Heather Curtis

a night of great music

This past Friday I went to the Underground to see Bombing Neverland. Some of you may remember posts from a long time ago with the name Out of Options in them. Bombing Neverland used to be called Out of Options, but now are using a new name.

The first band I'm going to talk about is Under Amber Skies. They are a screamo band from Brampton Ontario. Usually, I don't enjoy bands like this. I usually enjoy listening to the lyrics. But something about this band changed my mind. The intensity of their sound, and their stage presence made me want to stay and watch their whole set. Vocalist Sean brought it. He really got into the music and made the crowd love it too. All the guys were jumping around and head banging. It's important to always be energetic, even if not a lot of people are there to watch you. You never know who might be in the audience. My favourite song by them is Dear Loved Ones, I'm Dead. It's really passionate. The guitars are loud, and in your face. Screamo bands always have heavy complex guitar rifts. If any of you have a chance, you should really check them out at a show.

Enter Ghost is another screamo band. They are different from any other screamo band I've heard though. For a few of their songs, it started off like a dance/techno song. They had keyboards where they were making cool sounds. There was not a lot of people there, but the ones up at the front were enjoying themselves and jumping around smiling with their friends. The song called Fluff My Pillow Baby sounds like it would be techno. If you were to walk in without knowing who the band is, you would think they are a techno band, but then they change. They are a really unique band. It takes skill to be able to switch genres in the blink of an eye like this band does. Drummer and singer Chris has a voice that you want to keep listening to. It was really entrancing and beautiful.

I've liked Bombing Neverland since last November when I saw them at the Absinthe. I was standing there with my friend then they started playing, we both looked at each other and smiled.  Bombing Neverland has such energy while onstage. Their best song of the night in my opinion was Dr J. This song has fast guitars and drums that make you want to jump around, which is exactly what I did. Singer John is totally awesome. He has an intense voice. Bombing Neverland is a very hard band. Perfect for headbanging. My two friends and I were up at the front dancing, and headbanging. It was a lot of fun. Even though I haven't seen this band in forever, I remembered always having a blast at their shows. I did that night. I seriously can't wait to see them again.

last weekend at the underground

Again, I forgot to write about a show, so I don't remember what most of the bands were called. I'm going to talk about Dame, and Marr.

Dame are about my age, and they rock. The singer Kate is 15, but sings like a pro. Sometimes she sounded rough and raspy, then could switch to sound sweet and innocent. Songs that stuck out most for me were Cyclop, Hey Angel, and Intervention. All of those songs are great to rock out to. Amazing drums in all of them. You guys should really check out there myspace... www.myspace.com/dameband. Hey Angel is an example of Kates voice sounding sweet, then rough and raspy. At the start, her voices sounds extremely melodic and pretty. Then she switches it up. She has so much skill and experience. Guitarist Faye was playing better than a lot of guys I've seen who are ten years older than her. The drummer Kayla was just like Faye with being better than older guys. This band has a great following. Check their myspace for their upcoming shows.

It was Marrs Cd Release, so I was very excited. Marr is a loud, in your face metal band. Loud yet melodic guitars make Marr who they are. Jason Soppet is a pro. He has such a cool attitude on stage. He doesn't have insane stage presense, but you would look up at him and wish you could look as cool while playing the guitar. My favourite song by them  was the Peacock. Marr had a huge group of people there for them. It was pretty packed in the Underground. I looked around and saw lots of people wearing Marr shirts talking about how excited they were to see them. Singer Louis has a really unique voice. It was a lot of fun to listen to. His voice, with the music fit perfectly. I definitely want to see this band again. Anybody who wasn't there missed a great show!

saturdays rock

On Saturday for the early show at the Casbah I got to see Sauce Rock-it and Faceless Tomorrow, but had to leave for hockey before 40 Sons and Daughters. If anybody has pics of 40snd please send them my way! Thanks!

First up at the early show was Sauce Rock-it.  I've seen Sauce Rock-it many times before. I love them more every time I get to see them. By the time they started, I was totally pumped! They played tons of new songs. The new stuff sounds like the Sauce Rock-it you all know and love, but a different style. They sounded really great! Pete Moss has such awesome stage presence. It's important to have a stage presence that is all your own, and Pete has that down. My favourite song of their set was Sputum. It's a perfect song to scream in your friends' faces. The crowd really dug them to( obviously). People were screaming with Pete, and dancing around. They really hit home with this show. Great work guys!

Next up was Faceless Tomorrow. Another great Hamilton band. Guitarist and singer Tyler Walker is such a rockstar. He made the band interesting to watch and made everybody onstage have lots of fun. They played Last Man Standing which is a perfect song to rock out to! Singer Kevin Auton showed us how pro he is with his vocal range and dynamics. They had a little trouble with the bass guitar, but kept on playing through the technical difficulties. A lot of bands would just stop playing untill it was fixed. Not Faceless Tomorrow though. They have the attitude and the sound to go far, just like so many other bands from the Hamilton area. Great work guys!

the risen rock

Last weekend, I went down to the Underground to see a totally awesome band called the Risen. I've seen this band one other time at the Underground, so I was sooo excited to see them again!

If you don't know who The Risen are, and you just walked down and heard them playing, you are in for a treat. The first thing you will notice is how passionate they all are. Head banging, screaming the lyrics. It is all really cool to watch. The Risen have lyrics that mean something. They talk about not changing yourself to fit what other people what you to be. How not to be satisfied with just everyday life, and to change it up a bit. If you listen carefully, you will hear a different message for each song. I feel it is so important for music to mean something important. It does not have to be a serious message, just something that is important to the musicians.

My favourite song of the night was My Human Condition. They originally did not have it on the set list, but they played it just for me:). Another great song is called Pieces. One of the lyrics is "the broken pieces of a broken family." Those lyrics are really strong and powerful. This song talks about a family who has to overcome a tragedy. I feel the song is saying, just stay strong and you will pull through. That is just my interpretation of it though.

Singer Jordan Embury blew me away. Apparently he was sick with a cold. But the way he sung you would never be able to tell. He is one of the few singers I have heard that sound better when there sick, than a lot of singers do when they are totally healthy. He hit every note and totally rocked it!!

The Risen is a band that has a really strong connection on stage. Just like 40 Sons and Daughters, if somebody else replaced any of the band members, The Risen would not be reaching their full potential. I am not sure when they are playing another show, but I will keep you posted.

The next band I am going talk about is City Sirens. This is the first time I have seen them, so I was so pumped and ready. They are so energetic. There attitude on stage perfectly fits the attitudes of their songs. They had a big crowd of supporters who rocked out just as hard as they did.

 

My favourite song by them had to be Silence Over Sound. The lyrics are really mature and meaningful. Singer Mike Dias sings them perfectly. At times he sung really quietly, which added a lot of mood to the song.

Drummer Jake Nicholle played like a pro. The rhythms he was pulling off was totally impressive. I could tell after like 5 seconds of their first song that he’s been playing drums for a very long time. He is now one of my favourite drummers. This is a great band and you all should check them out.

SATURDAY JAN 12:

40 Sons and Daughters is playing at the Casbah with Sauce Rock-it and Faceless Tomorrow. The show starts at 5:30. Make sure you go!