Show Review

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Fuel Live Music Venue

Shadows of Light

Generation Down

Dangerous Doll

Unclean

Well, I finally did it. I actually made it out to a show for the fist time in a long time and this one did not disappoint. Four bands that have not been covered yet for NashvilleRock.net, as well as a new venue. This would be great since one of the big goals for this year is to hit uncharted territory and cover more bands and more venues around town.

I arrived at Fuel just before the first act, Unclean, hit the stage and was pleased to hear the sounds of Pantera cranking through the sound system. I found my seat, pulled out my notebook (looking like a complete dork as usual) and prepared for the first act of the night.

UNCLEAN:

I’ve heard a lot of things about these guys and know that they have a very loyal fan base due to hearing the numerous requests for their tunes the last 2 times I was at 102.9 visiting with Aljon on The Local Buzz. Image-wise, I thought that a group of serial killers were invading the stage as they truly live up to their name. This is a no-nonsense group of guys that are apparently very proud of being Americans and Tennesseans judging by the flags that were draped over their amplifiers.

Musically, Unclean is about as subtle as cutting your bologna sandwich with a chainsaw. I mean that in the nicest possible way. This group is not out to ride any current trend. They unabashedly want to just crank out heavy music and have a good time. Lead singer, “Party” Arty Robinson is a very capable metal singer showing the ability to from low, guttural growls to higher melodic screams in the blink of an eye. Guitarists K Bar Newman and Zachariah Condell form a tight tandem; producing solid groove-metal riffs and some squeaky-clean Zakk Wylde-esque squeals on the lead parts, especially on the song ‘Digital Burn’. Drummer Daniel Douchette and bassist Magic J Misch are a pretty solid rhythm section, especially on the final song of the evening, ‘Push’. This song took me back to the old days of 80’s speed metal, showing a strong similarity in feel to Iron Maiden. In conclusion, for anyone wanting to see a band that aims to rip your eardrums out, Unclean would be recommended.

DANGEROUS DOLL

There’s an interesting back-story on how I heard of this group. I found this group through myspace, checked them out, and planned on reviewing them in a future show review. I found out later that their bassist and I have worked in the same building for years and I didn’t even know this was his band. Yes folks, it’s true. I have a regular job. That’s pretty hard to believe with the amazing literary genius that flows from my keyboard huh? (sarcasm mode off). Anyway, Dangerous Doll came on stage and cruised through a good set of bluesy hard rock. Led by singer, Summer Matte, there were a few problems during the set with the sound. It seemed that Summer’s vocals weren’t loud enough in the mix until the last couple of songs. What I did hear, I enjoyed though. Guitarists, Joe Freas & Marty Pelto provided some nice riffage, weaving a straight-ahead rock sound with some psychedelic guitar tones. Pelto had some outstanding lead breaks on certain songs and left me impressed. The rhythm section of bassist Ramond Hieronimus and drummer Bill Maharidge stayed tight in the pocket throughout the set.

My favorite songs from the Dangerous Doll Set were the original ‘Elusive’ featuring a great lead riff and strong gothic-style vocals from singer Matte, and their fun cover of ‘Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love’ by Van Halen, complete with guitarists Pelto & Freas breaking out Eddie Van Halen inspired guitars, tape stripes and all. While Dangerous Doll did eventually win the crowd over, it seemed like they were out of place on this bill. The other bands were of a much heavier sound and I wonder if they would be better suited on a bill with similar acts. But, that’s just one man’s opinion. Either way, I enjoyed their set and look forward to more.

GENERATION DOWN

I’ve been aware of this band but didn’t really become interested until I checked out some of their myspace songs and saw a short clip of them performing at The Buzzy awards. Generation Down’s singer Spencer Ezell can be summed up in one word, ENERGY. This guy becomes possessed onstage and has the presence of a true star. His voice is very strong and he’s very good at getting the crowd whipped up into a frenzy. The rhythm section of drummer Gary and bassist Scott laid a solid foundation for guitarist’s Tommy’s riffs. This band has the type of sound that I enjoy; a good mix of heavy and melodic music with a singer that can sing higher than Cookie Monster volume. Bear in mind, I like the really heavy stuff too but variety is the spice of life.

Generation Down definitely brought the biggest crowd into Fuel this night and Ezell and his band didn’t hide their appreciation. While their harder mid-tempo songs were well received, the lighters were brought out for the heavily requested ‘One More Day’; a song that I guess would be classified as Generation Down’s power ballad. This group has only been together for a little over a year in its current incarnation. I have a feeling Nashville (and beyond) will be hearing more about this group in the future.

SHADOWS OF LIGHT

I waited with anticipation to see the band that voters named ‘Best Metal Band’ in Nashville for 2006’s Buzzies, Shadows of Light. I’ve known singer Michael Ashley for a number of years and was most familiar with his vocals in the now-defunct N2O. Boy, have things changed. He has really changed up his vocals for this new band. Backed by the rhythm section of bassist Craig Alspaugh and drummer Charlie Phan along with guitarist, Tim Gleaves, Shadows of Light put on a very entertaining set of hard rock & metal. While Ashley’s vocals still veer into melodic mode on songs like ‘Deadbeat’ he really pushes things up a notch on songs like ‘Black Magic’ and my favorite song of the night ‘Feedback’. This song had it all. It had fast parts, slow parts, heavy parts, melodic parts, etc. and you never got bored with it. The only song that seemed out of place was ‘On the Surface’, a ballad of sorts that I think would be better suited on an album than in the live set. One really cool song was ‘Slow Down’ that features a great funk-style bass intro by Alspaugh and solid chord changes by Gleaves.

The unfortunate thing about Shadows of Light going on last was the typical Nashville tradition that seems to always rear its ugly head…the early departure. Shadows of Light were blasting away with an impressive set, they had lots of stage presence and energy, and it was only around midnight that they went on. In typical fashion, the room started to empty after 12:00. You’d think that Nashville was full of Cinderella’s relatives the way the crowds scatter out of clubs once the clock strikes twelve. I’ll never understand but hope that it changes in the future. Good set anyway, guys.

Overall, I had a good time at Fuel and plan to cover more shows there in the future. The bands were good and it was great seeing some friends such as Jamie from Destroy by Design (the new tunes rock!), Ron Macaluso (sorry bud, you were working hard and I didn’t want to interrupt you), Ogy Joe, and the drunk Hooters girl (you know who you are).

That’ll do it for this time.

Until Next Time, I’m out like Tuna in Texas

Chris ‘Uncle Daddy Longlegs’ Czynszak

To reach Chris Czynszak e-mail at cczynszak@nashvillerock.net