04 May 12

"...I would like to dedicate this set to MCA (Adam Yauch of The Beastie Boys)..."


Hey, blogspot readers, the music world was deeply saddened by the sudden passing of newly (Rock-N-Roll) Hall of Fame inductee Adam "MCA" Yauch which put a tiny damper on this year's Cinco de Mayo-Derby festivities. However, SouthSide wholeheartedly believed Adam wouldn't approve of tears and sad eyes ruining the fight for our right to party while attending a celebratory moment at The Hideout Inn. Placed in an obsecure locale within the heart of an industrial park of Chicago, this legendary music venue (once home to Wilco shows) was definitely in the party mood despite the news of the day as fans crowded inside to celebrate The Damn Choir's sophomoric release of You're My Secret Called Fire. Assisting this local band with their fun and celebration was friend Paper Thick Walls and Kingsley Flood (http://www.kingsleyflood.com) from Boston, MA.

Though missing most of Kingsley's performance, SouthSide arrived at The Hideout Inn in time to catch the final few minutes of their rockin' set, blogspot readers. Yet it was enought to get this reviewer swept into the party mood due to this band's vibrantly explosive mix of gypsy-Americana / pop alternative sound with some hot Brit rhythmic groove (off the keyboard). SouthSide liked the hip sound wafting throughout the packed venue in the back as the upbeat swing had many dancing to the beat especially during the closing song - I Don't Wanna Go Home. Currently on tour, this reviewer highly suggests checking out Kingsley Flood ...hopefully they'll return to Chicago soon for another show (or two).

The last time SouthSide had a chance to rock this band, it was last year at the same venue for their CD release show. Tonight, one year later, she once again enjoyed hearing a few selections by Paper Thick Walls off their A Thousand Novels CD in which continued with the central theme of groovy-licious vibe and music. SouthSide's friend rocked the stage with another solid outting by featuring heartfelt vocal combination from the duo Eric (also on guitar) and Kate (on piano/trumpet) as well as melodic Americana/folk sound. Besides like the somber-like opening to kick off the set, this reviewer enjoyed the gradual crescendo rise to up the tempo and sound til exploding the ears to a boisterious music and vivid emotions within the vocals. At times the music alone, blogspot readers, was amazingly intense as well as haunting amidst the imagery flowing from the lyrics. Paper Thick Walls wonderfully combined such elements of sound and vocals to create a floetry of explosively vibrant set of music paired well to dynamically expressive voices popping the words to life during each song. The intensity definitely fueled this lively group's energetic momentum at the right moments for dramatic emphasis in which the music matched note for note. SouthSide suggests listening to the following songs (in no particular order) - Desolate Place (for its dream-like imagery set inside a haunting combination of storytelling-ballad style), Overgrown (featuring a rockin' violin rhythms to give an upbeat Americana/folk sound and tempo) and White Flags (a fun tune about telling your boss to "take this job and shove it" where you can vividly feel Eric's angst and frustration besides hearing it). Plus she suggests checking out Potrait, Orange Tree, Masters of the Sea and the title track A Thousand Novels off the album. For more information about Paper Thick Walls, visit http://www.paperthickwalls.com.

Amidst a thunderous boom of sound which instantly grabbed everyone's attention, The Damn Choir made their grand entrance to kick off their celebratory occasion with an intense rockin' bang, blogspot readers. This band wasted no time impressing this reviewer with a strong showing of heartfelt vocals amidst their Americana/folk sound but that was the prelude to what she heard next. POW! This band explosively shook the venue (and the ears) with a thunderous boomer of intense music especially during their opening song before ending with a calming lull. The Damn Choir playfully teased the crowded room with such antics - thinking one minute it's merely a soft toned song or sound to the tempo yet on the other hand, the band pulled something completely different throwing you off a little. Even the instrumental bridges were filled with intense momentum in which you saw each member (including the Jack in the banana suit on percussions) passionately performed while on stage. SouthSide enjoyed the tiny surprises that occurred throughout their performance not knowing where Gordion and others were taking her. The intensity wasn't just contained to their Americana/folk side, blogspot readers. It was also demonstrated within their pop side that featured a pseudo religious theme laced inside the lyrics while switching between a reverently rhythmic tempo and excitable melody before wowing the crowd with a huge finish (as heard in Creatures of Heaven). Or feel that steady percussion march during another particular song which had SouthSide trying her best to keep up with the sudden riff/chord changes. There was vividness not only in the music but also in the vocals (by Gordon and Katy) to make the lyrical words pop to life with flowing imagery especially while singing Ghost Spit and Road Noah. However SouthSide suggests checking out The Damn Choir's new song where Gordon truly displayed the heartfelt emotions in his falsetto vocals before really wowing the crowd with their rendition of The Cure's Just Like Heaven. It was so emotionally heartfelt that SouthSide was able to forget about Rob Smith's emo-like voice for a moment to enjoy how this band flipped this classic 80s song into something less dark and more upbeat within an Americana/folk sound but keeping some emo darkness to the tone. SouthSide highly suggests blogspot readers getting to know her new friend, The Damn Choir at their next show. For more information about this band, visit http://www.thedamnchoir.com.


Until next time, support your local scene,
SouthSide