29 Oct 09

"....give us more..."

"...what will you do to get it..." - Chester

Good evening, my blogspot ghosts and other things that bump in the night, welcome to the Halloween party of the year! It's Chester's Zombie Dance Party! And it was held in their honor recently at the Elbo Room ...of course this reviewer was there to capture all of the fun. This rockin' local band was celebrating the release of their latest CD under a festive holiday atmosphere. Also joining in on the monster mash was Busted Creek (http://www.bustedcreekmusic.com/ or www.myspace.com/bustedcreek) from Bloomington, IN and Everelle (www.myspace.com/everelle). Good friends, Arma (www.myspace.com/armamusic and http://www.armamusic.com/) headlined the lineup with an opening acoustic set by Phil Lomac. Expect a full review on Arma when SouthSide's sees them on Nov 19th at Subterranean with Riot Inside and Inn Cinema.

SouthSide enjoyed the soothing guitar sounds of Phil's acoustic set, blogspot readers. The music had heart and soul wonderfully wrapped within the lyrics. There was passion in his vocals in which he made everyone feel what he was feeling ...and it wasn't contained only in the music but the words too. This reviewer liked how his voice kept the momentum going even while taking the tempo down a notch for ballads. Phil's songs had a personal touch telling the experiences of life from love to society. SouthSide recommends listening to his song, Fresh Paint, in which Phil's friend, Mike, performed with him on guitar. The extra acoustic guitar sound gave this song more depth and melodic rhythms. Plus his friend impressed the audience with some fancy picking during the instrumental. This reviewer recommends checking out this talented singer/songwriter at his next performance. For more information about Phil Lomac and his music, visit http://www.phillomac.com/ or www.myspace.com/phillomac.

Yikes! The rockin' zombified members of Chester have taken over the Elbo Room dressed in their Halloween finest! They were ready to party the night away in style by opening their set with a loud thunderous intro. It was an exciting way to get Chester's metal fans to bang their heads to the hardcore guitar rhythms and riffs. Despite being months since their last review, SouthSide noted immediately how much this band has changed. Their guitar sound has evolved into something more than it was before when she first saw them. She liked that they don't stick to one rock genre while performing on stage. There's not only metal but some alternative, punk as well as screamin' zombie angst of frustration. Think of it as a variety mix of garage music that was heard at the Elbo Room driving their zombie fans wild. Don't let some of Chester's gentle intros fool you, blogspot readers. It's simply their way add suspense to the build up that's going to blow your ears away from the explosive guitar sound. Fans loved and enjoyed their 90s cover version of 3 Little Pigs complete with a guest appearance by the Big Bad Wolf! SouthSide had fun loving the eclectic rock energy that surrounded the basement lounge. Even while taking the momentum down for coolest song titled Tranquilicious. There was still enough excitement within this ballad rockin' out the audience. Then, Chester took everyone on a wild metal ride Home as they ended their dance party with a bang. If you're looking for a rock sound that's eclectic and not trapped in a box, Chester is the one for you. This reviewer guarantees you'll love the fun and antics (i.e. the impromptu handstand at the close of their set) this band brings to the stage.

For more information, visit Chester at www.myspace.com/gochester or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gochester.

Until next time continue supporting your local artists,

SouthSide