20 Nov 09

...chill the [bleep] out - it's no big deal...

After an evening of relaxing fun with Arma and friends at Howl At The Moon (see review), it was time for SouthSide to dash to the Double Door. There Lophophora was ready to rock the stage in front of a Friday night crowd.

When SouthSide last saw them, she thought their set was too wild and intense but enjoyable. Now they, were somewhat tamer however Todd, that troublemaking front man of the band, hasn't changed. This time he was sporting at DOC (Department of Corrections) orange jumpsuit after getting "arrested" during the opening of the set. That's nothing new, readers, he's always in some sort of trouble with the law. And still, this was considered "normal" for Lophophora.

Lophophora's music on the other hand wasn't "normal" or one dimensional. You could say it's hard to classify their bas rock sound into a box since they borrow snippets here and there from other genres. If you want to hear that classic California rock sound with a bit of ska/reggae, SouthSide suggests listening to 1701 Passadena. Or try their Violent Eyes, a song that had a little Iron Maiden rock sound in it. That hardcore tone off the guitars had some in the front rockin' out with the band. This was Lophophora's unique way of keeping their music fresh and exciting for all. During the performance, they left some in the audience wondering "what the heck". Yet they weren't wondering for long after feeling Todd's bout of angst in It's A Lie. This was no act as he poured out his raw emotions into this song.

Though Lophophora's set did get intense during certain songs, it still had their fans wanting more. And Todd gave them what they wanted in the end. As they ended with Bottom, this front man was all over the place - on stage ...off stage - sprawled on the floor to break dancing ...going wild with angry fever. Be careful and try not standing too close either. Meanwhile this band thrilled the crowd with crazed riffs to a spectacular finish. Whew - what a rush!

SouthSide also recommends listening to Lophophora's Red Hot Betty. This rockin' honky tonk song had a raw feel to its sound with a danceable rhythm. Check out their bassist, Bob, who wowed this reviewer in somewhat keeping the band pretty "sane". And yet there were moments in which he was a little wild too.

For more information about Lophophora, visit them at www.myspace.com/lophophoramusic.


Until next time, support your local scene,
SouthSide