If you are a fan of music, you owe it to yourself to get involved in your local scene. Sure, it is a crapshoot what you're going to find, but you are sure to discover a band or two that is well worth your time. Also, if you happen to see those bands a few times over, say, a year, if they are good, you will see drastic improvements in their presence and performance. So, make sure you get out there and support the scene. Don't forget to introduce yourself to the bands you like, believe me, they love talking to anyone who enjoyes their music and will give them more drive to continue to improve.
This night was a special one, it started with a band in a state of flux. It is a band that if you have read my past reviews, you will know that I am a fan of. They are called Audible Thought, and this was their debut as an acoustic three piece dubbed Acoustic Thought. This evening marked the final show for bassist Jim Norton, who is leaving the band for other pursuits. The other lineup change involves the departure of their drummer. So, the band took the stage for an acoustic set, celebrating Jim's contributions and having a good time before going on a revamping hiatus.
This was the first time that I have seen them play an acoustic set, and while it was fun, and generally pretty good, it is not the arena that Audible Thought's music is best suited for. Now this may be a stretch for some of you, but it reminded me of that live Dokken album One Live Night. That was an acoustic set that exposed, at least to me, Dokken's music as not being right for acoustic instruments. Still, the three guys were having a lot of fun in the relaxed setting. The music was good, with moments of excellence. You can tell that a lot of the riffs and solos were better suited for electric, but Ryan Cady did a nice job of translating the best he could while trapped on the stool, you could see that he had to restrain himself and contain his natural energy. Sitting on the middle stool, Lou West delivered the vocal duties, showing more emotion in his voice than I can recall seeing in the past, singing wonderfully. He has a good voice, perhaps not the greatest range, but he has come along way in the year or so since I first saw him peform. Finally, there is Jim Norton sitting to Lou's right, acoustic bass in hand and really standing out with his lead style. His presence will be missed in the Audible lineup, as he is a wonderful bassplayer who I have watched perform for a number of years and in a few different bands, I am sure this is not the last we have seen of him on the local stage. Overall, it was a nice sendoff for Jim, a treat for the fans, and justa good laid back way to get the show started.
Following the tone setting performance of Audible Thought, we move into the electric set from Fifty Habit, an Orange County, NY band that I have not seen before. They put on a set that failed to blow me away, yet I hesitate to really criticize. It was one of those performances that was not bad, but just really bored me. The music was a bland style of hard rock with Maynard Keenan-esque vocals. They were a tight unit, but again I could not connect with the charisma challenged act. There were a number of moments where things started to pick up but failed to truly take flight. The highlight of their set was drummer Jimmy DeMarco, a young stickman who seems ready to break loose. I just think that he needs a heavier style of music to show what he can do. Overall, the performed well, but the music failed to grab me and I was just a little underwhelmed by their performance. There are plenty of worse acts out there, and given time, they could develop into something better.
Ready to bring back some energy to the stage Downfire was our third band to take the stage. I have seen these guys a few times over the past few years, and they are a good reason to get out there and support the scene. This was the first time I have seen them since January, and even in that short period of time there has been a drastic improvement in their performance, and they were looking really good back in January. They took to the stage around 10:30 and proceeded to deliver a roaring 30 minutes of heavy hard rock in the Black Label Society tradition. They are led by Dave Diaz on vocals and guitar, who delivers on both counts, strong voice, good solos and riffs. He is joined by Carlos Vega on guitar, Mark Parisi on bass, and Dave on drums. Despite some monitor issues for their drummer, this was probably the best that I have seen them. The music seemed to feature some more experimentation in the lead guitars, and an even tighter union between the members. They are growing together to create this wall of sound and energy that emanates from the stage carrying their love of the stage out to the audience. You can't help but be drawn into their performance. Definitely a band on the rise, and one to make a point to see when you can.
Lastly, the main event is a group called Coldshot. They are a band that began their career in New York's Hudson Valley, before moving to Florida. I never saw them prior to their move, but have learned that since the move south, they have had a couple of line up changes, and are still in a state of flux having lost a guitar player recently. Anyway, the band has traveled north to play a couple of return dates in the state of their birth. Coldshot hit the stage at 11:30 and made a pretty immediate impact playing a nicely rounded rock/metal hybrid that features nice soloing combined with some crunchy riffs. Their sound is one that seems poised to enter the current national rock scene. The lack of a second guitar player was very noticeable, the sound they have developed is in dire need of that second axe to fill out their sound. They are a good band with strong vocals and guitar work that performed well despite the shortcoming. Coldshot is a band that I would be interested in seeing again, should they make the trip again.
Overall, this was a good show, just what I like from a show on the local scene. Now if only there was a way to get more people out to the shows. These bands are good, they need our support to help get the word out. Remember to keep an eye out for the return of Audible Thought, most likely sometime in September. Also, Downfire is in the third round of competition at the Emergenza Music Festival being held at Crash Mansion in Manhattan, so if you can, be sure to head out to show your support on May 26th.
Allow me to close with a quote fromt he website of a now defunct local band, Frail: "Support Local Music... Or it stays that way"
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