24 Jun 10

...unleash hell on us... ~ Riot Inside


Hey, blogspot readers, it's that time of year again - MOB Fest! The annual 3-night music fest featuring indie artists/bands near and far rockin' stages at local venues around town. From Beat Kitchen to Metro and Elbo Room as well as Cubby Bear and Double Door, there was plenty of great music waiting be discovered. However, with so many shows on the schedule, SouthSide had a hard time choosing which ones to attend ...and that was no easy task. The kick off party for this event began at the Beat Kitchen ...and then on Saturday, Elbo Room will host the panel discussions about the business side to the music industry with a special performance by The Outer Vibe with the wrap-up party at LaSalle Power Co. This reviewer was able to catch the action at Elbo Room for performances by Travis Caudle (Perth, Australia) and local favorite, Riot Inside.

Singer/songwriter Travis Caudle instantly had SouthSide liking his smooth (accented) vocal style (nearly sounding like another famous singer/songwriter Neil Diamond) accompanying his acoustic guitar sound. He thoroughly impressed her with the heartfelt emotions as well as the awesome falsetto heard in his voice sometimes emphasizing dramatic angst and frustration. The music certainly matched the dynamic of his vocals in which the audience felt and heard lively rhythms and energy. The lyrics in most of his songs were simplistic observations of the world around him i.e., life, love, friends, etc. SouthSide suggests listening to You Only Got Yourself to Blame (for the passion heard in Travis' voice and music), Getting Back to Who You Are (even while dropping his voice to a tenor/baritone range, his falsetto will melt your ears), Singles (a song about re-inventing yourself in which the lyrics presented a vivid picture in this reviewer's mind) and Live This Down (plenty of strong emotions projected that SouthSide felt what Travis was feeling). She also enjoyed his acoustic rendition of Men At Work's Overkill (as featured on TV's Scrubs). This reviewer highly recommends checking out this Australian singer/songwriter Travis Caudle wherever his travels in the US take him next or visit him in Perth if you live in the land down under (extra 10 SouthSide points if someone can tell her who did that song reference). For more information, visit www.traviscaudle.com.au or www.myspace.com/traviscmusic.

There can't be a mob without a riot being involved, blogspot readers. This year's Fest featured the awesome and dynamic rock sounds of Riot Inside as loyal fans packed the basement lounge to see them rockin' the stage. For over a year, this rising local (as well as popular) band has been making quite a name (and causing a few "riots" here and there) for itself in Chicago's scene. Fans cannot get enough of the BANG and excitement Riot brings to every performance. Gary (front man on vocals) and the guys always had their "game" faces on while pounding the stage with lots of energy and themselves into the music. And even though SouthSide has seen and reviewed them numerous of times, she could tell this MOB Fest set truly meant something special for them. Riot added a few extra riffs during the instrumentals and more Gary-ness in his charismatic stage persona and vocals in the lyrics. It was hot observing each Riot member working the stage and crowd. It's very hard picking just one song in which this reviewer should suggest listening by this band however she selected the following: Wicked Games (plenty of smooth criminal sexiness hitting the stage ...also, ladies, this is the moment of the performance when Gary starts stripping off his shirt) ...King (deep falsettos ...fine example of how powerful his vocals can be while he charms the crowd along with the band rockin' hard with energized riffs at the instrumental bridge - it kept this crowd screaming for more) ...and Levitate (always a Riot crowd pleaser that closed out their MOB Fest show). SouthSide also suggests checking out Sex On Sunday (S.O.S. - SouthSide patent-pending, folks) - this band got down and sexily dirty with this gritty rock song for its fans. She liked the fact that it brought them out of their "normal" sound by performing an 80s-esque style of rock - big on riffs and sound with head banging action. It was a wonderful lead-in for Castro's (the hardest working drummer for Riot) smokin' hot solo before Higher, blogspot readers. This reviewer hopes to see Riot Inside making its next step within their (music) evolution which includes more rockin' songs like S.O.S. into their performances. For more information, visit, www.riotinsidemusic.com or www.myspace.com/riotinsidemusic.


Until next time, support your local scene,
SouthSide