20 Dec 10

"...I'm Smooth Lou ...I'm unemployed and live with my parents..."


Season's Greetings, blogspot readers! It's a snowy night ...just the perfect weather to set the mood for this extra special holiday-bration. Rockin' the Double Door stage was the lineup of the 1st Annual Treaty Of Paris & Friends Holiday Party. This free festive extravaganza featured Treaty's long list of "friends" of the local scene such as Ryan Powers, Super Happy Fun Club, State and Madison and Jerome Holloway - to name a few. The venue itself was even sporting a brightly decorative look for the occasion as each performer (or group) took the stage for a 2 to 3 song set. And though there was a stric time limit, the crowd was thoroughly given a sample of what's rockin' the stages nighly around town. Plus football fans didn't miss one second of the Bears versus Vikings game - there was a big screen projecting the hometown's division clinching win over Favre and company.

Opening the long lineup of "Friends" for this holiday party was the acoustic performance by Mike Pictrus (and his special guest) featuring two original holiday songs. Soon it was followed by Ronny Robinson who impressed this reviewer with his heartfelt yet emotionally deep originals during his performance. Next Smooth Lou rocked the stage with his Bobby McFerrin-Biz Markie vocal set that featured cover songs Blackbird and Come Together (Beatles). He certainly wowed the crowd with his version of War's Low Rider with a bit of Dee Lite's Groove's In the Heart. Fans can follow this artist on Twitter. The mellow acoustic sound supporting the docile falsettos of Jerome Holloway cam afterwards. SouthSide enjoyed listening to the personal thoughts and feelings from this artist as heard within his 2-song performance.

The somber mood quickly switched to an upbeat swing when Dan (of This Is Me Smiling) came onto the stage. SouthSide enjoyed the light whimsical humor cleverly woven inside the lyrics within a vibrant acoustic sound. Then Scott Sweeney gave the crowd a mellow yet with profound vocal energy during his acoustic set. The acoustic sound brought out the dynamic power of his voice and heartfelt lyrics. Meanwhile Ryan Powers rocked the stage with his acoustic set full of energy which truly highlighted his vocal talent. Dan Wade (on acoustic) and Mike (front man of Treaty Of Paris) joined Ryan at the end of his set for Be My Baby Tonight. Alex (bassist for Treaty Of Paris) impressed this reviewer with a vocal combination of natural and falsettos bringing out the emotional depth heard within his originals of ballads. He was followed by Last Fast Action and more deep emotions inside this band's front man's vocals especially during the song, You Need To Know.

The duo representing AM Taxi rocked the crowd with an original holiday song as well as a couple of lively acoustic ones including the punk cover, Surrender (Cheap Trick). SouthSide enjoyed how they flipped the punk rock sound for something mellower yet energetic. State and Madison's semi-acoustic performance impressed this reviewer with upbeat tempos and powerfully deep falsettos in the vocals. SouthSide's looking forward to doing a full review on this band sometime in 2011. Meanwhile Super Happy Fun Club opened their quick set with Generation under a vibrant aura of keyboard and drum rhythms. This crowd rocked to the dynamic alternative vibe full of melodic energy. Closing out this rockin' holiday show was Treaty Of Paris that featured a semi-acoustic/alternative setting. Their fans grooved to this popular band's instanteous vibe of swingin' upbeat tempos as well as sang along to their favorite tunes.

What a holiday party, blogspot readers! SouthSide's looking forward to next year's shindig.


Until next time, support your local scene,
SouthSide