Dead Silence

I’m pretty bummed out.

The reason I haven’t written in so long is because well- there is nothing to write about!

This town has hit a slump.

No good bands- not even locals- have put on anything worth blogging about. I did however go to 149 last month to listen to a jazz ensemble but it wasn’t very lively. There were about 10 people there, 2 of which were sleeping, and the crowd just didn’t seem very pumped up or interested in the music. I watched for about an hour and a half and two beers later went on my way.

I saw Steve Raska play at Nate & Wally’s last week which wasn’t bad. He mostly sang cover songs from musicians such as O.A.R., Oasis, Dave Matthews Band and other similar jam bands. It was a pretty cliche show and the next song was easily predictable. His voice and guitar skills were good though and he had another guy on the side playing various instruments to spice up the songs. I’ve heard a lot about the guy but wasn’t extremely impressed.

On a more positive note, there are some great local bands that are playing at Howard’s within the next month.

12/12: Hot Damn

12/15: Stop Don’t Stop

12/17: Taber Maine (Corey Baum From Stop Don’t Stop- Acoustic)

1/2: Bancroft [Reunion]

These shows should wake this town up a little.

Side Note: Check out the Clazel. . . New bar on N Main Street on the corner of Wooster right next to Tubby’s. It’s a pretty sweet bar and would make a great venue for big musicians to play at. Hopefully this will attract a mainstream artist in the future and give this town the shaking up that it needs.

Underoath At Their Best

Last Thursday, I went to the Underoath concert at Bogarts and it was hands down the most amazing show I have ever been to.

I’ve seen Underoath perform before and they haven’t always put on the best show. Aaron Gillespie, drummer and singer of the band, has struggled in the past to put on a great live performance due to his double role of singing while playing drums.

This time was different. Not only was he better, but the whole band was better. It was the night before Halloween, the atmosphere was great and the fans were so devoted and pumped up. The best part however was the unique backdrop.

The lights went off before the band came on stage, and a cloth backdrop came down in the background. A projector turned on and a very creepy video began playing on the screen. It was a woman running through a field with a guy in a gas mask chasing after her. The chase continued in black and white with very little color tone. The video was gritty and old-seeming. The gas mask guy finally caught up to the girl and right before he grabbed her the screen went static and a hand took up the whole screen with the words “I AM THE MESSENGER” written across it.

Aaron Gillespie was the first to come out and everyone went crazy and cheered. As soon as Spencer Chamberlain came out he started screaming and the first song began. The greatness of the show continued with video’s being played in between and during every song.

Each video had a different theme. There was one that was a collection of video’s from war, explosions and bombings. It was graphic and morbid but sad and hard to look away from. The crowd didn’t even want to clap in between songs for fear of missing the next exciting video. Another one was a tree dying over a long period of time but sped up to be only 4 minutes. And another video was of a man walking alone through a field of dismembered bodies and he was trying to figure out what happened.

All of the video’s had the same gritty black and white background. Some color tones came through in certain areas. It was just amazing. The band was great, the sound was great, everything was perfect.

I have never seen a show use a video in the background before. I felt like I was at a theater watching the best movie ever instead of seeing just a regular band play on stage. It was very theatrical and unique.

Here is a youtube clip of the show which will give a better feel for what the concert was like.

Enjoy!

Go Don’t Go

Local band, Stop Don’t Stop, has had one hell of a month.

They released their brand new CD a few weeks ago and have since been playing shows non stop.

The band is comprised of 5 very talented guys: Corey Baum on vocals, Ben Lucas on guitar, saxophone and keys, Mike Edwards on drums, Brett Horner on guitar and Brandon Smith on bass.

I am friends with the guys and they are amazing. I’ve lived next door to some of them, and have done many concert and CD reviews for the paper.

Not only are they a fresh band that bring a unique vibe to the town of BG, but they are nice guys who are playing music because they are passionate about it.

Stop Don’t Stop has some exciting, upcoming shows at Howards on these dates: Oct 14, Oct 15, Oct 25, Nov 21 and Dec 15. Make sure you stop by the venue and check them out for a great time.

Are you fans of your fans?

Last Monday I covered a show for the BG Newspaper and got to see opening local band Parse, and the headliner, Cartel.

Parse was great. Not only did they put on a good show, but they were personable and nice. They hung out with their fans, stood in the crowd and watched the other bands play, and payed attention to their merch table. They were friendly and very real. I happen to be friends with the singer of the band, so I’m sure my opinion is biased, but Parse was wonderful.

Cartel also played great. But that’s it. Aside from their hour long set, they were no where to be found. The members sat in their tour bus the entire show. Not once did they visit their merch table, talk to their fans or hang out to watch another band play. Seriously Cartel, you are not that big.

It really bothered me that a decent band like Cartel, let a few stupid MTV appearences fill up their head. I was disappointed with the members and their lack of personal communication with their fans.

I’ve been to many shows where bands BIGGER than cartel were a part of the crowd being a fan of their fans and a fan of other opening bands.

I wanted to give Cartel a bad review, but I’m not quite sure it would have many a difference on their next appearence. They didn’t seem too concerned with anything other than looking good on stage.

New Sounds

blah blah blah.

online journalism 460

obama rocks.

be your own pet.

new cd coming out next month

and tours every year

i wish.

blah blah blah.