Tuesday, August 20, 2013

05 Apr 13

Hey, blogspot readers, it's the weekend and it's time to rock!

Tonight, SouthSide returns to "home base" - the Southside at the Reggie's Rock Club along with her special guest (and #1 fan) Joe to see old friends The Bright White and Comasoft featuring headliner Makeshift Prodigy and new ones Ship Captain Crew and Mighty Fox on stage. This unique lineup immersed its audience between the spectrum of  alternative rock sound and symphonic/fusion rock music.
 
SouthSide highly suggests feeling the robust energy of opening band Ship Captain Crew as they rocked the stage with a powerful display of guitar rock which featured 4 guitars (2 electrics, bass and acoustic) hitting the riffs hard. This vibrant presence produced not only intense energy but also the same in the band momentum that easily complimented front man Roger and his heartfelt vocals on lyrics. To SouthSide, it seemed a little odd for a band to be hitting the riffs this hard while having such a voice tone yet, blogspot readers, it somehow works without turning Ship Captain Crew into a screamo/metal band since the acoustic guitar and heartfelt vocals balance that out. Too bad the audience (at the beginning) was lifeless because this reviewer was definitely rocking out where she was (in the balcony) with this local band. For more information about this band, http://www.shipcaptaincrew.bandcamp.com.
 
 It's been a long while since SouthSide and The Bright White rocked together, blogspot readers, to which she was informed before the show of a certain notable change. Matthew, front man of the band, was now performing on guitar ...and she has to admit - it's a good fit not only for him but for the band as well. With Matt on guitar, it seems to add more volume by taking Bright's music to a new level besides giving his vocals that extra boost on lyrics. Not worry, the band does still have that lively Brit pop/rock feel yet while he's on guitar, blogspot readers, there's more vibrant energy within the rhythm and a mature feel to certain songs despite the band being under the ugly red lights throughout most of the performance. This reviewer would have liked it better if the house turned up the lights a little especially during the heartfelt ballad, Lose Yourself (off new EP) due to the way Matt was pouring himself lyrically into the microphone and Upon The Wall where the band rocked the stage with bursts of energetic momentum. For more information about The Bright White, visit http://www.thebrightwhite.com.


Teetering betwen alternative rock and symphonic/fusion (think Muse/Coldplay) rock at the middle of the lineup was Mighty Fox to which this reviewer enjoyed the band's vibrant energy and rhythmic guitar riffs thus igniting the sparks of dance and movement amongst the crowd on the main floor. Though having a slight symphonic tone incorporated within its core rock sound, this band was quite big on the Muse-like dramatic endings, blogspot readers, that at times kept you pumped and ready for the next song. Still, there were some moments during Mighty's performance when the music seemed a little chaotic and/or were doing too much at once to this reviewer's ears. Despite having that lost feeling with Mighty Fox, SouthSide does recommend checking out this local band at their next scheduled performance. For more information about this band, visit http://www.soundcloud.com/mightyfoxmusic.

With capacity on the main floor filling fast for the headliner Makehift Prodigy, Comasoft was an excellent lead-in band to welcome the crowd into the electronica side of the music spectrum, blogspot readers. Though not seeing this particular band in a long time, SouthSide noted they still had that dramatic flare and energizing yet moody electronic sound (think The Cure and Depeche Mode merging together as one) that she liked about Comasoft. Sadly, it wasn't truly a Comasoft show since they had slight difficulty with the projection to run images in sync with their set list tonight ...and there were a few problems with the sound since Jay would get overshadowed by the music during a few songs. Not faulting the band on that, blogspot readers, because there was laser lights (running in sync to the music) to give the fans and the crowd a chance to be under that space cadet glow while rocking to songs like Oh Rawanda, Bang (new one with Jimmy engineer and member of Ghosthouse), and Adam's Beat (like the creepy, haunting you get with the music but needed more microphone to hear the lyrics). There was still one thing that made it a Comasoft show for this reviewer - hearing (one of many) favorite 80s song by Sly Fox - Let's Go All The Way within the band's modern electro-rock style that was a little sexier amidst the bad feedback in certain spots of the song. Every band has its bad performance days but it's not Comasoft's fault for the mediocre outing on stage, blogspot readers, since Reggie's sound didn't fully capture the band's electro vibe  that well. However that didn't entirely dampen this huge dance party for SouthSide and Joe. For more information, visit http://www.facebook.com/Comasoft.

Under the unique combination of lights and symphonic sound, fans were ready to experience something like they have before while those who haven't seen them before were about to experience a journey like no other, blogspot readers. Makeshift Prodigy wasted no time in taking everyone on an incredible journey through sight and sound to which not only inspires but motivates the mind, body and soul all at once. For those who have seen them live, it's like reliving a moment in time when music instantly grabs you by the heart thus whisking you away to where there will be a non-televised Revolution ...you can be Chasing Daylight of new hopes and dreams while feeling Alive within your soul. For those who were experiencing this musical phenomenon for the first time, SouthSide quietly observed how the music instantly uplifted their spirits as they boarded Makeshift's journey through inspirational symphonic/rock music. This isn't the first time this reviewer has seen this happen during one their shows where new listeners to this band's music suddenly changes them. Whenever Makeshift performs, blogspot readers, something incredible literally happens throughout the crowd ...it's a like a music revolution of sorts where people gravitate towards a higher conscious ...perhaps music (like Makeshift Prodigy) could be the key to world peace. Who knows but one thing is for sure - this band has the magic touch when you're feeling a bit down or when you need that motivation to continue forward and onward. Take all three albums by this band - Welcome To the World, Mathematica and Illuminate (the new one), somewhere you will find a song or two that will inspire your soul knowing having hopes and dreams isn't dead. For instance take Some Kind of Miracle (off Illuminate) or Sirens (off Mathematica) in which Makeshift's lyrics seem to be based off personal experience from front man Anthony as he poured heartfelt emotions into each word to make you feel something tingling in the heart. As SouthSide mentioned earlier ...this band has magic power. This summer you can feel as well as experience that same magic power with them as they perform at Lollapalooza in Grant Park on August 4 if you're lucky enough to score tickets. Don't despair, this band will making appearances around town or somewhere near you soon, blogspot readers. For more information about Makeshift Prodigy, visit http://www.makeshiftprodigy.com.


Until next time, support your local scene,
SouthSide

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