the mold they cast themselves into, and this one accomplished just that. It was just outstanding, and a most excellent way to cap things off.

I mentioned they were going to be out of their element this night, and while they were, they didn’t at all seem it. Instead, they appeared completely comfortable performing the songs in this setting, like it was something they had done dozens (or even hundreds) of times before. And to be totally honest, I did have some reservations about how this was going to go, but quickly realized I had no reason to have those thoughts. Actually, I’d like to see these acoustic shows become more of a semi regular thing, because in some ways, this was one of the best shows I’ve seen them do.

As of right now, their next show on the books is going to be a FREE one at Sundown at Granada in Dallas on Saturday, December 15th. They are also currently in the studio working on their debut full-length album, so why not go pick up a copy of their first EP, “A Sonic Collection of Stories from La La Land”. That way not only will you have something to whet your appetite for their full-length, you can also help get a little money in their pockets to help with the cost of making a record.

Closing out this show was Paco Estrada, but he wasn’t alone like I thought he may be. Scotty Isaacs (who is a great musician on his own) was playing keys for Paco this night, while Ladrell James made some beats on a partial drum kit. There was also a female backing vocalist that sit in a chair on stage right, though I didn’t recognize her, and I never heard them say who she was.

Paco started strumming his guitar, and with just the first few notes revealed the song to be just what I thought he’d open with, “The Damage That’s Done”. “Been living my life like a ghost in the rain, slowly losing my mind, slowly going insane. Wondering around in the middle of the road. Just another lost soul in another fishbowl…” It was then when the keys and drums came in, and brought that song to life in a way I had never heard it before. It’s a standout track from “The Definite and Indefinite…”, and a favorite of mine, but tonight it sounded as true to the recording as I’ve heard it. The backing vocalist sang with Paco throughout it, adding a beautiful layer to it, as she, too, had a sensational voice. It was followed by another track from that album, “When We Were Made”, which is perhaps the most beautiful love song ever written. “…When we didn’t have to use a stairway to heaven, and you never had to be alone. That’s when we were made…” goes one of the lines before the second chorus. A twenty to thirty second-long instrumental intro led them into the next song, which had me wondering what song it was until right at the end. “I keep my ghost from haunting you. I just let go, and walk away. And when you think that the clouds have cleared, I’m gonna call your name…” he sang, the opening line of “Haunting Me”. It is one of a few songs of his that he usually adds part of a cover to, and sure enough, after one of the last choruses, he broke into the chorus from Whitney Houston’s, “I Want to Dance with Somebody”. “…Oh, wanna dance with somebody. I wanna feel the heat with somebody. Yeah, wanna dance with somebody. With somebody who loves me…”. He’s done that cover for a little while now, and while it does strike me as being an odd fit for the song, I still works, as Paco’s rich, soulful voice is able to tie it into his own song. Once that one concluded, Paco told everyone they were “…going to do a new song…”, and even dedicated it to Scott Tucker of The Orange. That particular song was “American Girls”, which was first played about a month before when Paco did his first show fronting The Last Romantica. That was one of my favorite songs from that other show, and I was glad to hear it again, which made me think it will become more of a regular at shows. It’s an incredible song, that has a real feeling of Rock nostalgia to it, and for the few short minutes the song lasts, you feel yourself being transported to a simpler time. A couple more songs followed, which I suppose were also newer ones and after them Paco announced they were going to end on a sad note. And really, what better way to end a show. “Breaking Down” definitely has a sadness to it, for example the second verse, “My father had a heart attack at fifty-eighty… He told us that if he went under, he didn’t want them to resuscitate. My mom believes that I’ll become that man… She says she’s just awaiting the phone call when they tell her that her son is dead…”. Towards the end of it, he again integrated part of a cover song into his own tune, this one by K’s Choice. “Breathe it in and breathe it out, and pass it on, it’s almost out…” he sang, before belting out the chorus of that song, “…It’s not a habit, it’s cool, I feel alive. If you don’t have it you’re on the other side. I’m not an addict…” “Not an Addict” works perfectly with that one, and after singing a few portions of it, Paco returned to his song. “…Can you hear that sound? And if you listen to it now, it’s the sound of my heart breaking down…”, he crooned, as they brought the song and their 42-minute long set to an end.

That was an alright end with me, but there were evidently a lot of Paco fans out there, because they immediately started chanting for one more. It didn’t take long for them to decide to do one more, but Paco noted it would not be one of his. He then went on a brief speech, talking about how “…a lot of guys think they know everything…”, in terms of the fairer sex, when really, they don’t. He then asked for everyone, mainly the guys, to truly pay attention to the next song and it’s lyrics, saying it contained a lesson that everyone could learn from and would help them out. He made it out like this song could be the equivalent of revealing the meaning of life, and I don’t know what I was expecting, but it was not what they ended up doing. I couldn’t help but laugh at first when I realized it was a song that Cyndi Lauper made famous, “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”, but he also hit the nail on the head with everything he had said prior.

Overall, it was a good set from Paco, and that song was a much better note to end on. I also really dug the sound he and his “band” made this night, and in terms of Paco’s solo shows, I think this was one of the best I’ve seen.

Paco has a vast array of music available, most of which can be found on his BANDCAMP PAGE.

It was a great night all around, too, and every band did a spectacular set. Now, to wait for Trees to release the live recording of this show, which I guarantee it will be something you will want to hear.

Now, enjoy some crappy cell phone pictures I got…

Paco Estrada

The Orange

Exit 380

Admiral Grey

Zhora

I got to The Prophet Bar a little later than I would have liked to this night, and subsequently had missed out on the first band and even most of the second. Sure, I wasn’t familiar with either of them, but you never know when you might come across a diamond in the rough. Oh well…

The first band I saw a full set from was a younger Dallas based band, Form of Truth. I’ll admit, I was a bit skeptical when I first saw them take the stage, but they quickly disposed of any reason why I could have been.

Three of the four members looked to be in their early 20’s or so, while judging from the marks on his hands, bassist, Colin Dowd, was under 21. But despite not being too seasoned, they still had some serious chops. Their music wasn’t anything new, having a typical Alt/Rock sound, but it seemed fitting for them. Singer and rhythm guitarist, Ryan Snipes, had a good voice and could play quite well. Even better than that he was a pretty likable frontman, and even though there weren’t many people there, he did a nice job at connecting with the crowd. Colin was a helluva bassist, and often rocked out his lines with a fiery dedication. Lindsey Cabeen fell on the other end of the spectrum, being a little more laid-back with her guitar playing, and I couldn’t really see drummer, Nick Braddy, but it sounded like he did a good job. Their music was great, with several shredding guitar solos worked in on a majority of the songs, which definitely got your attention and helped make the music.

I enjoyed them. Now, I don’t know if I’d go to a show specifically to see them, but I wouldn’t mind seeing another one of there shows down the road.

After them was the main band that was responsible for me even being at this show in the first place, and that was The Brandon Callies Band.

You may know Brandon Callies, as he fronted the fairly successful Rock band, Black Tie Vendetta, for many years, and continues to, they just don’t play too often these days. He has since moved down to Austin where he started up a completely different project that has more of an Alt/Country sound to it. It’s good. Very good, and I had wanted to see a show for quite some time now and was glad it was finally working out where I could.

They kicked off their set with the lead track from “The Gunner” album, “Whatever You Want”. Brandon crooned on the opening line of the song, “Rip down the stars to light up your room tonight…”. However, he wasn’t the only one doing some singing on that pretty love song. Bassist, Omarr Escoffie, added a lot of backing vocals to it, though it was a little more than plain backing vocals. His mic was turned up nearly as loud as the lead one, which gave the song an extra force it doesn’t have on the record, especially since he joined in on probably half the song or so. And that was merely a taste of the harmonies that were to come. “This song is from the first EP.” Brandon said in setting up the next song, adding the title, which was “Midnight Drive”. That moved things into a little more Rock mood, verses the Alt/Country-ish sound of their first song, and with the next tune, they again completely changed things up. “We’re going to do something that we’ve never done before…” said Brandon, which immediately piqued my curiosity.  What they proceeded to do was a prelude to their records title track, aptly named, “The Gunner (Prelude)”. Percussion is the primary sound of this song, though not just with the drums. Instead, Brandon, Omarr, lead guitarist, Chad Rocker, and keyboard player, Seth Payne, all started clapping in front of their mics while stomping their feet and softly yelling, “Aaaawwww…” repeatedly. While they were doing that drummer, Chris Evans, started singing the song. “She’s got diamonds for her eyes and daggers for her hands…” he sang, which is just one of the dozens of great lines this short, not even two-minute long, song holds. Another one I like, “…You might be easy on my eyes, but you’re strong like a heart attack…”.  It made sense that, that would be the intro for the song it is a prelude to, but no. Instead, they wound it into a newer song of theirs, which was clearly their best stuff to date. Harmonies are becoming a big thing in their music, but not just between Brandon and Omarr. I believe this was the song that also had Chad and Seth singing along for most of it, and blended together, it was one of the most striking things I’ve heard, and made them a force to be reckoned with.  They followed it with an older song from their album, and my personal favorite of theirs, “Who Are We to Say?”. It showcases the bands softer side (which might well be their best side) and like their opening tune, this, too, had been tweaked in places, mainly with extra backing vocals, which served to make the song even better.  A brief instrumental song followed that, and it was pretty piano driven, showing off Seth’s insane skills on the keys. Really, it was a sight to see as he banged away at them, and made a sound that was very pleasing to the ears. They then used that as the jumping off point to a song it seemed like they were going to do earlier, as Brandon started strumming his guitar, beginning “The Gunner”.  It was a definite highlight their set. They had time enough to do a couple more songs afterwards, and closed their 39-minute long show with two more of their newer ones.

The show was far better than anything I expected, and I had expected it would be pretty good.

They did seem somewhat cramped on stage, but they had a little bit of room to move around, especially Chad, who used the extra space and could often be seen shredding on his guitar.

Overall, I loved it. The music was phenomenal, particularly the new stuff that has all the harmonies going on. And honestly, I think I liked this more than Brandon’s other project, mainly because this music shows off his voice better, and gives you a better idea of the range he’s capable of.

Great band, and one you should check out. Start by listening to some of their songs in iTunes, and if you dig it, then purchase “The Gunner”. And if you’d like to see a show, they have a few currently scheduled, including another one in Dallas. On Friday, November 9th, they will back in Dallas to perform at the Liquid Lounge. Their next two dates are hometown gigs in Austin, one of which will be on December 1st at One to One Bar. The other is December 20th and will be held at Stubb’s.

Closing out the show was a Dallas band whom I had finally seen earlier in the year, and they had lived up to all the hype I had heard about them. They are called The Roomsounds, and I was excited about seeing them again.

It seemed like it took them awhile to set up, but once they had done the sound check and everything they got right to it. “…We’re called The Roomsounds, and this song is Chasin’ a Fox.” said singer and rhythm guitarist, Ryan Michael. That got them off to an explosive start, and that song was a great way to whet everyone’s appetite for the Classic Rock inspired music that was to follow. They didn’t let up any, as Dan Malone brought them right into another heavy hitting song, “Young and Reckless”, with some drumbeats. There were a couple newer songs mixed in to the set this night, and I believe they did one of them next, though there’s always the possibility it was a cover I was just unfamiliar with. Either way, it was solid sounding tune. They next did the upbeat, “Honest Man’”, before getting into a little more soulful and bluesy mood with “Don’t Come Home”. “This next song’s been getting some airplay on 91.7…” Ryan said, setting up their next song. It was a single of sorts from their self-titled debut record, “Couldn’t Break My Spirit”. “…It’s alright, I’m still getting by. You couldn’t break my spirit if you try…” He sang, with lead guitarist, Sam Janik, assisting him with some backing vocals, while their diehard fans danced about to the music. “Stay Tonight” brought things down a few notches, and is one of the bands more sentimental sounding songs, having a slight lovey dovey feel to it. In a good way, though, as it shows they are capable of something besides in-your-face rock songs that will get you moving. “Barn Burner” then livened things back up, and after it, they offered up another new song„ which if I heard correctly was titled, “Don’t Give Up On Me”. I believe it was another new song they followed it with, and both were pretty stellar. They’ve of course maintained the sound that works so well for them, but there’s a little bit of noticeable growth in them, giving them a more fine-tuned sound. Their original stuff is great, but they can also pull of cover songs quite well. I mean, to the point they sound like a The Roomsounds original, and such was the case with the next song. I believe it was a cover of Tom Petty’s, “Don’t Do Me Like That”, which Ryan set up by saying it was the first song they played together when they “…started jamming with Red…”, talking about bassist, Red Coker. He also noted they don’t do it live too often, but every now and then decide to break it out, and I’m very glad they did. It was one of the best songs of their set, and for anyone unfamiliar with the band, their sound is kind of in the same vein as Tom Petty, or any other such acts, and their rendition of that song sounded flawless. After another newer song (or perhaps cover) they started to wind things down with the ever so impressive, “Kinks”. It’s one of the most intense tracks from their record, and they kept that pace going with another speedy sing along song, “Ripper”. They had said that would be their last song, and it was a killer note to end on, but as the fans started to leave the front of the stage, Ryan asked a question. “Do y’all want to hear one more song?” The answer was a resounding yes, so they did one final tune to close out their whopping 65-minute long set.

The Roomsounds are truly a fantastic band, and in a age where there are plenty of bands trying to replicate the Classic Rock sound, these guys are one of the few acts who can do it successfully. Their music can take you back to when Rock was straightforward and simple, yet still so powerful and potentially life changing. And sometimes, that’s the best approach to take to music.

You can find the band’s debut record in ITUNES. And do check out a live show if you get the chance. They have a couple of Dallas dates coming up, one of which will be on November 24th at the Freeman. The other is on November 29th, and it will be held at The Doublewide.

All in all this was an awesome show filled with great music, and a good way to spend the night.

Photo courtesy of James Villa Photography. All rights belong exclusively to him.

The Brandon Callies Band

Few things can be better than free concerts. Even better is when they feature international touring bands. Better still is when those bands are from England, and they are both ones I’m a fan of.

Sadly, things like that don’t happen too often, but this night, that was exactly what was going down. The South Side Music Hall at the Palladium Ballroom complex in Dallas was the venue hosting this event and the sponsor for it was Jack Daniel’s Saloon.

It was bound to be a pretty cool night, and when I arrived, at close to eight, they had a DJ playing.

Now, I don’t care for DJ’s, and this one didn’t prove to be an exception. He played for an hour even after I got there, though, so I had to tolerate it.

As I said, both bands playing this even were from England, the first one specifically being from Liverpool, and it was the trio, The Wombats.

I had seen the band before, nearly a year ago, and after seeing they were coming back to the U.S. for another leg of their tour, hoped they would hit the city again. Sadly, Dallas did not make the initial cut, but then this show came together. I was very much looking forward to seeing them again.

They began their 61-minute long set with the lead track (and single) from their latest album, “Our Perfect Disease”. Singer and multi-instrumentalist, Matthew Murphy, set it up by hitting a few keys on his keyboard and synthesizer, and for a brief moment that was all you heard, before he started singing, “We don’t admit it but we never seen eye to eye. My hobby’s moaning and yours is making money…”. It had been nearly a year since I last even listened to this song, and had forgotten how incredible it was. It has an incredibly infectious melody, and it was after the first chorus where they kicked their performance into high gear, when the drums and bass become more prevalent, and Dan Haggis got much more lively on the drum kit, while Tord Øverland-Knudsen started to thrash about with his bass. Yeah, there was already no question that this was going to be one helluva show. Dan wound that right into their next song, “Kill the Director”, which they tried to turn into a sing along. “This is no Bridget Jones.” Murph sang numerous times, then tried to get the audience to join him. There didn’t seem to be too many fans of the band at this show, though, ‘cause it stayed relatively quiet. They still seemed grateful to the fans who did shout along, though, and didn’t let the lack of participation affect their mood. “Girls / Fast Cars” came next, which is easily the most straightforward song in the bands arsenal. “…I like girls, girls and fast cars. It’s cheap and it’s pathetic, but you can’t hate me just because…” Murph profess during the song. After finishing it, Murph stated that this was the bands second time to play Dallas, and even gave a shout out to the venue they played last year, The Granada Theater. “…There were a lot of lamps on stage. That’s what I remember most about that place…” he recalled, after mentioning what a nice venue it is. They then got back to making music with another song off their 2008 album, “Party In a Forest (Where’s Laura?)”, and then came the latest single from “The Wombats Proudly Present: This Modern Glitch”. I don’t remember exactly what Dan said, but it was something like, “…It is called “Love Will Go On” and it’s by Celine Dion.” That was of course a joke, and they instead did a much better song, the more sexual based, “Jump Into the Fog”, which offers what could be considered a little word of wisdom, “…It’s just that life tastes sweeter when it’s wrapped in debauchery…”. It was followed by a song along the same lines, which Murph set up by saying, “This song is about being an only child and being fascinated with…” I’ll say hookers, though I think he used one of the many other words that exist to describe that type of woman. He then started strumming on his guitar, which got more rapid, culminating with the band breaking into “Patricia the Stripper”. Afterwards, they did the fun song, “Techno Fan”, which has a slight techno influence and definitely has a beat that will get you moving. Now, not too many people seemed to be taken by it this night, but regardless, it was still one of the most energetic songs of the show. The song that follows it on their current album also followed it at this show, and that is the similar sounding, though more toned down, “1996”. They didn’t stop when the song was over. Instead, they segued it into a short instrumental piece, which was pretty rocking, before the guitar chords wound them into “Moving to New York”. Something was said about their next song having to do with a wedding, and while I missed out on what exactly was said, I think some girl in the crowd said something about marrying Tord. “You’re getting married!?” Murph said. “You heard it her first, Tord is getting married.” He added, while Tord was cracking up. The song was “My First Wedding”, which is about a less than ideal wedding situation (at least for one person), and then, when you thought the song was finished, they broke into another instrumental song. This one had a definite hoedown sound, and it didn’t really fit with the song, though it still worked, and did accomplish its primary objective, which was to get some laughs. During the next break, somehow they got on the topic of Tord being a Viking (he is of Norwegian decent), and Dan and Murph began drawing all these comparisons, one of which was, like, that he was the Viking version of Yoda. It was fun(ny) and as random a conversation as it seemed, it fit well the atmosphere of the band’s music and live show, which is just about having a good time. “This next song is called Tokyo, Vampires and Wolves.” Murph said when they were ready to move on, and also noted that it would be their next to last song of the night. When they got to their final song, it was of course none other than “Let’s Dance to Joy Division”, the happiest song The Wombats have done, and makes for the perfect note to end on. It seemed like the end of that song was the end of the show, but they decided they had a little bit left to give. The tune had tapered off, but Dan started counting them in with some light taps on the cymbals, soon exploding back into action on his drum kit, while Tord and Murph tore back into their bass and guitar, for another minute or so long instrumental shred fest to really cap of their show.

There are a few different levels I judged this performance, and one of those was comparing it to the other one I had seen. Yes, I would have loved it if they had gotten more time this night and could have done some deeper cuts like at the other show. But that’s nothing the band had any control over, and still, they were able to do the best of their material, which is good enough.

The you have their performance. It was every bit as good as what I remembered, and maybe even better. Tord is a beast in the live environment, and he covered practically every inch of the stage this night, just flat-out owning it. This is not intended to be a slight against the other members, but he is by far the most vigorous performer on stage. However, when Murph doesn’t have to be stationed behind the keyboards, he can give him a run for his money, while Dan is an incredible drummer, and demands your attention.

Now for the slightly negative. Murph’s voice didn’t sound quite up to par this night. It wasn’t downright bad, but it wasn’t quite as good as what I remembered hearing last November. I think I know the reason for that, too. For the last year and half or so the band has been on tour, with only a few months downtime here and there. That tour has consisted of two U.S. legs now and at least two extensive legs over in the U.K. and other such countries. That would no doubt take a toll on a person, especially ones voice, which I’m sure was the case with Murph. That can’t be helped and is just one of the things that comes with touring, but it did serve as a slight impairment to the show this night.

That aside, it was a great set, and I look forward to The Wombats next trip to Texas.

That’ll probably be awhile, though, because I know this was the last tour for their current album. So, until they can get another album recorded and released (which will surely be a couple years or so from now) go check out their previous records, all of which can be found in ITUNES.

When they finished, the crew quickly set to work at tearing down their equipment and getting it off stage, then got everything sound checked for the next and final act. Coincidentally, they, too, were a trio, who resides in Southampton, England. The band was Band of Skulls.

The band had played Dallas back in March (at the same venue The Wombats played last year), but their show fell on St. Patrick’s day. There’s always a big parade on Lower Greenville Avenue that day, which is where that other venue is located, and the mass of people meant there were no parking spots to be found, so sadly, I had to miss out on the show. I didn’t know when I’d have another chance to see Band of Skulls, either, since typically a band will only play a market once per tour. I’m glad there was an exception this time, though, as this would make up for the complete disappointment I felt earlier in the year when I missed their show.

Drummer, Matthew Hayward, guitarist and singer, Russell Marsden, and bassist and singer, Emma Richardson, took the stage to much fanfare. Then, Matthew started a steady beat on the bass drum, with some guitar and bass notes laced in between them. They were beginning with the title track from their current record, “Sweet Sour”. The duel voices (which were used often during their performance) added a striking quality to this song, which started with Russell singing, then turned into the two harmonizing, while Emmas’ voice gradually grew louder and louder, surging past his to become the dominant one for a time. It was amazing, and far better than what I had set my expectations to be, and I could only hope the rest of the night would get better. “Thank you!” exclaimed Russell when they finished, which was something he said often this night when they would finish a tune. There were enough offerings from their new record this night, but their main focus was on their 2009 debut, “Baby Darling Doll Face Honey”, and next they did the track, “Patterns”. They were off to a great start, and just with those first two songs it was evident they were a no-frills Rock band whose primary focus was the music. By that I mean, they kept conversation to a bare minimum, opting to just play their songs, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. They went from that one straight into their next song, which Russell led them into with the sweet guitar licks that start “Bruises”. I truly was in awe so far, but as good as those first few songs had been, they had barely even scratched the surface of what was to come, and their set really erupted with the song that follows that previous one on the album, “Wanderluster”. “You’ve seen the world, and all the glory is what you want, not what you need…” sang Emma, the opening line of the truly mesmerizing song. It was around this point in the show they did briefly talk with the audience, specifically Russell, who mentioned this was their last show of the tour, “…And were proud to be spending it here with you all!” he said. “Lies” was another song that was co-sung at various points throughout, such as the chorus, “Lies are the truth that you tell to yourself…”. No sooner had they finished it then Russell made his way over to stage left, standing at the forefront of the stage, holding his guitar out towards the crowd while he picked away at it. It was nothing other than notes at first, but then he transitioned it into their next song, the short but sweet, “Bomb”. After it, they slowed things down a little bit with “Fires”, which shows that as skilled as they are at writing roaring Rock songs, they can write more meaningful ones that pack just as much of a punch. The rhythm heavy and chilling, “Blood” came next, and then what may be one of the best named songs ever, “You’re Not Pretty But You Got it Going On”. Now, I am a newer fan of the bands, having first really listened to their music earlier in the year, but still, I had made myself familiar with all their songs… Or so I thought. Somehow, I had never heard the song “Hollywood Bowl” until the moment they started it. I even though it may be a cover at first, and only found out later it was indeed an original of Band of Skull’s. It ended up being a gem from this show, though. As things started to wind down, they did the catchy, “I Know What I Am”, then, for their final song, busted out one that came as a real surprise to me. Every album tends to end with a softer/slower song, but how many times do you ever those songs played live? Not often, right? That’s why it shocked me when they started the final track off their first record, “Cold Fame”. “What’s the point of fame if it’s been abused?…” Russell asked with the first line of the song, before getting to the chorus that cuts to the bone. “…But still I fall from grace with this microphone. How’d you find yourself if you never roam? Certainly, I’m indebted, baby. Certainly, certainly, yeah. I know my place but it don’t know me…”. It was hauntingly beautiful and it’s one of those songs that actually (successfully) makes you feel the emotion it’s trying to convey. It was enthralling, and the perfect way to cap off their 60-minute long set.

I really thought that might be it. Earlier on in the show Russell said something about their voices being on their last leg, so they needed help from the crowd in singing. They didn’t let that hinder them, though, still giving it one-hundred percent as far as singing went, unlike other bands whom I’ve heard say the same thing and then do let the fans sing half of some songs, which is not what I paid to hear. But then the chanting of “BAND OF SKULLS!” started. It was subtle at first, but caught on quick, and soon the three members walked back on stage.

“This is a song we like to call The Devil Takes Care of His Own.” said Russell, before they broke into the song. It was good way to get this 11-minute encore going, but it was merely an appetizer for two of the bands most popular songs. Everyone’s excitement spiked when they heard the muffled guitar notes, realizing it was the Blues infused, “Light of the Morning”. That was the main song I had been waiting to hear for the last hour plus, and it made sense that they would end with it, but no, there was still one song left. They didn’t give the fans any recovery time, ripping right into “Death by Diamonds and Pearls”, which brought the show to an explosive end.

Band of Skulls put on one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen.

It was incredible. Emma, Matthew and Russell are all unbelievably skilled musicians and they let it speak for itself. That is to say it was obvious it was all about the music this night, and while I like it when bands speak to the crowd a decent bit, there’s also something to be said about those who are straightforward and just play their music, which adds a ton of professionalism to the bands persona. And that was precisely what Band of Skulls accomplished.

Another aspect that made the show so phenomenal was the embellishments of the songs. Every band changes the songs slightly in the live setting, singing them in a different tone or something, and various other ways. Most times I dislike that with a passion, because I prefer to hear the songs exactly how I know them and have listened to them over and over and over again. Band of Skulls ended up being the first band I’ve seen where the live versions of the songs were even more amazing than on the records. Odyssey is probably the wrong word to use to describe it, because none of the tweaks were ever long enough to really be considered that, but I still find that as good a word as any. Already soaring guitar solos were expanded upon and turned into epic pieces, some of the bass riffs became fiery solos, and there were even some pulse pounding drum solos.

It all made for a fantastic, high-energy show, and one I will not soon forget.

The band does have several shows remaining this year over in England, and early next year they will do a few dates in North America opening for Muse. You can find the dates HERE, and  go see them if you get the chance, as they will blow your mind. And you can of course find their records in ITUNES.

By the time it was over, it wasn’t even quite midnight, making this a very early night.

Perhaps one of the most iconic venues in North Texas (and maybe even the country) is Billy Bob’s Texas.

It’s a VERY large venue, also serving as a place to hang out in the day, with some pool tables and other such entertainment. The venue routinely hosts some of the best Country/Americana bands from all over the nation, and that is why I never figured I’d end up at this place in the historic stockyards of Downtown Fort Worth.

Granted, I am becoming more of a Country music fan, but not to any of the acts that would play here. But this particular night, there were no country bands gracing the stage at Billy Bob’s. Instead, the world’s largest honky-tonk was hosting what is perhaps the best band to come out of Fort Worth: The Toadies.

The band had enlisted two Austin based bands to pen this show, the first of whom was Boy + Kite.

I wanted desperately to see this band again, after seeing them last year’s Dia De Los Toadies music festival, but the drive to Fort Worth is a long one, and by the time my dad and I got there and made it in, the band was practically done. I recognized a couple of their songs, while some others sounded new to me (though I haven’t listened to their music in awhile, so they could have been older tunes). The band seemed much tighter this time then what I remembered, and their stage show was definitely improved, with the three members at the forefront of the stage running about, shredding on their guitars or tearing it up on the bass.

What I saw I enjoyed, and hopefully the bands first ever show in the North Texas area will not be their last.

You can find their debut album, “Go Fly” in iTunes. And as of right now, their next show will be on November 9th at Fitzgeralds in Houston, Texas.

Second up was Quiet Company, and honestly, I’m not sure who I was more excited to see tonight. The Toadies, or these guys. That’s absolutely no joke, either.

The band walked on stage one minute after their scheduled 9:15 start time, and singer and rhythm guitarist, Taylor Muse, asked everyone how they were doing. That was answered with some applause and cheers, and he responded, “Yeah, me, too.” He was holding a drum stick which he then placed in his mouth and bit down on it, as he and the rest of the members cut loose on their instruments. The beginning to “Everything Louder Than Everything Else” gradually grew louder, before Taylor grabbed the drum stick from his mouth and proceeded to use it to play his guitar, then sang the opening line, “Long, long ago, back when the ocean was our home, we crawled out of the sea, so eager to breathe…”. I like all the levels this song takes you to, from that opening line, to reaching its pinnacle about halfway through, with, “…But when I go, there will probably be no angels singing, no harps ringing. No pearly gates, nor devil’s flames, just nothing…”, while it ended with bassist,  Matt Parmenter, guitarist, Thomas Blank, and trombone player, Cody Ackors, all co-singing with Taylor on, “…Don’t let me go, I’m not prepared.  I’m so damned scared that I’m almost there…”. The song takes you through some varying degrees of emotions, which is precisely what makes a good song to open with. As it came to an end, drummer, Jeff Weathers led them right into their next song, which was one of the bands singles, “You, Me, and the Boatman”. It was soon followed by another powerful song of the bands, “Preaching to the Choir Invisible: Part II (What Do You Think Happens When We Live?)”, which is always a highlight of the set. Usually for their next song, they have a sample track that kicks on about this time, segueing them right into it. However, they didn’t use it for this show. Instead, Matt moved over to the keyboard, and they all awaited his cue to start. “HEY!” he suddenly shouted, prompting Matt to begin pounding away on the keys, setting up the catch melody of “It’s Better to Spend Money Like There’s No Tomorrow Than Spend Tonight Like There’s No Money”. Taylor was able to get a little more animated on it, making gestures with his hands throughout it, since it doesn’t require him to play his guitar for the entire song. He made up for it on the next song, though, as he began wailing on his guitar soon after that song ended. This instrumental intro they have crafted perfectly captures a high-energy Rock spirit, and is probably the most intense the band gets, before it breaks into “We Went to the Renaissance Faire (…All Our Friends Were There)”. When it was over, Taylor started talking about Fort Worth. “…I’m sure there’s a lot of cross pollination here, but I think Fort Worth is far superior to Dallas…” he said, to which the crowd roared in agreeance. Not me, though, I knew it was just an attempt to make the people of Fort Worth feel better about where they live (That’s a joke people… Sort of.) It was also around this point where they mentioned that the band had entered into a whole new chapter. All five of them have now quit their jobs to make Quiet Company their main priority. “…So please, tell your friends about us and have them come see us…” Taylor urged the audience. “…I have a three year-old daughter and I’d really like to be able to feed her…”. From here on out they tackled one song right after the other, starting with “Preaching to the Choir Invisible: Part I (What do You Think Happens When We Die?)”. Cody sit his trombone down afterwards, and walked over to stage left, where the keyboard sit. They started an ominous instrumental lead in that instantly got me excited, because it could be nothing else but “The Easy Confidence (What I Would Say to You Now)”. Cody didn’t stay at the keys long, soon going back to the other side of the stage while Taylor started singing, “I was screaming out your name, I guess you never heard me. I was screaming it for years, and I think I deserve a reason for why you’ve remained so elusive…”. A little over a year ago when they released their latest album “We Are All Where We Belong”, that song popped out as being my personal favorite, and a year later it still is, making me look forward to the end of their set, just to hear that tune. Now along those lines, when you see a band enough, you come to know their setlist. Quiet Company somewhat tweaked theirs between the time I saw them back in April and then when they got back to Dallas in August, , though their final song remained the same, and that was the fourteenth track from their newest record. So obviously, I was anticipating that would be next… Luckily I wasn’t expecting it. Instead, the fiery end of “The Easy Confidence” came to a simmer, and then stopped all together as Jeff started some soft and steady drumming. It was a song I had never heard live, “On Modern Men”, coming from the record, “Everyone You Love Will Be Happy Soon”. Not only that, but I haven’t listened to the song much in the first place, so I wasn’t sure exactly what was going on. “So lift your hands up from your sides, rinse them both off with your pride, and let the world see what we’re not.  Because we have carved out our desires, and placed them in the hands of liars that will forget you when they want…” sang Taylor, who simultaneously slowly wrapped the microphone cord around his neck, making a noose of sorts. Sure, it threw me for a loop at first, but this was every bit as good of a note to end on as the other song has been. Maybe even more so.

In all their set was 44-minutes long, which was a pleasant surprise, since usually the opening acts get abbreviated sets. However that was just as much time as most of the other shows I’ve seen them do. There was one difference, though, and that was that they seemed even better this night than usual.

Their performance was spot-on, which is precisely what I’ve come to expect from these guys, yet they were even better than usual. I can’t pinpoint one specific thing, rather, it was the combination of the energy they all put forth, as well as how cohesive they are as a unit. And if they’ve gotten that much better in just a few months, imagine what awaits them, now that they are a full-time touring band.

Their show really was every bit as good as what The Toadies would soon do, but the only thing was Quiet Company didn’t have nearly the audience that they deserved. It wasn’t until they finished that a mass of people entered the venue, and I guarantee that if they had been there earlier, they would have been wowed, because I heard plenty of other people talking about how impressed they were by the band. Even when the night was done, I decided to splurge and finally buy one of the bands shirts, and their merch booth was still swamped at that time.

Obviously, the bands goal is to get out on the road more now, and currently have completed their second East Coast tour. So there’s a good chance the band will get to a city near you in the not too distant future. According to a post they made on their Facebook page, they will start doing about 200 shows a year, all over the United States, and hopefully beyond. They even have plans to release a new EP by year’s end with another full-length to come out sometime in 2013.

But in the meantime, you can find all their previous records in either iTUNES or BANDCAMP. You can even get a SIX SONG SAMPLER for FREE download if you just want to get a feel for the band’s music. And if you have the opportunity to see them live, by all means do. They are really one of the best bands I’ve ever seen or heard, easily making my top ten list. Quite possible even my top five.

Once everything was all set up and ready for the Toadies to take the stage, an interesting intro song started to play through the house system. It was by the Texas Country band, Eleven Hundred Springs, who coincidentally Mark Reznicek went on to play drums for after the Toadies 2001 breakup, and the song was “We’re From Texas.” As odd as a song choice as it seemed, it actually fit pretty well, and as the four members walked out on stage, Mark was even wearing an Eleven Hundred Springs shirt.

After taking the stage, frontman and guitarist, Vaden Todd Lewis, chatted with the crowd for just a moment, asking how everyone was doing, and then they got down to business. I thought I knew what was coming, since the bands set has been essentially the same the past few times I’ve seen them, but this night they threw a little bit of a curve-ball to their fans.

They still opened with a classic, but this time lead guitarist, Clark Vogeler, started them into “Happy Face”. It was a nice little surprise, and I was glad that things had been revamped, at least to some extent. That one was also just as powerful of an opening song as the other one has been, but in a completely different way, and got them off on a solid start. No sooner had that song ended, then Vaden moved right into the next song, occasionally plucking the strings on his guitar as he sang the first line of “Push the Hand”, before bassist, Doni Blair, Mark and Clark joined in to round out the sound. Those first two songs came from the bands first two major releases, and they kept barreling on, doing the title track from album number three, “No Deliverance”. I’ve often found myself on the fence with this song. I like it better live then the recording, but even then I can take it or leave it at times. But tonight, it sounded absolutely phenomenal. The other mic that Vaden uses, which gives his voice a more gravelly texture, definitely helps make the song, but it was at its best on the softer line, “…And then I saw her, bathed in light. A host of angels knelt at her side. She said, “You have forsaken all you believe. Crossed earth and oceans to be with me…”. It had a rather eerie vibe to it, which was exactly what made it so enjoyable. They paused after it, making some small talk. I believe asking everyone to give it up for the opening acts and such. Then, Clark started wailing on his guitar, using the whammy bar to fire up “Away”. Throughout it all you could hear most of the crowd (which I think totaled something like 3300 people) singing right along to it, and at times the audience was even more audible than Vaden was. Afterwards, he set up the bands next song, which was the first single from their latest effort, “Play.Rock.Music.” Doni began plucking away at his bass strings, before Mark joined him on the rhythm section intro of “Summer of the Strange”. As the two played, Vaden made his way from back by the drum riser towards the front of the stage, somewhat dancing as he walked, getting to the mic just in time to deliver the first line, “Give me back control. Give me back control. Give me back…”. I still say that song is one of the most off-the-wall ones the band has done, but has weird a sound as it has, it still is similar enough to the rest of their material to fit in. The music had barely ceased when Vaden started casually rocking out the killer intro of “Sweetness”. A little over halfway through, he changed up one of the lines, singing something else besides, “…Cut right down to the soul, to the center of you. I found me a home for the sinner in me…”, then got back to repeating that line a few more times. I can’t remember what he said at this point, but I liked the subtle change, which added just something extra to it. They followed it by ripping right into a fan favorite, “I Come from the Water”. There’s something about that song that as soon as you hear it makes it so easy to lose yourself to it. As soon as I realized it was that song I got excited, and even though I had been sick for a few days before this, which had resulted in a weak voice and sore throat, I still found myself compelled to join the rest of the crowd in singing along to the chorus at the top of my lungs. It really is that incredible of a song, and I liked the placement of it in the middle of the set even more than when it has been the opener. Another breather came after that song, and this was where Vaden started a conversation with the crowd with, “I’ve never gotten political on stage before…”. Obviously that had me thinking he was about to endorse one of the two presidential candidates, or at least something equivalent on that spectrum. However, what he said ended up being along some completely different lines. “…Has anyone seen  Looper?” he asked, adding, “Yeah, that’s a good flick.” The topic of conversation changed after that, as Vaden mentioned that Mark’s birthday was happening on this weekend. “No joke.” he said, as if to get rid of any doubt, while Mark stood up from his kit and made a few poses, while the crowd chanted, “U.S.A”, a few times. That made me realize that this is the third straight year that if seen the band at about this same time of year. Two years I caught a Denton show, which partially took place on his birthday, and then last year I believe it had just barely passed when they performed in Dallas. After things settled down, Mark led the band into their next song, “Waterfall”, which started another little onslaught of rock, as right after it was done they went into “Little Sin”, which was then followed by “Backslider”. Things then hit a slower spot with a song I was surprised didn’t make it into the setlist for this year’s Dia festival, “Song I Hate”, but at least they were playing it now. “I’m giving up on you. How could I ever call you mine? You’re too pretty, too simple, too easy. You’re just a waste of time…” Sang Vaden. That’s what makes that song so great, the lyrics are honest and raw, making it sound pretty authentic. They set up the next song as being the second single from their latest record. “…And I say second because hopefully there will be more…” said Vaden. A long guitar note rang out from Clarks’ guitar, starting them on the primal tune, “Animals”. It offers a good, realistic take on love, like with one of the lines from the first verse, “…You know love is a magic trick. Fools the eyes and drives the hips, but it’s crazy the shit it gets you through…”. The bands biggest hit, “Possum Kingdom”, came next, but after finishing it, it seemed like they still had a bit more to do. Why? Because Vaden stated, “Looks like this is going to be a three beer set.” One of their roadies brought out another beer for him. They were now in the homestretch, and started to wind things down with another new single and one of the bands best songs to date, “Rattler’s Revival”. Finally, to cap of their 61 minute-long set, they did one that is typically saved as an encore, “I Burn”.

The show had been incredible, and despite the more basic setlist (say, in comparison to the meaty show I had seen last month), this one was still every bit as good… Probably even more so. And they still had a little bit left in the tank for this night.

Now, throughout the show, security had taken several people out, thinking there were fights going on, when in fact some of the people were just moshing. As the main set came to an end, a few more incidents arose, leading the band, specifically Vaden, to plead with the security to leave the fans alone. “…They’re moshing, they’re not fighting. Moshing isn’t fighting. It’s still stupid as hell, but it’s not fighting…” he said, though it fell on deaf ears.

After a couple minutes of being gone, the band reappeared on stage to finish out the show, and got their 14 minute-long encore going with “Hell In High Water”. I didn’t get to fully enjoy this song, because during it was when a real altercation broke out next to me, with one guy grabbing anothers throat (where was the security when they were actually needed?). Luckily, it was resolved quickly, but for a minute or more that had my attention, as I, and numerous other people, just tried to stay out of the two guys way. The band wound that song perfectly into “Mister Love”,  and after it came their final song, which was none other than “Tyler”.

In terms of performance, this really was one of, if not the, best show I’ve seen the Toadies do. They were so on point with everything, which made the entire night quite impressive and was something to really marvel at.

I’ll keep this short and sweet, if you haven’t seen the Toadies, you need to. They know precisely what they are doing on stage and how to keep the crowd entertained, so you will not be disappointed.

As of right now the band is on the final leg of a tour with Helmet, and have only a few dates left. You can find all of them HERE, and if they aren’t coming somewhere near you, then you can surely count on the band touring sometime in 2013. And if you’d like to purchase the band’s music, well, you can find all of their releases right HERE.

All in all, it was a very fun and memorable night in Cowtown. I’ll have to try to get back occasionally, too. ‘Cause really, the drive over this way isn’t too bad.

Wednesday nights aren’t usually a big “go out and catch an awesome concert” night. Yet, tonight, there were at least three shows I really wanted to see, all of which were scattered across the metroplex.

One of those shows was at LaGrange in Dallas, were Spune Productions was bringing in a national touring band from Los Angeles, Milo Greene, and thanks to a contest from KXT 91.7, I managed to win some tickets to it. Honestly, until winning those, I was debating where to go, mainly because I could get into the other two shows for free regardless, but upon seeing that email informing me I had won, it made my decision pretty easy. And I’m very glad it did, because otherwise I would have missed out on what ended up being one of the best shows I’ve seen all year.

Up first was a local Dallas band named The Southern Renaissance, AKA, Michael Donner and the Southern Renaissance. I had heard the name before, but knew nothing about them. Still, one would think that if they were on a bill like these, they’d be pretty good.

The band opened their 42-minute set with the lead track from their older record, “On The Horizon”. It had a very catchy tune, and the harmonies, which were added by keyboardist, Eric Pearson, bassist, Blake Butler, and their guitarist were what really sold the song. (Side note: I believe it was their guitarist this night who was filling in for the bands normal one, which is why I’m not including his name, because I don’t recall it.) Their voices intertwined with Michaels’ perfectly at various points throughout the song, resulting in a gorgeous sound, making that a good song to start with. At this point Michael took a moment to tell everyone who they were, as well as what their next song was going to be, and that was the lead track from their “No Better Time” album, “Living Free”. I found it had more of an American/Folk sound to it, which is what the bands style is, though there was definitely a bit of a Rock vibe going on, too. “…This is an older song…” said Michael, who often spoke in-between songs, but kept things brief, because he acknowledged early on that most everyone was wanting to see Milo Greene, and that they would play through their stuff as fast as possible so that band could get on stage. Anyway, the song he spoke of was “Anna Lee”, which relied heavily on the piano, which had an old-timey like sound. Still, it wasn’t nearly as old-timey as “Old Fashioned Way”, which I believe was the song they did next, and had a tune that sounded like it was straight out of the early 1900’s, yet had a rather refined sound to it. But out of all their songs, it was the only one that completely failed to grab me. Probably because it did have such a unique sound, and I just couldn’t get into it. I think it was “Been A Long Time” that they did next, then came a cover song, with Michael saying they wanted to do one that everyone might know. Now, I didn’t know it, however, I did enjoy it. They returned to their originals with the more Rock ‘n’ Roll sounding, “Big City”, and then did what was a newer one they’ve concocted.  “Promise Me” came next, while the song, “Tall Trees”, concluded their set.

Aside from that one song I mentioned, and maybe one other where I briefly lost interest, I was pretty impressed by the band. Michael has an incredible voice, and the more they played, the better it seemed to get. It commands you attention when your hear it, and personally, I found it to be the most standout quality of their music. Plus it has that perfect sound that flows with the American music they play.

I can’t find any upcoming shows of the bands to promote, so stay tuned to their FACEBOOK PAGE for that info. You can also find both of the bands record in their BANDCAMP STORE, available for FREE download. Take advantage of that offer.

They got their gear off the stage, though it was still pretty full, due to Milo Greene already having their instruments and everything waiting there for them, which really cut down on time waiting for them to set up. But that of course didn’t completely eliminate the sound checking procedure, or the wait that came after it, as they had to kill time to get closer to the scheduled start time.

Shortly before 10:30 the members of Milo Greene, Robbie Arnett, Graham Fink, Marlana Sheetz, Andrew Heringer and Curtis Marrero, walked out onto the stage, assuming their places for their first song. Curtis was on drums, and was the only member who played the same instrument for the entire show. Marlana held down the keyboard duties, while Graham acted as the bassist, and Robbie and Andrew both played a guitar, the former using an acoustic. With only one ten track CD to their credit, they don’t have an abundance of material to draw from yet, but they did do a couple of non-album tracks this night, such as the one that kicked of their performance. It was a really good song, and actually ended up being one of my favorites from this show. Towards the end of it, Robbie really cut loose on his acoustic, and you don’t often see people shred on that particular instrument, but he did just that, quickly slashing away at the strings while moving his body around to the drum beats. That got them off to a phenomenal start, but could they keep that momentum going?

It sure seemed possible as that song flowed right into the instrumental, “Wooden Antlers”, during which Robbie added some extra percussion to the mix, beating on a couple of toms that were set up on stage left, close to the keyboard. Marlana even shook a little shaker to further add to it, while most of them periodically crooned into their mics, making a rich, harmonious sound. Robbie then returned to being a guitarist, this time on an electric one, and served as the main vocalist on “Don’t You Give Up On Me”. But that’s what makes their songs fantastic, the fact that they don’t use one primary singer. Instead, the four members at the front of the stage all harmonized for the bulk of the song, such as, “…I’ll go wherever you go. Don’t you give up on me…”. For their next song, Andrew busted out a banjo, while Marlana became the bass player, with the other two guys at the forefront of the stage using guitars. Their set may not have had a perfectly seamless flow, as far as everything wasn’t bridged right into the next song, though they did employ the use short instrumental pieces, such as the one that led them into the serene, “Silent Way”. Up next was the lead track from their self-titled record, “What’s The Matter”, which saw Andrew get the other guitar, while Graham played a shaker throughout the song. Upon finishing that song, Andrew said something like, “…It’s nice that we can play some random city, and all of you people show up…” Then, seeming like an attempt to do some damage control, Graham laughed, “You were just called a random city? How does that feel!?…” He went on thank everyone for coming out to this, which was only the second show the band has done in Dallas, and even for a Wednesday night there was no shortage of fans. At this point, they shouted out what song they wanted to hear, with one of the guys saying, “…We’ll get there.” Marlana then chimed in, “First you have to put up with my voice.” Luckily, “putting up with her voice” is far from being a bad thing. The band again changed instruments, with Graham getting back the bass, while Robbie walked back to stage left and the toms, and Marlana picked up the acoustic guitar. They gradually built up to the next song, before she started to sing in her divine voice, “Son, my son, the weight is unique. One, by one, the words are complete…”, the first line from one of my favorite songs of the bands, “Son My Son”. After another quick change with the instruments, leaving the three guys on guitars and Marlana on bass, Andrew inched towards the center of the stage, saying, “We may be from LA, but we’re going to do a song about Chicago.” I had an inkling to what that meant, and sure enough, they launched into a cover of Sufjan Stevens’, “Chicago”. I’ve never found myself to be much of a fan of Mr. Steven’s, though I do like that specific song, and much preferred Milo Greene’s rendition of it. They officially proved something else with that song as well, and that was that four out of the five members are more than capable lead singers. Before their next song, one of them mentioned that it was the first song they wrote together when starting the band. That song was “Autumn Tree”, which as an incredible intro, before dying out. That’s what makes the song so extraordinary, and a bit different from their others. Because it does have more of a minimalist sound, it allows the four-part harmonies to really shine through, sounding nearly like a cappella, creating a truly majestic song. Another short instrumental song came next, which they segued into their next full song, and during that transition Robbie left the toms he had beat on for a few moments and returned to his guitar, while Marlana passed the bass off to Andrew, as she got back behind the keyboard. “Ooohhh…” they softly sang into the microphones, getting “Perfectly Aligned” underway. It was followed by the other song of the bands that I thoroughly enjoy, “Cutty Love”, which is an ideal love song, though doesn’t sound too generic. “…All my dreams, my dear, they are of you…”, goes the first verse, but it’s the chorus where the song really soars to life. “…Even if your heart stops, I’ll be there to hold you up. Even as the world turns, I’ll be there to watch the fire burn, burn us both alive…”, they sing. It’s quite moving, and what little they had left was no simply icing on the cake for me. One of the songs they had left was “Take a Step”, which brought their 48-minute long set to an end, but it didn’t take much to figure out the band had an encore in store.

They had left the stage and retreated out to the patio, but it didn’t take them any time before they returned, and climbed back on the stage. “We had just enough time to make a circle around the courtyard.” One of them said. They had already played nearly everything from their album, so the first song of this encore was another either non-album/new(er) song, and sounded quite good at that. In all, their encore took 6 minutes to do, and it of course ended with the song that has become their hit, “1957”. Not only is it their hit, but out of all their songs, it also paints the most vivid picture in your head, such as with the first line, “Your house that sits behind me, is covered in ivy green. The windows that we watch from are old and chipping at the beam…”.

Their whole set had almost a storybook feel to it, and the song served as a good “final page”, as they ended it by all rapidly signing, “…I’ll go, I’ll go, “I’ll go, I…”

This band is truly amazing, and are one of the best things I’ve ever had the pleasure of hearing. Their harmonies have such an ethereal sound, you really might think you’ve died and already ended up in heaven. Even their music is different from anything else I’ve personally heard, being Folk based, with hints of Indie Rock.

I also liked the simplicity of their lighting, which was conducive to the environment, and ended up enhancing their songs. There were several light bulbs placed all about the stage, sitting on top of their amps and what not. It made them clearly visible throughout the set, and I’ve never been much on high tech visuals, which I find distract more from the performance than anything. Instead, what they used help create an aura.

This really was one of the best shows I’ve seen, and I feel privileged to have been able to see Milo Greene in a more intimate setting like this. I’m not sure exactly how many people can fit inside LaGrange, but I’d guesstimate around 150 or so. And for the bands only second show ever in Dallas, this already seemed like too small a venue for them to play. And I wonder how many more people would have been here had it been on a weekend, when peoples schedules were a little more open.

The band will be on the road through December 1st, and you can find all their tour dates HERE. I’d highly recommend seeing them if you get a chance. Not just because of how memorable the performance is, but also because their days of playing smaller venues are numbered, so take advantage of seeing them in this setting while you still have a possible chance. And don’t forget to go check out & maybe purchase their album, “Milo Greene”.