16 Sept 11

Hey, blogspot readers, welcome to another wild and crazy Friday night On The Town with SouthSide! She's rockin' the busy streets of Chicago especially in the Lakeview neighborhood celebrating Mexico's independence from Spain and partying with local bands until sunrise. After some Tejano dancing, music and parade with other Mexican-Americans, this reviewer arrived in time at Elbo Room to see Lucrezio open for headliner Atom Smash (from Miami, FL). Upstairs performing on the acoustic stage was singer/songwriter Amanda Farmer and a rare unplugged set by Wags (of RedCity). This was his first time under the spotlight as a solo artist rockin' the audience with a lively mix of originals (like Apple Blossom) and covers (like Neil Young and more). Word around the acoustic lounge was that he put on a phenominal performance, blogspot readers. SouthSide hopes to review another Wags unplugged set before he rocks out with his band RedCity during their Oct 15th debut album release show (also at Elbo Room).

SouthSide (briefly) saw this band during The Flabby Hoffman Fest at the beginning of the year and thoroughly enjoyed the haunting yet melodic voice of vocalist Jennifer coupled with the intense guitar rock sound. Lucrezio once again, blogspot readers, had the ears bleeding from the realism heard within the lyrics and the heart hurting from bursts of the overwrought emotional tone felt whenever Jennifer sang amidst the music supporting her. In a way, this local band prided itself in being a whole of heart and soul centered deep within its rock-n-roll ...and it totally felt so good because their music left this audience hungrily wanting more. More of that dynamic vocal style which wonderfully draws out the realistic experiences of life, love and relationships (good and bad) intricately woven inside the image-filled words. More of Lucrezio's intense guitar rock energy that nicely complimented as well as highlighted Jennifer's voice - matching the mood and tone she sets for each song. Even while performing in a downtempo rhythm, this band still found a way to pop the music with such intense yet vibrant sound thus keeping the audience wrapped in its rockin' momentum. To fully immerse yourself inside Lucrezio's heart and soul rock sound, SouthSide highly suggests listening to these two selections first - Silenced (for its powerful chanteuse-like vocals that packs a punch within this downtempo song ...one could actually get the message she refuses to be silenced about her feelings, etc.) and Dreamer (for its dramatic high soprano vocals amidst the subtle dream-like music that contains bursts of energy throughout especially towards the end). Also recommended for your listening pleasure, Just A Child (when she's not behind the piano, watch out, blogspot readers, she truly wows the ears with her vocals thus becoming a little more animated on stage) and new song Dig Deep (a little rough around the edges but does have the potential of being Lucrezio's next hit). For more information about Lucrezio, visit http://www.lucrezio.com.

"...damn, Dave, you made that bass your bitch..."

Opening with an ear-catching digital intro, SouthSide was absolutely blown away by this rockin' band from Miami, FL known as Atom Smash. Not only did they rock out the late night audience with such energy and momentum ...they also left no area of the basement lounge untouched by their presence. This reviewer literally felt the energizing intensity of Atom's guitar rock while hearing the heartfelt yet dynamic falsetto's by front man Sergio. This group electrified the audience as well with some primal animalistic screamo ...thundering riffs and boisterious percussions - lots and lots of percussions, blogspot readers, enough to bang your head to. By the middle of the set, Atom rocked the stage with a couple of rousing, heart-pounding anthems which truly had this gathering pumped up in which also featured a tiny lull of melodic rhythms but just enough to get you ready to be pumped up for more hardcore rock. SouthSide highly suggests listening to the following songs: Sacrifice, put a little terror of screamo in the lyrics yet dazzling the ears with plenty of guitar sound during the instrumental bridge ...Cocaine Angel (though slowed down a bit to which they encouraged couples to dance) and Bed of Nails one of many highlights of the night, truly expressed Sergio as a front man as he projected such heartfelt emotions of angst, frustration and love - all wrapped in these two powerfully moving songs while still wowing the ears Atom's signature intense rock sound. For this reviewer, she highly suggests snagging a live version of their Seal cover - Kiss From A Rose (way better than the Batman Forever soundtrack original). Within their hardcore metal-tastic music, it livened up the romantic-sounding tune into something darker and more wickedly delicious especially with Sergio's raspy falsetto/screamo combination on the lyrics. For more information about Atom Smash and where they will be rockin' the stage again, visit http://www.atomsmashmusic.com.


Until next time, support your local scene,
SouthSide