AZO Reviews

The Green Lady Killers, Kirkwood Delinger, Snow Songs, Universal Spunk, The Worrymen--Garfield Rocks!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Sparkly Princess) — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 23:26:00 +0000

A rock show in a church? I have to admit their was some creepiness in the air. Sitting in a pew waiting for bands to melt some faces is an odd experience.

First of all....the reason for the festivities...

The Garfield Organization, a non-profit 501(c)(3), was formed in April 1989 by concerned residents who worked tirelessly to revitalize the area and restore a sense of community pride to Garfield. Through community policing partnerships with the City of Phoenix and Maricopa County, and alliances with the local non-profit sectory our community has become a national success story. Over the last 18 years, we have fought against blight and crime to bring new life and hope to our downtown neighborhood, without succumbing to gentrification. We face new challenges and opportunities as ASU moves 15,000 students to their downtown campus, and look forward to engaging with a reinvigorated urban core. For more information about Garfield and pportunities for connecting with residents, getting involved in community events, or finding places to relax or play.

WWW.GARFIELDORGANIZATION.COM

First up to the altar was Universal Spunk. A trio of youngsters blending indie vibes with jazz licks. It reminded me a lot of Zappa's HOT RATS. The bass lines and drum beats were the focal point of my enjoyment. What bothered me was the formula of quiet-dramatic pause-loud-dramatic pause-quiet-scream. The lyrics were sparse which was fine because the instrumentals held their own. I just wish someone would explain to the singer that screaming is not the only form of vocally expressing intensity. It could use some work but I am interested to see a future set as these guys mature. C- (for now)

Next Snow Songs took the stage/altar. Snow Songs is an appropriate name for the band. The trio (apparently the drummer could not make it) was comprised of vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar and bass. The sounds blended a warm, cozy feeling that reminded me of being next to a fire in the winter. A delightful vocal that blended a Hope Sandoval/Bjork tone captivated me. I thought they performed well and I hope to catch their electric set soon. B+

The Worrymen infused the night with boredom. Country tinged songs failing to recreate the Roger Clyne sound. Things did more interesting when guitarist Jay Bennett took over lead vocals. The songs took on a more definite country sound (shudder) but also took on meaning lyrically. It's almost if they decided that Jay sings the songs of interest and Kris sings the fluff. Well, Kris regained the vocal lead and sang another banal song and ended with a lyrically cringe worthy tune of flags and pride. I am also prety much convinced that the same bass line is used for all the songs save for one which was interesting but too loud. Meh. D+

In the whole night only one band took the opportunity to exploit the fact that they were playing on a church altar. The Green Lady Killers performed a wonderful set in full overdrive. Hard, fast and with intensity. I hope the other bands took notes. A

Finally, Kirkwood Delinger. A mix of electronics, guitars, bad vocals, and awkward banter. If only they would put as much effort into the samples they played inbetween their songs as they did into the actual songs, then I might not have felt the need to exit a quarter way into their set. It was bad. Owl City bad. F

The Blue Rose Band, Abandoned Theory, Slap Daddy and Mergence @ Donna Jean's Libations

noreply@blogger.com (Sparkly Princess) — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 23:37:00 +0000

So I admit I strolled in a bit late. Slap Daddy was on the backend of their set. Immediately I grabbed a good sense of the band. It was the typical band with a pretty girl upfront, proficient technical skills, and nothing of interest. Beyond the great job of shaking her tits and ass the singer had the charisma of your typical kareoke participant, with a meek voice. They proceded into a song "Monster," about addiction. It was bland and riddled with hokey metaphors, and completed with the use of "monster voice" effects. If you drive a mini van, wear jeans with elastic waistbands, and find that going out twice a month is too much excitement for you to handle, than this band is for you. C

Then The Blue Rose Band took the stage. There isn't much you can say about TBRB. They're a tight band. Amanda hits the stage with an unmatched vocal ferocity. Jimmy Rose is definitely one of my favorite Arizona guitar players, with incredible slide techinique. Trevor plays appropriately and in time and Mark has a beautiful SWR rig that I am planning on stealing. A definite go and see. B+

Abandoned Theory began well, with Jimmy Rose lending a guitar solo to the mix. I was sad to see him leave as the guitar sounds that followed seemed to be a forced mix of Eddie Van Halen doing his Stevie Ray Vaughn impression. Tristan provided sultry vocals that reminded me of Alannah Myles (yes, I am so old that I made that reference.) I really enjoyed the vocal playfulness between Tristan and bassist Crystal Rose on their song, "Wine and Dine Me." My interest was greatly peaked, when the tone of the guitar made a change for the discoesque song, "Vegas Baby." I was amazed by the hybrid funk/metal guitar solo. I was glad when they followed it up with a similar tune "S.D.R +R." B-

Last came Mergence. A skillful band that performs an overplayed sound. It was typical jam/indie rock vacillating between the sounds of Phish and Maroon 5. Like I said, it was fine, but I can hear the exact same band on any given night in Tucson. If you need 15 sylables to order your coffee, have to go every night to "be seen," and wear jeans that are the equivalent of a car payment, but have to make sure they look like they came from a thrift store...then this is the band for you. C

Lovemound, The Greenlady Killers, Ziroh @ The Surly Wench

noreply@blogger.com (Sparkly Princess) — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 16:46:00 +0000

Before we get started, let me leave you with instructions. If I am ever the middle aged guy, with the hawaiian shirt, air guitaring during someone's set, don't ask questions just shoot me. With that said-

Phoenix's ZIROH...an instrumental band. Pretty much a dropped tuned jam band. Not that there's anything wrong with that, Black Sabbath was basically the same thing and that's not a bad band to be compared to. Their songs aren't the usual 10 minute compositions of usual instrumental bands. They rock quick and hard with their songs seemingly structured for vocals. However, the instrumentation of the songs don't lack vocals. The group didn't sound like a band lacking a singer. My personal favorite of the set was "Kyuss."...B

I dare anyone to hear "Get On The Dancefloor" and not at least tap a toe to The Green Lady Killers. I strongly suggest you catch a GLK show soon, it's quite an experience. Lady Van Buren switches between smiles and scowls, screams and sweet melodies. Annie Venom slinks across the stage as well as her fret board, sending piercing looks into the audience and to her bandmates, with a prescence that I can only describe as Susanna Hoffs (The Bangles) on X (for those needing to know...this is a great thing). The drummer, Cherry Bomb, does what many drummers fail to do- keep a strong, driving, steady beat. She did this all while adding an array of vocal textures to the songs and celebrating the glorious nature of unicorns (they do exist). On this particular evening, things didn't get going till about half way through the set, when Lady Van Buren announced with a tinge of embarrasement a "new pop song" entitled "Beautiful Loser." The new song launched the trio into overdrive. It highlighted the joy of a GLK show- the audacity of punk attitude, and to retain that attitude to say I'm going to play something pretty, now fuck off!...B+

I've been a big fan of LOVEMOUND for sometime now...

Lovemound is simple- a big wall of guitar sound a la ZZ Top with a bass player who likes to set up residency in the higher octaves of the neck. For my money, you simply can't go wrong with that. I wish there was more to say, other than the set was tight and consistent, but that's the allure of the band...rock and roll- intense, simple and fun. The highlight of the set, I must admit, was the band's cover of Hendrix's (I didn't recognize the song and I had to ask) "Messege To Love." Covers are a tricky thing, and Lovemound did it perfectly. You could hear the strong Hendrix sound, but at the same time there was no denying that they retained their own personal sound on their homage. If they would not have announced it as a cover, I would have believed it to be another one of their own sonic anthems.. A

It was a great night! Any one of these bands would have made the night worth the price of admission, but to have all three rock the night away left me proud of the AZ scene. Kudos to the booker!

Poor Boy's Soul- Everything I Had

noreply@blogger.com (Sparkly Princess) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 22:53:00 +0000

Trever Jones of Ashland, Oregon will be coming to Arizona for a couple of shows. He performs under the moniker of Poor Boy's Soul and from the sounds of his release entitled "Everything I Had," it's a dead on description of his sound. Immediately the feel of Leadbelly and Robert Johnson fill the air. However, it is not so much an artist trying to sound like the old legends but a sublime flavor of a time passed mixed with the soul of a man in the modern world. I was greatly pleased to hear the opening riff of the title track of the album and immediately thought of Tom Waits. I don't know if I was pleased or dissapointed to not hear Tom's voice come clumbering in, but that has more to do with my own battles with the aforementioned legend. Regardless of my own craziness, it's a gem of a track. The track "Temptation" continues the collection and contains a hint of Kenny Wayne Shepard in it's vocal qualities. Before I forget, the background vocals of Nola Pierce are a great compliment to Jones' voice, and I look forward to hearing her voice in her own projects. The album is very consistent. That might be my issue with it. I definitely sensesed a lack of dynamics both in the songs individually and as an album as a whole. However, the honesty of soul of the album is transparent, especially on the track "Turn To Stone." In that particular track you can hear the resonance of a man enjoying his music. I am also particularlly fond of the Graham Burke penned tune entitled "Poker Chip," which yet again harkens the flavor of the great soul man Tom Waits. All in all a good effort from our visitor from Oregon.

Grade: B

Poor Boy's Soul will be performing June 20th at The Yucca Tap Room in Phoenix with Adam Cogswell and June 21st at The Red Room in Tucson. You can call in with your questions and comments June 16th at 10pm on the live broadcast of Azoverload.

noreply@blogger.com (Sparkly Princess) — Thu, 20 May 2010 22:11:00 +0000

Scream! Scream! Screaming from THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT KATE

The perpetual Battle Royale took place at The Rock in Tucson on May 14th. The air was filled with the stench of a bad 80's movie awaiting to begin it's climatic finale as the bands and their prepaid crowds waited in anticipation for the festivities to begin. Let's keep in mind of what this event is. This is not the rocketship to stardom that the teenage bands are romanced into thinking it is. It is a ritual of young bands dreaming of vast worlds of MTV and sold out stadiums, who will ultimately break up and hopefully either find their way in the non-music world or use the experience to grow into a more mature music future. Either way, here's the quick break down.

Rite of Kin- Solid bar room rock. C

The Floor Is Lava- A failed attempt to be Eyes Set To Kill. The singer has a pretty voice, but is misplaced within the flood of hardcore waves and practically inaudible. Random, unecessary techno beats further illustrate this bands lack of ability to arrange anything interesting. F

Within Our Reach- Okay, so hardcore is not my thing, but even I could tell that this was bad. The singer/screamer was cracking his voice the entire set. He reminded me of sounding a lot like Howard Dean...here's the reference...http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=D5FzCeV0ZFc and seriously, what's with the random techno bullshit? F

The Reprisal- These kids definitely show that they've listened to healthy doses of "...And Justice For All." I couldn't believe the big voice coming out of that little kid. C+

There's Something About Kate- Yes, there is something about There's Something About Kate. Despite their unprofessional demeanor of trash talking everyband and acting like juvenile (ok they are) brats, they managed to put on a solid performance. My suggestion is to let the capable lead singer do his job and not swith off vocals with the other members. Also, when did the mosh pit turn into a synchonized, ballet, Soul Train line? C+

Regretting Silence- Ugh! Okay, here's the obvious comment: More like regretting your sound. First, these kids attempted to buy the crowd vote by offering free treats. Look kids, next time just make a banner that says "we know we suck." Typical "I want to get into your pants" acoustic guitar playing is partnered with a singer who sings out of key ande flat, and further tortures the crowd with awkward, between song banter. If you want to sing badly, join a screamo hardcore band, at least that way, you have a wall of sound to bury your failed attempts.

Like Insects In Amber- Spoiler alert! They won. If you haven't picked up on things, I'm not really big on the hardcore thing. They seemed capable of what they were doing. It sounded a lot like what There's Something About Kate just played. Please, next time, spare me the Disney cover. C-

Odd Man Out- Typical ska. Every song was the unique blend of boredom and toe tapping goodness. Their song "Splits Street" was cool. C

At War With The Inferior- More hardcore, testosterone "goodness" Their son "Let's Kill Chris" was an interesting sparkle amidst a set of typical metalness. C

Sheets of Metal Rain- Guess what they play? How many times do I have to hear the same band in one night? D

Media Safe- Awesome music. A very vintage sound taken straight out of the Josh Homme handbook. However, neither of the singers could sing and that greatly took away from the music. To make things worse, they did a very intimate song with a cello and it only highlighted their lack of vocal ability and the weakness of the lyrical content. Get a frontman and you'll be great! F

The highlight of the night...the delicious bbq cheeseburger. Kudos!

Feel free to cry to me about how awesome you really are and how you are changing things by being the same.

Derrick

Paper Route, Lights, and Owl City @ The Marquee Theatre April 10th, 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Sparkly Princess) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 17:13:00 +0000

The guy to girl ratio was slightly skewed

You would think, with a bass, a marching bass drum, keyboards, synthesizers, 2 guitars, 2 vocals, an accordion, sleigh bells, a drum kit, an electric drum kit, a children's drum kit, an organ and a tambourine, that something interesting might happen. When Nashville's PAPER ROUTE took the stage, no such thing happened. Almost immediately SPARKLY turned to me and said, "They're trying to be Coldplay." A good comparison, except they don't possess that particular element of interest that makes me have to admit to my punk colleagues that I like Coldplay. The music was monotonous paired with lyrics attempting to be insightful, but carried the full weight of someone proud of their junior college certificate in creative writing. The mild attempts at stage antics also failed to provide interest. Sparkly commented that "the drummer isn't bad," but als0 added that she wished that he would stay seated. Standing, hmmm? Good gimmick. Oh wait. I can stand too. Check it out, I'm typing and standing.

PAPER ROUTE D+

LIGHTS came out on stage to the chants of "LIGHTS! LIGHTS! LIGHTS!" She wasted no time setting the tone for the evening- an evening of electronic warm fuzzies. I have to admit that I found myself gleefully tapping my toes to her compositions and she did a great job minimizing the size of the Marquee Theatre into the atmosphere of an intimate club. That hit a bump when LIGHTS commented, "you guys are in the desert but you still give me chills." When the song "February Air" was performed my companion and I cringed at the lyrical content. We joked as she sang; "my arms get cold in February air" that maybe she should put on a sweater.

"That would make it a 5 second song."

"Good."

Much of the set continued on in a manner of making me want to continue cringing, but also enticing me with the undeniably good beats. I don't know if it's intentional or not, but the juxtaposition of this tension was very intriguing. Pop culture awareness mixed with artistic deviations made me think of Andy Warhol 0r a very happy Fiona Apple.

Her performance of "Ice" made me smile with its nods to my new wave childhood. Then her set made a gradual movement to being more introspective. The last songs of her set allowed her to showcase her vocal skill and range, breaking away from the pop cuteness early in her set.

Her performance was the bright shimmer of the evening, leaving me curious to see what direction she will take in the future? Will she cater to the prepubescent masses or mature her craft into the artistic musician that she seems more than capable of being.

LIGHTS B+ www.myspace.com/lights

Then came OWL CITY. First, let me say, that I was excited to see Owl City. I liked his hit "Fireflies." I wanted to see what else he had to offer. My opinion has changed. The show started off with what can only be compared to a strip club light show. It was preceded by a set of several songs that all sounded the same and were laden with sugary sweet melodies and nonsensical lyrics constrained in weak forced ryhmes, "If you're the bird, whenever we pretend it's summer, then I am the worm, I know the part, it's such a bummer." His performance reminded me of a parent trying to adlib lullabies. Visually the change between keyboard, acoustic guitar and electric guitar showed an effort to differentiate the songs, but aurally it all sounded the same. At one point it was announced, "We're going to do a kinda silly song." My thought was, "as opposed to what?" "Dental Care" turned out to be the best song of the night, only for the fact that it actually sounded different than anything else being performed. Then "Fireflies" was performed. I was of the thought that "Fireflies" was a cute, quirky song, but now having experienced it in a fuller context, I know realize that it's just another crappy song smeared in the Owl City catalog. Then the lights went down as a self-indulgent tribute to the Challenger space shuttle played, we decided we had enough, and the vocals had become increasingly grating, so we left. The performance left me to believe, that Owl City is nothing more than a child with a stage and lots of toys. The performance was suited for the prepubescent audience and if there was a pony and a clown would have been a great birthday party show for a 6 year old. Although, the six year old leaving early was equally unimpressed by the immature show.

OWL CITY F

-Derrick

Disagree? Call into the podcast show and share your opinion.

Merciless Sin

noreply@blogger.com (2mara) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 17:06:00 +0000

Originally posted by Alana Word

Hailing from Phoenix, Az Merciless Sin is a band for true metal fans everywhere. Their music is raw and heavy, combining elements of classic metal with a modern hard rock sound. The lyrics are well written and powerfully delivered with vocals that are honest and true instead of “put-on” or over performed, as is the trend. Amazing talent is shared throughout this band from a classically trained lead guitarist (Jake Dalton) to the forceful rhythmic bassist ( Raf Garcia), from the driving fury of drummer James Alire, to Chris Strickler’s determined Vocals. Merciless Sin is not just another metal band they are a movement, a force to be reckoned with.
Alana
AZoverload.com

You Better Watch That FoulMouth!

noreply@blogger.com (2mara) — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 17:48:00 +0000

December 15th was our first time at The Cell Block, and Chris (my husband) and I had walked thru the door about 7:30. Since bands started playing around 6, we missed a couple, but got there just in time to see The Chemical Clownz take the stage. They opened with a little number called “Obsessed with your big boobies.” Although, musically they weren’t the best band of the night, The Chemical Clownz put on an excellent, high energy performance that left you wanting more. Their fun lyrics mixed with thrash could have easily been the love child of (sooooo close to my heart) D.R.I. and the Descendants (what? You kiddies don’t know who they are? Shame! Shame! )

SOULESS was up next and had an amazing overall sound. They definitely won me over with their double bass, tight change ups, and overall excellent musicianship. SOULESS was the epitome of what a live show should be – one you can feel deep in your chest and radiating throughout your body.

The wait between sets was grueling, but Killing Eve was well worth it. I cannot compare the intensity of the vocalist to any I have seen before. Funkier than the previous two, Killing Eve was incredibly addictive and Chris’ favorite of the night.

Although my ear wasn’t trained for Ghostlife’s vocals, they were the first band that night to attempt a melodious vocalization, which I think was against their favor in this line up. One song seemed to bleed into the next, and though individually, Ghostlife was worth a foot-tapping, ultimately I felt like I was watching a ballet dancer pirouette during a monster truck rally.

After an uncomfortable wait with Cut Throat Freak Show, FoulMouth took the stage. I have been impressed with the overall sound and production of their recordings, and was extremely curious to see if they could duplicate it on stage. FoulMouth’s energy and ability to go above and beyond what I expected of their live performance was a great end to my night. Overall their set was incredibly tight with top-notch musicianship; I expect great things from these guys in the future!

Thoughts Become Things Vol. I

noreply@blogger.com (2mara) — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 17:46:00 +0000

I first came across Thoughts Become Things Volume I at the first round of the Bodog Battle way back last year, and I can’t apologize enough for taking so long to get to this review. The CD is a compilation of mainly Arizona artists with a small handful of out-of-state bands put together by Static Management and Red Balloon Records. The diversity is vast, from folk music to “hardcore”. The focus of Thoughts Become Things Volume 1 seems to be to drum up some excitement about the local scene with this 22 track disk. Selling for mere pocket change, this treasure can be found locally at Zia's, Rockzone Records, Stinkweeds and Cotown Records in Chandler. You can also purchase it at the live shows of the artists found on the CD (see below), you can email ami@staticmanagementONLINE.com OR hit her up on myspace HERE and she will hook you up!

Overall the CD is addictive and fun. I have had Thoughts Become Things Volume I for months, so I have listened to it thousands of times… basically tracks that may have blended into the background upon first listen have now grown on me. There are a few tracks that definitely stand apart from the rest like Neba’s “My Heart Always Beats Her,” The Stiletto Formal’s “The Fall of Ambrose Bierce,” and Black Carl’s “Chemistry.” Two of my favorite tracks are out-of-state bands, so I feel guilty mentioning them… but I will – Skybox’s (from Chicago, IL) “Various Kitchen Utensils” and The Craze’s (from Los Angeles, CA) “The Executive”.

Static Management and Big Red Balloon Records are already in the process of gathering bands for the next volume, and I am excited to see what it will have in store for us. Volume I is a great collection of up and coming bands, but I would like them to try to step away from “safe” mode and take a chance with some metal or maybe even punk genres (just an idea).

Get out there and get your copy of Thoughts Become Things Volume I featuring: Skybox, Underwater Getdown, This Century, What Laura Says Thinks and Feels, Good With Grenades, Get Down! To Brass Tacks, The Craze, Dakota and the Black River Bandit, Telescope, Desole, Deer or the Doe,Yellow Minute, The Loveblisters, Rocketline, Black Carl, The Stiletto Formal, Mercy Fall, The Cover Up", Vitruvian (now The Revival), Fight the Quiet, Neba, and Caecelia.

February 28th at the Modified Arts Center, Static Management will be having a show to help Thoughts Become Things transition into Volume II (currently in the works.) A mere 5 BUCKS gets you in the door. The line up for the night will feature Volume II artists such as: Princess Ladyfriend, Evan Brightly, Kinch and Black Carl.

Bodog BOTB Day 2--The Evening (or save me!!! please save me!!!)

noreply@blogger.com (2mara) — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 18:11:00 +0000

Originally Posted by Derrick Espadas

Okay...fed...hyrdrated and ready to go.

Fish With Guns was a last minute addition, and with a name like that I was excited (plus a happy tummy). It was my own fault for getting excited. The bassless screamo band sounded like every other band of their genre. Looked like every other band of their genre. Moved like every other band of their genre. Maybe we can all go hang out at the mall after the show, eh?

69 sins was up next and played a standard radio friendly hardcore sound. It was nice. Then Sleep City took the stage with their combination of sonic mush instrumentation, bouncy beatsk, and weak vocals. They very much reminded me of a band you would see in the background of a house party scene of a teenager movie. You know you're suppose to think that they're cool, but you're just glad that you'll never remember them.

Like Jupiter is a 3-piece poppy alt band much in the style of Blink 182. One Bullet Away is yet another screamo band, but one that actually provides interesting vocals. They have a very "noise band" feel to them, as which with many noise bands requires a second listening...good job guys.

Onadi is can best be described as Korn with female vocals. Congratualtions on the upgrade in drummer. The singer, Celeste, has an amazing voice that anyone would be jealous of.

And then the winner of The Most Annoying Rockstar Fucks of The Day Award goes to.......I'm The Lion. The started of their set with a cheezy, pretentious speech that at best sounded like "blah blah blah, I'm so clever, blah blah blah." They proceeded into their hardcoreness that had some interesting changes and good beats. Their singing was good and definitely a better choice than their yelling and screaming. So, basically they were disqualified (not that any of the judges scored them very high anyway) because unlike the other bands that had time limits to perform these youngsters felt that they could ignore the clock and 9 repeated assertions to get off the stage to allow the other bands to play. Good job rockstars!!!

Dither was up next. At this point I was definitely sick of the yelling and screaming. However, for some reason the tone of Dither rose above my hatred. Sometimes, it's just about tone. The final band of the evening was The Last Home Jones of which I gave a perfect score to. This 8 piece ensemble completely changed the atmosphere with the welcome sounds of horns, jazz and R & B. They performed with soul and heart and played with an ease that played kindly on my ears. It was different and engaging...take notes bands...take notes.

Spider Hole - Dames

noreply@blogger.com (2mara) — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 18:08:00 +0000

Originally posted by Alana Word

Little Miss Muffet sat on her tuffet
Eating her curds and whey

When along came The Spider Hole
Playing their rock and roll
Blowing Miss Muffet away.

The Spider Hole has officially arrived on the AZ scene with their first feature length recording "Vainglorious", produced by Larry Elyea at Mind's Eye Digital Studios in Phoenix.

The band, consisting of Ethan Scott: Vocals; Xerxes Quinn: Rhythm Guitar, Keys, Bass, Programming; Jai Sexton: Guitar; Future: Percussion, accurately describes their music as a "spin-cycle of rock-n-roll, cabaret, goth, and alternative". To me it sounds like divine inspiration, and maybe a blend of The Doors and Madness.

This album is poised for global domination with the obvious hit "Dames", for which the band has filmed a video. Though every song on the album is amazing my favorites are "Detective Show Boogie" and "The Great Dutch Reveal". The lyrics at first listen seem absurd with a flair for the ridiculous (which I absolutely adore) but later reveal themselves with relevancy to life. Every track of this CD is unique, with cleverly written lyrics and perfectly complimentary music. This band is packed with talent and creativity, there are no weak links. I can't wait to see what's next. I am a smitten kitten, and you will be too.

- Alana Word

Purchase Vainglorius at o22 HERE

Visit The Spider Hole on Myspace

Bodog BOTB Day 2--The Afternoon

noreply@blogger.com (2mara) — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 18:14:00 +0000

Originally Posted by Derrick Espadas

Oh my goodness this was a long day.

Things started off well, with one of my favorite acts of the day, Summit Dux. The three piece, piano driven, lounge act was quite impressive providing a unique sound for the day and handling technical difficulties as if they didn't even occur. Then, The Hardways took the stage. The female fronted rockabilly/punk outfit delivered exactly what you would expect. The performance exuded attitude to make up for the lack of technical skill or originality. Tucson's One Eye Open followed. They greatly reminded me of a Las Vegas lounge act...it's not bad, and hell, I might even enjoy it when I'm drunk...but I would never seek it out, or even mind that it disappeared.

Next up, Poor Kids Without Cable. A very generic alternative metal band who's backup singer is far more talented than the lead singer. Consider getting rid of the lead singer and the band might become interesting, or at least tolerable. Flight To London is a six-piece radio friendly emo and much in the style of Panic At The Disco and Fall Out Boy, but without the interesting structure changes, and with keyboard player that obviously forgot to take his antisiezure medication.

Bomber...oh wow, it's a Metallica cover band (St. Anger Metallica). They even covered Metallica covering Motorhead. Now that's just talent. I hope you can smell the sarcasm.

Doomsday Disciple...at least these guys sound like early Metallica.

AG Session is pop punk trio that sounds like Blink 182 meets Sid Popple (yeah, I don't know what that means either). I'm just glad that they were having fun. Soulafide came on stage and announced their innovation in genre melding. I got exited...my bad. Not so innovative, and just obnoxious and untechnical.

Less Than Famous. Look kids, first of all you knew what the rules were, so stop crying that you didn't have 2 hours to set up, and that the Evian wasn't at a perfect 32 degrees. With your unprofessional attitude, you will always be...Less Than Famous. Musically, the 6 piece (although it seemed like a 100) Flyleaf imitators spent more time jumping around stage and posing then they did writing their songs. Fortunately, it does seem that they are perfectly poised to gain that Hot Topic sponsorship, since I think they were wearing everything in the store.

I then got very hungry. I don't know if I was distracted by my hunger, or just really bored with the bands.

Incide...I think I remember you long hair.
East of Eden a gimmicky screamo band.

Who moved on?
Flight To London
Summit Dux
Less Than Famous
One Eye Open
The Hardways
Soulafide

This is where I ate my chicken strips and hoped that it would get better.

Day One: Bodog Battle (10-20-2007)

noreply@blogger.com (2mara) — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 16:49:00 +0000

Saturday was awesome! I had the opportunity to be one of the judges at the Bodog Battle at the Sets in Tempe. I think out of the 27 bands that made the cut with Bodog, only 17 showed to schedule a slot for Saturday’s show. They sorted the bands into two shows, where only 6 bands from each would move into the next level of the competition.

Judging was based not only on performance, but also originality of songwriting, musicianship, and presentation. Each band had 20 minutes to plug and play, and were timed from the moment they stepped on stage.

Seeing so many bands in one day has me relying on my notes, especially for those bands that didn’t really stand out:

Awaking the Fallen kicked off the first show with high energy and a great sound earning high numbers on my ballot. That “purdy” bass shined in the second song, but the guitar solo in the 3rd was barely noticeable. The second band, Demise of Hollywood, was very excited to be playing, but their very high energy led to an incredibly messy stage performance. The overly energetic members of the band seem to be trying a bit too hard, which I think took away some of the quality of musicianship. Their third song was cut short due to technical issues (I overheard someone say a cord snapped).

Thieves in the Temple took way too long to set up and only played one song which was ridiculously long and drawn out. Although the overall sound and quality of the musicianship was good, I wasn’t impressed with the vocals and I couldn’t help but giggle at all the hair (that was bad, wasn’t it?).

Ethnic de Generation had an awesome sound and excellent change ups throughout their set. They were the first to take a “real” guitar solo of the night, and blew me away with their incredibly high energy and great chemistry between members. They were followed by another great band Vitruvian, who really impressed me with their diversity and vocal styling. They put on a great show and clearly had the crowd under their alien mind control.

At this point in the show Ethnic de Generation was clearly my Number 1 pick, but New Mexico’s Bofus took the stage and blew everyone else away. With incredible vocals and heavy guitar rifts mixed with “scratch”, Bofus had the best stage performance out of the early show. The band’s chemistry was amazing, and you could definitely tell everyone at The Sets was into them.

Since Tugboat didn’t show, this allowed all six bands from the early show to move on to the next round of Bodog Battle. Ballots were cast by fans and judges’ numbers were used to tabulate scores for band placement. Judges were asked to rate each category (originality of songwriting, musicianship, presentation, and performance) on a scale of 1 to 5.

My scores: 1. Bofus, 2. Ethnic de Generation, Tied for 3. Awaking the Fallen and Virtuvian, 4. Demise of Hollywood, 5. Thieves in the Temple.

Bodog’s Official places were: 1.Bofus, 2. Vitruvian, 3. Ethnic de Generation, 4. Awaking the Fallen, 5. Demise of Hollywood, 6. Theives in the Temple

The later show kicked off with We Are They. Their set was incredible. I believe the exact term from my notes was “Eclectically wonderful!” The keyboards were amazing and the all around excellent musicianship and energy made We Are They a hard band to follow. Just ask De-Amor, whose set had a good overall sound, but with all too familiar guitar rifts. Nothing about their performance really stood out.

Echotribe followed with excellent musicianship, nice changes, and good energy, but the amazing guitar solos from Kill Me Courageous soon buried the memory of Echotribe’s performance. Although they had 3 guitar players in one band (aside from the bassist), Kill Me Courageous had an excellent sound and great energy without overdoing it. I found out after the show (and the judging) that the lead just joined the band less than a week ago, so I must say I was impressed.

Halfnum was next with an awesome set littered with excellent changes and breaks throughout (I LOVE THAT!). I thought they had an incredible overall sound with vocals fitting in the picture perfectly. One set quickly became another and Delta! Delta! took the stage. Although they experienced some technical problems and were unable to use their keyboard, they were amazing without it. Since I am familiar with their recordings, I have to say that they were just as good if not better live.

School won lots of attention from the crowd at The Sets. Personally, I have a real weakness for 3-piece bands, and they definitely didn’t disappoint. Very “Sublime,” their set showcased funky bass and guitar rifts as well as excellent vocal styling to match. This funky band was probably the most appropriate of the bunch to segue into Mello Mello. They were an R & B group who sang with a CD. Since they didn’t have to set up and check equipment they were able to perform a 4 song set. Their overall sound was nice and they seemed to get a good reaction from the crowd.

One Star Night had an incredibly fun and addictive set. Standing out particularly were the great bass lines, change-ups, and the charismatic vocalist. Their 3-song set definitely left you wanting more. They were followed lastly by Breaking Down who was the only band of the night with a female vocalist. The overall sound and musicianship was good, but I was hoping that I would hear something a little more original in the song writing to really set the vocals apart from the rest of the women fronted bands out there right now.

My scores: 1. We Are They - and I have to say the best show of the entire day! Tied for 2. One Star Night and Halfnum, 3. School, 4. Delta! Delta! 5. Kill Me Courageous

Bodog’s Official Places: 1. We Are They, 2.Breaking Down, 3. One Star Night, 4. School, 5. Kill Me Courageous 6. Mello Mello

Most of the scoring is pretty accurate, I was a little disappointed with the second show, I would have really liked to see Halfnum and Delta!Delta! move on to the next round, but I am excited to see what’s next.

Good Luck to you that made it on through, and we will see you November 30th at The Clubhouse
~2

Calling of syrens CD RELEASE SHOW!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (2mara) — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 17:15:00 +0000

Originally Posted by Andrea

This thursday the 30th calling of syrens is finally having the long awaited cd release show there will be so many amazing bands like The Cover Up, Soren, Asperity, Beyond the Citadel of Coup de Grace, & also a special Acoustic performance by Craige Mabbit of Blessthefall, How amazing does that sound? It will be at The Sets ticktes are on sale right now if u go to www.myspace.com/callingofsyrens and click on the link above the flyer you can buy tickets only $10 bucks. You should all go and support this local band!

They have a great sound and they always love to talk to all there fans! so come out this thursday to The Sets its on mill and southern doors open at 5:00!! Hope to see you all!

Ashes To Phoenix

noreply@blogger.com (2mara) — Sat, 12 May 2007 17:16:00 +0000

Originally Posted by Andrea

Ashes to Phoenix is made up of five guys: Ray-Vocals, Abel-Guitar/screams, Cliff-Guitar, Kent-Bass, and Gus-Drums. Their music is a little of everything punk/scremo/rock. They have a unique sound. They have a FREE show coming up on May 19th at Luke air force base it’s a good chance to hear their music. Also you can always check out their MySpace page www.myspace.com/ashestophoenixmusic they have all their songs up, also they have a live recording from their last show at The Club House.