29 Feb 12

After hanging out with Shawn Kellner (who was sporting his Employees tie) and friends at Rock For Kids charity event, it was time to make SouthSide's infamous mad CTA dash to rock out the Southside, blogspot readers. Despite missing the opener, Faver, this reviewer arrived in time check out the rest of the night's lineup featuring friends - Sioum and The Dead Superheroes Orchestra with Bridges of Konigsberg. SouthSide highly recommends rockin' your eards to the haunting symphonic Goth/ambient rock sound by Bridges of Konigsberg. This reviewer instantly liked this band's instrumental energy which was quite vibrant despite the vocals being somewhat overshadowed throughout portions of this performance. Each member of Konigsberg performed on stage under such intense passion full of melodic rhythms and heart-pounding crescendo rises especially as heard during the second song. The climatic finish left SouthSide feeling she had runned a hard race. She also enjoyed Konigsberg's fusion of different digital programming and keyboard effects thus giving each song its own unique tempo, sound and rhythm ...definitely creating at times a haunting air of mystery inside Reggie's Rock Club. For more information about this band, visit http://www.reverbnation.com/bridgesofkonigsberg.



Continuing with tonight's central music theme, SouthSide was excited to see her friend Sioum rockin' the stage again. This local band opened their set with a rousing yet haunting crescendo before wowing the audience's ears to an energetic pulse of dark symphonic music. Blogspot readers should note Sioum is a trio though each member rocked the stage as if they're part of a quintet (or more) band. This band prides itself in thrilling their fans amidst its intense pockets of momentum to climatic and thunderous endings throughout their epic pieces. Sometimes you might feel a rush from the guitar riffs as well as rhythms turning abruptly into a haunting lull surrounding the venue. Each Sioum song is devoid of lyrics for a good reason - human vocals against this music might convey the wrong mood or tone ...plus the voice would certainly be overshadowed by the instrumental sound. And with Reggie's lighting fx, the music perfectly ran in sync to the lighting directions in which illuminated the passion and mystery heard within Sioum's music. This reviewer enjoyed how the music could be gentil but then emotionally dramatic to heart-breaking at the same time amidst its hidden poetic vibe, blogspot readers, that one can feel the floetry inside the melody. The "vocals" per se are "sung" between Sioum band members if listened closely to the vibrant sound before leaving you breathless for more at the conclusion. It's highly recommended in seeing Sioum at their next scheduled performance. Be prepared to soak yourself inisde this band's dark epic mysteriousness. Visit http://www.sioum.com for more information.



The Dead Superheroes Orchestra - one part Goth rock band and one part CSO (Chicago Symphony Orchestra) lite meshed togethered on one stage, blogspot readers. SouthSide's friend headlined the Rock Club lineup with another show-stopping musical which this reviewer first witnessed last summer at The Abbey Pub. However this version of the group's Reggie's show was less grandioso than the debut but still retained that grandeur sound and thrilling suspense of a Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber musical (i.e. think Phantom of the Opera). Performing songs off the TDSO's red and grey (self-titled) CDs, the late night audience was treated to a musical spectacle full of emotional heartache, death, grief and love from composer Mark (also vocalist and guitarist) and his orchestra which combined the haunting orchestral rhytms and powerful Goth rock. So is it a rock show or a classical themed musical? Well, after seeing her friend twice, blogspot readers, SouthSide can concluded that it's the best of both worlds wrapped up into one. You have a hero who doesn't want to be a superhero anymore questioning why he should save an unappreciative world (i.e. think Jesus in Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar questioning why he should die) and an angel after locking herself in a room for years ready to change to it. Broadway musical fans will enjoy the sweeping overtures and signature songs like The Last Superhero and I'll Spend My Nights In The Graveyard in which Mark might be singing in third person or as himself (as he did during Vexed) which vocally and emotionally popped the lyrics to life with such fervent intensity. Though missing the Russian choir, Golosa, on backing vocals during this performance, the female soloist performing with TDSO was an excellent addition to counter Mark's falsetto voice. She added the right amount of emotional dialect and tone to the musical in which her voice made you feel the pain and sadness wonderfully conveyed via the composer's orchestral arrangement. SouthSide highly recommends catching the next (hopefully) Broadway-bound musical by Chicago's own The Dead Superheroes Orchestra. Visit http://www.thedeadsuperheroes.com for more information.



Until next time, support your local scene,
SouthSide