Rod Knapp Acoustic on Reverbnation

You can always point Rod out in a crowd...he is the guy in purple with a smile on his face! Rod Knapp has shared his talents in countless venues from Ohio to Tennessee! His hats have been director, musician, singer, choir member, dad, husband and friend...among others! His voice is distinctive...melodic with a raspy edge that fits very well with his genre of choice, blues biker rock. He also sings, plays harmonica, guitar, etc. for No Reverse Gear. Rod is the type of person who will call you out from the stage and thank you for being there - he is enjoying you as much as you are enjoying him, and I promise, if you check out Rod Knapp acoustic, you will!

No Reverse Gear on Reverbnation

No Reverse Gear is a family of musicians who have been playing feel good, all American, red white and blues biker rock since 2006.  Consisting of Rod, Allix and Rodney Knapp, they have established a consistent relationship with fans and club owners throughout Columbus, OH and beyond.  No instrument is off the table...to see what I mean, check out a live show!  They are always the first to step up if a band is needed for a benefit, and you can always catch them cheering on locals on their nights off!

Review of "My Scarlet Sins" by Across the Street

  
     I want to preface this review by saying this music was all new to me and I really enjoyed it.  Considering it was a collaboration from multiple musicians that don't make up an entire band, it was especially impressive.

     "Today" is a somber ballad introduced by an emotional mix of acoustic guitar and piano followed by lyrics to follow suit, " Looking in the mirror, the reflection remains the same, but a stranger looks at me."  It tells the story of a mother marrying a much older man entirely too soon, and her son's struggle with it.

     "Take a good look at what you've done, this is your one and only son" is a key line in "Unforgiven".  Another acoustic ballad, referencing a mother who arranged to be unavailable for her son's wedding ceremony after finding out a civil union had already been performed, and the pain it caused the groom.

     I caught hints of Queensryche and Pearl Jam, with a whisper of Armored Saint in "Doubting Myself (Again)".  This track about someone questioning the basis on which decisions were made, teases as though it will be a ballad, then picks up and cranks!  "Make Believe" is a rough cut of a poem the singer's father wrote about choices we make, put into lyrical form.

     "What it Takes" pulls no punches right out of the gate, instantly reminding me of Alice in Chains.  Lyrics such as, " Try and tell me I'm wrong, cause you're not that strong, you can't just look me in the eyes and say...you're not that brave, when will you ever learn to see, you just don't have what it takes," speak of religious intolerance.

     You can check out all this music from Across the Street on ReverbNation:

http://www.reverbnation.com/acrossthestreet

Review of Act of Violence's Self Titled CD

 
      "This album was a journey fueled by our love for music and metal in particular.  A bunch of guys getting together with nothing to eventually produce this album.  Music is an escape from the daily routine, a way to vent, express one's self, or escape.  TRANSCEND"....Marcus McKenzie
 
      "Transcend" sets the stage for Act of Violence's self titled CD.  "Rise from obscurity.  Escape from reality.  This is the one thing you can't take away from me.  Rise......"  With Shawn Adams on vocals, Marcus McKenzie and Scott Mansfield on guitars, Jason Phelps on bass and vocals, and Chad Kerns on drums, this concoction of tracks such as "Dead and Gone", "Jeffrey Dahmer" and "Killing Fields" is just what metal fans need to quench their thirst.

     "Ahh Judy"  leads you through a downward spiral as the song progresses.  "Kill or be Killed" and "Lost Soul" initially take you back to the old school metal days, then quickly remind you this isn't 1985 anymore.

       Titus Rodriguez of Cleveland based metal/thrash band Feargrinder makes a guest appearance on "Fuck Humanity" and Aaron Ferguson and Eric Slone of Mithridium share lead guitars on "Kill or be Killed".

     This album took three years to make, well worth the wait, and is a must have for any metal collection.  Keep up with Act of Violence any way you can:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Act-of-Violence/107656899271349

http://www.myspace.com/actofviolence1

http://www.reverbnation.com/actofviolence

Review of One Pretty Minute's "Addict"

     When David Adams gave me a sneak preview of "Addict", the first thing I said to him was that I could tell how much the band had evolved since their first release, "The System".  After listening to their second offering in its entirety, this feeling was solidified.

     As well as Adams on lead vocals and guitar, One Pretty Minute consists of Jeff Tayama on guitar, Bill Morales on bass and Andy Kuhar on drums.  Their energy on stage is captured in this CD - you can really feel the emotion.

     OPM doesn't pull any punches, rocking right out of the box with the angry bass line followed by a killer guitar lick for "It's Over Now".  The line "It's over now, won't take the best of me" pretty much sums up the entire track!

     You barely have time to catch your breath when "Killswitch" is introduced with "Trying not to follow, trying not to lead, trying to be everything you want me to be."  Who doesn't that line hit home with?  "Hurt You" tries to start out a little more playful but quickly thinks better of it.  David exhibits a different singing style in this song, with the tempo slowing down just a little bit.

     The title track "Addict" showcases each band member's individual talents very well - they all bring it!  The reverb effect at the beginning and throughout the song really makes it stand out, then add lyrics such as "You can run away, I know you're here to stay, you want this, you need this.  So put your faith in me, I control you, I am here to feed the addict", this song rocks and will stick with you!

     "Breathe" and "Carry Me" wrap up "Addict" slowing things down a little bit at times.  OPM doesn't confine itself to a certain label or speed, they play music that speaks to them, and they are doing a pretty good job of making it speak to others as well.

     Every time I catch One Pretty Minute live it's a blast...and they are always out supporting other bands, so please support them:

http://www.facebook.com/1PrettyMinute

 http://www.facebook.com/oneprettyminute

 http://www.reverbnation.com/oneprettyminute

 http://oneprettyminute.com/fr_home.cfm

Review of Skekzi's EP "Sick"

     I started listening to this CD to write my review, but when one is mesmerized to the point of staring into space, the note taking isn't done quite as quickly...so, this took a few days!

     Skekzi, formerly System Slave, features Jeremy on vocals, Chad on lead guitar and synth programming, David on rhythm guitar, Andrew on bass, and Justin, formerly of XFactor1, on drums.  "Sick" is their debut EP.

     "Sicko" gets the party started in killer fashion, with a guitar lick that soon invites everyone else to join!  Jeremy can sing any style, and it starts to come out on track one!  David Adams from "One Pretty Minute" makes a guest appearance as well, as they belt out lyrics such as, "Close my eyes and breathe, sigh of ecstasy".

     "Burn" starts out with an synthesized effect, almost as if birds are chirping, but with a more melancholy tone which soon picks up.  The drumbeat at times is reminiscent of Metallica's "One".  I challenge you to sit still during "The Withering"!  This was used in the EP teaser, with a guitar lead in to almost galloping type drumbeats.  The mood is set during the bridge, "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, something lost, something found, something dead, in the ground."

     "Mouth to Mouth" is pretty disturbing if you listen to the words - definitely a love song gone wrong!  It appears to be the voice of a madman singing to his dead love, who he now must bury AGAIN!  "I'll put you right back where I found you, in the dirt the first time that I buried you."  The guitar almost spirals as if someone is slowly going crazy, and at the end the shovel is heard doing the task.  "Leeches" has a lead in almost worthy of being an instrumental on its own, but soon Jeremy starts belting out lyrics almost at the speed of an auctioneer.

     "Sick" is going in my collection without a doubt!  You can keep up with Skekzi at:

http://www.facebook.com/skekzi

http://www.reverbnation.com/skekzi

http://www.skekzi.com/

    

Review of Thee Now Sound at Scarlet & Grey Cafe August 25, 2012

     When Thee Now Sound tears onto the stage, you can't help but ask yourself where the rest of the band is...how quickly you forget that the two members in view - Dustin Rouan on guitar and vocals and Andrew Knopp on drums - complete the entire lineup!

     Thee Now Sound followed One Horse Nation, and rocked right out of the gate with 3 to 1 and The Bark and the Bite, bringing a ton of energy to the stage and lighting up the room.  The originals with a punk feel, but reminiscent of Alice in Chains, continued their entire set, including Day After Execution, 2nd Son, Statistic, Pull Out and Sick.  The night ended with Psy, where I heard a hint of Ted Nugent's "Stranglehold" and Gavin DeGraw's "I Don't Want To Be"...so as you can see, it's really hard to pinpoint Thee Now Sound's music into a particular genre.

     The energy kept going the entire set, and the crowd followed suit!  Definitely worth taking the time to go to a show!  Check out their "Up Syndrome" and "Seize Thee Sound" releases, and follow them on facebook at:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Thee-Now-Sound/129033883839733

http://www.facebook.com/theenowsound

http://www.reverbnation.com/theenowsound