Show Review

Hal Jordan

Xtreme Wheels

Buffalo NY 

2/17/12

This show opened up with Brian Naus, a local hard rock songwriter.  

This was different compared to what is normal for a show like this in the area.

He played rhythm guitar and vocals with a live drummer on top of a backing track with some lead guitar, bass, and subtle effects.  He played well, started off a tad rough but quickly worked out the kinks and started rockin out.  Normally i like to see a full band behind the music i'm hearing.  You'll come to find i actually hate samples or backing tracks at all.  But Brian did it well!  he had a good hard rock/punk pop kinda sound 

https://www.facebook.com/BrianNausMUSIC

For what it was, 6/10

it was a good way to get things rolling 

Next up was another great band from Buffalo called Anchor Me Down.

They are, at least what i can best describe them as, hardcore pop punk.

Melodic, has a fantastic groove, but it'll also crush you and get that adrenaline flowing. Their stage presence and overall tone matched that description to a T as well.  I'm used to seeing great bands in Buffalo.  Our music scene is one of the best i've seen, this was my first time seeing the band and i was impressed!  Great songs, good energy, fun band to see in person and set the stage well for the rest of the night.  only complaint i have is the guitars.  and i tread lightly with this statement because it's not the band's fault.  Could be the venue or just the way it was mixed but i could not hear the difference between the guitars even when they were clearly playing different parts.  woulda been nice to hear some more of the intricacy's in the sound.

https://www.facebook.com/AnchorMeDown

8/10!

i'd like to see them again at a different venue 

Next up on the show was Sunset Wakeup.  I had mixed feelings about these guys.  Now i'm going to be completely honest, i liked them!  I liked them a lot, they played great, their lights were good, their stage presence was good, the sound was good.  And that's where the problem lies.  I feel like the band isn't quite sure who they are yet.  They have this very stereotypical pop rock image similar to that of All Time Low.  That whole, "i'm doing this to get girls" look and feel that you see so much of.  But that's not who they are!  I highly recommend seeing this band live in person because they really are pretty great.  Amazing vocals, good energy, and tight musicianship. 

https://www.facebook.com/sunsetwakeup

7/10

check em out!

SW was followed by a band from Rochester called Dividing The Skyline.  This is a 3 piece hard rock/punk rock band.  Now this is a hard set for me to review...my biggest issue with this band, which is unfortunately going to have to hinder their score, is a technical thing.  They don't have a bass player.  They had 2 good guitar players, one doing lead vocals, the other doing backup vocals, and a drummer.  The fact that the bass was not there, not even in a backing track, was obvious. The sound guy did a good job of trying to compensate by adding more kick & toms into the mix and some more mid levels to the guitar but it was still very shrill sounding which made it hard to enjoy.  Which is disappointing because the music itself was good.  It's a bunch of kids!  They look to be between the ages of 15-17 which is awesome.  Their singer/guitar player had a great voice, the guitar work was good, the drumming was a tad bit off at times but that's just me being picky.  I want to say this band is really good for what they are, but if i told you to go see them i'd also have to tell you to bring ear plugs if you don't want to be in pain which sucks to have to say

https://www.facebook.com/DividingTheSkylineOnline

5/10

needs BASS :)  other than that, it was pretty tight 

Following them was City Lights from Columbus Ohio.  They were great! Reminded me of Close To Home. not sure what else to say.  They didn't blow me away or do anything i've never seen before but that's ok.  The mix was good, great sounding guitars and drums, good vocals, lots of intensity in the sound and the stage presence.  I'd definitely see them again.  They knew the music well, they seemed to really enjoy being there and playing for us and it was fun to listen to.  Not too much else to say really, it was tight in all the areas it needed to be!  it just didn't blow my mind is all

https://www.facebook.com/citylightsband

8/10

Last up for the night was Buffalo's own Hal Jordan!  They were on par with Anchor Me Down and City Lights easily.  They had this hardcore punk kinda sound with come metalcore elements.  Sorta reminded me of early Set Your Goals with a hint of Stray From The Path.  After seeing all the other bands, hours of other music they still managed to keep my interest.  They were solid and produced some wicked energy considering much of the crowd left after City Lights.  BTW i'll take the time to mention that i fucking hate that.  I hate it when people leave shows early.  They come and see the band they came to see and then leave ignoring anybody else they haven't heard of.  Stuck up much?  -punches dumb kids in face-

But yea, if you didn't stay for this band i have no problem calling you a closed minded fucktwat because they were awesome 

https://www.facebook.com/haljordanband

8/10

LISTEN TO DEM

Album Review!

The Bunny The Bear - If You Don't Have Anything Nice To Say...

Mixing brutal Buffalo hardcore music with dance/electronica, The Bunny The Bear loves to be hated \m/  Think what you want, I think they're fantastic.  Their debut album on Victory Records 'If You Don't Have Anything Nice To Say' starts off by jumping directly for the throat.  'Prelude To Pregnancy' sweeps in with some sweet synth, guitars, hi-hat filled drum tracks, and some incredible screaming work.  Yes, it's a generic synth break intro..but you can't help but love this one in particular.  Jumps from that into a previously released song 'Asile' which brings in The Bear's intoxicating voice work.  Big bad bear with the voice of a motherfucking angel.  'The Asile' is a very good example of what TBTB is all about.

If you're still with it after the first two tracks, stay aboard for a fun little musical ride.  'Ocean Floor' is one of their newer songs.  It's fantastic.  1:17 into the song and you'll witness a bit of dancecore...i made that up just now.  Nice use of reverb and electronic effects on the track.  It's prominent, but not overpowering.  It fits in perfect with the song and nothing feels out of place, this pretty much carries on throughout the entire album luckily.  Everything feels right.  It's experimental by nature, but that doesn't mean they just threw a bunch of things together and added pro-tools magic.  There's a lot of very cool things going on here.

'It's A Long Way From The Esophagus To The Ovaries' (oh rly?) has one VERY catchy chorus.  The melody is mesmerizing, and the percussion thuds to a very danceable beat.  I'm positive that throughout the rest of this band's career we will hear a lot of songs like this one.   'Lust Touch Seed' follows suit, this one's an older one of their's re-done for the debut album.  The synth riff that starts the song, carries on, and morphs throughout the song is simply perfect.  You will be hearing that in your head for days, not a bad thing by any means.

This is not a perfect album.  The songs need a little better structure and direction but that's simply constructive criticism, because i've heard this band grow from what they were years ago, to what they are now and i can tell you if you like this effort, their best is yet to come.  To judge for yourself, check out the rest of the songs on the album as well because i could go on for an hour on these guys

8/10

i love this album, and i don't have much bad to say about it.  It's an acquired taste, and the only reason i personally don't score it higher is because i feel like they're progressed so much over the years, that they can do even better than this.  This is a band that i predict will explode over the next year or two