Band Members
K.C. Rehberg – Vocals
Chris Craig – Guitar
Alex Difabio – Bass
Steve Popplewell – Drums
So I’ve been impatiently waiting to review one of these local Seattle bands that would impressively show me that Seattle’s local music scene is still alive and thriving. Then along came The Liars Club. Although this band is NOT thriving, I can report back that Seattle’s local bands are at least still trying.
A sure-fire sign that you are going to witness a rough show is when the lead singer is wearing earplugs so he doesn’t have to suffer with the rest of us. First of all, to say “The Liars Club are decent live,” you must literally be a member of a club of liars. It’s not just because the lead singer is rockin’ a Captain America wristband, but live, this show came off as a cold mess. The little 4th grader inside me dug the tunes that sounded like a bad cover of the theme song from “Saved by the Bell,” but the mixture of all the instruments occurred as a huge cluster of sound that was unpleasant. The guitars, the racket of the drums, and the singer’s attempt at rambling stressed me out to the point where I couldn’t concentrate. At best, it was what I like to call “audio friction.”
Besides the Captain America wristband, K.C. Rehberg is a specimen all to himself! At the end of the footage he tells us he “can’t run around” due to him being injured. Yet, he was constantly wandering off the stage! K.C. paces back and forth like he is searching for a place to take a leak. No wonder the few fans that did show up aren’t anywhere near him; I wouldn’t risk him ruining my Kmart Pancho either. It was hard to listen this guy. His lyrics can’t be understood nor do they carry an actual tune. To prove this point, I will PayPal $1 to the first person who can make out he is saying from 1:46-2:16 in the video clip. IT WON’T HAPPEN. Also, I was a bit bewildered when in-between songs K.C. started ad-libbing South Park quotes. Big Gay Al catch phrases during a heavy rock/punk show aren’t the ideal way to transition from one song to another.
The Liars Club sound is jumbled, overpowering, and needs to go back to the drawing board. The vocals were bad and the music needs more dynamics throughout. If the objective of the band is to play music to occupy their time, great! I’m glad for you; as long as I don’t have to waste my time suffering through a show like this again. On a positive note, their music sounds a lot better recorded then it does live, so maybe they have some hope. This style didn’t fit well with me but I have to admit that The members of The Liars Club have a lot of guts to put it on display.
You don’t have to take my word for it. Here are clips from their May show at The Sunset Tavern.
Upcoming shows
Jun 12 2009 9:00P The Skylark Cafe West Seattle, Washington
Jun 27 2009 8:00P Flights Pub Everett
Aug 15 2009 9:00P The Bit Saloon Seattle, Washington
Band Members
Derek Chan — bass
Jason Holstrom — guitar
Carly Nicklaus — vocals
Amanda Okonek — vocals
Jon E. Rock — drums, vocals
Peter Sali — guitar, vocals
Noah Star Weaver — keyboards, vocoder
There has been a lot of talk about U.S.E around town these days. One thing that you should know about my opinion of U.S.E is that it is prefaced with nothing. Despite all the hype, I didn’t go into the show expecting “Seattle’s number one party band,”* and I wasn’t “totally ready to hate this show.”* To be 100% honest, the first time I heard them was over at a friend’s apartment right before I walked two blocks over to The Crocodile with my giant tripod. Listening to them on MySpace I was thought, ‘this show could be really good, or it could really suck.’ Unfortunately, I thought the show really sucked. What is all the hype about? U.S.E was one of those experiences where I had to look around to see where the Kool-Aid was because everyone was into it but I simply couldn’t figure out why.
In the spirit of fair play, there are a couple cases that could be taken to argue U.S.E’s live appeal. One: You could say that the amount of people on stage creates the appeal of a dance party. Sure, if I were at a big dance party and some of the people who are hanging out hoped on stage to give us a show, that could be fun. I however felt as if I had been tricked into hoping that something really dynamic was coming but kept getting flamboyantly slapped with anti-climax. If you are used to seeing between three and five people on stage and getting an amazing show, having additional bodies on stage would naturally ensue the expectation of getting more power and dynamics, right? If not, why would you have a superfluous amount of people in your band? I’m still left with that question. If U.S.E listed “Gyrating” as one of Amanda Okonek’s contributions that would make more sense to have her as a member of the band because there was a lot of that “unique instrument” being played on stage-right.
Another arguable point could be: Band energy. I give it up fully that U.S.E brought a lot of energy to the table which might be at the foundation of the opinion that U.S.E is “Seattle’s number one party band.”* The energy that they brought to the stage did not seamed forced, but there was something paradoxical about it. How could a band that was so energetically engaging leave me so bored? The only logic that I could put to it was that U.S.E is a vocally driven band and they’re lyrics are very repetitive and boring. Their approach seemed to give peaks and valleys throughout the songs, but it was peaks and valleys of the same lyrics and hooks. That could be a genre specific occurrence, but no matter what logic is put to it, I was still very bored.
The paradox of U.S.E is more or less the crux of this review. Everyone is talking about them, but I don’t know why; they are supposedly the number one party band to see, but I was extremely underwhelmed. I might be crazy, but I think I found The Emperors new Band.
Please enjoy the Video from their Crocodile performance March 28th 2009 and choose for yourself.
Band Members
Adrian Garver – Guitar
Sio – Bass Vocals
Hoagie Gero – Drums
In researching the word Motorik, I found that it’s derived from the repetitive yet forward-flowing feel of rhythm. The word Motorik actually means motor skill in German. I agree that their approach is repetitive, but there is a gap between their performance and forward-flowing movement. Ironically, their approach created an inertia that made it difficult for me to follow where they were going.
A missing piece for me was depth of sound. Motorik is a three piece band that has their guitar player switching from rhythm to lead throughout the set. I’ve seen that done, but usually when it is done with a three piece the band uses a loop station to create a full sound. Their bare bones approach made everything about their sound stick out and lack a cohesive flow.
The most noticeable stick-out about their sound was the vocals. Their sound has been referred to as having a “British Pop” infusion. What I heard was not interpretable nor was it transferable; it just was what it was. Sio has a strong voice that at times sounded a bit husky; she also darted around with some abrupt high pitched accents. I could imagine that what they were going for could have been quirky, fun, and perhaps unique, but what I got was awkward and abrasive.
Lastly, the stage presence was a bit out-of-whack. Adrian and Hoagie looked like they were really into it, but Sio did not. Whatever circumstances that were around her lack of perceivable energy are irrelevant. Typically a single band member’s stage presence doesn’t throw the who thing off-kilter; but when you are 33.33% of what I’m looking at, that one band member could make your highest ranking mark to an F.
I’m sorry Motorik…
A big shout-out to their support at XO Publicity though. They are a really great company who work extremely hard for their clients.
Band Members
Keith ::: Moog, Roland, Beats, Programming
Brandon ::: Industrial Light and Magic
Cassidy ::: Gibson
J Andrew ::: Korg, Fender, Sampler, Vocoder
Joel ::: Moog, Roland, Beats, Vocoder
Question. If you can’t judge a book by it’s cover, can you judge a band by their title? In this case the answer is yes. Sleepy Eyes of Death took me on a trip to the underworld. With all the smoke, bright lights, and strobe, I felt like I was in the midst of Dante’s Inferno. But you know what? If Hell comes with a show like this, I’ll take two!
Visually, SEOD gave an extremely stimulating show. The Holy Mountain venue could have been the perfect place to see them. Why do you ask? Well, The Holy Mountain isn’t exactly a venue; it is a warehouse space/party house run by people who love music and are offering their living space to further it. Necessity being the mother of invention, the show was set up in a little cove in the back of the room. With the band saturating themselves with fog and orchestrating themselves with light, SEOD was able to create a pit of atmosphere that was so overpowering that I was more then willing to submit to it.
I also really liked how there was so much versatility from song to song, and how they also manage to give us versatility within each individual song. With the electronic vocals that they used, their approach to music reminded me of the dreamy style of Mogwai. Although I found similarities, SEOD infuses their music with darkness and turn the intensity level up from a 5 to about a 8. If they were inspired by that niche aspect of Mogwai, they explored all the different aspects within it to make their own creation. That was my impression anyway, whatever yours will be I’m sure you will agree that SEOD gives a high impact show on many levels.
Band Members
Michael Sterling: Drums, arm candy, dynamics
Laura: Keyboards, moog, vocals, tamborine
Paul: baritone guitar, moog, vocals, drum programs previous member (drummer on EP)
Sky: drums, vocals, mallets/mullets
Peep this!
So I was at The Holy Mountain venue, hanging out… and look who comes strolling in the door. It was Mike, a guitar player from Joy Wants Eternity! I was thinking, “How nice, Mike is showing up to support.” Was I on the right track? Yes and no. Mike was showing up to support, but in the capacity of drumming for Blue Light Curtain.
This being my first exposure to Blue Light Curtain, my impression was that the music was a combination of pop, metal, and drone. Although conceptually interesting, I didn’t think the execution made it very accessible. I’m not commenting as to weather music’s accessibility makes it good or bad, but I really wasn’t that into it. I could see this being the type of show some would be very into, but it just left me feeling a little awkward. Visually, I felt their stage presence fit into my opinion of accessibility with this band; It was a little flat for my taste, but it had a natural flow with the music.
I think that if this band is around for a while, they could draw a crowd that gets their music, and those fans will probably be their fans for a long time. Sadly, I don’t know if I’ll be one of them.
Band Members
Mark Blazer – Vocals
Brian Kim – Guitar
Taylor Weston – Bass
Joseph Wilkinson – Drums
May I have your attention please? I think I found the love child of “Screamo/Indie Rock” circa 2002-2006.
I enjoyed Gladiators Eat Fire (GEF) for lots of reasons. For starters, they bring a lot of energy to the table. Energy reciprocates energy, so you can count on being pumped up if you see them live. Mark screamed and danced like there was no one watching. There is something so pure about someone who can scream from their toes and it’s coming from a place that is real. Mark wasn’t just screaming because to be a jackass ham. That pure feeling was present with the entire band and with their cult following.
Another reason I enjoyed them was the fact that they were able to change the mood of the room while maintaining the integrity of their style. This did not come as a surprise, because GEF are a band that plays music not only for the people, but they play for themselves and for the people. If you are a kindred spirit with this ilk, this will be a show that you will really enjoy, and be grateful that you can find music of this genre that is new and forward thinking.
Band Members:
STEVE DELISSIO: Guitar and lead vocals
JEFF DELISSIO: Drums and vocals
L.C. HOLLOWAY: Bass and Backing Vocals
I’m not a smoker, but i considered starting just to have an excuse to walk out of this show. There were some moments during the show when i was hopeful, but then i realized that it was just gas… Goose Vargis would fit in nicely on the bill of an Open Mic Sunday at The Royal Bear in Auburn, WA. I’m almost certain they would get a warm reception from the butt-rock loving, toothless, lumberjack female bartenders.
In the department of older men rocking out, they weren’t all that bad. However, at one point during the show, they did say that we needed to buckle-up for the next song. I thought to myself, “oh crap! Things are about to get crazy in here!!!” and after much anticipation, they got me again, it was just gas. After the disturbingly executed song, one of the band members said, and i quote, “Here’s to practice! That was the first time we got through the song without something going wrong.” Um… what went wrong with the song is the fact that the three of you are playing it publicly!!! Go play Rock Band in someone’s private home, and don’t make people coming to see other bands have to suffer through your mid-life crisis.
Here is the special treat for you, but a warning from the band, “You might want to buckle-up!”
Places to avoid
Jan 22 2009 9:00 PM @ The Poggie Tavern
Feb 11 2009 9:00 PM @ The High Dive
Mar 13 2009 9:00 PM @ The Poggie Tavern
Apr 16 2009 9:00 PM @ The Poggie Tavern
May 30 2009 9:00 PM @ The Poggie Tavern
Jun 25 2009 9:00 PM @ The Poggie Tavern
Jason Ward (bass) Steve Norman (dobro, pedal steel, banjo, electric guitar) Baine Craft (Drums & Percussion )Scott Kennedy (Electric Guitar, Organ, Backup Vocals) Katie Mosehauer (Occasional Violin)
First, I would just like to say that I really enjoyed Carrie’s voice. I thought she was a very beautiful, heart felt singer.
… Okay … At the start of the video clip below, Carrie talks about how she has been having “bad band luck” referencing her experience of running into a parked car earlier that day… Unfortunately continuing her string of “bad band luck,” was me stumbling into her show with my video camera.
With her voice, there is so much opportunity for greatness that was blatantly being sidestepped… or should I say Two Stepped? In any event, the songs that were featured in her show on Jan 7th 2009 didn’t seem to have any moving direction, and as soon as they were getting to a crescendo, (please excuse my loose usage of the word crescendo) you were hoping for something so badly because she could be so good, … it just fell flat, and then it ended. Arguably, some could say that this kind of musical progression is genre specific, and perhaps I just wasn’t into that type of music. I don’t care if we are talking about a flute of Dom Perignon, or a fourty dog of Schlitz Malt Liquor, flat is flat! Visually, the stage presence of the band was so flat, I couldn’t even tell if THEY were into their own music.
In Carrie’s defense I do know that when you are dealing with larger venue, unless you have a strong following, you need to come packaged with a band. Sometimes that status-quo can shoot you in the foot. I think I would have enjoyed Carrie Biell as a solo show; she has a lot to offer and is a very sweet presence in the Seattle Music Scene.
Seattle Show Gal is in hot pursuit of undiscovered talent! How many great bands are out there that are slipping through the cracks? Seattle is saturated with so much music, it would be nearly impossible to sift through it all to find the good stuff. The Seattle Show Gal staff is not so proud to think that we can bring you all of it, but we are actively pursuing all different types of acts to give you a pulse on what is going on--right here in Seattle! (See more in "About")
