03 Mar 14 - Yellow Phone Music Reception

Hey, blogspot readers, let's make music connections! 

That was theme recently at Double Door when this venue held a mini version of Yellow Phone's Music Conference in which local musicians, industry professionals and others like SouthSide could mingle, socialize and/or connect under a friendly atmosphere. The idea while attending this free event was to make connections and perhaps lasting partnerships with each other.  And from what this reviewer observed, there were some connections being made and happening, blogspot readers. Besides sipping on featured drink specials, there was live entertainment presented by singers-songwriters Bryan Wilkinson and Dan Wade with the young ladies of Purple Apple who took time out from doing homework to end the night on a rockin' high note. Also, during the event, there were raffled prizes and giveaways to be won. 

Kicking off the night of live music was the talented guitarist Bryan Wilkinson (of The Last Vegas and Black Actress) who simply wowed the audience with a vigorous acoustic performance and raspy vocals. This reviewer immediately enjoyed the heartfelt emotions expressed in his (short) set list of songs ...his words continuously burst to life amidst the vibrant riff accompaniment. There was fire ...passion in his voice that could be felt deep within your soul, blogspot readers. Simply hearing the lyrics barely touched what you felt inside especially he performed his new one - Cold Sweat. This particular song expressed the heartfelt pain of a tortured soul while he passionately strummed his guitar. Bryan was totally pouring out his heart into the words ...literally begging for mercy. It was intense listening to him asking to be forgiven. So much realism because his songs were written for a "friend" (perhaps him) whether it was about the "friend's" bad relationship or despondent feeling that he has no place in the world. Yet those experiences in which this singer-songwriter sung about could have been one of us, blogspot readers - the good, bad and downright ugly of life. For more information about Bryan and his music, check him out Facebook.

Continuing with the acoustic vibe of the night was Dan Wade (former guitarist of Treaty of Paris) yet he had more of an alternative/pop sound which rocked the stage with a lively upbeat tempo and sound, blogspot readers. As he entertained the audience with more raspy falsetto vocals like Bryan did earlier, this reviewer enjoyed the danceable groove being felt from the stage ...a little light-hearted at times but nothing too heavy on the emotional side that Dan kinda reminded this reviewer of Bryan Adams especially when he did "Fail Safe". This particular sung featured a little bit of wit and humor while immersing the ears Dan's fun upbeat rhythm while she spent some time mingling with other musicians like Gary (from the half of the duo known as JaGoFF) and Doug (one of Double Door's very own who's been writing songs since he was a teen ...this reviewer will be checking out some of his songs soon). Even though this performance featured a brief sample of Dan's music, SouthSide enjoyed the hip swinging song - "Snake Rattle" in which fans can find on his YouTube page.  If you want to hear more from Dan, visit his site http://www.danwadesongs.com.

"Bullets" kicked off this rockin' quartet of ladies known as Purple Apple and immediately had pumped up the energy throughout this venue with their unique acoustic alternative/rock sound, blogspot readers. And though SouthSide hasn't heard them amplified before, she feels they performed a good set for their first time under an acoustic setting. One thing this reviewer did notice right away was how wise beyond their years some of their songs were. They weren't the "normal" teenage antics or folly you might hear from today's bubblegum pop stars like Bieber or M. Cyrus ...these ladies were rockin' the stage about living "life to the fullest..." or expressing real teenage issues within a mature and heartfelt vocal tone. Something you don't normally hear from today's youth, blogspot readers. Yet, it was a change of pace for this reviewer to which she liked the most about Purple. Each female member gave it their all for this adult audience though forgetting we adults might not get the high school or homework references during their chats with the audience between songs. Don't discount them ...they have already performed at Lolla and things are moving upward for this group after being featured in an article in this month's Illinois Entertainer. This reviewer liked the fun, upbeat rhythms amidst their intense guitar work as well as the mature vocal harmonies as heard in the song like "Lay Down".  Check out more Purple Apple music and where they will be performing next at http://www.PurpleAppleMusic.com.

Until next time, support your local scene,

SouthSide