28 Aug 12



"...We apologize. This might be the unfunny portion of the evening..." ~ The Grownup Noise

SouthSide loves comedy, blogspot readers.

She loves a hot rockin' show too.

And guess what - she was able under to get both under one roof at Schuba's Tavern after a long weekend of partying, premieres and "...trainwreck" antics. Tonight, there was comedy and music wrapped into one lineup when her Bostonian friend, The Grownup Noise, and Golden Bloom rolled into Chicago as part of The Make America More Awesome Tour featuring comedian Timmy Williams of The Whitest Kids U'Know. It was an interesting combination yet SouthSide, in all honesty, didn't find the comedy to be funny one bit. Timmy's opening monologue totally fell flat but not without some (and she means some, blogspot readers) laughs from the sparce audience. And that's just putting it nicely. It was a pretty tough group of people especially when you're joking it up about South Dakota when you're in the big city like Chicago. Other parts of his schtick included why he wouldn't poop or pee on the tour bus (in reference to the Dave Matthew's incident long ago) to how he wants to die. His second attempt after The Grownup Noise performance was slightly better even though this reviewer didn't feel that "Ha Ha" funny in her humorus femor (funny bone to you). Perhaps, it was an off night for the comedian after many stops made during the tour ...who knows.

Meanwhile on the music side to this traveling show,  The Grownup Noise, well, has "grown up", blogspot readers. With Aine on the drums for this tour, SouthSide enjoyed how the band's eclectic Americana/folk/alternative rock sound was popped to life with such exuberant energy and momentum than their last Chicago performance. Not only did she add some thundering percussion rhythm to Grownup's rhythmic, toe-tappin' groove but also a harmonizing feminine touch on the vocals to balance out the male testosterone heard on the mic especially during the song, New Outsiders. Performing other songs like Fife & Drum (a tune about not giving up) and Carnival (off the band's current release), this reviewer thoroughly identified with the "everyman" heartfelt sentiments expressed from lead vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist Paul to which his voice projected a "never say die" fighting spirit (listen to Fife & Drum) but also true raw emotions off the words. Yet, blogspot reades, it's a unique combination of vocals and music blends which truly makes this particular band a pleasure to review each time SouthSide sees them. Listen to Come Sunday where the vocal harmonies lit up the stage amidst of lively zyedco sound within a downtempo rhythm or Astronomy where the banjo and accordion are featured in the band's Americana/folk blend to almost give the music a lullaby feel while Paul wonderfully expressed his emotions in a sweet loving way from beginning to end. The Grownup truly had this audience fired up for more during Carnival and especially Outside when the band rocked out Schuba's hard with a jam session. SouthSide highly suggests checking out the "evolved" and "gown up" rock vibe of The Grownup Noise at their next scheduled performance. For more information, visit the band at http://www.thegrownupnoise.com.



Until next time, support your local scene,

SouthSide