HARVEY BANGERS
SATURDAY, JULY 23RD, 2005
BANDS (by order of appearance):
SCARS REMAIN
READY EMPIRE
EDISON
DERIVATIVE

   

Here we go again folks!!  It’s time to delve into how I spent my Saturday night last weekend. I made it to Harvey Bangers just in time to meet SCARS REMAIN vocalist Jose J. It was his first show with the band. I was able to briefly chat with at least one member of each group before the show started. Before we get into the review, I want to thank Korey (Hodgi to those of you on the message board) for being such a great host and bartender. Due to his kindness, I definitely plan on going back to Harvey Bangers for more shows in the future. You should too!  Okay, here we go:

SCARS REMAIN:

Band Information:
Vocalist: Jose J.
Guitarist: Jason Lawrence
Drums: Jeff Guevara
Bass: Jeremy King

Due to the fact that there are no tracks to listen to on myspace.com or a current band website, I went into their set with a completely open mind. Here is what I took away from their set.

Dark Unruly Places:
The first song of the set is a groove-oriented, heavy, sludgy tune that sounds like the love child of Pantera (guitar riffs & drumming) and Faith No More (vocals).  While being a bit repetitive, it’s a good energetic song to capture the audience’s attention.
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Piercings:
A very dark sounding guitar riff starts this one out with more swaggering vocals from Jose J. I was particularly impressed with the inventive bass line from bassist, Jeremy King that was holding the song together. There is a nice mellow guitar interlude at the mid-point of the song before coming back to punch you in the face at the end.

Full Circle:
This song really takes off on the chorus section with great singing by Jose J. There is also some tasty drum and guitar interplay going on between guitarist, Jason Lawrence and drummer, Jeff Guevara. I had visions of Black Label Society dancing in my head after hearing this one and, to me, that is a very good thing!
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Shout:
This song was originally performed by beloved 80’s group, Tears for Fears but was “beefed-up” by Disturbed a few years back on their album, “The Sickness”. This is a dead-on take of Disturbed’s heavier version with tons of energy from all members of the group. I’m usually not fond of cover songs but SCARS REMAIN does this one justice.

You Don’t Know:
A fun and heavy tune featuring dramatic pauses, lots of attitude, and one of the best lines I’ve heard in a song in quite a while, “You don’t know shit!” ‘Nuff said.
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Change:
A mellow tune that is musically reminiscent of Alice In Chains’ “Sap” album, ‘Change’ has a spoken-word 2nd verse by Jose J. While creative, it seemed a little out of place in the set.

Still Alive:
SCARS REMAIN certainly save the best for last on this great set closer. With a punishing bass line to begin the song, ‘Still Alive’ is by far the most ass-kicking song of the band’s set. The band certainly comes alive during this tune and finished their set with a fury that sets the bar high for the bands scheduled to follow.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS OF SCARS REMAIN:
I was impressed with these guys. For the first show with a new vocalist, they did a very capable job. They have a chemistry that will only improve as time goes on.



READY EMPIRE
Vocals/Guitar: Seth
Lead Guitarist: Andrew
Drummer: Captain
Bassist: Pete
Vocals/Guitar: Seth
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The night did not start well for Ready Empire due to a problem with the p.a. system but they recovered nicely. This band is more in the vein of melodic metal with smooth, moody vocals.

Insane:
After the initial technical difficulty, the band kicks into a memorable riff for opening song, ‘Insane’. It’s apparent early on that this group is very different from Scars Remain. Lead singer/guitarist, Seth has good vocals on this song but it’s not very obvious. We’ll get to that later.

Same Ol’, Same Ol’:
This song has a bit of a Tool-styled vibe musically and shifts during the chorus. Pete, the bassist has a really cool phase effect layered over a funky bass line.
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Help:
I thought that this was the best song of Ready Empire’s set. It contains a great verse riff and a majestic solo from lead guitarist, Andrew.

Overkill:
This song features good drumming but just plods along. Seemed like more of a time filler.

Clean:
With another funky bass line from Pete and a strong tone on Seth’s guitar, this song is a natural for live playing. Lots of attitude in the chorus as well.

Saturated:
This tune came off as too moody for a rock show but is a well-crafted song. I think that it would benefit from some double-bass work from drummer, Captain.

Falling High:
This song featured an All Along the Watchtower interlude. A nice lead spot for Andrew.
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Ego:
Seth’s vocals really shine on this tune. A bluesy guitar solo and an outro featuring the bassist make this a very creative song.

Groove:
I was let down by the closing song of Ready Empire’s set. The bass really drives the song and there is lots of flange guitar. It’s a rather straight ahead sound for a song called ‘Groove’.   

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS OF READY EMPIRE:
I’ve been listening to the cd that I received from these guys. The cd really shows the talent of this group. The p.a. system and acoustics at Harvey Bangers seem to work better with rough-and-tumble rock/metal acts rather than a melodic metal group with numerous nuances in their songs. The sound mix just didn’t do them justice. Had I not heard their cd, I would have had a different take.



EDISON
Band Information:
From Dothan Alabama

I’d like to provide more band information but there simply isn’t any to be found. There myspace.com page is truly as empty as a page can be while still existing and I couldn’t even “Google” anything of them either so if you want more information on the members of the group, or pictures then, sorry your SOL! All I can tell you is that they came on stage wearing black dress shirts, slacks and ties. I’m not going into the song-by-song review, as I’m truly not the right person to judge this group’s merits. I am so far removed from this group’s influences and sound that it would not be fair to them (or wise on my part) to review them in detail. They are a very energetic group. To me, they sound like a punk version of The Cure. By far, the most “out-there” group on the bill, Edison certainly gave it their all but it seemed kind of futile in front of a predominately hard rock/metal crowd. I received a 2 song cd from them and after listening to it, I’m still as confused as before. It’s hard to even grade this group but maybe that’s what they are going for. Strange band but they certainly put on a show.  Their set list is below:

Violent Delight
Underwire
Space Drunk
It’s Not Green
Shoes
Lazy Sunday
Willahminah
Page 14
Trixie
Friends Are Super




DERIVATIVE:


Band Information:
Vocals: Monty McLeod
Guitars: Jonathan Hart
Drums: Pat Briley
Bass: Jacob Robinson
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I knew that I was in for a hard-hitting set from Derivative due to the fact that the warm-up music for their set were songs from Pantera’s Cowboys From Hell album (R.I.P. Dime!). Derivative definitely gets the t-shirt award. I’ve never been to a club show and seen so many t-shirts of one group on members of the crowd! Here’s their set.

Defective:
A good mid-tempo opener with lots of energy from vocalist, Monty McLeod. This song features a groove-heavy bridge and grungy ending. Good opening song.


Stagnant:
Bassist, Jacob Robinson addresses the crowd before they break into ‘Stagnant’, a song with a trippy guitar intro that reminds me of System of a Down. Excellent drum work by Pat Briley.

Mirage:
A creative song with lots of alternating parts including a really good staccato-style riff from guitarist Jonathan Hart and inventive bass line, ‘Mirage’ is one of the most original songs that I’ve heard from a local group. This song also featured a great guest vocal from Thousandfold vocalist, Gary Hedges.
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See-Saw:
This song lives up to its name. It starts with a moody bass intro from and strong, melodic vocals before going into, basically, a punk song that alternates numerous times…like a see-saw.

A.K.A.:
With a mix of frantic rage and down-n-dirty groove, Derivative truly flex their muscles on ‘A.K.A.’. The song features some diversity with vocalist, McLeod resonating with emotional, melodic vocals while bassist, Jacob Robinson breaks into the song with some angry metal growls. Great song.
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Toddler:
This song never really gets off the ground live. I enjoy “jam-style” songs but only when I’m jamming. It kind of just meanders around but does have a good guitar effect going for it. More of a time filler jam.

Love Junkie:
Derivative finishes their set on a high note with ‘Love Junkie’, a song that has it all.  There is a pop/punk style intro before going into lots of vocal/drum gymnastics. If this song winds up on their cd it will be a monster of a track.
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OVERALL IMPRESSIONS OF DERIVATIVE:
It’s interesting that this groups name is Derivative (meaning something that’s copied or attributed to others). True, you can hear the influences in their sound, but they are one of the more original sounding groups that I’ve heard in a while. This band travels a long way from Kentucky to play gigs here in town. I would recommend their live show to someone that likes loud, creative metal with strong, dynamic vocals.

   Well, our time is up for this week. Thanks to Clover for the great live photos from the show. I’ve got plenty more stuff coming your way folks and I hope to see lots of you at shows.

NOTE FROM UNCLE DADDY: Only you can prevent a lame local music scene.

Until next time: I’m out like Ty Pennington’s sincerity.
Uncle Daddy Longlegs