By Shane O’Dwyer

These days, proper rock ’n’ roll music can be hard to find, as new genres of music appear on our radios. I always get a warm feeling when I find bands that still have a perfect grasp on rock ’n’ roll.

Mongrel is such a band. Out of Danvers, the band hit the Palladium recently. And Mongrel fans don’t like Mongrel, they love Mongrel; most of the crowd could be seen singing along with the band.

I knew at first glance that these performers were there for the music. You could see it in their eyes that they were truly enjoying their set. Mongrel has played with bands like GWAR and Korn; this band is talented because not any band can simply join a stage with such heavy hitters.

When you have a band in which each member is talented, it’s just destined for success.  I was quickly impressed by Jessica Sierra.  She held drive like Stevie Nicks and power like Janis Joplin. Speaking of Sierra, she celebrated her birthday on stage, so happy birthday to Jessica! Not only did Jessica kill it, but guitarist Adam Savage held the best chords to keep my feet tapping. Savage’s chords combined wonderfully with the drums constructed by Mike Hogan, but what really got me was the bass strummed by Michael Ariza.

Mongrel really communicated with the crowd. Ariza even got into the crown, playing his bass right in front of the blushing fans. That moment reminded me why I enjoy shows so much.

I really did enjoy Mongrel’s set because it reminded me of my love for bands like the Misfits and Sex Pistols. I can fully see why they received Band of the Year at the Worcester Music Awards.

For more information, visit Mongrelband.com  and facebook.com/MongrelOfficial.