15 Jun 11

Hey, blogspot readers, even a rainy night in Chicago can't stop this reviewer from rockin' the local scene! Tonight, the music and fun was at The Abbey (check out the newly re-decorated Green Room) where up and coming rock band, Rival Sons (CA), hit the stage before taking off for their European summer tour which will begin in Balbo, Spain later this month. PLUS they'll be rockin' the stage with the one and only Judas Priest and QUEENSRYCHE during the late July UK tour! Also sharing the stage with Rival Sons was SouthSide's good friends HEMI and Dogs of Fortune in which this reviewer highly recommends checking out all bands mentioned in this review. And also while at The Abbey, sample some of the new eats on the menu like the Rock-n-Roll Nachos and Sticky Chicken Wings with the yummy Guinness glaze.

Billed as the "Tall Shakin' Rock", Dogs of Fortune opened the lineup with an opus blast of energetic Southern dirty rock sound heard in song Trains Gone By (off their 3 Old Tricks Ep) in which had SouthSide enjoying the unique melodic saxophone rhythms accompanying it. However she was absolutely blown away by this band's continuous yet spontaneous bouts of energizer bunny style of stage presence and performance that kept their momentum flowing song after song without break. Amidst the vibrant Dogs' electrifying sound, fans will also enjoy hearing the dynamic yet emotionally charged vocals by front man/guitarist Myrrick melting the mic. The powerful combination of music and vocals had SouthSide rockin' to the groove during Dogs' 224U and Breath To Breathe (both also off the Ep) as well as their Them Crooked Vultures cover. This performance also featured bassist Nick taking lead vocals at one point that immediately caught this reviewer's attention for its soulful R&B/rock sound (plenty of wicked riffs and cool sax rhythms jamming during the instrumental). This particular song and their cover of Sweet's Ballroom Blitz fired up The Abbey with such excitement and energy. Dogs of Fortune will be rockin' Viaduct Theatre in July for their Big Bone release. Visit http://www.myspace.com/dogsoffortune or http://www.dogsoffortune.bandcamp.com for more details.

SouthSide won't reveal when was the last time she saw this hot metal band known as HEMI on stage however she was excited to (finally) see them again. She was ready to immerse herself into this band's heated fire of hardcore metal-tastic rock and raspy yet raw venomous sounds of vocal angst by front man/bassist Trent continuously pumping through her veins. Throughout HEMI's performance, there was plenty of twitterpating riffs as well as energy to keep your head banging to such songs The Leash and Driven to Kill. SouthSide suggests rockin' out to Dust to Dust but watch out for HEMI's wicked sudden riff/chord changes amidst the emotionally charged angst, Fire in the Sky (one of her HEMI favorites off their first album) for its dazzlingly wicked guitar riffs (featuring Ryan of PJs My Cousin Too and Dave on guitars) and Drown which is HEMI's version of "slowing" things down though keeping alive that headbanging metal sound. She also recommends getting a full metal blast from the band's rock opus, Battle of Britain which closed out this hot set thus also warming up the audience for Rival Sons. Visit http://www.myspace.com/hemi or http://www.hemimusic.com for more information about this band.

Rival Sons' performance - in a nutshell - one HOT damn show ...kick arse electric riffs amidst a gritty Southern/blues rock sound (or think Led Zeppelin but kicked up two notches on the rock meter) that literally blew away this reviewer. This band brought with them (from California) such vibrant energy that it instantly had this audience sucked into the rockin' momentum and never letting them go until Rival rocked their headlinging set with not one but two encores. That's how the "wow" factor was felt by this band, blogspot readers. This was amazingly serious classic rock shaking the rafters at The Abbey ...totally electrifying song after song that Rival didn't leave you any time in between to rest just only wanting more. The music itself was full of heart-pounding electric and bass rhythms rockin' and rollin' hard for the diehard fans while feeling front man Jay and his dynamically vocal power over the mic. SouthSide too felt the same excitement as their fans did from Rival Sons which is why she said they have captured the essence of Led but truly creating their own legendary image. This reviewer could go on and on about how their 1st Chicago show contained spontaneous bursts of riffs to match his vocal style or how they had this audience wrapped inside their contagious energy all night long. That would only take away your own personal experience with Rival Sons when they perform at a venue near you. Her recommendation (especially to her loyal European readers) is to catch this rockin' band when they cross the pond for their summer Euro tour. Visit http://www.rivalsons.com or http://www.myspace.com/rivalsons for more details.


Until next time, support your local scene,
SouthSide