15 May 10

... the room's full - let's rock-n-roll... ~ Lophophora


Hey, blogspot readers, watch out for flying beach balls, bongos and three men dressed in chemical suits. That's basically sums up what type of night SouthSide had on Saturday ...another wild adventure deep inside the local scene. The music and fun was already in full swing at the Elbo Room with fans packing the upstairs lounge for another edition of Brad Cole's Acoustic Circus show. Meanwhile downstairs was groovin' to Bainard Panic Defense performance. Other bands slated to perform included Lophophora, Snareburst and The Blamers headlining.

Even though it's one of the most difficult band names to pronounce, Lophophora's the type of band slowly making its dent into the local scene. With each performance, these rockers are constantly improving whether it's their stage performance and/or music style. Last time SouthSide reviewed them, they performed a half-acoustic/electric show that was totally amazing. Tonight, she saw a completely different side to them in which she had never seen before ...and she hopes they keep it going for their future performances. With new drummer, Dan "the man on the cans" rockin' the band, there was more fire and energy in Lophophora's sound especially during the opening song, Blow Me Down. Despite needing more mic vocals for Todd, DC certainly had no problems settling into the Lophophora wild rock-n-roll persona. He was definitely made for this band. His percussion rhythms fueled Todd's animated stage presence and energetic enthusiasm ...this front man truly poured out the vocal emotions as well as added more body language to express the mood within the lyrics. Fans will definitely enjoy the way he projected the angst/frustration over the mic that had the guitars following his every lead. SouthSide literally felt each emotion pumping momentum and life into Lophophora's songs while closely observing how Todd worked the audience. For example, Can't Stand It - besides hearing the angst, the audience saw the anguish as Todd fell to his knees on stage. He kept pouring out his heart to the point that the poor mic stand took a rough beating. He even had the ladies swooning to a little hip swivel action during You Got It ...shaking that pelvis almost like Elvis.

Fans will also get into Lophophora's rockin' guitar sound that lit the stage on fire. However, do not expect this band to simply stick to one solid rock genre, blogspot readers. That's not how they rock or roll. In past shows, you might hear them tapping into some serious music styles such as Iron Maiden or The Clash within certain songs on their set list. Tonight, SouthSide heard some blues (off the harmonica during Satellite) and psychedelic bongo beats (during the jam session after Rattlin Bones). There were moments when Lophophora's guitar sound was hard and gritty or fast like a classic rock-n-roll riff. Sometimes while watching this band perform, this reviewer gets the distinct feeling she's peeking inside Todd's hidden iPod playlist. Or she simply guesses Lophophora's rockin' sound happens depending on his mood for that night's performance. She suggests listening to her favorite song, Red Hot Betty for its wild and smokin' hot guitar rock sound as well as Rattlin Bones. And to the band - MORE bongos during your next performance. SouthSide highly recommends seeing Lophophora for the un-expectedness of the unexpected. Who knows what new musical style or other antics that will occur during their next show. She did love the sweaty Todd bear hugs received after the set. For more information, visit www.myspace.com/lophophoramusic.

Now it was time for SouthSide to leave the current realm of time and space and travel far into the distant future where music is without void or lyrics. That's simply a safe description of what she experience during Snareburst's Elbo Room performance, blogspot readers. And she has to remain "safe" because it would very difficult to accurately account the eclectic sounds, beats and/or rhythms invading the basement lounge where a trio of musicians in chemical suits rocked the stage. There aren't enough words in the human language to fully describe what she heard or saw unless you were there to experience this for yourself - believe SouthSide as she states ...it was the most unique musical experience ever. Between the table full of weird chords and tech devices to electronic drums, her ears were instantly thrust into a psychedelic Underland where electronica/techno reign supreme. This reviewer enjoyed Snareburst's futuristic music style which featured beats totally out of this world yet retaining some modern influences.

For example in one song, SouthSide felt as if she was listening to their version of Pink Floyd's On The Run (from Dark Side of the Moon) for the way the subtle crescendo of electronica sounds would rise until crashing with an explosive burst. Even while taking the set to a slower downtempo pace (that had her thinking strawberry bombs [Across The Universe reference] falling from the electronic skies), there still remained a spark of energy felt within the futuristic music. Another fine example - there was a splash of funk and hiphop added to this band's eclectic techno sound though resembling a chaotic mesh of noise. That, blogspot readers, wasn't a bad thing at all. We must remember that in Snareburst's future world, music's truly the only universal language and way to communicate. So think of this trio sending us a message now for working towards a better tomorrow. It's what SouthSide honestly believes that's their mission within the indie scene. She highly recommends checking out Snareburst wherever these futuristic rockers beam to next. She also suggests having an open mind as well as an understanding ear for those moments when it seems the music doesn't connect. within the ambient/psychedelic/electronica sound. For more information, visit www.snareburst.com or www.myspace.com/snareburst.


Until next time, support your local scene,
SouthSide