NEWS
14
2006December
Notes from an eclectic, powerful gig in Chicago
Special Genz Benz night at The Note
At long last, the inaugural night for Genz Benz amplifiers in Chicago has arrived and thankfully 9 bands showed up ready to give them a proper breaking in.
Before the first band even hit the stage the crowds had already started pouring in and pouring em down and it was easy to see we were in for a special night at The Note.
Saturday, December 9th
First up for the night was The Diminished Fifth, a young group of metal heads whose lead singer really helped them stand out for the evening. Totally creepy tone and demeanor in a good way.
Next up was Loaded Motive whose lead singer and guitar player launched himself into the crowd to really help keep up the energy in the house. At times I lost track of where he was in the building as he ran around with his Sennheiser wireless. They''ll be headed to the quarterfinal round.
The Jags took the stage next and were joined by a guest bass player with their normal bass player stuck at home with a fever. They held it down with their aggressive punk-rock set that ended with a couple broken guitar strings.
Another punk band, Center City Rats, was next and had the energy and songs to command attention in the house. The crowd wanted more and they had time so they managed to throw in a couple extra crowd pleasers.
Algren hit next with a slamming rhythm section, and fantastic songs and arrangements that surely helped them lock down second place for the evening.
Pychas held it down with some psychedelic bass lines and super tight guitar riffs. You could see the excitement from these guys playing their debut show and as a bonus they took home first place.
Getting back to some metal, Twisted J took over the club for 25 minutes with aggressive authority, they''ll be headed to the next round as well.
Adysania was supposed to play next and they did, but they didn''t...let me explain. Adysania had a last minute name change to Kung Fu Monks and they took care of their business with some grungy alternative rock.
Finally was 3 Shades of Black, a group of hip hop musicians, that would have stood out in genre alone. But it was also their pseudo freestyle slam poetry-esque intro and their two bass players that really had some heads turning and noddin'' as they played simultaneously.
With so many bands and fans checking out almost all we had to offer on Saturday night, it was great to see a healthy Chicago scene.
Not only did I overhear several bands hooking up for more gigs, I''d have to say almost everyone checked out at least 6 to 7 bands that played besides the ones they initially came to see.
So today I tip my hat to the bad ass Chicago fans that help keep our scene and bands growing.
We couldn''t do it without you!
Yours in Rock.