RETURN TO SELF CD RELEASE SHOW

EXIT/IN

NOVEMBER 19, 2005

Before I begin this time, let me explain. Life comes at you fast. For everything else, there’s masturbation. In other words, it’s the holidays, I have 3 children; you do the math as to why this has taken so long. Okay, now that’s out of the way. The wife and I headed down to Exit/In recently for the much-anticipated Return to Self CD Release Show. This concert featured three of the most well-known rising bands that Nashville has to offer. Opening for RTS was Jackson-based Vulpine & local legends Ligion. This show was hyped sufficiently ahead of time and the crowd turnout was stupendous for a Nashville crowd. Let’s get to it.

ACT I: VULPINE

I was very eager to check out the live set by Vulpine, whose CD entitled, ‘Channels’ was reviewed in my column a few months ago and is in rotation quite often in my CD player. They kicked off their set with CD-opening track ‘My Addiction’. I immediately noticed the enthusiasm of the band. You could look into the faces of each member and see that they are truly in their element while onstage. Vocalist, Hatch injected a strong charisma combined with earnest lyrics while bassist, Rum Brown provided lots of muscle not only in the bass department but in his delivery of some angst-filled background vocals. The double-axe attack of guitarists Billy Lupino & Sean Alexander was prominent in the mix while drummer, Sean Fuller provided booming beats from the back of the stage. The highlight of Vulpine’s live set was the modern-day power ballad, ‘Persona’. I raved about this song in my previous CD review and it stands up just as well live. Hatch mentioned that the song had recently been played on the MTV show, ‘Making the Band’. While I’m not the biggest fan of MTV, they are one of the largest media tools for the world and the fact that a Vulpine song was added to one of its shows only cements the fact that Nashville is making waves in the rock world these days. For this show, Vulpine didn’t have any fancy lighting or effects. The pre-programmed effects that are heavily prevalent throughout their CD are included in their set but the raw playing by the band members takes center stage. While they seem to rely a bit on the Sevendust formula of smooth lead vocals and angry backing vocals, they are a talented group that writes memorable songs and should be seen live in their natural environment. No complaints here.

For more information on Vulpine, visit www.myvulpine.com

ACT II: LIGION

The specter of Ligion has been present throughout our scene for quite a while. I’ve only been writing this column for a few months but have been bombarded with people telling me that I needed to check out this band. Well, I did and I was very impressed with what I saw. Lead singer, Ligion, came out onstage demanding the crowd’s attention. A tall, lanky guy, Ligion slithered his way all over the stage throughout the set wowing the audience with his charisma and emotive vocals. Guitarists June & Seth played some memorable melodic riffs throughout the set with Seth providing background vocals. The lineup is rounded out with the rhythm section of bassist, Levi & drummer, Johannes. Levi plays a solid bass guitar while displaying a real enthusiastic demeanor onstage. Johannes is a madman behind his drum set; thoroughly bashing it into oblivion throughout the set. Highlights of Ligion’s set were the up-tempo ‘I Want More’ & the solemn anthem ‘Full Circle’. Towards the end of the set, Ligion brought lead singer, Brett Moyer of Return to Self, onstage for a fun cover of ‘Down in a Hole’ by Alice in Chains. The main thing that I noticed about Ligion’s set was the raw energy and emotion that they display. They wear their songs on their sleeves and the crowd appreciates it. It was wild to see a local Nashville band playing to a packed house that knew most of the lyrics to the songs. While I was very impressed with Ligion, I couldn’t help but wonder how Return to Self would top this. That question would be answered a short while later.

For more information on Ligion, visit www.ligion.net

ACT III: RETURN TO SELF

The time had come for the band of the hour, Return to Self, to hit the stage in celebration of the release of their new CD. With a dizzying display of lighting and smoke highlighting the solid musicianship, I realized that this would be a local show that took things up a notch. The opened up their set with the title track to the CD, ‘Suffocate the Fear’ and worked through other solid song such as , ‘Where I Break’, ‘Post Work Trauma’, & my favorite track of the evening, a moody tune called ‘1916’. Bassist, Golden Hunt and drummer, Neal Davis form a tight rhythm unit that laid a solid foundation all night long. Guitarists, Mush & Dante Moyer put on a show with some heavy riffs combined with a melodic sensibility. Mush was wearing a belt buckle that had scrolling words on it, although I have no idea what they said. Surprises of the set included a medley of song pieces from Led Zeppelin, Living Colour, & Rage Against the Machine as well as a guest vocal by Ligion later in the set. The crowd ate up Return to Self’s set and I must say that it was a very professional production. After their set, it was time to watch the video premier for ‘Cannot Compare’, the debut video by Return to Self. The video was shown on the big screen at the back of Exit/In. This is a good song to make a video for due to its melodic riffs and powerful vocals from Moyer. This was my first time seeing Return to Self but it definitely won’t be my last. They lived up to and surpassed my expectations.

For more informaiton on Return to Self, visit www.returntoself.com

FINAL THOUGHTS

I had high hopes for this show due to the fact that the 3 bands playing were local groups that seem to be on their way up the industry ladder. I was more than satisfied with all three acts. I can’t pick a clear cut favorite of the night. Each band brings something different to the table that I enjoy. What impressed me the most was the large audience turnout. If such a sizable crowd continues to show up at other local shows, we may really be on to something.

That’ll do it for this time. Until next time, I’m out like Breaking Bonaduce

Chris ‘Uncle Daddy Longlegs’ Czynszak

To contact Chris Czynszak, e-mail at:

cczynszak@nashvillerock.net