20 Apr 10

...my goal is to win you over... ~ Reed Turner


Hey, blogspot readers, SouthSide had so much fun last night that she returned to the Elbo Room for another exciting show. Tonight she's rockin' the upstairs lounge for Reed Turner's acoustic performance as well as rockin' the downstairs to Jason Shannon and his band's set. This reviewer highly recommends getting to know this energetic bunch of musicians who lit ups the stage with their vibrant mix of R&B/Soul/Americana rock sound. Their music was so smokin' hot that this reviewer felt orgasmic vibes rockin' straight down to her soul. And that, blogspot readers, was merely a tiny sample of what she heard - just imagine what an entire performance could have done to her. SouthSide dug the wicked organ rhythms off the keyboards to the thundering guitar riffs as well as listening to Jason's (the energetic front guy of the band) fiery yet raspy vocals. She recommends rockin' to songs such as Shake Me Good (a touch of the island/ska sound within this rock song), Sleepless Nights (literally blew up the stage with lots of vibrant guitar rock) and Feelin' Fine (the hottest crescendo of guitar riffs ending with an explosive BANG!). Jason Shannon and the band will return to Chicago next month when they rock the stage at US Beer Co. For more information, visit www.jasonshannonmusic.com or www.myspace.com/jasonshannonmusic.

After that hot performance, it was time to enjoy a cool relaxing acoustic set by Reed Turner. This singer/songwriter from Nashville performed an intimate show in the main lounge which featured the dynamic power of his voice behind the soothing guitar rhythms. With songs about life, relationships and etc, there was plenty of vocal emotions to be heard ranging from sadness to heartache. This singer blew away SouthSide's ears when reaching that high falsetto range during one song. Opening his performance with Torches, Reed instantly had this reviewer feeling the fire and passion of what this song was about. Yet while Lover Lay Down (track 2 off his debut album), he showed off the tender side to his voice during this ballad. She enjoyed the subtleness of the downtempo pace from the acoustic guitar which was accompanied by a few harmonic notes at the instrumental. Those few notes added the right amount of energy to the song for the audience to enjoy. On the flipside, the same harmonic sound during one of Reed's "fast" songs rocked it with an acoustic/country tone. The music was more vibrant that you could heard it as well as in his voice. Southside recommends listening to On My Own for the way Reed conveyed the feeling of being without a home through the power of his voice. She also enjoyed the few stanzas of The Cars' Just What I Needed tucked inside the middle of another song. Closing with a cover version of R. Kelly's I Believe I Can Fly, this reviewer highly recommends checking out this singer/songwriter while he's currently on tour. Besides liking his dynamic voice, fans will also enjoy the rockin' acoustic sound that has a mixture of alternative to country and Americana. For more information, visit www.myspace.com/reedturner.


Until next time, support your local scene,
SouthSide