My first time in Athens on a Sunday night. Wow. Quiet streets, very little activity. All the times I've been, there is usually a lot of nightlife hustle and bustle. In fact, because of my previous trips, I purposefully got there a half hour early, this time, to insure a place to park!
Well, don't let that introductory description fool you. It was certainly not a quiet and mellow evening. After Chicago band,
The Interiors played,
Mass Solo Revolt took the stage. And they rocked it. They rocked
hard.
click images to enlarge
Hangin' with MASS SOLO REVOLT: Russ, Jim, Martin, DerekFarm 255 - Athens, GA - 10.05.08
I got the opportunity to meet and hang with the guys, both before and after the show. Y'know, they are just as cool on stage as off. I enjoyed conversing with them, and learning a bit of the band's history first hand. They let me know they appreciate my support and love for the music. That meant a lot.
Genuine guys. Genuine talent.
Not only can you hear it in the music, it shows in their performance.
Mass Solo Revolt delivers raw, honest, unbridled passion when they play together. This was the first time the audience would get to hear these songs. The entire set was brand new. I knew I wouldn't be able to hear them again, until their next show. So, I did my best to commit to memory the new music and lyrics, and digest the whole experience.
MASS SOLO REVOLT
Knowing I'd write about this in my blog, and because I love photography, I had every intention of getting better shots of the band than my quick snapshots I took a few months ago. This was a bit of a challenge. I got a few shots per song. But, it wasn't until near the end, that I made a more conscious effort. I mean, I had to make sure I'd have something to accompany this review! (
Similar to what happened at the Rye Bar show. Read older post HERE.) I bring up this challenge, to emphasize just how audio/visually captivating
Mass Solo Revolt are. So much so, that it's really hard to not pay them the well-deserved attention on stage! Good thing I managed to find a balance between the two.
*wink* I hesitated to look behind the lens, only because I didn't want to miss out on
any of the live experience. Thankfully, I got a lot of photos, and still enjoyed rockin' out to the new tunes. Yay, me!
OK, back to the music... the main difference between these new songs and the ones I'd heard from the last show, was that the new stuff is a more collaborative effort of the band.
I didn't know until that night, that the songs I heard before were a bit older, and that they were written and arranged by,
Martin Brummeler (vocals, guitar, keys) only. He and
Jim Frye (
bass) are old friends and had been playing for years. But
Russ Sherman (
drums),
who brought
in
Derek Burdette (
guitar), were relatively new to the lineup. So, having that insight, I had a deeper appreciation for the music I was getting to experience that night.
In the songs, there are slow melodies that pull you in. Mesmerizing rhythms of slow drum beats, complemented by guitars, keyboards and bass... then...BOOM!
You get smacked in the face with some rockin' more agressive sound and Martin's vocals tearing into the mic.
So yeah... don't get too comfortable.
Man, that's what I love about their music. It seeps into your brain, settles a bit into your sensors, and then remain there. You get addicted, and you want more.
October 28.
Next show.
Tastyworld.
Athens.
Don't miss it.Click
HERE for more photos of the guys.