Heather Curtis

Futures Past

Last saturday I saw Futures Past at the Underground. Futures Past is a rock band from Toronto Ontario. This  was my second time of seeing them I think, so I was super pumped to hear what they can do. First off, Ricky Gupta sings like nobody I've heard. A lot of singers in bands from around here have unique voices, but his has a huge range, a great tone, and amazing dynamics. My favourite song of their set was ReHabbitz. It starts off with a keyboard, then swingings into Ricky Gupta's melodic voice. This song is hard to follow with the lyrics. If you listen carefully, you will hear some imagery and metaphors in there. It's a really interesting song.

Futures  Past is a band that appeals to every kind of music fan. They have some really poppy parts, some hard rock parts, and some screamo parts. It is very hard to classify their sound, they are just so original and fun. Garth Jullen is such a cool bassist. He has such a cool laid back attitude on stage, but then rocks out for the extra hard parts of the music. He is really fun to watch.

Marr played that night too. Marr is a really hard metal band from Hamilton. Just like Futures Past, Marr is super unique and doesn't sound like any other band in the area. Singer Louis has a cool tone to his voice too. He can do so many different things with his voice, it is really fascinating to watch him do his thing onstage. He is so emotional when he is singing the songs. He really gets into it as well. You can tell he is singing his heart out and working has hard as possible.

Marr is super unique. The have their own style that is unmistakably theirs. A lot of bands can be confused with others in this area, not Marr. The second you hear Louis' voice at the beginning of the songs, you know right away that it's Marr. The rest of the guys work so well together, and you can tell how experienced they are, and how well they work together.

city sirens and carrion @ the casbah

This past Saturday at the Casbah I saw Carrion and City Sirens. Carrion is a hardcore band from Stoney Creek. I have seen them a few times and liked them a lot each time. Carrion has tons of energy. All the guys were jumping around singing the lryics in each others' faces and just having a great time. It is really important for bands to have tons of energy, and Carrion does. Drummer Matt Sollveri showed off his kick- ass skills with complicated rifs. He is a super talented drummer, and is obviously very experienced. I really liked the Carrion set, and I am very excited to hear them again!

Next band I am going to talk about is City Sirens. I've talked about City Sirens, because I love them:D That night they were on top of their game. The set was full of energy, which helps to keep the audience excited. My favourite song of their set was  That's Business.  Every time I see them That's Buisness is my favourite one. They also played a bunch of new ones that I haven't heard before. They have the same City Sirens feel, but are different as well. I am really excited to hear a new cd in the future. All of these guys are rockstars, and they rock out as hard as possible all through the set.

Awake and Dreaming @ the Underground

  The first band I am going to talk about is Inland. Inland is a pop punk band from Mississauga Ontario. This was my first time seeing them, and I loved the set. They are really poppy and fun, but also have certain parts in their songs that are harder. Singer Manny Araujo is a top notch singer. He has such a huge range that is really impressive. The lyrics of the songs are deep and meaningful, that you have to listen carefully to understand. That's what I feel music should be about. Connecting to the writer and understanding what they went through when they wrote it. I really connected with this band's lyrics. Good job! Make sure you check them out!

Next up is Awake and Dreaming. I have liked this band for a very long time, and was excited to finally see them again. I have written about this band a few times. When it was time for them to play, I was super excited. My favourite song by them is Common Cold Shoulder. It is a super fun song that uses really heavy guitars and complicated drum rhythms. Singer Cameron Roberts has tons of skill. He has a higher voice than a lot of singers, but that makes his voice really unique.  There performance involves head banging, impressive guitars, great vocals and fast drums. I really suggest seeing this band yourself so you can experience the Awake and Dreaming live show!

40 sons and daughters at the casbah

This past wednesday at the Casbah I saw my favourite band of all time, 40 Sons and Daughters. They were on a very weird bill. I don't even remember the names of the other bands, they all kind of meshed together into one sound.

So, this was my first time seeing 40 Sons and Daughters since December! So this show was a huge deal for me and I was very pumped. Before they even started, most of the club started chanting, "FSD FSD" over and over again. The atmosphere was definitely tense, but full of excitement. Everybody was ready for 40 Sons and Daughters.

They played a lot of new songs. It was really cool. I looked around confused because I had no idea what song it was, which does not happen very much. But I loved every new song I heard. They still have the 40 Sons and Daughters sound, but is different from the stuff they usually do. I am really looking forward to a new cd in the near future!!

My favourite songs of the night were My Illusion and Waste You Call a Land. They are both so intense, and make anybody around them want to rock out. This band has a way with the crowd, getting the crowd as pumped as they are. That is very important for a band, and 40 Sons and Daughters does it perfectly.

Mike Repic is an amazing singer. I'm sure he makes singers from all over totally jealous with his skill. He has such a swagger and presense on stage. He adds so much to the performance. He is great to watch.

Hail the Villain and Rides Again

This show was at the Casbah this past sunday. I'm sorry for not getting it up before. So, the first band I'm going to write about is Hail the Villain. I have only seen them a few times, but each time they bring it! They have so much energy on stage and have so much fun, that the crowd just HAS to join in. My favourite song of the night was Mission Control. It is perfect for headbanging. It has a really good message too. How I interpret it is, we are living in a violent world where war is becoming accepted. I may be wrong though. I really love Bryan Crouch's voice. I'm surprised he doesn't shred his voice. It is so intense, which fits perfectly, because Hail the Villain is extremely intense. The stage presense, the connection with the crowd, and with each other made this an amazing set! Catch them at the Casbah again on April 12th.

Next up was Rides Again. I have never seen them before, so I was realllly pumped. Nathan Peyton has an extremely different sounding voice. I was excited to hear if he sounds that unique and great live to. Well, he did. I was entranced by his voice. Just like Hail the Villain, these guys meshed perfectly on stage together. I could totally imagine Rides Again playing in a huge staduim with 20,000 people rocking out and loving every second. Rides Again works hard, and has a great unique sound. They just have to keep working and you will soon be seeing them on a cross-country tour. Bassist Chad Peyton wowed me as well. He has such a cool attitude, and really connected with the fans. It's super important to let the people who support you know you really appreciate them. It was a great show, and I can't wait to see them again.

something that pisses me off

I know I already wrote a bit about this, but I felt it needed its own post. I know when you give ten dollars to the guy at the door, you can spend the time the way you want. If you go in and really dislike the band, that's cool, just go outside and chill with your friends. But, if you stay in the club and don't even look at the people onstage, you are being disrespectful to the people working hard to play their creations for you.

Think about it, you've worked super hard to write songs for a show, you are standing onstage, and you see two people right at the front, and forty overall not paying attention. You would be angry. You put in all that time and people aren't even looking at you. I'm not saying you have to rock out, but if you chose to stay in the club, at least look at the people onstage. All these musicians want are people watching them. If you just stand near the stage and really concentrate on the music, most of them are happy.

I am not trying to be insulting, I'm just giving my opinion. So next time if you don't enjoy the band, go outside, and the people who chose to stay inside will be respectful and enjoy the music.

Next wednesday at the Casbah 40 Sons and Daughters are playing. Make sure you check it out.

another saturday night at the underground.

So, before I talk about bands I just want to say something. City Sirens played an acoustic set. There were a lot of people there, but a lot were not paying attention. Come on, there are four amazing musicians up there baring their souls and you're not paying attention. They are telling you their life story... and you are ignoring them. If you don't want to hear it, go outside.

The first band I'm going to talk about is Cold Driven from Armstrong, British Columbia. Staring with the very first note, their sound just flew from the stage and hit you in the face. Every single one of them were headbanging, and screaming lyrics in each others faces. I think them doing this so much is what sets them apart. They never stood still without moving in some way. Keys player Kalen Bird was amazing to watch. I have seriously never seen somebody so into the music before. He was so intense, you could see in his eyes that he loves the music and it means a lot to him. Singer Billy Nichell showed everybody he rocks —  starting with the sound check. The sound that came from his mouth was better than a lot of studio voices for singers. Check these guys out again on the 6th, they won't be around for a while after that.

Next up I'm going to talk about is City Sirens. These guys rock with electric guitars, and with classical guitars too. I walked in all pumped, and saw that they were playing acoustic and got even more pumped. A lot of my favourite bands have played acoustic sets, and I feel it really shows off their talent. For anyone who has seen this band, you know that singer Mike Dias kicks ass. Without guitars and drums behind him, you can hear better. He sung really smoothly, with a huge range. A lot of singers are really good, but have no range. My favourite song they played that night was That's Business. This song is about the music industry, and about how it's all about business, and not making music. I totally agree with this song. It seems like it's not about talent anymore, just about how much money you have. Make sure to check out a show on March 14th at the Hamilton YMCA.

This was also the first time Loaded has played at the Underground since the beginning of October. They had a really large group of supporters. The second they started playing you saw kids jump around smiling and singing along. Singer Joe Janicas is a total rock star. He has the look, the attitude, and the sound. They played a bunch of songs that I remembered from previous Loaded shows. Apparently the rest of the people remembered them too because they were screaming along with Joe. They had a brand new bassist Aaron Young. Joe told me he was a little nervous, but you couldn't really tell. Aaron is a great addition to the band, and I am super excited to see more shows with him there!!

dame at the underground

This past Saturday I went to the Underground to watch the great band Dame in action. Dame is a hard rock band from Toronto Ontario. I saw them one other time when they played with Marr at the Underground. I thought they were an amazing, unique band that is here to stay.

My favourite song by them is called Intervention. It is a really hard, and fun song. This is a perfect song to show off the skill of the band. Kate has a voice way above her years. It is always cool to see really young musicians singing like they've been singing for 20 years. Bassist Faye has such a cool laid back attitude on stage. Shes the kind of person that is not crazy, but you wish you could look like when you play guitar. There were lots of people there to see them and everybody cheered and clapped.

Dame is really connected to each other while on stage. It is really important for a band to have a good vibe with the audience, but also with each other. You could have a great band, but without a vibe with each other on stage, they would be boring to watch. Dame pulled it all off. They are already so professional at such a young age. This band is obviously going to go really far. Watch out for Dame!

www.myspace.com/dameband

Upcoming shows:
Feb. 29: City Sirens and Loaded at the Underground

March 1: Bombing Neverland and The Swiss Army Romance, 169 Gibson

March 2: Rides Again, Hail the Villain at the Casbah

March 12: 40 Sons and Daughters at the Casbah

March 22: Carrion, City Sirens, and Faceless Tomorrow at the Casbah

March 22: Under Amber Skies at the Underground

March 23: Social Code and Sum 41 at the Convention Center

March 29: Marr and Dame at the Underground

city sirens at the underground

(all photos of city sirens/heather curtis/jamilton.ca)

On Friday night I went to the Underground to see City Sirens. I saw a few other cool bands too. The first band I'm going to talk about is Radio Light Science. Radio Light Science is an indie band from Hamilton Ontario. Their music is really laid back, and cool to listen to. Singer Dave Spohn is super talented. He is super unique, his sound really adds to the band's overall sound. When people cheered and screamed after their songs, they looked a bit surprised. These guys definitely do not give themselves enough credit. They have an extremely unique sound that makes you want to listen, even if you have never heard of the band before. Usually during a band, you see people leaving, then coming back. For this band people stayed where they were and listened to the whole set.

The next band I'm going to talk ab out is Rear View, a punk band from Hamilton Ontario. This band is really fun. They have quick fast guitars and hard, upbeat drums. They had a small group of really excited supporters with Rear View shirts jumping around, singing, and taking pictures. They have really interesting lyrics. I like a band more when I can relate to their lyrics and relate myself to what the writer was feeling. I felt like that with this band. They had such energy while on stage. They really meshed well together on stage and looked like they were having an amazing time. Rear View is a band that I will be seeing again in the near future!!!

You may remember me talking about City Sirens. City Sirens is a totally awesome and energetic band from Stoney Creek Ontario. Just like the last time I saw them, they had tons and tons of people there for them. Moshpits broke out various times during their set, and you saw the kids having tons of fun and smiling. Having a hold over the crowd is important for a band, and City Sirens has this skill down perfectly. Mike Dias is so versatile as a singer. You can tell he's the kind of guy who can sing any kind of music and rock at it. Bassist and singer Fraiser Reily wowed everybody with his amazing rapping skills. City Sirens, like another great band, 40 Sons and Daughters, fit together perfectly on stage. If any of the members were replaced by somebody else, the band would not be reaching their full potential.

upcoming shows

Feb 8th: Brown Brigade, Club Absinthe, Hamilton Ontario

Feb 9th: High Voltage, Saigon Hookers, The Casbah, Hamilton Ontario

Feb 10th: Tokyo Hotel, The MOD Club, Toronto Ontario

Feb 10th: The Swiss Army Romance, The Casbah, Hamilton Ontario

Feb 12th: Sauce Rock-it, The Casbah, Hamilton Ontario

Feb 14th: 40 Sons and Daughters, Jeff  Healey's, Toronto Ontario

Feb 17th: More of Less, Hail the Villain, Rides Again, The Casbah, Hamilton Ontario