17 Sept 10

Hey, blogspot readers, SouthSide's inching closer to the magical 100th show reviewed for 2010! Tonight, her 98th outting around town began with a rockin' BANG at Elbo Room to see Vanattica and Epidemia (from Russia) on stage. She highly recommends checking out Luring Thieves and their non-lyrical rock groove. This reviewer thoroughly enjoyed the fantastical journey inside this band's instrumental rock of jammin' guitar riffs. The audience was literally blown away by Thieves' heart-pounding sound and high andrenaline energy. What an experience! For more information, visit http://luringthieves.bandcamp.com/ or Facebook.com.

Who's ready for some intense ...in your face rock performance? If the answers are "yes", then check out this band rockin' the local scene in Champaign, IL named Vanattica. Don't expect subtle guitar rock grooves when they hit the stage - Vanattica prides itself as the band with high energy that's going to blast your ears from start to finish. SouthSide was totally in the zone with Van's hardcore momentum ...feeling its riffs and chords while immersing herself in their thunderous vibe. What a rush, blogspot readers, and they're barely finishing the opening song! These guys bursted out of the gate like gangbusters reader to rockdown the Elbo Room leaving no part of the stage untouched with their exuberant presence. Too bad the stage was quite small ...she was told they do get pretty wild rockin' out at other venues. And SouthSide does love it when bands get wild upon feeling that momentum while performing. Besides the energetic tone of Vanattica's songs, let's not forget the driving force behind the band's sound - Travis (front man on guitar) on vocals. Watch out, ladies, this guy can literally steal your heart with the passion and dynamic power heard within his voice. His vocal style vividly caught this reviewer's attention especially during the live version of Ready Set Stop. There was plenty of angst in the lyrics as Travis poured a lot of himself into the words and mood of this song. Plus check out the amazing drumming by Drake and his elaborate set-up and Jaron (on bass) - sometimes these two can get a bit crazy during a nonstop action packed Vanattica show. Yet there was also a moment when a bit of pop/alternative rock sound could be heard. The feel didn't deter the band away from the energy or momentum even while kicking it old school with lots of twittering guitar riffs. What an exciting show, blogspot readers! SouthSide suggests checking out the podcast of Vanattica's appearance on Fearless Radio at http://www.fearlessradio.com. For more information, visit http://www.vanattica.com or http://www.myspace.com/vanattica.

Though SouthSide's command of the Russian language was a bit rusty, she was more than ready to rock with Epidemia. Performing one of two US dates, this band packed a lot of hardcore metal guitar rock with the passion of Russian poetry heard in the lyrics. Not knowing what was being sung in each song may have been a barrier for this reviewer yet she does have a distinct ear for listening to rockin' music performed as well as a watchful eye to read body language. Since music is the universal language of the world, she thoroughly enjoyed hearing the direct influence Western rock bands (especially Metallica and Scorpions) had Epidema through its guitar riffs and dramatic style. Plus she liked the European influence use of haunting electronica (off the keyboards) rhythms which added that balance to the rock edge as well as that passionate fire and energy. The best way for SouthSide to describe it would be like this - try imganing Russian composers Petr Ilich Tchaikovsky (for the poetic soul of music) and Sergei Rachmaniov (for that hardcore edge) combined with the fiery poetic words of Alexander Pushkin (SouthSide's favorite poet) and that's what she basically felt from Epidemia. She was fascinated by the poetry behind this band's rock sound which was vividly noticable in the piano/keyboard rhythms. The rise and fall of the crashing crescendos swept her away ...the thundering pulse of the percussions and guitar riffs aflamed the blood ...and in the beauty of the lyrics (mostly spoken in Russian) captivated her soul despite never understanding what was said especially when he hit the high falsettos. You had to be there, blogspot readers, to feel what this reviewer felt inside while observing this band performing at Elbo Room. This was one unique experience for SouthSide and she highly recommends checking out Epidemia wherever they're performing next. Hopefully they'll return to Chicago for another exhilerating rock show full of passion, fire and energy coupled with thrilling hardcore guitar riffs. For more information, visit http://www.myspace.com/epidemiale.


Until next time, support your local scene,
SouthSide