May 22, 2010
Album Reivew: The Delivery Boys: Starry Skies and Fireflies (sic)
The Delivery Boys: Starry Skies and Fireflies (3/5):
The Delivery Boys are an exceptionally young band from Schaumburg IL. I purchased their album from one of the band members for two dollars selling it out of a duffel bag behind the main stage at Bamboozle last week, so my expectations were low.
I was quite surprised that this was a first album when I sat down to listen to them. Had I not seen the CD (a burn, very clearly home made) I would have guessed they were the latest new band on the radio. They are quite talented and quite professional.
Listening to the album you can tell they grew up in the Chicago music scene with influences such as, The Academy is... audible in their music. They have a pleasantly bouncy sound with many of the quintessential elements of indi/alternative music-- breakup, romance, and budding optimism. Its music you can dance to. These guys were a ton of fun to listen to, if a little on the generic side.
Front man Paul Holloway has a pleasant voice and drummer, Matt Dailly, has the clearest sound of the entire band. Where these boys need a little work is balancing the precision of the guitar work.
They have an impressively seasoned sound for such a green band with some interesting little things that make them stand out, especially amongst smaller bands. This is a first album, completely self produced, but it sounds like a second or third professionally produced album.
The Delivery boys are an excellent find. I have seen headliners that don’t meet with the same standards these guys are starting with
I’ve received word that there is a new album in the works, I very much look forward to it and to seeing what they are like live.
I would listen to this album to: Dance around the apartment, drive.
May 20, 2010
Nickelback and Breaking Benjamin,with Shinedown and Sick Puppies.(Road trip show:Rosemont, IL)
The Venue (Allstate Arena, Rosemont IL): (3/5) I once again feel like I’m comparing two very different things. Arena shows are very different animals from smaller venue shows. This is only one of two arenas I’ve been to for music, the other being the Bradley Center, in Milwaukee, WI) Arenas are not designed to house concerts, so the space always feels a bit jury rigged when they set up a show, but frankly where else would be equipped to hold 20,000 screaming, jumping fans?
Personally, I’m not much of a fan of arena settings. The majority of the seats are too far away and it’s often much more expensive (though this area is pleasantly not as pricey as others (in this case 85$ for floor tickets)) and people are more inclined to sit. As Brent Smith said during Shinedown’s performance, you’re at a rock show not church, stand up. I always feel like sitting through the majority of a rock show is insulting, these people are out there, performing so that you will dance and have a good time. Dance! Tangent aside, this venue did one thing right, they had better ventilation on the floor than I’ve seen in many smaller venues. I could actually feel a cool breeze when I was all the way in the front by the stage.
Another thing this venue has to offer that smaller ones don’t is the ability to use screens and pyrotechnics, which can really enhance a good show (or cover for a bad one like strobe lights)
As with all arenas, the food and drinks were over priced and the merch was rather limited. The bathrooms were clean considering the number of people they served. They were relatively clean, with good, working fixtures and no graffiti.
However, one of the downsides was that the sound system was sub par. Not horrid, just not the best one I’ve encountered.
The Crowd: (2/5) Again, this is partly a function of being at an area show, but the crowd was entirely too laid back for beginning at a show that had at least two bands that should have blown the roof of the place. They were also entirely too drunk to care.
On to the show itself.
First act (Sick Puppies) (3/5 show, 4/5 album): Ladies and gents sharpen your ears, these folks have talent. In person they were good, surprisingly metal for another wise straight up rock show. Being the opener they only played five songs. On the metal side of rock, these folks came all the way from Australia to rock us solid. The vocals were a nice combination of screams, grunts, and melody. Sick Puppies are a small three-person band (guitar/vocals, base, drums), two guys and a girl. Curiously, while bassist Emma Anzai rocks a mean bass, she didn’t sing in the live show (she does on a few tracks on the albums) I am always impressed with a good looking, hard rocking woman, especially in a genera that is dominated by men. Front man, Shimon Moore, can sing, rock out, and play a decent guitar at the same time. Most artists, in my experience, either focus on playing, or singing even when they do both, Moore did both the entire time. While his guitar work isn’t the most complex, it still takes talent to multi-task on that level, especially when there is no rhythm guitar backing him up. Those that do attempt both, often times end up standing still, not true with Moore, he head banged as hard as any other band I’ve seen.
Did I mention the hot girl playing both slap and standard bass? Yeah, there was that.
Anzai tore the bass up in ways I’ve not seen in a long time. Especially not from the first opener.
Well done, folks. Well fucking done.
I would put this music on to: Rock out, Angst, or get rid of pent up anger
Second Act (Shinedown): (4/5) I’ve gushed at length about Shinedown in a previous review. While they played a short set, as they were only the second of four acts. Shinedown is a four-man alternative metal show. Brent smith has a voice that is so powerful that he had to hold the mic back from his mouth when he really belted (see above Re: the mediocre sound system). This particular set didn’t quite have the energy of one of their main act shows, but Smith still managed to get complete strangers to the band to jump and move. His stage presence and ability to work the crowd continue to blow my mind. He’s flirtatious, gracious, and sincere. I was a little surprised “45” never got played, as it was one of their single tracks, however, I think that was because the show was already a heavy on the emotional songs.
Speaking of which, there was a very nice touch about halfway through the set. Ronnie James Dio passed on recently, and they played their cover of Skynard’s “Simple Man,” in tribute to him. Smith put an incredible amount of emotion into it, I’d be lying if I said my eyes were dry for that number and I never really listened to Dio. Smith puts so much emotion and energy into what he does that you can feel it somewhere deep in your chest, its rending.
Unlike many acts, Shinedown’s shows aren’t all about the front man. He plays off his guitarist especially but other band mates as well and is very, very deferential when they have solos and is sure to give his band their moments in the light.
I would put on this music to: Cry, to make myself feel like I can overcome the odds.
Third Act (Breaking Benjamin)(2/5):I tried to like them, because they have a similar style to many bands I listen too, but ultimately I was more interested in the videos they played than the band itself. (Especially when they played a Halo video, I’m nothing if I’m not a geek.) Front man, Benjamin Burnley certainly tried hard, so he gets credit there, but frankly, the band lacked energy, and what energy the crowd produced was absorbed and not returned.
Also, the Burnley, if you read this, its pounced Poly-am-er-ous not Poly-aim-er-us. It’s a little thing, but man it bugged me. The song and video for polyamorous also insulting to people who practice polyamory.
I would put this on to: tune it out, get annoyed
Main Act(Nickelback): (4/5) A Nickelback show is a party that has 20,000 guests. This is the second show of theirs I’ve seen and while it gets a little predictable the second time around, is a true rock show. Frontman Chad Kroeger is a huge flirt and knows how to talk to the crowd. He’s got a terrific, dirty, sense of humor without crossing the line between naughty and crude. He’s a party animal without getting so caught up in the party atmosphere that he forgets how to sing and play. Its obvious that as much work as Kroger puts into his art, he’s there hanging with his best friends and his fans, who he treats as friends--even handing out shots to those who can show ID and shooting free t-shirts into the crowd. Other than for the sentimental songs, the grin never left his face.
Kroger also interacted very closely with his band mates, more so than others I’ve complemented for it. He even threw his band mates' names into a few of the songs to direct the crowd to them.
Then there was the drum solo, which was simply epic. Daniel Adair is an excellent drummer and has the endurance of a horse.
I don’t think I could talk about their set without talking about the pyro-show. Many times, Shiny Bright Things are used to distract the audience when the artist isn’t as goo d. However, in Nickelback’s case it functioned as punctuation, accentuating an already great show.
I would put this music on to: Party, kick back, drink, get laid.
Personally, I’m not much of a fan of arena settings. The majority of the seats are too far away and it’s often much more expensive (though this area is pleasantly not as pricey as others (in this case 85$ for floor tickets)) and people are more inclined to sit. As Brent Smith said during Shinedown’s performance, you’re at a rock show not church, stand up. I always feel like sitting through the majority of a rock show is insulting, these people are out there, performing so that you will dance and have a good time. Dance! Tangent aside, this venue did one thing right, they had better ventilation on the floor than I’ve seen in many smaller venues. I could actually feel a cool breeze when I was all the way in the front by the stage.
Another thing this venue has to offer that smaller ones don’t is the ability to use screens and pyrotechnics, which can really enhance a good show (or cover for a bad one like strobe lights)
As with all arenas, the food and drinks were over priced and the merch was rather limited. The bathrooms were clean considering the number of people they served. They were relatively clean, with good, working fixtures and no graffiti.
However, one of the downsides was that the sound system was sub par. Not horrid, just not the best one I’ve encountered.
The Crowd: (2/5) Again, this is partly a function of being at an area show, but the crowd was entirely too laid back for beginning at a show that had at least two bands that should have blown the roof of the place. They were also entirely too drunk to care.
On to the show itself.
First act (Sick Puppies) (3/5 show, 4/5 album): Ladies and gents sharpen your ears, these folks have talent. In person they were good, surprisingly metal for another wise straight up rock show. Being the opener they only played five songs. On the metal side of rock, these folks came all the way from Australia to rock us solid. The vocals were a nice combination of screams, grunts, and melody. Sick Puppies are a small three-person band (guitar/vocals, base, drums), two guys and a girl. Curiously, while bassist Emma Anzai rocks a mean bass, she didn’t sing in the live show (she does on a few tracks on the albums) I am always impressed with a good looking, hard rocking woman, especially in a genera that is dominated by men. Front man, Shimon Moore, can sing, rock out, and play a decent guitar at the same time. Most artists, in my experience, either focus on playing, or singing even when they do both, Moore did both the entire time. While his guitar work isn’t the most complex, it still takes talent to multi-task on that level, especially when there is no rhythm guitar backing him up. Those that do attempt both, often times end up standing still, not true with Moore, he head banged as hard as any other band I’ve seen.
Did I mention the hot girl playing both slap and standard bass? Yeah, there was that.
Anzai tore the bass up in ways I’ve not seen in a long time. Especially not from the first opener.
Well done, folks. Well fucking done.
I would put this music on to: Rock out, Angst, or get rid of pent up anger
Second Act (Shinedown): (4/5) I’ve gushed at length about Shinedown in a previous review. While they played a short set, as they were only the second of four acts. Shinedown is a four-man alternative metal show. Brent smith has a voice that is so powerful that he had to hold the mic back from his mouth when he really belted (see above Re: the mediocre sound system). This particular set didn’t quite have the energy of one of their main act shows, but Smith still managed to get complete strangers to the band to jump and move. His stage presence and ability to work the crowd continue to blow my mind. He’s flirtatious, gracious, and sincere. I was a little surprised “45” never got played, as it was one of their single tracks, however, I think that was because the show was already a heavy on the emotional songs.
Speaking of which, there was a very nice touch about halfway through the set. Ronnie James Dio passed on recently, and they played their cover of Skynard’s “Simple Man,” in tribute to him. Smith put an incredible amount of emotion into it, I’d be lying if I said my eyes were dry for that number and I never really listened to Dio. Smith puts so much emotion and energy into what he does that you can feel it somewhere deep in your chest, its rending.
Unlike many acts, Shinedown’s shows aren’t all about the front man. He plays off his guitarist especially but other band mates as well and is very, very deferential when they have solos and is sure to give his band their moments in the light.
I would put on this music to: Cry, to make myself feel like I can overcome the odds.
Third Act (Breaking Benjamin)(2/5):I tried to like them, because they have a similar style to many bands I listen too, but ultimately I was more interested in the videos they played than the band itself. (Especially when they played a Halo video, I’m nothing if I’m not a geek.) Front man, Benjamin Burnley certainly tried hard, so he gets credit there, but frankly, the band lacked energy, and what energy the crowd produced was absorbed and not returned.
Also, the Burnley, if you read this, its pounced Poly-am-er-ous not Poly-aim-er-us. It’s a little thing, but man it bugged me. The song and video for polyamorous also insulting to people who practice polyamory.
I would put this on to: tune it out, get annoyed
Main Act(Nickelback): (4/5) A Nickelback show is a party that has 20,000 guests. This is the second show of theirs I’ve seen and while it gets a little predictable the second time around, is a true rock show. Frontman Chad Kroeger is a huge flirt and knows how to talk to the crowd. He’s got a terrific, dirty, sense of humor without crossing the line between naughty and crude. He’s a party animal without getting so caught up in the party atmosphere that he forgets how to sing and play. Its obvious that as much work as Kroger puts into his art, he’s there hanging with his best friends and his fans, who he treats as friends--even handing out shots to those who can show ID and shooting free t-shirts into the crowd. Other than for the sentimental songs, the grin never left his face.
Kroger also interacted very closely with his band mates, more so than others I’ve complemented for it. He even threw his band mates' names into a few of the songs to direct the crowd to them.
Then there was the drum solo, which was simply epic. Daniel Adair is an excellent drummer and has the endurance of a horse.
I don’t think I could talk about their set without talking about the pyro-show. Many times, Shiny Bright Things are used to distract the audience when the artist isn’t as goo d. However, in Nickelback’s case it functioned as punctuation, accentuating an already great show.
I would put this music on to: Party, kick back, drink, get laid.
May 19, 2010
Tangent: Bad fans and Booze.
This is a tangent that has been brewing in my brain since i started paying attention to the audience. Hell, some of it has been brewing for longer.
so here are some mini rants for you:
section one: Booze
so here are some mini rants for you:
section one: Booze
- If you go to a show, don’t get to drunk to actually enjoy the show or drunk enough to bother other people. I’m not talking the “its my first time really drinking, and I had a beer/ shot too many” drunks. Those people i can deal with, they wobble a little, maybe even go politely puke somewhere. Everyone has a little too much occasionally, whatever, its cool. But I’ve run into far, far too many people so waisted they can’t stand properly, are being belligerent and oblivious, or are just plain rude.
- If you’re spilling your drink without anyone running into you, you can’t possibly have enough taste buds left to enjoy the taste, and you should not be trying to get more ‘buzzed.’ True story. My girlfriend and I were at a show at the lovely Metro on the floor. Someone on the balcony above repeatedly spilled her beer on us and the people around us. I brushed it off the first few times. It got bad enough that one of the other gals got security to talk to her. Her response: “where did my beer go?” perhaps another point should be “if you don’t notice it’s missing, you don’t need it.”
- Nearly knock me over, hit me hard enough to really hurt * or try to shove me out of the way while your trying to carry drinks and you will get elbowed/ shoved back. I have no issue defending myself/ my space. (see section 2: Bad fans)
- If you are so drunk that you are crying, its time to stop.
- Don’t even try if you’re under 21, you will get caught. Have the grace to go drink at a house, or a parking lot or somewhere where there aren’t dozens of security guards.
- If you arrived late, your ass is stuck in the back, I’m sorry. No, I will not move if you shove me out of the way. I will let you past but this is my spot. I got here at door. You couldn’t be arsed to stand through the openers? Tough titties. The exception to my spot guarding is the polite, 5’1 and under people who aren’t shovy and just really want to see, if i can see over you and you can’t see past me, you’re free to have some of the space in front of me. We’re all in this to enjoy the show. Or if you say “excuse me I’m just trying to get to my friend,” Fine, by all means nothing is scarier than getting isolated in a wild crowd.
- I am not paying to see your cell phone/ camera. I know you brought the camera to snag a few shots of the act, fine and dandy. Don’t just sit there with your camera in front of my face. Snag, and stash. I’m not paying to watch TV on a shitty LCD.
- If you shove, I will shove back. I have no problems doing so. I except some of this but if you’re being a shit, I’ll be a worse one guaranteed. and I’ll do it without bothering my bubble-mates. I’ m fine with a little jostling, that's par for the course.
- Don’t split up, you won’t find them again: This is mostly for the really huge packed crowds at places like areas/ on the floor. If your friend is buried in the crowd and you decided to get a beer mid show, you are stuck, I’m sorry.
Rating change
I’m going back to the 1-6 system because for some reason the 1-10 system is hurting my head. Same criteria really:
1. reserved for the worst of the worst. Something hopefully you will never see.
2: Not worth buying the CD, but tolerable
3: Alright, might be worth the CD if its a 5-10$ concert CD probably not worth shipping price. This is where I expect the majority of bands I’m not actively seeking out will fall
4.Worth buying, very good stuff.This is the stuff I actively seek out.
5 stuff a step above the average that really, really sands out.
6. reserved for the crème de la crème. Run and get this music: it will turn heads and blow minds.
EDT:
A new addition, in the sprit of making some of this more personal, I’m going to add a line about what I think this music is good for. (ie good makeout music, good dance music, good angry music)
1. reserved for the worst of the worst. Something hopefully you will never see.
2: Not worth buying the CD, but tolerable
3: Alright, might be worth the CD if its a 5-10$ concert CD probably not worth shipping price. This is where I expect the majority of bands I’m not actively seeking out will fall
4.Worth buying, very good stuff.This is the stuff I actively seek out.
5 stuff a step above the average that really, really sands out.
6. reserved for the crème de la crème. Run and get this music: it will turn heads and blow minds.
EDT:
A new addition, in the sprit of making some of this more personal, I’m going to add a line about what I think this music is good for. (ie good makeout music, good dance music, good angry music)
May 16, 2010
Bamboozel 2010: Kill Hannah, 3OH!3 at the Charter One Pavillion
Bamboozle (8/10): Music festivals are an entirely different animal than most other shows. They tend to be outside and people don’t usually come explicitly for one artist. Some people come just for the atmosphere. Overpriced beer and junk-food may not be as appealing in other arenas but when you’re hanging out with friends and hearing live music, to some that is excellent.
And of course, there’s the music, for the price of one show (or less for some festivals) you can see multiple artists. The sets and the fame usually get bigger as the night progresses.
In Bamboozle’s case it was $35 for up to twelve acts (some were DJ). I was a little more selective than that and went to just three acts(I skipped reviewing Treaty of Paris as I was exhausted) and overheard the rest. One of the things that made Bamboozle unique from what I’ve seen is that you could actually see all of the acts present. There was no overlap between sets. While this meant shorter sets, it also meant you didn’t have to pick and choose. The side stage was also close to the main stage so you didn’t have to bolt between sets.
This was like the speed dating of festivals. other festivals i’ve seen are 3 days or more with 1-2 hour sets (my old home town, Milwaukee festival Summerfest (warning flash site), is a full 11 days long) Bamboozle managed to cram what could have been two days worth of music into one. The result could have been catastrophic, but it was amazing. The sets i saw were only 30 minutes a piece, and were very close together.
The Venue--( Charter One Pavilion at Northerly Island)(7/10) I feel like im comparing apples to oranges when rating an outdoor venue against indoor venues. They are really differnt animals. The Charter One Pavilion has an enormous 7,500 person capcity, yet I’ve been in several plces at the venue and you can generally see fairly well (exception is the par for the corse 6 foot tall guy in front of my 5’1“ self, which thankfully didn’t happen this go). Another nice thing about sprawling outdoor venues is you get all the volume without as much pain on the ears. This venue has been suprisingly cheep too. I think the most I’ve paid for a show there was $75.
I feel most of the downsides are part of the nature of outside venues (weather, not as clean). However, the food and beverage prices are a bit ridiculous even for a concert ($4-5 for a 20oz bottle of water, $8 for nachos)
There was one odd nice touch, the merch booth took credit cards wich I’ve never seen before at an outdoor festival, heck some indoor shows don’t take credit, wich was a huge load off my mind.
The crowd--(6/10) The usual festival crowd which was a mix of very lively fans and laid back folks who were just there for the festival. A very comfortable, but hard to rate and even harder to anylize crowd.
On to the shows:
First Act-- (Kill Hannah)(7/10) An old favorite of mine that I’ve gushed over repeatedly, so I’ll keep it short. This was the welcome home show after an intense three week tour of Europe. They were wonderful as usual, with front man Mat Divine’s powerhouse energy and unique voice carried over a set that comprised of as many songs as the band could play in thirty minutes. It was a pleasure to see the guys back on their home stomping grounds.
And even more of a pleasure to see the guys Just hanging out and signing and chatting with fans. It was not the traditional Meet them from behind a table, be forced to buy a CD and wait in a huge line set up. They were just there among the people. While not part of the set, i found it really cool how amicable they are with their fans.
Second Act (3OH!3) (8/10): A total surprise considering It took a very long time for me to warm up to their recorded work and even now I only really like a few songs. They really brought the metaphoric house down.
3OH!3 is an odd band that is hard to figure out what to make of (according to wikipeda they are ”crunkcore“ I’d put them closer to hip-hop). On first listen their lyrics are rude, and seem sexist but there is something inexplicably catchy about it. However, the more i listen to them, the more i think they are parodying the hip hop culture, a bold move for young men who very clearly don’t look like they are a part of that culture. Its tongue in cheek that often comes very close to the style it is parodying.
Frontmen Nat Motte and Sean Forman were smashing on stage. I’ve never seen a hip hop show live before, and this was really something. The two of them were not only very articulate but incredibly fast spoken. I found myself genuinely liking them which frankly surprised me. They also took a moment to introduce the rest of the band, a nice touch and balanced the set nicely only intruding one completely new song, which the crowd liked as much as the previous set.
Electronic is hard to balance, and I think they did a very nice job incorporating electronic elements without it being a distraction.
Overall a good show.
And of course, there’s the music, for the price of one show (or less for some festivals) you can see multiple artists. The sets and the fame usually get bigger as the night progresses.
In Bamboozle’s case it was $35 for up to twelve acts (some were DJ). I was a little more selective than that and went to just three acts(I skipped reviewing Treaty of Paris as I was exhausted) and overheard the rest. One of the things that made Bamboozle unique from what I’ve seen is that you could actually see all of the acts present. There was no overlap between sets. While this meant shorter sets, it also meant you didn’t have to pick and choose. The side stage was also close to the main stage so you didn’t have to bolt between sets.
This was like the speed dating of festivals. other festivals i’ve seen are 3 days or more with 1-2 hour sets (my old home town, Milwaukee festival Summerfest (warning flash site), is a full 11 days long) Bamboozle managed to cram what could have been two days worth of music into one. The result could have been catastrophic, but it was amazing. The sets i saw were only 30 minutes a piece, and were very close together.
The Venue--( Charter One Pavilion at Northerly Island)(7/10) I feel like im comparing apples to oranges when rating an outdoor venue against indoor venues. They are really differnt animals. The Charter One Pavilion has an enormous 7,500 person capcity, yet I’ve been in several plces at the venue and you can generally see fairly well (exception is the par for the corse 6 foot tall guy in front of my 5’1“ self, which thankfully didn’t happen this go). Another nice thing about sprawling outdoor venues is you get all the volume without as much pain on the ears. This venue has been suprisingly cheep too. I think the most I’ve paid for a show there was $75.
I feel most of the downsides are part of the nature of outside venues (weather, not as clean). However, the food and beverage prices are a bit ridiculous even for a concert ($4-5 for a 20oz bottle of water, $8 for nachos)
There was one odd nice touch, the merch booth took credit cards wich I’ve never seen before at an outdoor festival, heck some indoor shows don’t take credit, wich was a huge load off my mind.
The crowd--(6/10) The usual festival crowd which was a mix of very lively fans and laid back folks who were just there for the festival. A very comfortable, but hard to rate and even harder to anylize crowd.
On to the shows:
First Act-- (Kill Hannah)(7/10) An old favorite of mine that I’ve gushed over repeatedly, so I’ll keep it short. This was the welcome home show after an intense three week tour of Europe. They were wonderful as usual, with front man Mat Divine’s powerhouse energy and unique voice carried over a set that comprised of as many songs as the band could play in thirty minutes. It was a pleasure to see the guys back on their home stomping grounds.
And even more of a pleasure to see the guys Just hanging out and signing and chatting with fans. It was not the traditional Meet them from behind a table, be forced to buy a CD and wait in a huge line set up. They were just there among the people. While not part of the set, i found it really cool how amicable they are with their fans.
Second Act (3OH!3) (8/10): A total surprise considering It took a very long time for me to warm up to their recorded work and even now I only really like a few songs. They really brought the metaphoric house down.
3OH!3 is an odd band that is hard to figure out what to make of (according to wikipeda they are ”crunkcore“ I’d put them closer to hip-hop). On first listen their lyrics are rude, and seem sexist but there is something inexplicably catchy about it. However, the more i listen to them, the more i think they are parodying the hip hop culture, a bold move for young men who very clearly don’t look like they are a part of that culture. Its tongue in cheek that often comes very close to the style it is parodying.
Frontmen Nat Motte and Sean Forman were smashing on stage. I’ve never seen a hip hop show live before, and this was really something. The two of them were not only very articulate but incredibly fast spoken. I found myself genuinely liking them which frankly surprised me. They also took a moment to introduce the rest of the band, a nice touch and balanced the set nicely only intruding one completely new song, which the crowd liked as much as the previous set.
Electronic is hard to balance, and I think they did a very nice job incorporating electronic elements without it being a distraction.
Overall a good show.
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