In the ever growing Hardcore/Metalcore scene of Lexington, which unfortunately is one of the only musical outlets in the city, Beyond the Shore is leading the pack with popularity that has reached far past the Fayette county borders and even into other states. With an album produced by Tim Lambesis of As I Lay Dying (the band, not the book, obviously) they are edging their way closer and closer to becoming a national act.
Recently, the band played a show with From First To Last, a band that, prior to the departure of ex-singer Sonny Moore, had a little piece of the hearts of every emo kid across the nation. Though FFTL has fallen from grace they still hold clout in the music industry and that show will prove to be a valuable stepping stone for the Beyond The Shore crew.
Though the short existence of the band has been marked with successful shows and widespread popularity, I cannot for the life of me understand why. While listening to the band, I was assaulted with predictable blast beats and a disconcerting gurgling that somehow passes for vocals. I have a hard time understanding how this band manages to rise to the top when they sound like every other band with a frog in their throats. However, it appears I am alone on the matter seeing as how every venue they play is packed with scene kids wearing Beyond The Shore shirts and "singing" along. How they've determined what the words are will forever be a mystery to me.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Theia
Matt Wilson is very well know throughout the Lexington music scene. A popular organizer of shows, Matt Wilson has friends at any venue in Lexington. What's new from everybody's favorite event coordinator? Theia, a brand new hardcore band busting out onto the scene, that already have one well received performance under their belts.
Their debut performance was at the Tattertott Festival that was put on at Tattersall's just off of Harrodsburg road.
Watching Theia perform is a treat whether you like the way they sound or not. Matt tosses himself around the stage like a ragdoll but some how always manages to stay on his feet. The fluidity of him movement seems to contradict the sharp quickness of the guitars and basses that swing through the air, narrowly missing his head. The lead guitarist of the bad plays with a lot of heart and always seems to be in complete control of his instrument even when he appears to have lost control of everything else. What makes this band so fun to watch is the amount of energy expelled in their brief 15 minute set. If you somehow manage to lose focus and happen to be somewhere near the stage it is highly probably that Matt will literally grab you and pull you into his sonic world.
Although I enjoyed the performance of Theia I had one major issue. The rhythm guitar player. He was incredibly boring. If the music was on a CD it wouldn't be an issue, but when you're performing in front of a full house we want entertainment. If you're just going to stand their and stare off into space without acknowledging your fans or even pretending to enjoy yourself maybe you should stay inside the studio.
Their debut performance was at the Tattertott Festival that was put on at Tattersall's just off of Harrodsburg road.
Watching Theia perform is a treat whether you like the way they sound or not. Matt tosses himself around the stage like a ragdoll but some how always manages to stay on his feet. The fluidity of him movement seems to contradict the sharp quickness of the guitars and basses that swing through the air, narrowly missing his head. The lead guitarist of the bad plays with a lot of heart and always seems to be in complete control of his instrument even when he appears to have lost control of everything else. What makes this band so fun to watch is the amount of energy expelled in their brief 15 minute set. If you somehow manage to lose focus and happen to be somewhere near the stage it is highly probably that Matt will literally grab you and pull you into his sonic world.
Although I enjoyed the performance of Theia I had one major issue. The rhythm guitar player. He was incredibly boring. If the music was on a CD it wouldn't be an issue, but when you're performing in front of a full house we want entertainment. If you're just going to stand their and stare off into space without acknowledging your fans or even pretending to enjoy yourself maybe you should stay inside the studio.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Introduction
The purpose of this blog is to keep tabs on music coming out of and through Lexington.
However, we have a problem. The music scene in Lexington is becoming smaller and smaller and smaller but in another sense getting larger and larger and larger. There's no variety anymore. There may be 63 bands in the area but what good is it when 53 of them sound exactly same and play the same type of music?
The biggest genre of music filling the night air falls in the hardcore/metal area. Hardcore annoys the hell out of me. Not because of the way it sounds, but because I'm constantly bombarded with it day in and day out. My Event Invitation section of my Facebook mailbox is flooded with invites to hardcore shows and every one of them claims that this is a best line up of bands in months.
Band after band come out of the woodwork to express their individuality by playing the most popular form of music in the younger music scene. I swear if I have to listen to one more metal breakdown in 4/4 time I'm absolutely going to die.
In my desperate search for relief from the throngs of hardcore bands flooding the venues around town, I run to Chaosome which was formerly C.P.R. (which has since been closed) for shelter. Places such as Chaosome and the ManCave(now the Crucial Funhouse) will give you relief from the circle pits and throat screams... usually. You will hear music of very different styles and very different combinations of styles. Folkpunk? How cool!
If this sounds too good to be true.... you're right. You will find exotic sounds and fun music but there is such thing as too much of a good thing. While you may enjoy the sounds of Brooke Pridemore and Joe Mangum it will wear you down. Think of your favorite song. You know how excited you get when it comes up on shuffle or you hear it on the radio? What if you could only listen to that one song. You'd start to hate it. Radiohead's The Bends is my favorite CD but if that was the only CD I could listen to for the rest of my life... The ON button of my stereo would see very little action.
My plea to you? Find an instrument. Any instrument. Start a band or go solo. Write something unique. It doesn't have to be good. Just different. The difference will make it good. BUT DON'T STOP THERE! Keep it up. New material, never write the same song twice like 90% of the bands out there. Give us something we've never heard before and we will remember you forever.
However, we have a problem. The music scene in Lexington is becoming smaller and smaller and smaller but in another sense getting larger and larger and larger. There's no variety anymore. There may be 63 bands in the area but what good is it when 53 of them sound exactly same and play the same type of music?
The biggest genre of music filling the night air falls in the hardcore/metal area. Hardcore annoys the hell out of me. Not because of the way it sounds, but because I'm constantly bombarded with it day in and day out. My Event Invitation section of my Facebook mailbox is flooded with invites to hardcore shows and every one of them claims that this is a best line up of bands in months.
Band after band come out of the woodwork to express their individuality by playing the most popular form of music in the younger music scene. I swear if I have to listen to one more metal breakdown in 4/4 time I'm absolutely going to die.
In my desperate search for relief from the throngs of hardcore bands flooding the venues around town, I run to Chaosome which was formerly C.P.R. (which has since been closed) for shelter. Places such as Chaosome and the ManCave(now the Crucial Funhouse) will give you relief from the circle pits and throat screams... usually. You will hear music of very different styles and very different combinations of styles. Folkpunk? How cool!
If this sounds too good to be true.... you're right. You will find exotic sounds and fun music but there is such thing as too much of a good thing. While you may enjoy the sounds of Brooke Pridemore and Joe Mangum it will wear you down. Think of your favorite song. You know how excited you get when it comes up on shuffle or you hear it on the radio? What if you could only listen to that one song. You'd start to hate it. Radiohead's The Bends is my favorite CD but if that was the only CD I could listen to for the rest of my life... The ON button of my stereo would see very little action.
My plea to you? Find an instrument. Any instrument. Start a band or go solo. Write something unique. It doesn't have to be good. Just different. The difference will make it good. BUT DON'T STOP THERE! Keep it up. New material, never write the same song twice like 90% of the bands out there. Give us something we've never heard before and we will remember you forever.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)