Satori Trova - Brave Noise - Earth Alien Hybrid -- Rock'n'Roll Hotel - Apr 7 2012

Earth Alien Hybrid - I have seen this duo once before and enjoyed their unique approach. Tonight was as fun and maybe a little bit more so than last time. They have one guy on electronics and keys with another on electronic drums. The drumming is excellent and offers exponential benefits to any electronica act that would employ a drum machine, no matter how complex the programmed beats. The synth washes, pulses, and keyboard moves also provide a nice musical palette for the vocalists to riff on. The electronics guy has a sardonic doomish voice, while the drummer has a more street smart snappy approach. They have plenty of dark humor within their songs/rants and they do not take any breaks. I would like to hear more vocal interplay as the drummer eventually just takes over vocal duties including a move downstage while his beats are looped. Very solid set and one of the better presentations of electronic music, at least for me who wants some sort of flair or traditional rock moves to pull me in. I did feel it was getting a little long at the 32 minute mark, but they were finished in 37. Check these guys out some time, as I think most modern listeners, at the very least, will easily enjoy their concoctions.


Bravenoise - Second time around for me here as well as fresh after reviewing their recent album (here). I am getting used to their sound by now, but frankly it does not take too long as they have a very likable dance oriented rhythmic rock that lends itself well to a live stage on a weekend night. The three players seem sharper than ever. They are locked in nicely working off the strong drumming. Bass playing is playful and gives the set the most worldly feel. Guitar work is crisp and alternates between pop rock support and stronger rock or rhythmic maneuvers. They use a guest vocalist a couple of times who gives a smooth rap that fits the music nicely. They also had Satori Trova's keyboardist come up for several songs which offered some additional tones which enhanced things. "A Night of Pleasure" which was one of my favorites off of the album sounded excellent tonight. It is nice to recognize songs from bands I have only listened to a few times, which certainly speaks to the quality and accessibility of their original songs. I think the 50-60 people tonight will attest to the quality they heard here. Hopefully I will be reporting even larger numbers in future.

Satori Trova - I have enjoyed this band a number of times in the past and in communicating with them, they asked if I had any thoughts on comparable bands with their sound. Although, I frequently put together comparables to the sounds of other bands and imaginary genetic hybrids, I had not done so for Satori Trova. That did not surprise me as the band's sound which is an interesting mix of rock and world beats and melodies with a lounge jazz feel is a tricky one for me to find in my collection (or anywhere). Frankly, it is to a band's credit if I struggle with finding comparables. But I dug down deep to try to think of something in my music collection that would work. For some reason I focused on a couple of female singers named Lena Granhagen and Louise Forestier. Something cosmic may have going on when they later told me their singer's name was Liora. Well aside from the 'L' vocalists, there was nothing in common on the Lena Granhagen album. But Louise Forestier had a great combination of folk, rock and lounge stylings that indeed reminded me a lot of this band. So there are sounds out there like this, but the key of course is whether they successfully draw in listeners. And Satori Trova does all of that. They shift around on instruments to go double guitar, guitar and sax, and other combinations where there may be a different area of focus. Vocal work is strong and rhythms and keyboards pull it all together. They have been around about a year now and the heavy gigging is paying big dividends. They are starting to record more and it was a shrewd move not to immediately rush into that. It will be interesting to see what they come up with now that the single is in and the EP is nearly in.

Quote of the Night: From Bravenoise... "This is a song about war and people dying... you can dance to it, just don't listen to the lyrics."