14 Nov 09

...ya'll not ready to go home yet - we're not... - Passafire

Welcome to the islands, readers! No, SouthSide's not on vacation at the sunny beaches of Jamiaca however she didn't have to leave the states to hear the music. She soaked up the flavor and sounds of island beat from the lineup from the Beat Kitchen stage. It was the soothing yet hip music with a Bob Marley feel in performances by The Pinstripes, The Embraceables and Passafire. Each band's unique spin on the reggae/ska sound had the crowd grooving to the beat.

From Cincinnati, Ohio, The Pinstripes kicked off the night with their mix of rock and reggae. It had also a modern twist of jazz from the rockin' brass horn section. This really had the entire stage as well as crowd jumpin' to the lively beat. SouthSide enjoyed the energy in which The Pinstripes' songs brought to the venue especially during the extended instrumental jams. This reviewer highly recommends catching this band's groovy sound at their next show. For more information, visit them at www.thepinstripes.net or www.myspace.com/thepinstripes.

The next band combined soulful vocals like Aretha Franklin and Roberta Flack, R&B tempo with a soft reggae mix and a funky rock sound. Stir a couple of times and you'll get a band known as The Embraceables. SoutSide was completely blown away by their music that was full of heart and soul. It was the type of music which totally jammed ...something she hasn't heard in a long time especially in the local scene. The Embraceables tossed in a variety of genres into their performances keeping this packed room dancing from one song to the next nonstop. Music that made you feel the rhythms, melodies and harmonies even while taking the tempo down a notch. there was still that momentum for the crowd to groove to the soulful sound. The female vocals by Maggie (also on piano) and Emily generated plenty of sex appeal which their type of music and lyrics requires. SouthSide recommends listening to Panties in the Sink off their current CD, Stories. A slow groove with a bass and subtle xylophone rhythms coupled around haunting vocals. It was almost a lullaby with a semi-acoustic feel in the music floating inside the venue emulating perfectly the mood of the lyrics. Also she recommends checking out their vibrant closing song, Wash. This tribal tempo-sounding song which left everyone hot and sticky from its smokin' rhythm in the end. For more information about this band, visit them at www.myspace.com/theembraceables.

Closing out this fantastic night of eclectic music was the lively sounds of reggae/funk./rock fusion by Passafire. After briefly chatting with the band rep at the merch table, SouthSide learned this type of music's quite popular in Savannah, GA where the band is from. And she could see why. They had this crowd jumping to the island groove instantly on the first note. This reviewer enjoyed the unique fusion of other genres such as psychedelic rock and freestyle in their songs. During Everyone Awake, off their current CD Everyone On Everynight, she liked the creepy voodoo hoodoo intro but it also jammed with lots of wicked guitar riffs . Even their new song, Here in front of Me, was performed as a rock alternative song with that reggae rhythm as its back melody. Another fine example was Passafire's mindblowing psychedelic intro before it slipped back to their standard reggae tempo in Fade Out. It was like taking a frightening journey through someone's nightmare but still fun. SouthSide highly recommends checking out this band while they're currently on tour. Their hot version of the reggae/ska sound will keep you warm all winter long. For more information, visit them at www.passafiretheband.comor www.myspace.com/passafire.

Until next time, readers, support your local music scene,

SouthSide