15 Apr 11

...if you want, you can shake your butt to all of these songs...
RYAT

Hey, blogspot readers, SouthSide's mini tour around Chicago continued in Lakeview area for her most unique and eclectic adventure ever! On the fourth floor (sorry, no elevators for you non-stair climbers) inside an obsecure building (located on North Lincoln Avenue), there's a little lesser (underground) known venue called The Observatory that's also a recording studio. This recording studio/venue caters to the new millennial generation of the avant-garde, beatniks and hipster crowd ...plus it's probably the only place in town where the smoking ban does not apply and you can B.Y.O.B. (bring your own beer) to the show. Despite being surrounded by smokers of all kinds (saw a few bongs and reefer madness happening), The Observatory pulsates an artistic atmosphere through its dim lighting and splashes of psychedelic artwork on the walls.

This was perfect for tonight's lineup in which SouthSide wouldn't classify the performances as "out of the norm" from her usually typical Friday night of rock-n-roll festivities. No, blogspot readers, it was a truly music adventure for the senses ...music that had no true definition or standard major/minor tempo structure. It mostly took on a universal sound with rhythms yet to be boxed in a genre and melodic not truly part of this millennium. Basically, for one night, SouthSide got a wonderful peek into the future of what the next millennial generation will be rockin' to at The Observatory ...and she like the futuristic possiblities of the direction where the music scene might be heading. Part of the night's lineup featured a debut performance by Joywheels (loud clashes of different rhythmic tones and melodies merging together into epic pieces ...earplugs are a must while enjoying the eclectic mindblowing soundwaves), Panda Riot and RYAT (pronounced "riot" from Pittsburgh, PA) with Light Pollution headlining.

In keeping with tonight's central theme (avant-garde industrial/instrumental music), Panda Riot impressed SouthSide with its performance full of melodic tones, electro/pop rock sound and docile female vocals (by Rebecca) sweetly pulsing throughout the upbeat rhythms. This band performed danceable groove yet there were moments in which an edgier rock sound came into play due to three guitars rockin' the stage. And even during those moments, the rock tone still had balance from the vocals melodically wafting over the microphone like a haunting siren's call - it was very soothing to hear along with Panda's energetic tempo. Thanks to RYAT for solving the band's minor technical problem, this band had the audience feeling groove-tastically (SouthSide's latest "it" word of the night ...patent pending) excited through its vibrant electro sound and some symphonically toned music especially while ending the set with a mix of twinkling sounds and digital rhythms. SouthSide highly recommends blogspot readers to personally immerse their ears to the avant sound of electro/pop rock music by Panda Riot at the band's next scheduled performance. Visit http://www.myspace.com/pandariot for more details about the band and its music.

At the time of this review, RYAT was wrapping up its spring tour which included a couple of shows during SXSW and other points between New Mexico and Wisconsin. Tonight, this unique duo, the fashionable Christina and Tim, eclectically not only rocked The Observatory stage but also blasted everyone's mindset into the year 3000 and beyond. In order to "understand" RYAT's music, one must gaze at the intricate detail of the stage setup for these two multi-instrumentalists. By SouthSide's count, there was a piano/keyboard and synth, 2 laptops (for digital programming), 2 tom drums and cymbals, electric guitar, two microphones (for Christina) vocals in which one was used for digital vocal fx and more. Together as RYAT, Christina and Tim electrified the stage with music so avant-garde that in SouthSide's opinion it was beyond gold (a little play on words referencing their next album Avant Gold featuring remixed RYAT tracks). Those two artists are wonderfully paired feeding off each other's unspoken momentum and vibe seen throughout this energetically charged set. Watching them effortleslly switch between instruments (sometimes while playing other instruments at the same time) without missing a beat or interruption to the vibe should be an Olympic sport, blogspot readers. Yet, do not waste one moment of your time trying to decipher the many undescribable rhythms, sounds, melodies, etc which energetically fueled this duo's electically rockin' music. Simply, let go and enjoy the futuristic fusion of genres and sound from around the world (heard some Asian pop and African beats) and music spectrum ...feel the sweeping vocal arias heard within the powerfully vibrant rhythms ...rock to the eclectic (or at times, chaotic - for a good reason) mesh of digital sounds that flow and intertwine together as one ...sometimes it's quite spiritual as well as intensely fierce or lyrically poetic with a lot of danceable excitement and more, blogspot readers. And that's just barely the tip of what the entire RYAT performance encompassed. SouthSide highly recommends tapping into the avant future heard musically now by RYAT at their next scheduled show. It's one soulfully mindblowing experience you'll never forget. Visit http://www.ryat.info or http://www.myspace.com/ryat for more information about this hot duo and their music.


Until next time, support your local scene,
SouthSide