19 Jun 11

After spending a lovely afternoon in the park at Peace Fest 2011, it was time for SouthSide rock out her evening at two special performances, blogspot readers. First, it was to witness The Rift making their official induction into Chicago's local scene on the Elbo Room stage. Then, she had to make her famous "mad dash" to Double Door to catch South Africa's The Parlotones rockin' the stage.

SouthSide personally met with the five young adult members of The Rift recently however she was more excited to finally see a live performance by them. And she highly suggests you do the same whenever they're rockin' the stage again. This band (and don't think of these multi-talented musician youth as a "school of rock" band when seeing them perform) had this reviewer immediately liking the organic feel and tone of their music which vividly incorporated haunting violin rhythms, acoustic (as well as electric) riffs, piano/keys and the inventive use of a bucket (to serve as percussions). Yet what truly stood out about The Rift's performance was the dynamic vocal style by Lily. Though seeming a little shy at first, this vocalist didn't have any shyness in demonstrating how soulfully as well as emotionally dramatic her voice could get in a wink of your eye ...especially during My Canvas. She wonderfully conveyed the sentiments and mood of this particular popping the lyrics to life while making your heart weep to the piano accompanying her. And with the full band backing her, her voice can suddenly became a chanteuse-like siren luring your deeper into The Rift's melodic sound thus making the music itself more vibrant to listen and enjoy. This reviewer enjoyed how The Rift incorporated rhythms that were quite simplistic ...nothing too overpowering to captivate your ears into listening to the organic/alternative flow. It was, in the best of terms, beautifully orchestrated music coupled with vocals will make you tear up. SouthSide wishes she could have stayed for The Rift's entire debut show but she does recommend listening to songs Fading Fleeting Sound, Awake My Soul and new one, Tango. For more information about The Rift, visit http://www.myspace.com/musicrift.

The last time this reviewer saw this particular band, she was literally blown away ...and she had the same feeling again when The Parlotones (South Africa) rocked the Double Door stage recently. Compared to their Schubas show back in March and now, this reviewer enjoyed their Double Door one better for a few reasons. The band had more room to breathe without being squished so close together and for Kahn (as well as the other band members) to be more animated with his stage presence. He was certainly taking full advantage of that extra space to express himself more lyrically and bodily (in gestures) than while on the Schubas stage. The Parlotones dynamic front man/guitarist truly displayed some raw emotions within his highly charged falsettos, blogspot readers, that seemed to breathe such realism into the words sung. The lyrics felt more heartfelt and deeply personal to not only him especially during the song Dream Lover but also amongst The Parlotones fans as well when you could hear voices singing along to songs like Life Design and Welcome to the Weekend (SouthSide's favorite). Plus, the band was given the chance (as a whole) to express themselves musically which included more high energy in the guitar riffs, upbeat rhythms (sometimes from a harmonica) and dramatic electronica keys/snyths sound while keeping the epic-sounding melodies in their songs. Performing other songs like The Stars Fall Down, The Brighter Side and Should We Fight Back, this reviewer was still moved by The Parlotones and their unique blend of rock sound amidst the inspirational lyrics beautifully heard. If you missed this show, they did promise to return to Chicago (for a fourth time) in October. Visit http://www.theparlotones.net for tour information and details.


Until next time, support your local scene,
SouthSide