02 Jul 11

Hey, blogspot readers, the rockin' party moved from The Abbey to Elbo Room! Tonight, she's checking out the unique combination of steel drum percussion rhythms with a jazz-rock blend by Jonathan Scales (NC) and then later, a Brit invasion of rock/electro/dance music by Capelle (UK). In between sets, SouthSide was upstairs rockin' to Amanda Farmer and her Big Lebowski themed show which included viewing the movie and drinking White Russians.

This artist combined the best of two music worlds - the ultra smooth sounds of jazz rhythms and vibrant energy of rock with the cool taste of the Caribbean into a deliciously sounding performance. This unique attraction not only captivated this reviewer's attention but the entire audience as well. Steel pannist Jonathan Scales brought his rockin' Fourchestra band (however it was a trio for his Elbo Room appearance) and its rockin' music that featured intricately woven melodies and notes off his steel drums and the lively momentum of rock and jazz together. Throughout the opening set, this oddly mesh of sounds and rhythms retained a pleasurable vibe as well as a danceable groove for anyone adventurous enough to do so. SouthSide thoroughly enjoyed hearing such creative floetry within Jonathan's epic yet poetic compositions in which, if listened closely, one could hear the fierce intensity (and at times, emotionally charged) "vocals" within the lyrics even though there weren't any actual lyrics to be hunmanly sung. That was, in SouthSide's opinion, the beauty of this artist's music. It was an awe-inspiring experience for this reviewer to hear the "lyrics" spoken directly (and indirectly) amongst the instruments during certain points of his songs. For example, during one particular song, she could vividly hear the fiery "spoken" words between the drum kit versus the steel drums and bass combined and then vice versa drums (steel and percussion) versus bass. She also enjoyed another particular song featuring an interesting combination of sudden/abrupt dramatic bursts and pauses that grabbed her immediate attention. Jonathan's rhythmic island/jazz/rock sound was dazzling ...spellbounding that no one in the basement lounge dared move a muscle until the performance concluded. SouthSide highly recommends spending your warm summer nights amidst the cool rockin' sounds of this island-jazz breeze by Jonathan Scales. And just a small reminder, blogspot readers, he doesn't do Jimmy Buffet songs. Visit http://www.jonscales.com for more information and music by this artist and his Fourchestra.

It was a Brit invasion that reclaimed a colonial venue, blogspot readers!Her Majesty would have been so proud too. This quartet of energetic English rockers known as Capelle stormed the Elbo Room stage with their rock/electro music. Closing out the downstairs lineup, they made a huge splash on these shores entertaining the late night audience with their high energy, vibrant rock sound and gradual climb from rock to electro/dance during their set. This band wasted no time conquering its American listeners by bursting onto the stage under such intense ear-popping rock and excitement as hear in the opening song, Killa. Yet, fans should pay special attention to Capelle's charismatic, dancing machine on guitar and front man, Sam and his unique vocal style besides listening to the band's rockin' music. SouthSide immediately noticed how he had three distinct syles for each progressive stage of Capelle's climb towards their electro/dance side which happens near the end of their set. For instance, during the first part of the performance (opening to third or fourth song), he wowed the ears with his deep yet dynamic falsetto vocal range meanwhile during the middle (fifth and sixth song) he switched to something more emotionally charged. When it was over, she heard a fantastic demonstration of Sam combining the two styles while in his dance machine mode. Performing other songs like Midnight (SouthSide's personal favorite) and Time Better, Capelle had this audience dancing the rest of the night other other rockin' songs like Jux, Muscle Car and Louder along with them. SouthSide highly recommends checking out these English rockers as they wind down their 1st US tour in New Jersey and New York after a stop in Detroit, MI on July 7th. For more information, visit http://www.capelle.co.uk or http://www.facebook.com/capellemusic.


Until next time, support your local scene,
SouthSide