30 Oct 09

"....is anyone drunk yet?" - The Attraction

Trick or treat, my blogspot readers, it's Devil's Night and Dr. SouthSide's making rounds at two separate shows in one festive night. First stop was to examine the zombified bands at Subterranean before they rocked the stage in front of an all-ages crowd. The costumed kiddies were eager to see performances by The Delivery Boys, Love Me Electric and The Highlife. Unfortunately, this good doctor wasn't able to stay for the headliner, Silent Sirens. However she was able to interview Adrian and Jesse before they zomblied the stage. But first she spent one-on-one time examining Jimmy (vocals) and Corey (guitar) of The Highlife.

Dr. SouthSide asked the guys what The Highlife was all about. They replied the band was about enjoying what they do especially when writing good music. The band wanted blogspot readers to know they're not into following the scene thing because their music/songs are fresh unique and diverse. They're not into playing straight rock while on stage. There's a bit of everything from hiphop to metal within their sound. Another thing about The Highlife - their songs aren't the standards about love or being dumped. Oh there are love songs but also songs about friendship, good times and memories as well as personal beliefs. SouthSide did ask about the idea behind their latest hit, Mama Was Right. Jimmy wrote it as a homage to his own parents giving him sound advice when growing up. Yes, it's clearly true - Mom's are always right. The guys did share their favorite Halloween memories with the good doctor. Jimmy would plan costumes months in advance for Halloween but would never did anything when the holiday arrived. Meanwhile Corey was a party animal! Last year, he partied two days straight - what fun he had! The interview ened with a scoop on future plans for the upcoming year. The Highlife told SouthSide about an album coming out later this year and plans for a spring college town tour. Also, expect bigger shows and more radioplay. After a quick examination Dr. SouthSide gave The Highlife a clean bill of heath to perform on stage.

Next it was time to examine Adrain (vocals) and Jesse (guitar/keyboards) of Silent Sirens before getting their zombie make-up on. The guys stated the band was the everyone could relate to ...the one that loves hanging out with their fans. One special note you may not know about Adrian - he's a Morrissey fan. Silent Sirens is big on bouncing off ideas with each other yet as a whole, they're their own biggest critics which is not a bad thing, blogspot readers. It merely means they're very passionate making their music/songs the best they can for you, the fans. Also Silent is all about making the music accessible and free to everyone. Fans are encouraged to go to this site - www.bit.ly/sirensep - for any of their recorded songs. The band guarantees one of the songs on the site will be a favorite for at least a week. Sounds like a challenge to this reviewer. They did mention that Silent might sound familar to your ears however they're not like everyone else. There are plans of releasing several new singles every other month as oppose to one solid album with twelve tracks. A smart way in keeping the fans updated with new music as it happens with Silent Sirens. Before leaving, the doctor also asked them to share their favorite Halloween memory. Adrian one year made a homemade costume dressing up as a camera. Meanwhile, Jesse was grounded for getting bad grades however don't dispair, his friends did come over to cheer him up. If you want to see and hear Silent Sirens live, they will be rockin' the stage at Angels & Kings on Nov. 18th for the Q101 One Man(no) Show. For more information about this band, visit www.purevolume.com/silentsirens or www.myspace.com/silentsirensrock.

SouthSide highly recommends checking out the rock/pop/alternative music of The Delivery Boys (www.purevolume.com/thedeliveryboys or www.myspace.com/thedeliveryboys). Fans will enjoy the energetic rhythm within their songs such as Believe that you can dance to. Meanwhile, Love Me Electric (www.myspace.com/lovemeelectric) had an electrifying set that really impressed this reviewer. She enjoyed the tiny sample of their Halloween show slated for the Metro the next night. They rocked the stage with songs like Fast Track and Evolution. Expect full reviews on both bands in the near future.

SouthSide also highly recommends checking out her new friends, The Highlife, at their next performance. This band started their set with lots of energy and guitar sound which brought the crowd to life. She enjoyed how their ballad, Love You Down, didn't take the typical route for a "normal" ballad. It had this fresh rock/alternative with a bit of pop sound but The Highlife had more than that in their performance. The band at one point showed their serious side during Will You. SouthSide saw this song as one those anthems in which there's a crowd of Bic lighters waving in the air. Though it had a serious tone, the band still maintained the energy but it was more focused on the lyrics to highlight the vocals. The fun part of this set happened they performed a cool version of Monster Mash that had their manager, Shawn Kellner in costume, dancing wildly on stage. SouthSide totally enjoyed the upbeat performance that kept the crowd rockin' and screamin' for more. For more information about this band, visit www.thehighliferock.com or www.myspace.com/thehighliferock.

Now the good doctor had to make a mad dash to the Elbo Room to examine The Attraction before they rocked the stage. The festive Halloween fun was in full swing when Dr. SouthSide arrived. There were a colorful array of costumed fans crowding the up and downstairs lounges. It was an exciting night to hear a great lineup of entertainment from such bands like Johnny Rev to keep everyone in the party mood.

Though the zombies were a bit restless for The Attraction to begin, the band didn't disappoint them. They certainly rocked out the Elbo Room yet there was one noticeable difference about this band, blogspot readers. It wasn't the same band reviewed last year at the House of Blues. This was a totally different The Attraction that thrilled the basement lounge with loud guitar riffs and energy never felt before. SouthSide enjoyed hearing the unconventional chords and rhythms this band tossed within its music even though the vibrant sound did overshadow the vocals a little from time to time. Despite that, this reviewer loved The Attraction and their desire to pump so much sound that the fans were feeling what the band was feeling on stage - the excitement ...the rush of performing on stage. SouthSide could literally see it during their band anthem, Closer, which had The Attraction releasing their inner rock demons. She also suggests listening to Welcome to the Party and Burn, a suedo-love ballad that makes you feel the frustration of a painful heartache. Overall it was one of the best comebacks ever reviewed. This reviewer liked the new cohesiveness of its members while on stage to the band's rockin' guitar sound. You can catch the new The Attraction rockin' the Cubby Bear on November 21st with Lucid Ground. For more information, visit www.myspace.com/theattractionrock.

Until next time, support the local music scene

SouthSide