thePULSEOh No Fiasco’s Self-Titled Album
By Jim Gold
Knoxville, Tennessee band Oh No Fiasco’s self-titled debut delivers on their boisterous promise of an electro dance, rock and roll sonic adventure. Band mates Lindsey Stamey (vocals), Seth Rowlette (guitar), Thomas Boyd (bass), Cameron Cunningham (keys) and Colin Cunningham (drums) have been extensively touring the south, and are now bringing their hardcore and disco-inspired anthems to concert-goers catching them on tour with Alien Ant Farm. They are better known for their explosive live show, but their album is a good (if short) sampling of their unique brand of alternative dance rock.
Though only seven songs long, Oh No Fiasco’s debut gives you a good sense of their novel musical style. Formed from two broken-up Knoxville bands, their diverse sound holds appeal for both those who came to rock and for those who came to dance. It’s hard to avoid drawing parallels to Paramore (a fellow Tennessee band), but Oh No Fiasco’s music is poppier with more synth influences. For a perfect example, check out the track “I Have to Know.”
Singer Stamey’s polished and emotional vocals tie together the various ingredients, and you can hear elements of some of the bands they count as influences throughout the disc. Fans of Muse, Mew, Circa Survive, Massive Attack, and Of Montreal should find plenty to like in Oh No Fiasco’s freshman album.
Check out Oh No Fiasco on tour throughout the country, and online at www.ohnofiasco.com,
www.facebook.com/ohnofiascomusic and
www.myspace.com/ohnofiasco.
*****
Dream On, Dreamer’s Heartbound
By Bruce Elliot
As the camera pans downward on the idyllic opening scene of David Lynch’s Blue Velvet, we begin to glimpse something dark, dangerous, and downright sinister lurking just below the innocent surface. This is the affect one feels while listening to the six-piece Australian metal-core band Dream On, Dreamer’s debut CD, Heartbound. Four Aussies, with a German lead singer and American drummer, have somehow managed to produce a sonic pallet that is at once majestic and beautiful, shadowy and frightening.
Perhaps it’s the band’s diverse personalities which help generate such a dynamic soundscape. German exchange student Marcel Gadacz’s soaring tenor blends nicely with aggressive Aussie guitarists Callan Orr and Luke Domic’s hardcore scales. Fellow Aussie keyboardist Daniel Jungwirth adds drama and splendor, while the thunderous rhythm section of Michael McLeod and American drummer Aaron Fiocca supplies a welcome punch to the midsection. The familiar scream and growl of the hardcore genre is always so close at hand that I found myself checking the liner notes to see if a demonically possessed Linda Blair was in the line-up ~ minus the pea soup.
Strong tracks include the debut single “Downfall,” which has already gained over 10,000 downloads and packs all the wallop of an Imperial Death Star. The dramatic confessional “Blinded” simply comes clean. “I was too blind to see, too scared to leave / I was everything I never ever wanted to be.”
For more on the meteoric Dream On, Dreamer, including tour dates, news, and how to own a copy of Heartbound, visit www.dreamondreamerband.com.
*****
Chris Reddy’s 2 Sides 2 Every Story
By Matthew Holcomb
Worcester native Chris Reddy’s fusion of pop vocalization and instrumental guitar has circulated throughout New England during his 20 year stint as a member of Transit, as a featured performer at local music festivals including The Worcester Music Awards and ShirleyFest, and with the release of three self produced solo albums ~ not to mention long-standing gigs at many of Central MA’s most popular bars, clubs, and restaurants. Reddy is arguably the hardest working ~ and best sounding ~ man in MA show business. His latest solo offering, 2 Sides 2 Every Story, presents a handful of new tracks and revisits a number of songs from two of his previous albums.
2 Sides 2 Every Story’s 15 tracks refuse to settle into any one genre (Reddy ~ whom you should definitely see live ~ can move effortlessly amongst artists as different as XTC, Godsmack, Jeff Beck, Alice in Chains, and icons of progressive 70s fusion), instead intertwining into an invigorating array of musical designs. Acoustic finger style guitar and neo-folk sounds mingle seamlessly with screeching electric licks, pop vocal rock, electric-synth rhythms, and hard driving guitar solos.
Reddy’s latest not only offers the new, but also looks to the past, offering re-mastered tracks from two of his previous solo offerings. Blue collar tunes and sing-a-long drinking ballads from Drinking Songs for the Working Class and a collection of pure instrumental tracks from Sonification ~ showcasing Reddy’s talent as a solo guitarist ~ appear alongside the six new songs.
Reddy tours regularly throughout New England, so be sure to check out www.chrisreddy.com for dates, CD purchase information, and a healthy sampling of MP3s.
