18 Jan 13

~ Jess Godwin

Hey, blogspot readers, it’s an adventure around town fit for a Mom and daughter! Tonight, SouthSide and her “manager” spent some quality time together by attending an all-ages show at Mayne Stage located within the hub of Rogers Park neighborhood. There, they rocked to alternative/rock performances by The Matt Ryd All-Stars and Jess Godwin with April Henry (http://www.aprilhenrymusic.com) opening the lineup. 

~April Henry

Though enjoying the lively, energized performance by this singer/songwriter, blogspot readers, which at times her voice did pop the lyrics to life however there were other times when she did strain to be heard above her own band and/or to reach the unattainable high vocal range. April Henry did pop the stage with a rousing child-like atmosphere full of boisterous sound and tempos but sometimes the two left this reviewer confused especially during her third song that featured a lullaby-like tone before sweeping the audience into a dramatic symphonic pop feel. Even the imagery used inside the lyrics didn’t seem to gell or create a pleasing floetry to the ears. The next song should have had the band tuned down a bit (while keeping that fiery feel in the chorus) so April’s vocals could be vividly heard above the loud guitars. It was nice to see an artist portraying the persona of a little girl who still plays with her dolls yet it was too bad this particular artist was visibly as well as musically overshadowed by the rhythmic groove of the band.

~ The Matt Ryd All-Stars

He’s a little bit country but still a whole lot of that alternative/pop rock sound, blogspot readers, as he experiments combining the two elements within his latest EP – Ryd ‘Em Cowboy. Matt Ryd and his All-Star band rocked Mayne’s stage with the artist venturing into his country side but not deep enough that he sounds like Brooks & Dunn. Yet the electronic violin rhythms added to his songs did give certain songs a touch of that down home country feel and tone while retaining the lively pop sound as heard in For So Long and Nobody But Me. SouthSide enjoyed the semi-acoustic vibe during 10,000 Angels which the violin rhythms wonderfully helped spotlight Matt’s heartfelt vocals with some dramatic feeling in the lyrics before the rest of the band joined in. POW! This song took a different direction where you felt the vibrant burst of energy and sound though still remaining so heartfelt at the same time. Matt’s set also featured a few songs that were part of television shows like Marianne (featured on MTV’s Made – he’s not really proud of his songs on TV shows ...or so he says), When I Fall (featured on The Brackston Family Values) and this reviewer’s favorite, Healed (featured on an episode of Scrubs), in which had an energizing upbeat tempo from the violin. The audience were invited to dance along with Matt and his funky white guy dance moves when the band performed a rousing version of Stevie Wonder’s classic R&B hit Signed, Sealed , Delivered even though many in attendance weren’t that adventurous to dance, blogspot readers. Visit Matt Ryd and his music at http://www.mattryd.com.

Continuing with that energizing spirit from The Matt Ryd All-Stars band, blogspot readers, Jess Godwin and her band brought to the stage more hip shaking music and rhythmic sound which had many on the now crowded main floor immediately dancing along. This singer/songwriter really spiced things up with more than just her stage presence and vocals ...she added a lot of expressive body language to the mix while popping the lyrics to life. And wow – there was no stopping Jess from setting the stage ablaze song after song amongst the electrified riffs and lively percussions. Besides the highly intense and electrifying feel in this performance, there was also a bit of playfulness between her band members especially with the acoustic guitarist during one particular song. It highlighted the heartfelt emotion heard within Jess’ voice while pouring out her feelings to which one could easily hear the heartache in her voice. During Let’s Get Down, this artist showed off a bit of her sexy feminine and dynamically soulful sides to truly pop this R&B/soul sound within this lively pop/alternative rock song. This was one headlining performance which had a little bit of everything wonderfully meshed together leaving many dancing in the aisles (or their seats), blogspot readers.  Visit Jess Godwin and her music at http://www.jessgodwin.com.

Until next time, support your local scene,

SouthSide