BUILDING ROME power pop alt rock band has emo foundation & commercial appeal

"Roma die uno non aedificata est"(translation from latin: "Rome wasn't built in a day") How long did it take to build Rome? It began around 753 B.C. and reached its peak in 120 A.D. when the population became 1.2 million, so technically it took about 870 years. Oh, you mean the St. Louis, Missouri-based power pop alt rock band with an aura of emo? Five years, no make that six, no they just added a fourth guy to play bass, so make that ah...well, the fact of the matter is...they're still Building Rome, the band. (images in order of appearance: Building Rome CD covers, Buddy Holly from a picture by Billy Hathorn and his look-a-like Jon Heisserer, awesome drummer Brian Porter, band's original founding member Jon Heisserer, new bass player Heath Robertson, skilled lead guitarist Tom Butler) I caught up with these musicians performing their craft at a show in suburban Chicago this past month on August 14th, 2010. Simply...they ROCKED! In speaking with founder Jon Heisserer when questioned about the name of the band he told me "it's been difficult trying to find the right mix of musicians to make up the band and as a result a frined had mentioned that Rome wasn't built in a day". Right from the git-go they came onstage with a refreshing look, ditching the t-shirt ripped jeans thing which many bands tend to do nowadays (where you can't tell a fan from the featured rock performer), wearing collared shirts with the band's leader Jon Heisserer looking eerily like a youthful reincarnation of a clean-cut guitar-laden Buddy Holly. This band presented themselves very professionally and they jumped into their set of seven all-original rock music tunes with conviction and polished enthusiasm...the lyrics were easily and clearly heard with a perfect balance between the four rockers bringing forth such a high definition in the execution of their songs, making it sound as if I was listening to a very audiophilic quality studio version recording of their music pulsing out into the audience. They upstaged all the other bands I heard on the bill that night (Dear Noel, Odayin, and 6 Ways From Sunday) with their overall no-nonsense stage presence, technical playing skills of drummer Brian Porter, Tom Butler on lead guitar/backup vocals, newly acquired bass player Heath Robertson, and the exceptional songwriting talent of Jon Heisserer on lead vocals/rhythm guitar. The band's sound is very much in the power pop vein which draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music, typically incorporating a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs with limited soloing...yet also having that sound which is descended from punk rock making them somewhat alternative in nature with a solid base of emo (music that is typically characterized by melodic musicianship and expressive, often confessional lyrics) that is noticably apparent in their sound/image which it is creatively built on. Building Rome's fourth and latest CD release, "Nightmare", is a concept album supposedly loosely based on the movie Jacob's Ladder, but it seems to me it is more tellingly a revealing portrait of the band's songwriter Jon Heisserer and his expressive visions and angst of what he personally was going through during "...a really rough time..." in his life; his band had broken up, and as Jon states in an interview he had with Courtney Marsh of the St. Louis Music Examiner, "...I pretty much sat on my couch for a year being really depressed. The concept for the album started up with a dream that I had, and sort of perpetuated itself into a whole story about love, death, anger, addiction, and war....I just wanted to make something real. I can always tell when people write music just to write music. I wanted to write something that I would listen to...I was tired of writing songs that ended after three minutes." The set of seven tunes opened with "Welcome To My Brain", then "Nightmare", 3rd was what I considered their second best tune of the show "Take Cover (Burn)", the 4th tune they slowed it down a little bit with "The Panting Dog" another great tune with a memorable guitar riff, the 5th song performed was "Sleep In My Eyes", the 6th tune livening up the audience with "Dr. Doctor" and finally their biggest hit to date and what I considered their best tune, "What Are We Fighting For?". All in all, they are a band not to be missed and seem to be a step away from commercially viable rock n' roll fame...the band is still going through changes as Jon continues to re-form and enhance the band, Building Rome, in pursuit of the musical vision to be had...keep it up guys and hone your sound...just remember, "If you build it,they will come." 'Nuff Sed.

Elbo Room Chicago live show video of Buiding Rome doing the tune "Take Cover (Burn)":

Commercially produced video of Building Rome's hit "What Are We Fighting For?":


NEXT SHOW:

The Conservatory

Oklahoma City, OK

August 24, 2010

8PM

BAND MEMBERS:
Jon Heisserer – Lead Vocals / Rhythm Guitar
Heath Robertson - Bass

Tom Butler – Lead Guitar/Backup Vocals
Brian Porter – Drums/Backup Vocals
(on recordings but no longer a current band member Brandon Armour – Guitar/Backup Vocals)

LABEL:

indie

MANAGEMENT:

self-managed

WEBSITES:

buildingromerock.com

http://www.myspace.com/buildingrome
facebook.com/buildingrome

http://www.youtube.com/buildingromeofficial

http://formspring.me/buildingrome

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Building_Rome

http://www.ilike.com/artist/Building+Rome

http://buildingromejon.blogspot.com/

http://www.ourstage.com/profile/buildingrome

http://www.reverbnation.com/buildingrome

http://www.battleofthebands.com/buildingrome

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/nightmare/id329678859

NOTE:
I indicated that this band was based on a foundation of emo. What is emo? It is a form of culture that commonly is tied to both music and fashion as well as the emo subculture...usually among teens, the term "emo" is stereotyped with wearing slim-fit jeans sometimes in bright colors...some males also wear thick, black horn-rimmed glasses. The emo fashion is also recognized for its hairstyles...popular looks include long side-swept Fringe (hair)bangs, sometimes covering one or both eyes...also popular is hair that is straightened and dyed black...bright colors, such as blue, pink, red, or bleached blond, are also typical as highlights in emo hairstyles...short, choppy layers of hair are also common...this fashion has at times been characterized as a fad...in the early 2000s, emo fashion was associated with a clean cut look but as the style spread to younger teenagers, the style has become darker, with long bangs and emphasis on the color black replacing vests...the term emo has been associated with a stereotype that includes being particularly emotional, sensitive, shy, introverted, or angst-ridden...it has also been associated with depression, self-injury, and suicide.
(source: Wikipedia.org, BuildingRomeRocks.com, MySpace.com, Youtube.com)

ODAYIN metal-alt-rock band has prog heart

The five musicians of the heavy metal-alternative rock band from Michigan known as Odayin came across as a bunch of "lets-just-have-a-good-time-and-rock-these-people" dudes (normally six members but Graham Rockwood the keyboardist/bass was M.I.A. for this show)...formed in 2008 this band makes use of a word from the Ojibwa indian tribe that means "heart"...and they've got plenty of it. As stated in their band brochure which was passed out in the club prior to the show that gave a wonderful overview of the band and its members including their names, email, websites and booking info (great marketing idea/format by the way), "The heart stirs up many emotions or ideas, like passion, belief, truth and life. It's those feelings this group of six fun-loving individuals brings together to create energetic and thought provoking tunes for anyone to enjoy". I know it waxes a little philosophical, but there it is, a description of their band and what they're about.

(images in order of appearance: Steve Dombrowski, Randy Gray, Nick Weidner, Odayin Album Debut Poster, Dustin Buckley, Danny Pica, Graham Rockwood)

Odayin's music is very heavy metal oriented due to the stellar lead guitar work of Steve Dombroski with alternative-rock-influenced spurious vocals adequately handled by two alternating and sometimes harmonizing vocalists Nick Weidner and Randy Gray (also rhythm guitarist)...combine this with the more than ample vibes emanating from the bass guitarist Dustin Buckley and then bringing it all together, the driving "heart" beat-to-be-

reckoned-with, rock drummer Danny

Pica...they coalesce as one solid magma of rock force to be heard that carried the night away (as well as the crowd) at the North Beach nightclub located in a suburb of Chicago.

Their show of originals opened with the tune which is the title track to the album they released in 2009 entitled "The Last Flight Of Chaos"...best of show goes to this one...does a great job of defining the band's sound...it features the alternating and harmonizing double vocal leads, a very unusual approach but it helps to make their music unique...just a word here, when they began the show they failed to make mention of their name initially for those that missed the brochure, but did say they were from out of state. The second tune "The Doubt", showcased the bass player quite well in conjunction with the other guitars playing a distinctive repeating riff together...the third tune "Poison Arrows" loved the guitar line on this one and what lyrics I could hear were thought provoking...by the fourth tune about five chicks grabbed a table to stage right of the band and as a result the lead singer "dedicated the next song to table 7" which was called "Undertow"...it offered up a magnificent solo by Steve on his blonde-bodied lead guitar and Dustin's bass the way it was being worked reminded me of the playing style of Stanley Clarke on this one...this was the first tune I could clearly her all the vocals on...previous tunes they were being overshadowed by the guitar lines it seemed to me...the next tune really rocked me...number 5..."Weight Of the Revolution" and I consider their second best one of the show...the harmonized vocals were way cool as well as the driving riffs and again the presence of Steve's major, major lead guitar work (almost out-classing his band mates, his technical skill and ability is quite impressive and at times seems to carry the band)...on the 6th tune "Redefine", the bass player and drummer meshed quite well here and made for a great tune...after the 7th and final tune "TNT"...the band did right by announcing to the audience "Thanks for being here and listening to us...hope everything works out for everybody" which was referring to the fact that this was the last Friday night for the night club to be open...rumors of the death knell had been sounded for the venue earlier in the week.

The band has only one really well produced high quality video available to post here where it shows scenes from their album debut party accompanied by the track "Weight Of The Revolution" from their album "The Last Flight Of Chaos"...the others out there on Youtube all have very bad sound quality so I would recommend going to their MySPace page or iTunes to listen to their other music offerings. I would suggest that they get some good quality videos out there to help follow-up and support their marketing campaign that was so nicely done with their informational flyer distributed at the show. The band appears to truly enjoy working together to entertain and brings forth a "now-lets-get-rocked-and-have-fun" atmosphere of stage presence. The two lead vocalist thing by Nick and Randy I think is what sets them apart from other bands I see out there...in addition to a great rhythm section comprised of Dustin and Danny and the rock-shredding lead guitar of Steve Dombrowski. Odayin is so good, when you go to see and hear these dudes rock live, don't be surprised if you get a...dare I say it..."heart" attack. Odayin ROCKS! 'Nuff Sed.

Odayin album debut party vid (circa 2009) featuring the track "Weight Of The Revolution" with a "KILLER" lead guitar solo by Steve Dombrowski:

NEXT SHOW:
Odayin at Hard Rock Cafe Detroit, MI
Thursday, Aug 19, 2010 @ 7:00 PM

BAND MEMBERS:
Steve Dombrowski-lead guitar
Nick Weidner-vocals
Randy Gray-vocals/rhythm guitar
Dustin Buckley-bass
Danny Pica-drums
Graham Rockwood-bass/keys

LABEL:
Indie

MANAGEMENT:
Ebone McLean

WEBSITES:
http://www.myspace.com/odayinmusic
http://www.facebook.com/odayin
http://www.famecast.com/backstage/artist.php?artist_id=25515
http://www.sonicbids.com/epk/epk.aspx?epk_id=160419

(sources: myspace.com, youtube.com)

VAL HALLA rock music guitarist blonde chick slays fans at the gates with sass & song

Val Halla in Scandinavian mythology refers to the "hall of the slain"; if ever you get to be a member of her all-original-music-rocked audience on this latest tour with her band, slay you she will...when she finishes her show at any venue she plays, it definitely becomes the mythic "hall of the slain" alright, deftly vanquishing her audience with her guitar, vocal and (most pre-eminently) songwriting skills and talent, hastening the annihilation of the musical memory of any band that comes onstage before her act. The folksy-brunette-turned-stunning-blonde-rock-red-guitar-wielding-songwriter-chick Val Halla (a.k.a. Valerie Raye McLeod), dispatches rock fans to the realm of those yearning to hear more of her original sound...her unique approach to the rock music genre has a touch of Nashville country sustained by a heavy metal foundation (when accompanied by her band), combining the experience of years learning piano and writing her first song at the age of 5, learning guitar at 11, leaving home at 17 (inspired to follow the life of a musician by having seen a live show of music by Hawksley Workman), 9 years of actively and with professional dedication pursuing her musical craft, 2 recent years touring as a solo artist (acoustic guitarist) internationally and now becoming the opening act for Ted Nugent's current 2010 summer tour (image above: Ted Nugent with Val Halla).

This 26 year old "Devilishly Dazzling Doll" with her signature angel-winged eye makeup and smokey-laden voice, is a musical talent to be reckoned with. Her music is so original in nature, she quickly discovered that her sound is hard to put into a commercial category according to recording industry people that she has tried to get her music produced with...and as a result has named her new album "No Place" in response to the claims by the music industry "suits" that her music won't fit anywhere. Halla calls her brand of music "Rock Americana" as in Sheryl Crow-meets-Joan Jett...some have called it Allman Brothers-meet-Courtney Love...still others have named it "Gruntry" which implies a clash of the 1990s grunge music she grew up with and the country music that now surrounds her currently, residing in the Tennessee town known to many as "Music City USA" (Nashville). Whatever it is classified, her music is as appealing as her looks and on-stage "bad girl" manner. Its a dynamite combo just ready to explode into a cloud of musical marketability where she could easily crossover between a country and rock music fan base. I think the "suits" better wake up and sign her to a deal as soon as possible...she's only going to continue to get better at her craft as you can see by the devotion to her music in talking with her as I did for this interview...until a recording label picks her up, Val Halla is a promise waiting to be kept.

As her aptly named blog entitled, "Val Halla-My Journey To Rock N Roll Heaven" (with a subtitle that reads "In our dying days, where the outcome is predefined, we chose to fight despite our fate, standing tall at Valhalla’s gate")...it has definitely been all that for her...a task that requires one to stand tall for sure, be steady and at times defiant, literally fighting for survival in the face of the many devastating situations encountered by her on this tune-filled tumultuous trek. She has no record label (self-producing her CDs "Val Halla" and "No Place") and was in need of a tour manager for the band. Financially it has been a strain even though she has had help via a touring grant from the Canadian Saskatchewan Arts Board as Val is from Regina, Saskatchewan Canada originally. But all the trials and travails she claims is worth it to her as the exposure for her music now is very great due to her current tour with legendary rocker Ted Nugent, playing to three or four thousand people per show. Its estimated that the tour closer in Detroit on September 5th, 2010 will garner an audience of ten thousand.

When she was informed that she would be touring with Ted Nugent she only had two weeks to put together a band to get ready for it. Then her tour van had been broken into and equipment stolen. In another instance the van broke down causing the band to be late for their sound-check at a concert venue. Being the true rock music road warrior she is Halla took it all in stride. What else could possibly go wrong? Guess. Val Halla, just prior to coming here to do a couple of shows in Chicago between Nugent tour dates, discovered that her band (Neal Davis-guitar, Alex Ferreiro-bass, and Marty Higman-drums all from Austin, Texas) was deserting her in Pittsburgh having fallen prey to their inability to handle the grind of a road tour or maybe it was just another case of the "band drama trauma" thing that takes down so many aspiring musical acts these days. This left the determined and road-hardened Val Halla stranded without a band for the balance of the Ted Nugent tour. But fortune (and maybe the Norse gods of old) smiled down upon her, not to mention her tenacious persistence to succeed. Val Halla was backed by the local heavy metal rock band Till Death for her House Of Blues Chicago show this past month and as a result she recruited the more-than-capable guitarist Mike Styrczula from that band to help finish out her tour with Ted Nugent (Mike also plays with the group Chris Servia & The Ivory Theory). She also acquired the former band talent recruiter for the now-shuttered and defunct North Beach nightclub, Joe Chavez and annointed him her tour band manager. Val also brought in a bass guitarist dude named Ron Lawson who flew in from Canada right before the show I saw and has a very capable rocker named Tristan Helgason on drums (from the Canadian alternative rock band Ghosts Of Modern Man) to fill out the all-new cast of members for her band.

The first of seven all-original tunes that she opened with (mostly from her recently released album "No Place" March 9, 2010) was "Whiskey Evening" a rock guitar-driven tune with a splash of country about making friends with Jack Daniels after a bad day at work and being stood up - of course when you've known him as long as I have he goes by the name of John - ha ("I don't want to be your one and only I just want to be your baby"..."I don't want to be your everything I just want to make everything all right"), then "Be One Tonight" a clean and tight performance by the band on this one, followed by the tuneful promise that she will be "Coming Home" one of these days from her travels, then "Makers Moon" which I thought was a good representation of a tune that could have crossover appeal 'tween rock and country audiences, "Dark Sister" a country-slanted tune about a change in her disposition ("I'm not the girl I used to be since my dark sister came lookin' for me"), "40 Days and 40 Nights" good professional-sounding rock with the drummer throwing his sticks up in the air at the end of the song, and finally closing with "The Bad Girl Touch" probably her best example of the metal-rock that she is currently displaying on tour which is an autobiographical piece about what Val Halla is really like (as she points out in her interview video below).

Val Halla the "Rocker Chick" backed by her heavy-metal-based-band on the autobiographical tune "Bad Girl Touch":



Val Halla's music is not so much revolutionary as it is evolutionary...her current commercially available recordings lean towards country music with a splash of rock and heartfelt lyrics that draw you into her world of folksy tunesmithing...yet when you see her live during this current concert tour the commercial music presented on her websites and in her recordings belies the everpresent musical influences of some of her heavy-metal band faves such as Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin and the like...especially evident when she is fronting her current metal-oriented rock band that is on tour with her. The professionally recorded internet-based tunes turn into in-your-face rock anthems when you see her live. So...bottom-line...I see her music as still evolving due to the "introverted-brunette-acoustic-guitar-carrying-good-girl" image/sound battling with the "extroverted-electric-guitar-wielding-BlondeRockerChick-bad-girl" aura...I believe she is still wrestling with this duality and which vehicle will be best to use to showcase her music...personally the latter appeals to me and it seems to me that it does to her, too...in the end I know she will make the choice that is right for her...she is very much her own person and has done a great job carving out her unique musical niche...hmmm...there may be some additional insight here to the real Val Halla/Valerie McLeod...there is a very revealing passage that Halla had scribbled on the side of the box she was carrying her CDs in which she was busy selling to avid fans...it goes:

"No judgement All fear

Panic evil's here

Keep saving yourself

Way down in that beer

There's some ugly mistress

Hiding out in that mirror"

Val Halla has re-booted her image, her music and her show and is now in line for a raging commercial success (she certainly has been paying her dues for the past decade)...and touring with "Uncle Ted" will be an experience she will gain alot from...but until that decision has been fully committed to on how to purvey her craft (bad girl? good girl? country? rock? metal? gruntry? or a mix thereof?) and she has fully reconciled with herself...well...you've come a long way baby...you're almost there...but you've got just a little further to go before you enter Rock N Roll Heaven...however, I think they hear you now...rattling the gates. 'Nuff Sed.

NEXT SHOW:
August 19th, 2010
Ted Nugent "Trample The Weak Hurdle The Dead Tour"
The Catalyst Santa Cruz, CA

BAND MEMBERS:
Val Halla-lead singer/rhythm guitar
Mike Styrczula-Lead guitar
Ron Lawson-bass
Tristan Helgason-drums

LABEL:
Indie

MANAGEMENT:
Joe Chavez

WEBSITES:
http://www.valhallaonline.com/
http://www.myspace.com/myspacemusicvalhalla
http://www.facebook.com/valhallamusic
http://www.youtube.com/user/ValHallaOnline
http://valhalla.bandcamp.com/album/no-place
http://itunes.apple.com/artist/val-halla/id268704087
http://www.blog.valhallaonline.com
http://www.twitter.com/valhallamusic
http://www.reverbnation.com/valhallamusic
http://www.myspace.com/valeriemcleod
http://www.myspace.com/valhallavancouver

"Girl Next Door" Valerie McLeod before the Val Halla rocker-chick reboot:

Val Halla's commercially-oriented music video of the tune "Stay" from her new CD "No Place":



Val Halla's tune called "Coming Home" with scenes from her journey on the road to Rock N Roll Heaven:



Can't get enough of Val Halla? Hey, scope out this interview:


(source: valhallaonline.com, myspace.com)

CHRIS SERVIA & THE IVORY THEORY never judge a book by its cover or a band for that matter

(image: Chris Servia postulating The Ivory Theory)
Many years ago I caught a keyboardist/singer/songwriter on his way up the pop-rock fame-ladder in, of all places, DeKalb, Illinois performing in a small, dark, overly-warm, low-ceilinged and very crowded venue on the campus of Northern Illinois University...he walked out onstage, barefoot, alone, with a sixpack of beer and slammed it onto the baby grand piano while holding another freshly opened can of brew in his other hand...he was wearing blue denim coveralls, no shirt and had these really huge oversized pop-bottle-thick-lensed-tinted-glasses on, looking unshaved and pretty rough...but then I was there to catch an electric rock violinist (Jean Luc Ponty) that had just recently joined this guy's band on a pre-release tour promoting the group's forthcoming 5th album and wasn't really there to here this bespeckled piano-man play...besides, I didn't know what to make of this guy...when he sat down and started plunking on the ivories, sailing into a self-written lyric-rich song with sincerity, emotion and ease, I suddenly became enamored of his music...then the rest of the band joined him onstage...however, I'll finish that story later.

I had a sense of déjà vu the other night of this same whole scene...I was at the small, dark, overly-warm back-bar-stage venue at North Beach in Downers Grove (August 7, 2010), reminiscent of the one I had been to so many years ago...was primarily attending to catch the up and coming rock artist Val Halla, but discovered that several other bands were going to be there prior to her onstage appearance and one of them was the Till Death group's keyboardist (formerly a member of the band MoXXy) showcasing his talent as a singer/songwriter accompanied by his band, The Ivory Theory...his name, Chris Servia. I had been to North Beach a few times prior to this and only knew him as a bartender there. Just thought he was a guy happy being a barman...didn't know he was into music...didn't know he could play keyboards...didn't know he could sing...didn't know he could write songs...didn't know he had his own band...didn't know he was a musician of such high caliber...just thought he was another kid working at the club. Hmmm...never judge a book by its cover...never make assumptions...never consider things at face value. Nope. Never.

(images below: in order of appearance...Mike Styrczula, Timothy Flynn, Tim Eads, Chris DiDomenico, Joe Chavez)

Chris Servia & The Ivory Theory was quite a surprising tour-de-force for me...a tuneful musical delight to be reckoned with...they gave an excellent show performing about nine songs all original and all written by Chris Servia from what I understand. I know musicians hate to hear the "sounds like" references, especially when they are presenting originals and are as talented as "Chris & The Theory" are...but on some of the tunes Chris's vocals reminded me of Joe Cocker's vocals, on others...the piano-man I had listened to in a time-zone way back there in my memory...Servia's voice at times similar to Cocker, a little throaty but good (maybe due to the cigs Servia smokes)...giving some extra texture to the song (unfortunately I did not get the name of that particular tune). In fact, the band has so much talent in addition to Chris, that some of it was recruited for Val Halla's band to help finish out the last 15 tour dates with Ted Nugent (who she is currently on tour with)...so Mike Styrczula was going on the road with Val Halla, leaving The Ivory Theory minus a lead guitar for the time being. But no matter...Chris took it in stride as he was telling me while patting Styrczula on the back saying he was really happy for Mike to get the chance to go on the road and have the experience of working on a tour with bands like Ted Nugent and Val Halla. Chris also had (I believe it was Timothy Flynn) a guy filling in for the band's regular bass player Tim Eads who was missing in action for this particular show.

In spite of all the changes going on with the band that night, Chris gave a great display of his talent. At one point Servia did two tunes solo (without the band onstage), one moment arched down over his keyboards, the next, reaching up to the microphone caressing it with the lyrics from his heartfelt original songs...working through the musical theory with an introspective contemplation of the ivories that he had such great technical command of, causing me to recall that piano-man experience I had so long ago...they were very soulful ballads leaving you with a sense of...being.

Chris Servia & The Ivory Theory's best tunes were "Fallen World" and the final tune to close the show, "One Last Time" (which is to be the theme song for a new ABC-TV show, "Check Please"). Aside from Mike Styrczula's great lead guitar work there was the ever-present driving beat on all these tunes provided by Chris DiDomenico's drums...both musicians showing evidence of a heavy metal background in their music-related experience and sound...yet toned down somewhat to accomodate Chris and his vocals. But the tune that brought me right back to that long ago concert I had experienced and which had caused me to conjure up all this memory was one that Chris was debuting this night entitled "No Time". It made me think to myself that Chris and his band were just like that other young aspiring musical artist I had seen so many years before. Showing so much promise, enthusiasm, originality, youthfulness, and love for pop-rock music and lyric-laden song.

The keyboardist/singer/songwriter piano-man from so long ago? Elton John...the year? 1972...the album that they were previewing to the audience live prior to release? "Honky Chateau". If Chris Servia & The Ivory Theory endure and get the elusive big break that every upcoming band out there dreams of, especially a band as good as this one surely deserves...then...dare I say it? It looks like pop-rock musical history is about to repeat itself. 'Nuff Sed.

NEXT SHOW:
tba

BAND MEMBERS:
Chris Servia-keyboards/vocals
Mike Styrczula-lead guitar
Tim Eads-bass (Timothy Flynn was filling in for the show I reviewed?)
Chris DiDomenico-drums

MANAGEMENT:
Joe Chavez












LABEL:
Indie

Here is the show-closing tune from the North Beach performance of Chris Servia & The Ivory Theory...in action:

SHANGHAI SUPERSTARS this pop-punk-reggae band is absolutely dot dot dot good!!!

Shanghai Superstars…wha da? Strictly from the name you’d almost expect to see a Chinese family trapeze act not a professionally-polished high-energy-exuding rock band...but this group (in existence only 8 months with this being the first time they have played a show in 3 months) is way more entertaining than that...initially they sounded to me like a cross between Men At Work (a 1980s Australian band that introduced a form of new-wave-reggae music) and Cheap Trick (the power-pop music group from Rockford Illinois)...this band has blended those music genres together creating a pop-punk-reggae format and as a result is as original as HELL (as mentioned in their tune "Fallen Angel")...sweeet!!! Shanghai Superstars was the fresh and exciting opening act for Val Halla (currently on tour with Ted Nugent) and appeared with two other bands Last Second Signal and Chris Servia & The Ivory Theory in Downers Grove, IL at North Beach nightclub on Saturday August 7, 2010.

(images: in order of appearance band members Mark, TJ, Spoon, Wes and band manager Bryan Javor)

The "Stars" performance was tight and clean and began with a "lets-get-ready-to-rumble?-styled" recording clearly announcing the name of the band to the audience prior to the band members running on stage...something which many bands get around to doing somewhere in the middle of their show, if they remember to do it at all...Shanghai Superstars made a point to let you know they were there to entertain you...and put on a show they did. Complete with choreographed routines on a few of the tunes, endless energy, great lead guitar work by Wes Anderson, harmonic-oriented vocals by TJ Neville and Mark Lewandowski and stunningly driving, regimentally-rhythmic beats to keep the band's tunes on track by the drummer Spoon (a.k.a. Ryan Jezuit), Shanghai Superstars brings it on and brings it all to the rock-arena stage, leaving their music fans wondering what's coming next. Inventive, honest and original music with entertainment chutzpah to match. At the performance's end, they even, actually made a point of sincerely THANKING thier audience for being there to catch their show...pretty rare nowadays.

It's very evident that the band's identified leader, Spoon, has a background rooted in drum and bugle corps music ("beat and blow" as we used to call it back when I was in the U.S. Navy Drum & Bugle Corps)...which has a definite influence on the Stars's sound. Shanghai Superstars opened with an appropriately-named catchy tune "Shanghai Radio" asking the question of the audience "are you listening, are you listening (Shanghai Radio)?" imploring them to "turn the dial to where we are"...it shows off the elements of all of their music that is about to be displayed during the course of the show...harmonized vocals, some heavy metal guitar riffs thrown in for good measure, nice short lead guitar solo, reggae-rock beats. The Stars continued to take you along on their personal musical journey with their original tunes like "Run", "Adore You Madly", "Met Her On A Train", "Voodoo Chica", and ending with "So Long"...their best three tunes I think were "Fallen Angel", "Stay" and the most memorable "Savannah" (a song inspired by the music of the Red Hot Chili Peppers that pensively asks a blonde chick named Savannah "can we just meet?")...these three tunes in particular show evidence of some of the band members' love of heavy metal music as well, proffered by the guitar riffs contained therein. The fifth tune into the set the band did a "just okay" cover of Katrina & The Waves's 1985 hit "Walking On Sunshine" which really was unneccesary as a band this good doesn't need to prove their technical abilities when they have so much to offer in music originality. A band always sounds better when they play their own creations. I would recommend they remove it from their set and use the time to showcase more of their unique brand of musicality.

In speaking to their manager, Bryan Javor, having had many years in the music business himself, he pointed out that he hopes to guide the band through the maze of "drama, drugs and women" that seems to permeate the rock music scene and kill off many bands trying to make it...this was seconded by the band members stating that they "save the real partying for after the performance", not when they're on stage. Admirable behavior. This attitude reflects their devotion to their music, sense of purpose, focus of effort and teamwork as a band to be an enduring success...with this approach intact, I would expect nothing less.

One additional comment here, although there is an ample supply of Shanghai Superstars music to download, listen to, or buy, curiously the band has no videos available on Youtube or their other various websites...it could definitely help to promote their internet presence greatly and give people a chance to see them in some on-stage action...it would have been great to have one to embed for this review in particular.

Other than that, all I know is, when you plunk down some bucks to catch this band at one of their high energy shows, you can be sure your money won't get "Shanghaied" by the Shanghai Superstars...but your musical appetite for their style of rock sure will.'Nuff Sed.

Next Show:
August 13, 2010
Penny Road Pub
Barrington, Illinois

BAND:
Wes Anderson-lead guitar
TJ Neville-guitar/vocals
Mark Lewandowski-bass/vocals
Spoon (Ryan Jezuit)-drums

MANAGEMENT:
Bryan Javor

LABEL:
indie

WEBSITES:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000075635200&
http://twitter.com/shanghaistars
http://www.myspace.com/shanghaisuperstars
http://www.last.fm/music/Shanghai+Superstars
http://www.shanghaisuperstars.com/

(source: shanghaisuperstars.com, photos: J. McCune & Jenn Wilczewski)

LAST SECOND SIGNAL leadfoots punk-rock pedal to the metal

With their, what I would call, pop-punk-metal-alt sound, seeing and hearing this Chicago-area rock band live is like getting the adrenaline rush that happens just before you run a traffic-light change on that Last Second Signal (a.k.a "LSS")...these guys started as a band during highschool in 2006 (with the exception of the recently added bass player Curt Lundeen) hailing from some of the suburbs of Chicago, namely Schaumburg/Hanover Park. They have been billed with bands such as: The Academy Is..., We The Kings, Cute Is What We Aim For and most recently at the North Beach nightclub in Downers Grove, Illinois with Shanghai Superstars, Chris Servia & The Ivory Theory and the rockin'rolla blonde chick Val Halla (currently touring with Ted Nugent).


(images: in order of appearance Chris, Hiro, Curt, and Kevin)

Last Second Signal's punk-oriented approach to the heavy metal aspect of their all-original tunes keeps the audience in gear and ready to hit the clutch for the next song they throw out the window as they race down the road to their next musical adventure. These dudes were cruising along like a tricked out '55 Chevy on hi-octane fuel, burning rubber (or was that smell from the funky old North Beach smoke machine that belched billowy white clouds obliterating the view of the stage?)...as evidenced by the show I caught on Saturday night August 7th, 2010 at North Beach.

The boys opened with an ode to feeling lost after a bad breakup called "My Escape"...oooh been there, done that...and as a result I connected with this tune right off...it readily revealed the heavy metal influence prevalent throughout their music with the opening guitar riff (the track is available on their MySpace page). The lead vocal on this tune performed by "Hiro" (Mike Morrissey) was on the mark and enhanced by the reverb (almost overdone, which could adversely impact hearing the lyrics but was cut out for the chorus fortunately...it offered a surprisingly cool effect that was not used on the same tune's studio-track version posted on the band's Myspace page...don't know if this was intentional Man, but then maybe you were experimenting/improvising which is what live performance is all about...it kept the tune edgey...ni-i-ice). This song was, I believe, their best tune of the night and the correct one to use to kick-off the show.

With the music that followed, like their next best tune, "In Memories" (love hearing Curt Lundeen's bass exploding through it all and Chris Schmidt's haunting guitar lines here...very memorable...catches the ear and won't let go...and once again great vocals by Hiro), the beat-heavy "Summer Nights" (the band got very animated at this point, practically jumping off-stage, probably due to the great driving drum work on this tune by the self-taught Kevin McCarthy), and the introspective rock anthem "Cellar Door" ("...won't you give me the chance to be the one..."), LSS found at the back of their vehicle's glovebox some great stuff to dig out for the show...where they pulled up and parked in the space on stage to warm up the crowd right before the headliner Val Halla. They ended their set with the frenetic tune "Not A Happy Ending" which didn't come off live quite as well as their studio version in my mind, but it left the audience ready and revved up as shown by the crowd's enthusiastic response, leaving their engines idling for the headliner/final part of the 4-band show.

Don't miss these dudes, LSS, an original rock music talent...they will be appearing in the coming days at Penny Road Pub in Barrington during August and at the Cubby Bear in ChiTown come September. Set your cruise-control on auto and program your GPS navigator for at least one of these venues as you keep your foot on that adrenaline-rush-ready-accelerator so you can be sure to make that...Last Second Signal. (Note: LSS has a new four song EP coming in the summer of 2010 with their first full length album expected for release in 2011) 'Nuff Sed.

Next Show:
August 13, 2010
Penny Road Pub
Barrington, IL

Band Members:
Chris Schmidt-vocals/guitar
Mike(Hiro)Morrissey-lead guitar/lead vocals
Kevin McCarthy-drums
Curt Lundeen-vocals/bass

Management:
self-managed

Label:
indie

Websites:
http://www.myspace.com/lastsecondsignal
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Last-Second-Signal/71812692552
http://www.purevolume.com/LastSecondSignal26716
http://www.reverbnation.com/lastsecondsignalus
Video of Last Second Signal performing their original "Until I Die":

LOLLAPALOOZA 2010 1 Lady Gaga, 3 Days Of Rock, 165+ Bands!

Okay boys and girls...here's the info and bands schedule for Lollapalooza 2010-Chicago complete with the links to each of the 165+ rock bands official websites...

When:
August 6
August 7
August 8

Price:
$90; three-day passes: $215

Event Phone Number:
888-512-7469

WebSite:
http://www.lollapalooza.com/

Location:
Neighborhood: Grant Park Museums
Grant Park
500 S. Columbus Drive
Chicago, IL 60605

Here is a video of bizarre unknown (at the time) Lady Gaga at Lollapalooza 2007...everyone's music act has gotta start somewhere:

CLICK ON THE HIGHLIGHTED LINKS BELOW TO VIEW OFFICIAL LOLLAPALOOZA BAND WEBSITES!

Friday

BMI Stage
11:15 a.m.: These United States
12:30 p.m.: The Ettes
1:45 p.m.: Jukebox the Ghost
3 p.m.: My Dear Disco
4:15 p.m.: Semi Precious Weapons
5:30 p.m.: Neon Trees

Kidzapalooza Stage
11:30 a.m.: The Happiness Club
12:30 p.m.: School of Rock
1:30 p.m.: The Candy Band
2:30 p.m.: Tim and the Space Cadets
3:15 p.m.: Rocknoceros Ed Kowalcyzk
4 p.m.: Recess Monkey

The Grove Stage
12 p.m.: Foxy Shazam
1 p.m.: The Constellations
2:15 p.m.: American Bang
3:30 p.m.: Cymbals Eat Guitars
5 p.m.: F*** Buttons
6:30 p.m.: Jamie Lidell

Adidas Stage
11:30 a.m.: Javelin
1 p.m.: The Walkmen
3 p.m.: The Big Pink
5 p.m.: Matt and Kim
7 p.m.: Chromeo

PlayStation Stage
11:30 a.m.: B.o.B
1 p.m.: Los Amigos Invisibles
3 p.m.: Drive-By Truckers
5 p.m.: Dirty Projectors
7:15 p.m.: Jimmy Cliff

Budweiser Stage
12:15 p.m.: Wavves
2 p.m.: Mavis Staples
4 p.m.: The New Pornographers
6 p.m.: The Black Keys
8:30 p.m.: The Strokes

South Stage
12:15 p.m.: Balkan Beat Box
2 p.m.: Raphael Sadiq
4 p.m.: Devo
6 p.m.: Hot Chip
8 p.m.: Lady Gaga

Perry's Stage
12 p.m.: LDJS Remix
12:30 p.m.: BBU
1:15 p.m.: Ancient Astronauts
2:15 p.m.: Ana Sia
3:15 p.m.: Peanut Butter Wolf
4:15 p.m.: Kidz In The Hall
4:45 p.m.: J. Cole
5:30 p.m.: Caspa
6:30 p.m.: Erol Alkan
7:30 p.m.: Tiga
8:30 p.m.: 2Many DJs

F.Y.E. Autograph Tent
1:30 p.m.: Wavves
1:45 p.m.: The Ettes
2:15 p.m.: The Consetellations
3:30 p.m.:: American Bang
5:15 p.m.: Kidz In The Hall
6:30 p.m.: Matt and Kim
6:45 p.m.: Neon Trees
7:15 p.m.: Caspa
7:30 p.m.: Hot Chip

Saturday

BMI Stage
11:15 a.m.: MyNameIsJohnMichael
12:30 p.m.: Skybox
1:45 p.m.: Dragonette
3 p.m.: Dan Black
4:15 p.m.: Royal Bangs

Kidzapalooza Stage
11:30 a.m.: Tim and the Space Cadets
12:30 p.m.: The Candy Band
1:30 p.m.: Rocknoceros
2:30 p.m.: The Verve Pipe
3 p.m.: The Happiness Club
3:45 p.m.: Dan Zanes and The Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra
4:15 p.m.: JP. Chrissie and The Fairground Boys

The Grove Stage
12 p.m.: The Morning Benders
1 p.m.: Harlem
2:15 p.m.: Warpaint
3:30 p.m.: Dawes
5 p.m.: Deer Tick
6:30 p.m.: Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros

Adidas Stage
11:30 a.m.: Mimicking Birds
1 p.m.: Rogue Wave
2:45 p.m.: TBA
4:45 p.m.: AFI
6:45 p.m.: Slightly Stoopid

PlayStation Stage
11:45 a.m.: The Kissaway Trail
1:15 p.m.: Wild Beasts
3:15 p.m.: The xx
5:15 p.m.: Metric
7:30 p.m.: Cut Copy

Budweiser Stage
12:30 p.m.: The Soft Pack
2:15 p.m.: Stars
4:15 p.m.: Grizzly Bear
6:15 p.m.: Spoon
8:30 p.m.: Phoenix

South Stage
12:15 p.m.: Rebelution
1:45 p.m.: Blues Traveler
3:45 p.m.: Gogol Bordello
5:45 p.m.: Social Distortion
7:45 p.m.: Green Day

Perry's Stage
11:15 a.m.: Lance Herbstrong
12 p.m.: Only Children
12:45 p.m.: Vonnegutt and FreeSol
1:45 p.m.: Beats Antique
2:30 p.m.: TBA
3:30 p.m.: Steve Porter
4:30 p.m.: Joachim Garraud
5:30 p.m.: PerryEtty vs Chris Cox
6:30 p.m.: Kaskade
7:30 p.m.: Rusko
8:30 p.m.: DJ Mel
9 p.m.: Empire of the Sun

F.Y.E. Autograph Tent
12:45 p.m.: The Kissaway Trail
2:30 p.m.: Wild Beasts
3:15 p.m.: Blues Traveler
3:30 p.m.: Stars
4:45 p.m.: Dan Black

Sunday

BMI Stage
11:15 a.m.: Son of a Bad Man
12:30 p.m.: Neon Hitch
1:45 p.m.: The Band of Heathens
3 p.m.: Freelance Whales
4:15 p.m.: Violent Soho

Kidzapalooza Stage
11:30 a.m.: School of Rock
12:30 p.m.: The Q Brothers
1:30 p.m.: Recess Monkey
2:30 p.m.: Zanes and The Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra
3:15 p.m.: Peter DiStefano and Tor
thenewno2
Perry Farrell
4:30 p.m.: The Verve Pipe

The Grove Stage
12 p.m.: Frank Turner
1 p.m.: Company of Thieves
2:15 p.m.: The Ike Reilly Assassination
3:30 p.m.: Hockey
5 p.m.: Frightened Rabbit
6:30 p.m.: The Temper Trap

Adidas Stage
11:30 a.m.: HEALTH
1 p.m.: Switchfoot
3 p.m.: Minus the Bear
5 p.m.: Erykah Badu
7 p.m.: Cypress Hill

PlayStation Stage
11:30 a.m.: Miniature Tigers
1 p.m.: The Dodos
3 p.m.: Mumford and Sons
5 p.m.: MUTEMATH
7:15 p.m.: The National

Budweiser Stage
12:15 p.m.: The Antlers
2 p.m.: Blitzen Trapper
4 p.m.: Yeasayer
6 p.m.: MGMT
8:30 p.m.: Arcade Fire

South Stage
12:15 p.m.: Nneka
2 p.m.: The Cribs
4 p.m.: X Japan
6 p.m.: Wolfmother
8 p.m.: Soundgarden

Perry's Stage
11:15 a.m.: Dani Deahl
12 p.m.: Team Bayside High
12:45 p.m.: Felix Cartal
1:30 p.m.: Didi Gutman of Brazilian Girls
2:30 p.m.: NERVO
3:30 p.m.: Chiddy Bang
4:30 p.m.: Mexican Institute of Sound
5:30 p.m.: Dirty South
6:30 p.m.: Flosstradamus
7:30 p.m.: Felix da Housecat
8:30 p.m.: Digitalism (DJ set)

F.Y.E. Autograph Tent
1:30 p.m.: Nneka
2:15 p.m.: Company of Thieves
2:30 p.m.: Didi Gutman of Brazilian Girls
2:30 p.m.: Switchfoot
3:30 p.m.: Blitzen Trapper
4:30 p.m.: Minus the Bear
5 p.m.: Cypress Hill
8 p.m.: The Temper Trap

Here is an update/review/wrap-up on the Lollapalooza 2010 events as reported by The Underground Bee blog complete with pics by Robert Loerzel. 'Nuff Sed.