14 Apr 11

...everything's about life... ~ The Hepsounds

Hey, blogspot readers, the weekend has finally arrived! And this reviewer has four days of planned, nonstop fun and music until Sunday to cover. SouthSide will be roaming around town from Old Town/Lincoln Square to Downtown Chicago with a few places in between covering what's rockin' Chicago's vibrant local scene. Her first stop tonight was at Lakeview's popular local venue, Elbo Room, to see her good friend, singer/songwriter Nate Z and meet some jive hep kats known as The Hepsounds. Blogspot readers are highly encouaraged to check out their next scheduled performances.

SouthSide's good friend Nate Z rocked the Elbo Room stage with another powerful solo "acoustic" performance but not done using the an acoustic guitar. No, blogspot readers, Nate electrified the basment lounge by playing his electric (tuned as an acoustic) which matched his dynamic yet emotionally charged vocals. This artist personally described his music as "...rhythmic melodic rock..." however SouthSide would like to add "acoustically metal-tastic" too because there were a couple of songs in which he could jam with an acoustic metal sound. And when he does, watch out. Nate will not only blow your mind away with his fiercely intense guitar fingering but also your ears with his vocal intensity ...Nate inserts a lot of vocal power upon feeling that emotional high off the song's momentum. Even while gently calming your ears with a deep falsetto lull in his voice, you can still feel as well as as hear what this artist's expressing emotionally via the lyrics. For instanace, during Love Me Hate Me, SouthSide clearly heard the anger and frustration dripping empathically within the lyrics and guitar chords despite not so much from Nate's voice. That emotional high was somewhat bottled inside not what this reviewer was expecting however after speaking with him about this particular song, Nate promises to get more vocally angry which might also bring out the metal-tastic sound hidden inside the guitar riffs. Other examples include, Holy Ghost where this artist powerfully rocked the stage with a fiery montage of riffs and vocals - both perfectly matching the other with the same intense energy; during On A Train To Chicago, the audience saw (and heard) a totally different side to Nate in which heartfelt vocals within a downtempo ballad was spotlight; and his brand new song (finished muscially but not lyrically), though untitled, this reviewer enjoyed hearing the poetic imagery within an upbeat tempo that truly highlighted how dynamic his vocals can get. For more information about Nate Z and his music, visit http://www.natezmusic.com.

They swing with the liveliest ...hippest music around town, blogspot readers. They're the coolest hep kats to really have this venue rockin' with a vibrant energetic combination of R&B/Soul/Funk/Country/Blues (and the list could go on for days) and more within one set. And this band has the perfect name that totally described its main theme - The Hepsounds. What a band ...and what a performance! Nonstop funkified rhythms and melodic groove ruled the stage yet that's merely the tip of these cool kats' sound. There was also Hep's charismatic as well as vocally dynamic front man Nathaniel on vocals (and guitar) who literally electrified the microphone with his soulfully raspy deep falsettos. Wither, ladies, because this hep kat will make you swoon and sigh throughout Hepsounds performance especially while performing such songs like Satisfied and All I Want. The Hepsounds kept the ears poppin' with a lively upbeat Chicago Blues-driven song affectionately titled Cold Chicago (SouthSide suggests a longer jam session, time permitting, instead of abruptly ending the song) and a downtempo Country with a sharp rock edge in Falling From Grace which wonderfully spotlighted Nathaniel's emotional side within his soulful vocals (also another song in which The Hepsounds could have jammed a little longer). The band itself entirely impressed this reviewer with its vibrant energy from start to finish ...even while in a downtempo too. The funkified Hepsounds sound was quite contagious as well as it's diverse that they easily can switch from one genre (or combination two together) to the next without losing that upbeat momentum or groove from each song intro. SouthSide sees bright things happening this band in the near future and highly suggests getting to know her new friends, The Hepsounds on a personal level at their next scheduled performance. Visit The Hepsounds at http://www.reverbnation.com/thehepsounds or http://www.myspace.com/thehepsounds for more details.


Until next time, support your local scene,
SouthSide