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Tuesday, February 14, 2012

ARTIST PROFILES: THE ENERGY CLINIC

Photos courtesy of Zane Miller Photography     

            Life gotcha down? Bummed cause you’re stuck, listening to the same old stuff on the radio (and music library)? Well perhaps you should take a trip to The Energy Clinic. This young foursome can take any drab room (or bar) and quickly fill it with colorful sounds of dreamy melodic progressions.

Zane Miller Photography



     Their music is kinda like an uptempo-ish rock with groovy and funky twists and turns - Does anyone remember ‘No Doubt?’ Ok, so think old-school ‘No Doubt,’ with early/mid Incubus progressive alternative rock styles. Now make it really well rounded and polyphonically arranged, and there you have it – the shit is bananas.  







 Zane Miller Photography


     The lead singer has an incredible voice with tons of character and emotion. It wasn’t until I got a copy of their recent recordings that I was able to actually hear the words she is singing in these dance-evoking tunes; and now I realize there’s a lot more going on here than pretty notes and melodies. The girl’s got some shit to say, so listen up.

Zane Miller Photography
      While you could easily spend a show lost in Steff’s vocals, the true meat and potatoes of the band, in my opinion, are the dudes behind the strings, Sam and Raad. Constantly countering each other’s rhythms and progressions, they create an elaborate, well-woven composition that demonstrates how well they are in-tune with their instruments as well as one another. Which then leaves the drummer, John, a hefty task of syncopations, drops, and tempo changes; but don’t worry, he’s no Ringo – this boy can rock his drum set, he just doesn’t always try to be as unnecessarily flashy as some other drummers.


Zane Miller Photography

   The Energy Clinic creates undeniably soul-clutching music, which makes each show an exquisite experience. I truly suggest you find their next show, and pencil yourself in for a musically-induced therapeutic jam session that will re-energize your mind, and probably get your body and soul movin’ (or, mostly likely in your ‘booty’ reigon). The Energy Clinic is a refreshing reminder that in a world of over-produced bullshit, there are still well composed bands with amazingly talented and creative individuals.

Zane Miller Photography


Zane Miller Photography
Zane Miller Photography




The Energy Clinic:

Steff Jeff – Vocals
Samuel Foley – Guitar
Raad Shubaily – Bass
John Bruno – Drums












 
Zane Miller Photography



Special Thanks:
The Energy Clinic
Zane A. Miller

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

ARTIST PROFILES: KARATE COYOTE

Written by Raad Shubaily
Pop music has many faces.  The collage of sounds Karate Coyote ties together to produce their signature synthesizer and effect-laden sound is a statement of that fact.  They put together different pieces of pop music’s past to create their own original style.  From pleasant synth lines to jangly guitar breaks, there are plenty of sounds to keep your ears entertained.

One of the aspects of musicianship that can be easily neglected is working as a team.  With a band like this, it could be easy to overplay because of all the different instruments and singers.  However, they fill out their individual parts perfectly without interrupting the overall sound. 

 The rhythm section is tight and neat, with melodic bass lines that tie everything together. The guitar breaks are slick, and the synth lines float tastefully over the choir-like harmonies.  Synthesizers can be a slippery slope, plenty of bands easily put layer over layer of synth and muddle down the mix, taking away the focus from other instruments.  This is not one of those bands, they know when to use it and when to hold back.


    Karate Coyote has been working for quite some time to forge their sound, which now seems to have been fully realized.  The 2010 release “Inner Animals,” their debut full length album, is a perfect snapshot of this sound.  It seems they’ve carved their niche, as there are really no other bands in town that resemble this eclectic and playful pop-rock group. 

The defining feature of Karate Coyote, I think, is their vibrancy.  Their music has a certain energy to it that seems unstoppable.  It’s like you could dance forever to their music and never feel tired.  I suggest you go out to a show, pick up a CD, and remember to bring your dancing shoes.
 


STAFF PICK: Raad’s 5 Favorite Karate Coyote selections:
1. Move Yourself
2. Ride on, Pegasus
3.Cooked Beats
4. Tornadoes
5. Spring Dirt Nerve

SPECIAL THANKS TO THE HOT 17 & KOBO for being wonderful hosts


 

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

ARTIST PROFILES: THE GEORGE ELLIOT UNDERGROUND

Written by Raad Shubaily 
    There are a lot of rock bands in Columbus.  Of course, there are only a handful of truly great rock bands in town.  Without a doubt, The George Elliot Underground (G.E.U.) is one of them.
 
    From the way they craft dance-floor-ready anthems to their natural rock n’ roll spunk, they basically have all the required ingredients to extend the long standing traditions of rock music.  With a bit of Rockabilly in the mix, blaring guitar solos, melodically tight riffs and fancy dance moves, it’s easy to picture them playing in an arena. Their sound is so big that it almost belongs to be played in a large space.

   They’ve more or less perfected the art of straight ahead rock. A friend of mine described it perfectly, saying it sounds like “comfort rock,” like comfort food, but for rock bands.  Their songs are easily digestible and simply feel good as you’re taking it in.  Honestly, The George Elliot Underground sound as if they popped out of the late 70’s and onto a stage in Columbus.
 
    Whatever they’re doing, they’re doing it right.  For example, it’s shocking how many of their songs are available for immediate and free download off the Internet.  Not every band is like that, a lot of times you have to go through Itunes or Amazon to get a band’s music. It’s nice to see that their music is so easy to obtain.

     Going to a George Elliot Underground show is a lot like going to a party.  You know the music will be good, the booze will be flowing and it’s generally impossible to have a bad time. It’s incredible that bands like this still exist.  Right when everyone starts saying “the 80’s are coming back” or “that band has too many synthesizers,” G.E.U. one ups them all and brings good, old-school rock and roll. Synthesizer free.

For more info, check out:
http://www.thegeorgeelliotunderground.com

 
George Elliot Underground
Matt Zaborniak - Vocals
Marlin Kornegay - Guitar
Jeremy Browning - Guitar
Derek Ultican - Bass
Brian Mayes - Drums

 
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