24 May 10

Hey, blogspot readers, it's a hot time in Chi-Town! Summer's almost here and SouthSide's getting ready for a long season of fun and music around town. Tonight, the beat took her back to the Elbo Room for rockin' performances by Tim Halperin (Fort Worth, TX) and The Migrant (Denmark/TX).

Currently in the middle of his Midwest tour, this singer/songwriter rocked the Monday night audience on the piano/keyboard. His opening act had plenty of gusto and energy not only in his music but also in his voice. Tim Halperin reminded SouthSide of another singer/songwriter/piano man - Billy Joel during his set. While listening to his original songs, each one contained a story about life, love and relationship. This reviewer felt if Tim's set was performed with a full band or any differently, it would have lost that spirit and/or momentum heard. There would be no emotional tenderness (or any other vocal emotion) projected from his lyrics and the piano/keyboard notes. For example, listen to Tim's new song - Where I'm Going. Within this downtempo/ballad style, there was life being pumped into music and lyrics at the right moment due to his vocal emphasis on the words. Tim knew when and where to project the key emotion at the audience even though SouthSide felt the high falsetto was forced not allowed to flow naturally. Yet the song itself rocked the stage with its meaningful lyrics and tenderness. Another fine example of this reviewer hearing vibrant life within Tim's voice would be his cover of Gavin Degraw's Chariot. This was a very good song to take notice of his vocal range while singing it with fiery energy. One could literally feel the emotions pouring out of him. His rendition of Marc Cohn's Walkin' In Memphis was also excellent. Plus Tim showed the witty side to him during a song about Wendy's and his infatuation for "her" square burgers. Caution - do not listen while on an empty stomach, blogspot readers. It will make you crave the juicy deliciousness of one in the end. Fans should google to find and watch the YouTube video of this song. Other songs this reviewer suggests listening to are Come For You and Lost For You (new song) as well as She Runs - more melodic than the other songs he performed. She highly recommends supporting Tim Halperin (as well as other artists) as he raises money for the American Cancer Society in the Relay For Life. Check out this amazing and talented singer/songwriter at his next performance. For more information, visit www.timhalperin.com or www.myspace.com/timhalperin.

This next band had the most unique stage setup seen at the Elbo Room. Yet the music by The Migrant will simply blow you away with its melodic/acoustic but electrifying feel. SouthSide found herself instantly enjoying the docile tones of violin to xylophone rhythms as well as a mini floor drum and horn. Yes, blogspot readers, these unique instruments made The Migrant's songs / music pop with life bursting with profound energy throughout the performance. She did feel a little overwhelmed by the electric strumming off the guitar which seemed too loud and overpowered the ambient/folk side to this band's sound. Still it had its place within the rhythmic tempo that kept everything else mellow and pleasing. With the many cross mixtures of genres heard, this reviewer for the sake of this review won't classify this rockin' band into a box since it would be very difficult to do. Besides being hooked on The Migrant's flowing atmosphere of sound, she also enjoyed the poetic feel to the lyrics. The words were on a deeper personal level ...straight from the heart rather than a storytelling style. The floetry heard within each song perfectly matched the melodic (or at times, the fire) of the music being performed. There was a moment when SouthSide wondered whether it was the music of the lyrics (or both) fueling The Migrant's fiery momentum that rocked the Elbo Room stage. She highly suggests listening to The Migrant (actual song title) with an airy spring-summertime feel heard in the song and Do What You Say One Day, sung primarily in Danish with plenty of rockin' energy ...plus watch him play the acoustic, tambourine and cymbal at the same time. It was a shame The Migrant had to end their set early just when the fun was on a roll. SouthSide highly recommends checking out this band at their next performance. For more information, visit www.myspace.com/themigrantmusic.


Until next time, support your local scene,
SouthSide