#sonar lights

There were several great shows going on this night in Deep Ellum, and until a few days before this, I was still unsure where I’d end up. Then the band, Sonar Lights, announced that their first full-length record would be done and available at their show at the Curtain Club. That right there made my decision, and I ended up at my favorite venue for the first of a two night stand.

The first band performing this night was Agents of Solace. When the band first stepped on stage, I’ll admit, they weren’t quite what I had in mind. From the band’s name, I almost expected some hardcore rock (which I’m glad they weren’t), instead, three of the band members, singer and guitarist, Jeff Williamson, guitarists, Tom Williamson and Glenn Jewell, looked middle aged. I guess this just surprised me because it’s not what you typically see at these music venues down here, but their age only means they have more experience than others. They played a pretty lengthy set for the opening band, which pushed 50 minutes, and for the first few songs of it, Glenn used an acoustic guitar before eventually switching out to an electric. I assume pretty much everything they played came from their still fairly new, self-titled debut album, all of which sounded great. Jeff’s voice is pretty good, and while those three gents added a confident swagger to the show, bassist, Chip Kohr, and drummer, Darius Pickens (both of whom were noticeable younger) added some real energy to the performance. And by meshing that experience some of the band has with the energy the other members have, they created a nice dynamic that really works for them.

You can find their “Agents of Solace” record on iTunes and you can also snag some free downloads of a few of their songs through their REVERBNATION page. They also have another show coming up on May 19th which will be at the Door/Prophet Bar located in Dallas.

Remington was the next band of the night. I had seen them here once before, probably a couple years or so ago, but I didn’t recall much about them other then I liked that show. Their set opened with the drummer pounding out some beats, and soon the bass player ran over to stage right and began to rock out. Then the guitarist joined them, before vocalist, Remington Rafael, eventually came out and the show got underway. Their second song of the 30 something minute set was “Your World is Burning”, a catchy song that has a slight electronic sound, and also blends pop and rock elements quite well. They followed it with “Don’t Like to Play Nice” and of course several other songs. At the end of one tune, the song, or at least the music, suddenly stopped, though Remington continued to sing, just free-styling, and was really busting a move. His band mates looked at him like they just didn’t know what was going on. “Sorry…” Remington somewhat apologized, saying he just had to dance.

These guys were amazing. Their music has a really unique sound, like I said, being somewhat electronic based, and also having a bit of rock and pop worked in. That more unique sound is part of what makes them so good, but it’s the live show that these guys excel at. The energy they put into it and the presence they have on stage is really a spectacle. Go see them if you get a chance, and I promise you will have a blast.

Sonar Lights’ set kicked off with a sample track of their first song, which built things up before the curtain finally opened on this trio made up of George Miadis, who sings and plays the guitar, bassist, Artell Vincent, and drummer, Roy Oteo. After a bit, Roy beat down on the cymbals, as they took off into the title track of their new album, “Here We Are”. It was a nice way to begin the show, and set a slightly, dark and ominous tone to it. George took a second to thank everyone who was there, and then he began shredding on his guitar, ripping into the single from the record, “Goodman”. “This next song is called Oversaturated.” said George, after thanking the crowd again for the applause. It was then that his Greek accent showed through, something you’d never guess he had if you just heard him singing. I’ve seen a few singers who are like that actually, and I find it a bit funny that people can have a pretty thick accent when they talk, but when they sing, it’s like it disappears completely. “It kinda sounds like that, too.” he added, referring to “Oversaturated” sounding a bit oversaturated. After that song they set off on another rocker, “The Enemy Within”, before they got nostalgic. They first did that memorable part of The Beatles song, “Hey Jude”, though it sounded much more rock ‘n’ roll and was just a portion of the music bed, no singing the “Na, na, na na na na…”. They used that as a lead in to another Beatles song, one that is on the album, “Eleanor Rigby”. Truthfully, I’ve never been much of a Beatles fan, but Sonar Lights version of this song sounds killer and to me it stands out as being one of the best tracks on the record. At either this point in the show or a few songs before, Artell took a moment to thank everyone for coming out to not only their CD release show, but also that the band had been together for about seven hundred and thirty days. “…That’s two years. Just do the math.” he said. That’s a good accomplishment right there, and pretty cool that they can mark that anniversary with the release of their first full-length record. Artell got the next song going with the nice little bass intro into “Mr. Knowitall”, before Roy and George roared into the song. George even tapped into his more hardcore singing abilities as towards the end of the sing he switched from singing “All I know is I know nothing.” the first couple of times to a deeper, throaty scream on the last time. The song subsided, as Roy’s drumming slowed substantially, but he never fully stopped, instead continued lightly tapping on the various pieces, which he soon patched into their next song, “Game”. Afterwards, George announced they had one song left for their set. One girl asked for “Endorphin”, which I would have liked to have heard as well, but I enjoyed what they did do far more. “Wardance” closes out the album, and tonight it closed their 47 minute set, too. The song is epic, getting off to a slow start where the vocals are the main part of the song, before escalating and then exploding into a stellar, minutes long instrumental piece.

This was the first true Sonar Lights show I saw, as I only caught a small portion of their set about a year ago at another Dallas venue. They made me a fan then, but tonight was a really good show, and it was nice getting to see what the band is fully capable off. As of this posting, the only place you can get the “Here We Are” record is at a show or through the band, though you can find their self-titled EP in iTunes, which features five of the songs found on the full-length. This show also served as a tour kick-off of sorts, as the band will soon head out on a West Coast tour. The dates are as follows: April 4th at Hotel Monte Vista Cocktail Lounge in Flagstaff, Arizona. April 6th at The Jumping Turtle in San Marcos, California April 7th at Cheetahs in Los Angeles, California April 8th at Hemlock Tavern in San Francisco, California April 9th at The Little Red Lion in Eureka, California April 10th at Ash Street Saloon in Portland, Oregon April 11th at Glow Nightclub in Bellingham, Washington April 12th at Studio Seven in Seattle, Washington April 13th at Hell’s Kitchen in Tacoma, Washington April 14th at John’s Alley in Moscow, Idaho So, if you live or know anyone who lives in or near any of those cities, go check out Sonar Lights. As of right now, their next Texas show is slated for May19th at Andy’s Bar in Denton. Magic Astro Cult was the final for the night, but what I had listened to of the bands online, I just didn’t care for them a whole lot. So I bought a Sonar Lights t-shirt, and left for the night.

On a final note, the local music fan and promoter, "Torch", was out this night and had some good thoughts (which I do agree with) regarding the promotion of this show. Find said thoughts right HERE on his blog.

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NOTE: If any bands want me to A.) write a review of their album or B.) wish me to play their music on my podcast, than email me. Also, I have partnered with Sawed Off Productions & WhiskeyBoy Radio, both of whom will help me present The Music Enthusiast showcases. If your band would be interested in performing at a future showcase, email me for consideration: [email protected]

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Since first going to Tree's after it's re-opening I've liked the club, mainly because they always managed to assemble such killer line-ups of local talent. But so far this year those local shows have been lacking, nay, non-existent. Sure they've gotten a local band or two on some of their bigger shows bills, but that's been about it. That is until tonight. And some thanks for this show should go to Sevendust, who had to cancel their tour, which was originally going to be making a stop here this night.

I got there a little late, and the first band, Sonar Lights, was already on stage rocking. But I still caught the majority of their set. And what I heard and saw was a band filled with talent, and if they just had the fan base out supporting them, they could've easily been headlining. They die mostly originals, such as "Help Me", "Mr. KnowItAll", and the show closer "Game", all from their debut EP. But they even did a great cover of a Beatles song, with much more of a rock sound to it. These guys really blow me away, and while they said this was their first time at Tree's, it certainly will not be their last.

Next up we had Shining Silence. I think it was last June, or at least sometime around the Summer, when I saw them here, and was none to impressed with them. And I liked them even less the second time around. The music is some pretty good Hard rock, but their singer's voice is just total crap. It's barely even audible most of the time, but when it is it just sounds like a whiney scream. They did at least get the courtesy of applause from me, but not very enthusiastically.

I believe it was the host of 97.1 The Eagle's Loud and Local show, Angela Chase, who introduced the next band. Meridian. Saying they could be heard Monday nights from 11-midnight, during the L&L show. And after she was through the band tore into their first song, "Hey Lover". Since I've seen the past four shows, I've picked up on their set list, and have come to know exactly what to expect. That is to say I thought I knew. It was a bit refreshing to hear them open with what, until know, had been the show closer. And it was a fantastic opening number, in the sense that it really pulls the listener in, which is exactly what you want to do at a show. However, I think the other tune better sets the tone for their shows. They continued their onslaught of rock with "Digress", another song that I love, but haven't yet caught the name of, "Wrecking Ball" and then I believe "Train". And during the latter frontman, Tim Ziegler, made his way over to stage right where one of the tree trunks stretches from the stage to the ceiling, and seemed to hide behind it for a second, before peering around at his band mates, bassist, Chris Gentry, guitarists, Mark Sims and Shannon Nedved, and drummer, Moe Martinez. I believe it was after that song they were forced to take a little time-out, as the drum monitor had fallen. But they got it put back up pretty quickly, and then went into a song I was a little sad didn't make the cut for their last gig, "Secret Safe". I'm fairly certain they did their newest song next, followed by "Starts and Ends" and "All Hands", and somewhere in between one of those songs Tim let everyone know about the bands goings on. That being that they are currently in pre-production for their debut record, which he pointed out they needed money to make. "We like shots..." he said, referring to a guy who earlier bought shots for the band, "...but we'd rather have money." As he encouraged everyone to go buy their newest t-shirt (which I of course did.) So far they'd played every song I was expecting, but their set was nearing its end, and I was getting a little antsy thinking they weren't going to play "Nights". When what did they wrap up their 38 minute set with? "Nights". I know I've said this the past three Meridian shows, and I don't want to seem repetitive, but I genuinely mean it when I say, this was the best Meridian show yet. They seemed much more cohesive together and the level of the performance blew the past ones out of the water.