rockin' pix
put your cursor on the pic to see which band it is!
put your cursor on the pic to see which band it is!
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.
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!
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!
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!
So, I've been looking forward to this show for weeks. I was totally pumped. Seeing Prologic was a VERY big deal. Obviously, like any 16 year old I had a curfew. It was totally reasonable and I assumed that I would see Prologic. Well, no such luck. The show was pushed back 40 minutes, and Prologic was pushed from 3rd to 4th. I know, it's rock and roll. Rock doesn't have a timetable. But, something that really bugs me is when the gear is tuned up and ready to go, but sits there on the stage for half an hour. If the instruments are ready, play them!! Well, since I only got to see one song and I was going to review this show, I'm just going to talk about this great band.
Well, my favourite song by Prologic is called Come Back to Me. This song is amazing! It's totally passionate. I feel this song is about losing somebody you really care about, and wanting them back. I like music with meaningful lyrics, and Prologic has that element in the bag. Losing somebody you love sucks. It doesn't have to be a girlfriend or boyfriend, but a family member or a friend.
From the one song I had the privledge of seeing that night, they kicked ass. Guitarist Jimmy is a total rock star. He totally got the crowd pumped and excited, even though they already were. The second the music started a bunch of people pushed their way up to the stage. The first song they played was Losing You. A totally hard in your face song that makes you want to headbang. You could tell they were going to have a pretty kick ass set.
I bought the cd, but I have not had a chance to listen to it yet. I'm totally pumped though. Check out their myspace.. www.myspace.com/rocklogic. That's all for now! Bye!
Last night I had the urge to go down to the Underground. I went down the stairs I've been down so many times without knowing what music I would hear. The promoter later told me it was a reggae show. I have never seen a whole reggae show so I was really excited.
The first band up was Native Reverb. Native Reverb are two guys with guitars and little bongos. Dan and Kyle have a strong connection onstage. Their lyrics are so strong and passionate. They talk about war, poverty, love and loosing a person you love. For the whole set, both Dan and Kyle's eyes were closed and they were swinging back and forth. I love music that you relate to and you have to listen to the lyrics to understand what exactly they are going through. Native Reverb made me really listen. Throughout the set they would switch up their instruments. They would switch to little bongo drums, to a little wooden frog thing, to a bell thing. Both of these guys are really creative. I can't wait to hear them again!
The next band up was Street Pharmacy from Welland Ontario. Even though all these musicians played the same genre of music, they all sounded so different. Street Pharmacy was reggae/dance/rock pop. Perfect music to dance to and bop your head. Ryan Guay has a really good voice. I really loved hearing his voice. Totally unique, totally his own sound. These reggae guys are all so cool, but so different. None of the bands I saw that night sounded the same. Street Pharmacy had a totally different sound than the other two. Reggae seems to be a really unique style of music. I know nothing about reggae, but I'm definitely thinking of checking out another show.
Mean Tangerine is from London Ontario. Even though there was not a very good crowd, they kept the energy up for the whole thing. A lot of bands do not do that. It is really important to stay energetic because you never know who is in the crowd. Last night there could have been an important record guy wanting to sign them. So props to them for kicking ass. Mean Tangerine have a lot of guitar solos. It's really cool to hear. They switch from a rock feel to totally reggae. I loved their overall sound, it was great. All of their stage presence was so energetic. Jumping around, head banging and just having a great time. Good job guys!
It was an interesting evening. I'm excited to see any of these bands again.
When people listen to music, some listen to the guitars, or the bass line. The thing I listen to most is the lyrics. There have been so many amazing songs with inspirational lyrics. Lyrics about not getting lost in the world, about true love, and about enjoying life. I like listening to music and feeling connected to it. In this blog I'm going to tell you some of my favourite lyrics and what I think they mean. Okay awesome. I hope you enjoy it.
"I'm trying to figure out the answers to find who I am". These lyrics are from a Guilty song called Find Shelter in These Wings. Guilty's lyrics are so intense. In life, you don't have all the answers. Everybody feels lost and tries to find who they are. Nobody knows for sure. It's a life long process to figure it out.
"We're all lost amongst this world, just waiting to find our way home." This is from My Illusion by 40 Sons and Daughters. Just like how we all are trying to find who we are, we are also trying to find where we fit in. The world is a very confusing place.
"Count down the days untill the end of the world, we sleep but the sky is falling." This is one of my favourites. It's by Hail the Villain, the song Mission Control. I think this is about how the world is all about fighting. We can't solve problems without hurting each other. I think this whole song is very powerful. Make sure you listen to it.
"No one I know can help me, leave me in misery." This is is Glad to Be by Hail the Villain. Sometimes in life you feel like nobody can help you. You are just so unhappy with your life and where it's going that you feel nobody could every understand what you're going through.
"Every get the feeling that you're losing control." Heart Vs. Mind by Mugshot. Sometimes, you feel you can't control what happens to you. Nothing goes right and you have no way to fix it.
So, thats it for now. In my opinion, the lyrics are about trying to connect with the music. To feel what the musicians were going through when they wrote the song. Try to understand the story and what they went through. Next time you listen to your favourite song, listen to the words very carefully!
Sorry to the bands if this wasn't what you meant. Just what I got out of it. Great job writing these amazing songs!
Last night was Rockin 4 City Kidz II. As you many remember from my last City Kidz post I did it a bit differently. I'm going to do it like that again.
Favourite song of the night:
TIE: My Illusion (40 Sons and Daughters) Out of Phase (Sauce Rock-it)
Favourite Drummer on the night:
Matt Goodale Faceless Tomorrow)
Favourite Singer of the night:
TIE: Jesse Daigle (Porcelain Youth) Mike Repic (40 Sons and Daughters)
Favourite band of the night:
40 Sons and Daughters
Favourite bassist of the night:
E-Rock (Sauce Rock-it)
Favourite guitarist of the night:
THREE WAY TIE: Tyler Walker (Faceless Tomorrow) Jesse Daigle (Porcelain Youth) Mike Szpakowski (40 Sons and Daughters)
Favourite head banger/hair swinger of the night:
Matt Goodall (Faceless Tomorrow)
Favourite song to head bang to:
TIE: My Illusion, Waste you call a land (40 Sons and Daughters)
Best energy: High Voltage
LEAST FAVOURITE PART OF THE NIGHT:
Okay, so you all know, at shows kids mosh right? That is just what happens. You can't have a show with 40 Sons and Daughters and have kids not mosh. It's just their kind of muisc. Kids get into it, and that is how they express it. At the show last night, even the tiniest bit of moshing was apparently unacceptable. Even when it was just about seven kids jumping around and bashing into each other. Oh no! Moshing at a rock show! The security guards would pull kids out by the back of their shirt, or by their wrists. These people really have to be careful, somebody might not like being pulled like that by someone they don't know. They even threw a kid out into the blizzard without a coat!
Well, other than that it was an amazing night. We made lots of money for this great organization and had a blast doing it. Great job to all the bands!
On Sunday night I went down to Hamilton Place for the Hamilton Music Awards. An amazing night of music and skill. First off, I just want to say congratulations to High Voltage and 40 Sons and Daughters for winning one award each! I'm so proud of you guys! You will be getting more awards like this in the future.
My favourite part of the night was the High Voltage performance. They sung Hog. A really fun awesome song that I love hearing at every show. Eric Martin kicked ass on drums. It looked and sounded like he's been playing drums for years and years. Josh Alvernia sung like a pro as well. If you had to choose any night to be that amazing sounding, you would choose that night. When you have hundreds of people and even more people on tv watching your every move you have to bring it all, and they totally brought it. Their award was for best loud/metal recording.
The atmosphere of the awards was really light and fun. Everybody was pretty laid back. Some of the other performances were Saint Alvia Cartel, Lori Yates and Teenage Head. I've seen Teenage Head one other time at the Rock n Roll Picnic in the summer. I really dug them and couldn't wait to see them again. Tom Wilson introduced them as the best rock band to EVER come out of Canada. They totally are. Such a history, such a fan base and such a future. Teenage Head is going to keep going until they are dead... just my opinion. Teenage Head is unstoppable.
When 40 Sons and Daughters won that award, People's Choice Group of the Year, I was so happy. They work so hard to fulfil their dreams. Years of playing endless amounts of shows and recording amazing cds. They are really good role models. They show that if you work really hard and never give up on anything, you will fulfil your dreams. Once again, congrats.
This was a great year of music for Hamilton. The level of skill in this city will continue to grow and grow. No other city is like Hamilton. We have a unique music scene that is only our own.
