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Review/photos: Lynn Malpass

After taking almost a year off to rest, regroup and write a new record (to be released by Rise Records, with whom the band has recently signed), From First to Last are hitting the road once more to get the kinks out in preparation for a March album release. I had a chance to catch the band as they came east a couple of weeks ago, their first time out since last year and what turned out to be a whirlwind year for the band. I was very pleased with what I saw and heard.

Though their lineup has changed again – keyboardist Chris Lent having departed to take care of drumming duties in the band I Set My Friends On Fire and 3rd guitarist Blake Steiner of the band Mia Medusa having been added – the band seems every bit as impressive to me as they did last year when I caught them in September, supporting their self-titled Suretone release. It had been my first time seeing the band and they really blew me away at the time, so I approached these shows with a bit of question, wondering what, exactly, I was going to see and hear. I was not disappointed, not in the slightest.

I caught three shows. The Chameleon in Lancaster, PA, Hangar 84 in Vineland, NJ and then, after some talk and a bit of hanging out with these guys – who are the friendliest, nicest bunch I think I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting at a show – I was convinced to check out the show at Webster Hall in New York City as well. All three shows rocked. Supported by The Color of Violence (FFTL members Travis Richter and Derek Bloom’s side project), Therefore I Am and Greeley Estates, there was no lack of energy in any of the sets, though I have to say that their performance in Vineland was the best. The crowd was the best of the three nights as well, and even demanded an encore, which the band did oblige by returning to the stage for one last tune.

The show opener, The Color of Violence (on Epitaph Records), is the result of too much creativity and not enough outlet for it, the brainchild of FFTL guitarist Travis Richter and drummer Derek Bloom. Though it’s just the two of them, they tour with the assistance of FFTL’s bassist Matt Manning, and drummer Jon Syverson of the band Daughters (Initially the band toured with two drummers – Chris Lent added – but Lent has been on tour with his own band). They call themselves ‘experimental’, and I guess that’s really the best word for it, but as Bloom said once on his twitter (presumably after playing to a slightly confused audience), “…please do not come to a Color of Violence show expecting to see a band play. its an art project. its for fun, u know?” For fun or not, CoV is gaining a following, and while their style is too harsh for my personal tastes, their cover of The Pixies “Rock Music” is possibly one of the best covers I’ve heard in a long time.

Beginning their set with favorite “The Latest Plague,” off their Heroine record, FFTL played like always, no evidence of any time off. They ran through the ‘classics’, including “Note to Self, “The Crows are Coming for Us” and “The One Armed Boxer vs. the Flying Guillotine,” and a couple of new songs from the upcoming album which sounded rich and well-rehearsed. I was surprised that only one song off the self-titled album was played, “Deliverance,” however, so I hope we see a few more during future tours. “Worlds Away,” while maybe not in this band’s true ‘style’, is still a massive song, so I hope they continue to play it. In the meantime though, at least the sets are still being closed with the one song that this band is probably known best for, “Ride the Wings of Pestilence,” one of the best attestments to the fact that some newer metal bands still know what real metal is all about. So, though I think these shows left us all drooling for more – perhaps a ploy – they were excellent all the same, leaving me anxious to see From First to Last yet again.

From First to Last are currently finishing details on their upcoming record at home, then hit the road once more at the end of November with Aleseana, Asking Alexandria, The Word Alive and Memphis May Fire. Check them out on MySpace at www.myspace.com/fftl. Check out The Color of Violence a twww.myspace.com/thecolorofviolence .

Title: Life In-Between
Band: Royal Bliss, www.myspace.com/royalbliss
Record Label: Capitol, 2009
Reviewer: Shauna Brock

Track Listing:

1. 1.       Save Me
2. 2.       Here They Come
3. 3.       Devils & Angels
4. 4.       Pocket of Dreams
5. 5.       Finally Figured Out
6. 6.       We Did Nothing Wrong
7. 7.       By & By
8. 8.       Wash it All Away
9. 9.       Whiskey
10. 10.   Fancy Things
11. 11.   I Don’t Mind
12. 12.   I Was Drunk

The words “all American drinking band” and “Salt Lake City” don’t seem like they should go well together, yet Royal Bliss is taking pride in breaking down that stereotype and bringing their brand of Rock and Roll to the streets of America with their major label debut, <i>Life In-Between</i>.  It’s an appropriate name for an album from a band that hails from a city where everything seems to exist in a gray area between the way the local culture is actually structured and how the rest of the world perceives it.

Well known in the Salt Lake City scene, Royal Bliss has spent the past ten years refining their often mottled sound into a clear, American blues-rock style. As a result of their hard work, they bring a maturity to their national scene debut that many bands lack.  <i>Life In-Between</i> offers up already well-loved songs and also introduces the band to America as a group of men who know what it is to be husbands and parents, and who know what it takes to survive in a culture where being different often brings about a feeling that life really is nothing but an in-between state where you can do no right yet so often, you do no wrong.

The collection of twelve songs on <i>Life In-Between</i> includes two re-mastered treasures from their last independent release, <i>After the Chaos II</i>, “Here They Come” and “Devils & Angels.” The songs, which were the ones to catch the attention of the national labels, are favorites of fans. “Here They Come” is a blatant commentary on non-Mormon life in Salt Lake while “Devils and Angels” pleads the argument between a life of addiction or a life with stability and a person to love.

The new songs, some of which have been sung at different shows throughout the course of the past ten years, give the quintet a chance to stretch their musical muscles and for Neal Middleton to show off the range (and the scream) that will soon become one of the most well known in rock music. Middleton is backed by the vocals of guitarists Taylor Richards and Chris Harding, bassist Tommy Mortensen, and Jake Smith on drums.

Middleton’s voice lends credence to the songs on the album – there is a childlike innocence in his vocals that makes you believe in the promises uttered in tracks like “By and By” (which is a promise to eternal friendship) and “Pocket of Dreams” (which is as much about achieving our own dreams as hoping that our children will achieve theirs). Yet, in the same breath, he brings an authentic air of “been there, done that, and burned the t-shirt” to harder tunes like “Save Me,” “Wash it All Away,” and “Whiskey.”

However, the standouts on the album are the powerful “We Did Nothing Wrong,” a mid-tempo piece that speaks quite clearly to a generation that is misunderstood and yet often blamed for a world they did not create. And, the bittersweet coming of age drinking ballad “I Was Drunk” that details fond memories of a life out of control and a reminder that just because we grow up, the party doesn’t have to end.

The growth of the band has been charted in Salt Lake through local radio stations and packed bars and is as mixed and interesting as this collection of songs.  Despite a couple of lineup changes, an accident that almost killed Middleton, poor early-on management, and the toughness of the music business, with <i>Life In-Between</i>, Royal Bliss shows the world they are ready for the next stage of success and that there is more to Utah than the LDS Church and Sundance.

Album: Bright Nights Dark Days
Band: Cavo
Label: Reprise Records, 2009
Reviewer: Shauna Brock

Track Listing:
01 Champagne
02 Crash
03 Let It Go
04 Cry Wolf
05 Ghost
06 Blame
07 My Little Secret
08 Beautiful
09 We All Fall Down
10 Over Again
11 Useless

If Matchbox Twenty and Rev Theory had a baby, they would name it Cavo. It would be a baby with a “Been there, done that, rebelled in high school” edge to its clear tenor voice, a strong (if slightly predictable) rhythm section, and original spins on guitar licks we’ve all heard a million times since Jimmy Page changed the face of music.

I wish I could say something bad about Bright Nights Dark Days, Cavo’s major-label debut album. I want to say something terrible. I can’t. I want to comment on how on first listen it feels interchangeable with the countless other bands that are taking over radio at the moment. I want to mention that it suffers from the same over-processed track layering that affects all radio-ready bands. I should point out that Cavo will be just as comfortable on alternative stations as they will rock and even mainstream stations, but all of that comes back to why I can’t say anything bad about this album. Why? Because there is something about how Cavo delivers the goods that makes the whole package work.

The truth? Bright Nights Dark Days is the very definition of mainstream rock. There is nothing overly poetic about any of the lyrics, and the musicianship is solid, but average. But that’s okay. Cavo is not trying to be anything they aren’t. They are not seeking to take over the world with blow-your-mind lyrics or crazy instrumentals. They are four dudes who clearly love to get together and play and what comes out of their work together is good and comfortable.

From the opening song, “Champagne”, through to the end of the CD, there isn’t any song that isn’t worth at least a repeat listen. Lead singer Casey Walker brings a tainted innocence to each song, so much so that his voice alone makes them an interesting listen. In addition, I think it helps that it is clear that Cavo is not a group of eighteen year old kids who managed to land a good break. In the liner notes, they are thankful of their wives, their kids, and the path that brought them to their place in the world.

Not all songs on the album are written by Cavo and the ones that aren’t are the weaker songs. Again, proof that musicians do best when they are able to explore their own style and not be forced into a mold meant for others. Standouts on the album are the first single, “Champagne,” along with the touching “Let it Go,” and the haunting “Cry Wolf.” But even though those songs come early on the album, the closers Over Again and Useless are as strong as the rest of the collection.

So it is worth it? Every last penny. If this is the first step Cavo is showing the world, then the rest of the journey is going to be a lot of fun. Personally, I am looking forward to it.

Album: Leave This Town
Artist: Daughtry
Label: RCA, 2009
Reviewer: Shauna Brock

Track Listing:
01 You Don’t Belong
02 No Surprise
03 Every Time You Turn Around
04 Life After You
05 What I Meant to Say
06 Open Up Your Eyes
07 September
08 Ghost of Me
09 Learn My Lesson
10 Supernatural
11 Tennessee Line
12 Call Your Name

The important thing with music is that it connects to the listener – no matter the reason. Whether it’s because that instrumental moment takes you, soaring, above the clouds, or because that one lyric touches you deep in your soul and sends shivers up and down your spine. There’s no accounting for what moves people. For some, the music means as much as the image and so they scream and cry over the Jonas Brothers and the like. For others, they only care about the lyrics and they pretend they are too damn cool to let it be known that internally, they react like those fangirls who scream and cry. For those people, those people who are too cool to admit to the Hinder and Fall Out Boy albums they have on their ipods, may I suggest an album for you to wave proudly: Daughtry’s Leave This Town.

I wasn’t paying attention, really. It was a Daughtry album. I thought I knew what to expect. And then, exactly halfway through, one single moment in the song “Open Up Your Eyes” caught me completely off guard and I leapt, reaching for the liner notes to read along with the lyrics. I can’t tell you that moment. I wish I could. But it was then that I realized this was more than a simple followup to the more than adequate debut from the former American Idol contestant and the guys he keeps around him as a band.

Leave This Town is exactly what you want from a sophomore album. The song structure is very familiar and wanders little from what Daughtry has already established as a style, there is clear growth in the band; lyrics are deeper and the music composition is stronger. Daughtry’s voice, which at times on the first album is thin and almost tinny comes across full blooded and is as able to rock with classic melodies as it is able to croon and break your heart.

The album is a bit of a roller coaster of talent and style and as with the debut album, there are guest musicians. This time around Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger and country music star Vince Gill make appearances in the writing and singing credits. This is a slight letdown from the kickass appearances from Slash and Brent Smith (Shinedown) on the first record. The album also doesn’t really pick up until song four: “Life After You.” The first song, “You Don’t Belong,” will make any hard rock fan happy, but the two that follow are good, forgettable radio hits. But by “Life After You,” the album finds its way.

It isn’t the music that drives Leave This Town. Instead, it is the goose-bump-raising way that Chris Daughtry delivers the heart wrenching lyrics. His one-too-many-whiskey’s voice, which feels to be so much better suited for harder rocking riffs, rings out loudly across ballads such as “September” and “Tennessee Line.” Songs such as “Open Up Your Eyes” that start out slow but quickly build to a pounding beat, prove that Chris has one of the strongest ranges in rock music right now and as a result, the whole package of the band comes together beautifully.

If there is any true criticism for Daughtry it is that they are perhaps a bit too radio-ready and it actually is a bit disconcerting. Whether that is a record company decision or one made by the band is unclear. As with the first album, there are multiple moments when it feels that songs should push further than what is presented. These are the very songs that are safe and comfortable and will race straight to the top of mainstream radio charts while the best songs on the album are left for those who still buy whole album packages instead of just downloading the hits off itunes. For five guys who look like they’d be comfortable at the bottom of a mosh pit, they seem to back away from the risks that could give them true respect in the rock world. Those criticisms do not stop Leave This Town from being a moving, powerful album. Even though it is a bit heavy on the instrumental layering, the focus is on the lyrics, as it should be. So my only question is: what next, boys?

Album: Opal Hill Drive
Artist: Opal Hill Drive
Label: Independant, 2008
Reviewer: Shauna Brock

Track List:
1. Opal Hill Drive
2. Damage Done
3. The Past
4. Something’s Wrong
5. I Don’t Wanna die
6. Table for Two
7. Taking Its Toll
8. What Age Brings
9. Lil Miss Do No Wrong
10. Listening
11. Baby Blue
12. Everything

Just when you start to feel like there will never be as fantastic a time in music again as when Fleetwood Mac and The Eagles were ruling the airwaves, a small band out of Utah comes along to change everything.

Opal Hill Drive, a seven piece band consisting of Miles Crocket on piano, Doug Tolman on bass, Jason Dowdle on lead guitar, Joe Woodward on rhythm guitar, the father/daughter team of Dru Gilbert on drums and Maddy Gilbert on lead vocals, and Jeddie Duffey on lead vocals and rhythm guitar has emerged with a bang from Salt Lake City. Billing themselves as good, classic rock, it’s easy to think that they’re trying to simply capitalize on the sound so many of us cut our baby teeth on. But, take one listen at a show or to their self-titled debut CD and all of those ideas fly right out the window. Owning a sound that is obviously inspired from the classic country and rock bands of the seventies, they bring their own twist on the genre and creates a sound that is Western but hardly Country. The group brings an instant sense of the Western mentality that is shaped by high mountains, homey valleys, sweeping plains, salt deserts, and the blue collar attitude that is a part of every day life in the world West of the Rockies. Songs such as “Opal Hill Drive” and “I Don’t Want to Die” speak of daily sacrifice, hard work, and an understanding that life keeps moving even while, at times, we seem to stand completely still.

Without a doubt, the highlight of the group is the achingly haunting voice of lead vocalist Maddy Gilbert. Her smooth, clear vocals bounce beautifully off the scratchy voice of co-lead Jeddie Duffey. Maddy’s voice is daring and confident and she takes control of the songs with the same ability as her predecessors Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie. She shines through on each song and despite how easy it is to get lost in a band as large as Opal Hill Drive, she carries the group with confidence on her small shoulders. And, as time goes on, it is clear her vocal skills will get even stronger.

While each song on the album is a treat for the ears, highlights definitely include “What Age Brings,” “Baby Blue,” and the heartbreaking “Table for Two.”

Over the course of the album, Opal Hill Drive proves they are as capable of beautiful guitar solos on songs such as “Damage Done” as much as they are hard rockin’ vocals on pieces like “Taking Its Toll.” And while it is easy to dismiss “local” bands, there is no question as to their passion to create quality music. The album is beautifully mastered and it is hard to believe that it is a small, independent production; it leaves questions as to the professionalism of this small, “local” band.

If this is just the beginning, I can’t wait to see what happens next.