01 Jul 11

Hey, blogspot readers, it's another firecrackin' weekend with SouthSide! Inching ever so closer to that magical #100th On The Town show to be reviewed, this reviewer rocked her Friday night at The Abbey under the vibrant neon dance glow and electro "TRON" like sounds performing on stage. The lineup featured the Miami, FL duo Pocket of Lollipops, local rockers Ghosthouse and Pyro Fighter, and Canadians Parallels (featuring drummer Cameron Findlay formerly of Crystal Castles). Before and after the show as well as in between sets, her ladyship DJ Scary Lady Sarah kept the audience in a party mood with her lively mix of electro/industrial music. Blogspot readers are highly encouraged to rock with her ladyship again on Saturday July 9 for her Nocturna show ...dressing your finest Goth/Industrial/Punk/Fetish wear is recommended to impress. For more information, visit http://www.myspace.com/scary_lady_sarah.

Opening the night was an eclectic mix of punk rock and B'52s sounding vibe wonderfully smashed and trashed together though feeling a bit off key and distorted at first. Yet, in a strange way, this duo known as Pocket of Lollipops and their "odd" off balance sound had SouthSide hooked. She enjoyed the unique fiery feminine vocals (by Maitejosume) amidst an energetic bass punk rhythm and the poppish 80s theme and percussion beats (by Tony). Plus she enjoyed the simplistic vibe of Pocket's two/four count melodic rhythm clearly heard which didn't over complicate the audience's listening pleasure. It was virtually basic leaving the ears enough room to appreciate the eclectic soundwave especially during Pocket's quick yet brief instrumental bridges. SouthSide didn't even begin an attempt to decipher Pocket of Lollipops' rhyme and reason, blogspot readers, within their music because the music jumped from one point to another (sometimes within the same song) amongst the many chord changes. This reviewer suggests keeping an open mind when listening to Pocket while immersed in their Underland effect throughout the performance. This rabbit hole came with a rockin' yet eclectically unusual sound that she's sure you'll enjoy. For more information, visit http://www.pocketoflollipops.com.

Whether you like it or not, blogspot readers, the 80s are never going away ...especially if you're rockin' with this local band, Ghosthouse. This lively group combined the digital pop/funk sound with plenty of that 80s themed rhythms and style. Or simply think of them as a crossover of Morris Day and the Time with Cameo on vocals which was the only way SouthSide could vividly describe their music and performance. Even Ghosthouse's stage presence accurately depicted how much they love this iconic era's iconic fashion influence from each band member on stage featuring the stiff "Robert Palmer" backing vocal girls, the "Corey Hart" and his I Wear My Sunglasses At Night look on keyboards and vocals, and the "Jimmy Jam" at keyboards (also on backing vocals) and guitar. Wow - what a look! Now, honestly, SouthSide tried her best to enjoy this high strung, energetic, fast-paced set however she couldn't get passed re-living the recycled themes and throwback sound. Having personally lived and experienced the Miami Vice and Like A Virgin Madonna days herself, this reviewer didn't hear anything fresh or with a modernized spin on the poppish sound even though this group did an excellent job re-creating the style through their songs, I'm Not Your (Stepping Stone), Private Dancer (not the Tina Turner hit), and Analog Man. She somewhat did enjoy the interesting take on her wedding song - Billy Idol's White Wedding in which Ghosthouse steadily upped the tempo by the second to a fast-pace tempo but it was sorely lacking that Billy angst in the vocals (way too poppish, in SouthSide's opinion) and fist pumping action. The cover lost it's rock anthem vibe for a more of Glee-cast recording. For those wanting to experience and/or re-live their favorite 80s moment, visit Ghosthouse at http://www.ghosthousechicago.com.

If you like the Daft Punk/TRON-esque vibe found in today's electro/pop rock music, then check out these local rockers known as Pyro Fighter. Featuring live percussions, an energetic momentum, and mind-trippin' electro sound, this reviewer instantly liked as well as felt this band's intense burst of music from the very beginning. Plus lead vocalist Dany impressed SouthSide with her dynamic style (though needing more mic power) on lyrics which pumped plenty of that Pryo fire song after song for the audience especially while working every square inch of her stage area. Throughout this set, The Abbey was immersed within the electrifying sound amidst the vibrant digitalized prorgramming yet such music did pose a major problem for Pyro. The music as intense and rockin' as it was overshadowed its female vocalist that she was barely audible over the monitors (and this reviewer was sitting a few away from the stage). Despite that "minor" technical problem with the sound, this reviewer suggests blogspot readers rockin' with Pyro Fighter at their next live performance. Their electric fiery glow will grab you. Visit http://www.pyrofighterband.com for more information.

Closing out this hot show, the duo, Parallels, rocked out the venus with a lively mix of electro/rock music that also featured sweeping digitalized orchestral sound. This unique combination truly electrified the stage despite needing more mic power for both vocalists at the beginning. And almost being similar to Pyro Fighter, Parallels' performance had pockets of intense momentum amidst the flowing melodies and vibrant rhythms in which was sparked by the duo's unique vocal style. Holly, though soft in the voice, powerfully demonstrated a dynamic as well as emotionally charged vocal range on the lyrics while Cameron dabbled between a deep falsetto and digitalized backing voice to compliment Holly's haunting sound. Yet together, watch out, blogspot readers, the Parallels duo certainly lit up the stage with a vivid sense of passion intricately woved inside the words ...almost poetic while listening to the electro music in the background. To really enjoy this performance, SouthSide spent a moment or two with eyes closed and ears opened soaking in the rhythmic flow of the electronic melodies wrapped inside the rock percussion beats. It was beautifully electrifying especially when performing the debut single, Ultralight, to close out this amazing set. Visit http://www.parallels.fm for details of when and where they will be rockin' the stage again.


Until next time, support your local scene,
SouthSide