Thursday, April 5, 2007

Live: Sound the Alarm with Sandlot Heroes with Exclusive Live Video!

Tonight there was another small show at the Hawk’s Nest on campus. It’s funny how it almost exactly mirrored last week’s show. Two bands, one better than the other by far, and hardly anyone in the crowd. I suppose no one in the crowd isn’t a big deal financially because the university pays them to come, they don’t rely on ticket sales, but it can’t be so much fun for the bands.

Sandlot Heroes opened up. They’re pretty basic pop-punk, the hometown hero type. I can’t say they were bad, but they weren’t exactly impressive. One of the best things they’ve got going for them is the drummer’s girlfriend, who is quite the looker. Joking aside, their songs are catchy, but lack depth. They display all the telltale signs of a small time band, which isn’t necessarily bad. The typical four-piece is complete with guitarist/lead singer who’s got the gelled up almost punk-esque hair, his short and built companion complete with hat, the odd-man-out bassist, and the not-quite-Travis Barker-drummer. He even had the Famous Stars and Straps fitted, just not quite enough tattoos. Their performance wasn’t bad but far from perfect, but at the price of free, I can’t complain too much.

The treat of the night was Sound the Alarm, an oh my god, real band, on an actual label (Geffen). Their performance was tight, both in sound and stage antics. As is often the case, after seeing them live, I appreciate them a lot more than I would have otherwise. I’ll actually be looking into their CD, which is out in June. Although, I feel I might have been a bit of a dick when I confessed I might not end up paying for it. I did, however, contribute a few bucks to the beer-fund and snatched a two-song sampler, which I got signed by two of the members.

Their songs are fairly catchy and full-bodied. They’re not just a few chords and whiney vocals. Instead it is clear that there is real musicianship behind their work, and for this I commend them. They also explained that this was the first time they played through their entire album (except one track) live and I have to say it was thoroughly enjoyable. This was also the first time they played “Fight For” live. And guess what! I got a video of it!

Check out some of the photos below (and the video of “Fight For”). Plus check them both out on myspace!



































No comments: