11 Jun 10

...have I ever told you guys 'I love you'... ~ Digital Mindy


Hey, blogspot readers, nothing like an all-day celebration to put SouthSide in a party mood. Chicago has yet to stop celebrating since winning the Stanley Cup and don't expect anyone to stop anytime soon.

Tonight, the Cubby Bear was rocked by performances from Digital Mindy, The Branded and Kazy with Rotovox opening the show. Fans enjoyed the hardcore music and blazing lighting effects that complemented this set. This band's sound had the heart-pounding feel of thundrous metal rock off the rip-roaring guitar riffs especially during the instrumentals. They wowed and thrilled the audience with an electrifying show keeping everyone vibin' to the Rotovox momentum heard in each song. SouthSide enjoyed the hard hitting rhythms ...the rise and fall of crescendoes that burst into explosive sound ...the epic-ness of their songs like Erosion that she could bang her head to. Also listen very closely and you might hear some Led Zeppelin influence within a song or two inside the intro. She highly recommends checking out Rotovox at their next show. For more information, visit www.rotovox.com or www.myspace.com/rotovox.

Meanwhile, it was a rough night for The Branded during their Cubby Bear debut. Though it wasn't as stellar as their world premiere a month ago, the guys were able to pull off a decent show for their fans. This performance contained a few new surprises ...some old standards as well as bumps and bruises in which SouthSide is sure they will fix before their next outting. What made this a rough night for The Branded was the stage set up - it seemed a tad rushed and disorganized that one of the televisions didn't work properly for most of the set. The song lineup remained the same as if they were performing at the Elbo Room. SouthSide was expecting something more than the same set playlist which follows The Branded's EP song list. Plus the vocals were not up to par. On the bright side, she did enjoy Chris Shen's (The Branded's bassist)commercial as a Tiawanese singing sensation, Willy Sherman before performing Dirt. Overall this band still rocked the stage with other songs like Let Me In and the ever popular Drug Pizza despite Brian (The Branded's front man) flubbing on the lyrics. Expect more The Branded programming happening at a venue near you soon. For more information, visit www.thebrandedmusic.com or www.myspace.com/thebrandedmusic.


Though priding itself on being a different kind of rock band, the late start to Kazy's set had SouthSide (and fans) a little impatient. Still this dark emo band rocked the Cubby Bear with its energy and electrifying sound. With song titles like Blown, Choke and Breathe, Kazy performed under the dramatic flare found within its themes, emotional angst as well as lyrical rap/hiphop and vibrant hardcore music which features an electric violin (usually not found in a band like this one), blogspot readers. Think of them as vampiric but nothing like that sparkly Twilight stuff these rockers are hardcore to the max. Fans should check out their INXS cover, Need You Tonight, where Kazy flipped it out of the pop/rock zone into something more haunting ...dark and very ultra hot. There's a bit a sexiness heard in Rich's (the front man) vocals on the lyrics to this song ...plus some added sensuality when there's an electric violin playing as the hidden guitar. *fans self* Yes it was that hot. SouthSide suggests checking out Kazy at their next show. For more information, visit www.kazymusic.com or www.myspace.com/kazymusic.

They just want to be Popular! And yes, they are, blogspot readers. It was great seeing Digital Mindy back on stage performing as headliner to close out this Friday night show. SouthSide also liked the new members joining the band like the keyboardist which frees up Nick to solely concentrate on vocals as the band's front man. He certainly did put a lot of himself onto the lyrics that brought out more emotional angst heard in the vocals. Performing songs like Conclusion, Pretty Prentious Drama Queen and Mr. Agitator, SouthSide has never seen Digital Mindy rock the stage with this much energy before ...she even could see that the band was having a fun time too. The fans near and around the stage were soaking up every last drop of the Digital Mindy momentum especially during Popular and their Nine Inch Nails cover of Closer. It got very freaky for this reviewer being sandwiched between The Branded and Inn Cinema. It was an exciting comeback for this local band and she highly suggests you check them out when they rock the I AM Fest at House of Blues in August. In the meantime, visit them at www.digitalmidy.com or www.myspace.com/digitalmindy.


Until next time, support your local scene,
SouthSide