22 May 10 - Part Deux

... it's f*cking freezing down here... ~ Lucid Ground


Hey, blogspot readers, the party now continues at the Elbo Room. SouthSide along with prominent members of the Who's Who from the local scene such as Red City, The Branded, 6 Degrees of Separation, and Kazy, was there to celebrate Lucid Ground's Video Release of Shaken Crown. Lucky fans attending this show received a free DVD copy of this song that's from Lucid's upcoming fourth album, Somatic, due out this fall. Also sharing the stage during this momentous event was Canvasmen, EchoSon, Bullet Called Life and S. Joel Norman.

S. Joel Norman's performance wowed this reviewer with its rockin' yet energetic vibe from the R&B/funk/soul sound. However, the performance could have been delightfully better if SouthSide was able to hear Norman's female backing vocalist. She felt completely distracted by the unnecessary waving of the mike in front of her mouth which made it very difficult for her vocals to be heard in the basement lounge. There was no umph (or effort) on this vocalist's part to "sell" the band and its music to those seeing S. Joel Norman for the first time. SouthSide felt short changed by the lack of personality and stage presence that it sent the impression the vocalist wasn't having a rockin' time with the band. This reviewer highly suggests the following: a) please stop waving the mike - if you're going to wave it, then move along with it or no one will be able to hear the lovely voice; b) stop staring at Joel for the vocal pitch and range - need to find the groove which can compliment this band's style and music and c) loosen up a bit - dance, shake a tambourine ...do something to "sell" the band's rockin' sound.

Other than that, blogspot readers, SouthSide still had a rockin' time checking out S. Joel Norman's electrifying music. She enjoyed how it had a bit of the old school (i.e. parts of the classic jam Tell Me Something Good tucked within one particular song) as well as new showering the stage with a vibrant groove. Even while taking the music down to a slower tempo, S. Joel and the band still retained that fiery spark found in his vocals and keyboard rhythms. SouthSide did have trouble enjoying this band's take on the retro psychedelic sound. The hippie-happy song really wasn't working for them that this reviewer felt it was completely way out of their "normal" element. Though it was a nice try to recapture the spirit of that era, she feels S. Joel should stick to what they do best - rockin' the stage with R&B/soul/funk. For more information, visit www.sjoelnorman.com or www.myspace.com/sjoelnorman.

Lucid Ground - SouthSide has closely watched this band grow from its cover days to what they've become now for the last three years. As a rising premiere rock band within Chicago's music scene, this band continues striving to achieve the level where they desire to be. Tonight, Karl (on vocals), Lou (on guitar), Jeff (on guitar/vocals), Brian (on bass) and Leonard (on drums) rocked out the Elbo Room like never before. There was plenty of fire ...passion ...and energy setting the stage ablaze with its Lucid sound especially opening big with Downcast. Even when the momentum went down a notch, one can still hear the sparks of life (as well as emotional angst) off Karl's raspy vocal tone. His vocal style truly emulated the essence and fiery vibe of Lucid Ground's guitar rock. He makes you feel the emotions behind the lyrics without really realizing that you are. And when Karl does hit that emotional high, you'll definitely be blown away by it, blogspot readers.

Plus take notice of the guitar sound rockin' the stage which Lucid Ground is famous for wherever they perform. On Saturday night during this performance, it totally fired up the crowd with excitement and head banging amongst their hardcore Lucid fans. There were moments when the riffs can be calming and gentle in the beginning of a song but then unexpectedly explode with hard-hitting sound that will move you. And how can you not with a rock sound like that? For instance, SouthSide highly suggests checking out Lucid's new song, Further Down. It began with a subtle guitar sound that didn't overwhelm the ears though rocking the stage with three guitars. Once Karl shined with his vocal angst on the lyrics, it fueled that momentum heard in the chord changes and riffs. The tempo within this song made you feel each note played as it rocked our faces off. SouthSide also suggests listening to Count The Miles and Shaken Crown as well as fan favorites All To You and Lost You. As Lucid Ground closed out their video premiere with a HUGE bang, this reviewer could still see there's still potential and room for growth in this band. And they'll gradually get there after each performance since their rock sound keeps evolving along with them. She highly recommends checking out Lucid Ground at their next show ...expect to be wowed and amazed, blogspot readers. For more information, visit www.lucidground.com or www.myspace.com/lucidground.


Until next time, support your local scene,
SouthSide