Brian Schram Band CD Release Party (D)

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Brian Schram Band CD Release Party
Current mood:
tired
Category:
Music

Wow!  Words cannot fully describe the jet-fueled, insane, rock-and-roll, energy-fest that was The Brian Schram CD release party at Club 54 last night.  The WRIF, Doug Podell, and KG outdid themselves last night with a bigger stage, beefed-up sound and a crowd of detroit music crazies for an incredible night of rock and rowdiness!  All this in Clinton Township.  Da' Club made a huge step forward as a rock venue last night!!

The match was lit when The Unheard hit the stage to get the party started.  Kenny, Steve, Gino, Wally, and Chris were definitely at their best !  this band keeps getting better every time we see them!  As good as their last CD was I can't wait for the next offering.  Kenny and gang have proven they can hold their own on any stage, with anyone.  If you haven't caught them yet get out and see a show! These guys got the crowd on their feet and moving towards the  stage to soak in the all-out energy that is their show. A great start to the night.

There was no doubt who the crowd came to see though, When the Brian Schram Band came out, the movement to the stage became a stampede.  With Brian and Dave shredding on guitar and, "The Phenom", young Jason Hartless on drums, the the fire started by The Unheard became a blaze!  These guys are truly incredible to see.  From the first note to the frenzied finale, this is a show you will not forget.  I can't say enough about how fun the show is, but I don't want to neglect mentioning the well-crafted songs.  After listening to the CD today, I am convinced that these guys won't be a Detroit thing for long.  they are definitely on their way!  My personal favorite, having served in the Marines myself, is the song "To My Brother". Brian performed this acoustically for his brother, Jason, who is currently serving in Iraq. All I can say is God Bless and Support Our Troops!  As a bonus, the band was joined by Ugly frontman, Geo Teubl for a song near the end of the set.  Just a side note here, Ugly will be at Da' Club Aug 11th, then they are off on tour til December. Don't miss this one!

Finally the night was brought to a close with a strong set by Soul Circus, including a gutsy show by singer, Kevin Kanka who was in a leg brace, undoubtedly from some sort of rock-and-roll shenanigans!  What is the story there Kevin?  The bands new disc, "Dirty Little Habit", is a solid effort and I encourage you to pick it up. All in all it was a groundbreaking night for rock shows in the 'burbs.  We have been to nearly every venue in Detroit and, with the help of WRIF, 'Da Club is on its way to making a place for itself among these. Check it out some time!No rest for the weary though!! Tonight at The Hayloft in The Clem you can see The Muggs, Brave Rifles, Alan Patrick Scheurman, and one other, as the bill reads.  This promises to be a great show.  Can't wait! Now if I could just stop my head from pounding.....Remember, as always, support local music!!!

Don 

Brian Scram Band CD Release Party- Club 54 6-21-07 (M)

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Brian Schram Band CD Release Party- Review (M)
Current mood:
lethargic

Brian Scram Band CD Release Party- Club 54 6-21-07 

Well folks, if you were not at Club 54 Thursday night for the Brian Schram CD release party, you missed one hell of an EVENT. Put on by DetroitCity.com and hosted by WRIF Yes, this was an event unlike any Hall Road has seen before. As Doug Podell likes to say…Hall Road will never be the same. From the spotlights in the parking lot to the Huge stage & sound system brought in especially for this night, there was an aura surrounding this show that has not been present in C-Town before. Like that song says  ....oh what a night! WOW!  From the moment you walked into "da Club", you new something special was going down. And special it was. The club was packed to the gills for this show and the local Detroit Music scene was well rep'd tonight. The crowd was filled with local musicians, radio personalities and a heck of a lot of fans. They say da Club will hold 500 people, and my guess is they were real close to that. Thanks to our favorite club for the Reserved table! As the night progressed we had many an opportunity to chat with many of the local musicians in attendance as they all seemed to stop by to say hi. This was a great start for our new web site due out soon DetroitRockReview.com or DR2 for short, as we where able to conduct some interviews and secure some for the near future. All this and more is what DR2 is all about. Unlike some "local" music sites around town, we are not just interested in the next band from Detroit to blow up, but rather, we are interested in ALL bands from Detroit and Michigan in general. We love music, and more importantly, we love to support local musicians who are constantly changing the look and sound of Michigan made music. Tonight's show got off to a bombastic start with the Unheard. I'll say this about this group, the more you hear and see them, the more they seem to gel as a group. They were very tight, and Ken let loose like I've not heard him do before. I really do like their song Helpless, and tonight they nailed it! I have a feeling we'll be hearing more great things from these guys. They are scheduled to appear at next weeks Stars and Stripes Festival in Mt Clemens on June 30. Check them out at myspace.com/theunheard. Well this night was the Brian Schram Band's night, and when they hit the stage at 11:15, the crowd let him know who they were here to see. From the moment the lights went down, the crowd jumped to its feet and never let go. With an arsenal of new material, BSB kranked through a 12 song set that lite the stage on fire. When technical difficulties hit during the showing of his new "Privacy" video, Schram grabbed the mike and said "Who the hell needs a video anyway" and proceeded to rip the crowd with the song anyways. Again, this is the stuff that can really show what a performer is made of, facing adversity at the most un- opportune time, and coming through it as if nothing happened at all. I love it! And so did everyone else at da Club as the front of the stage was swarmed with people dancing and pumping their fist to the song! Great night for the Schram Band, and from what I seen and heard, certainly not going to be the last. You can find more on BSB at schramband.com. Now when most shows come to a climax as it did last night when the BSB hit their final chord, there is a mass exodus to the front door. Not this night. As I had said before, this was shaping up to be one of those "special" nights, and as the boys from the Unheard and the Schram Band settled back into the crowd, Soul Circus took the stage. And not to an empty club. As you can see in the photos, to my surprise, they came for music and they stayed for the music. Awesome display of Motor City Love as the front of the stage filled up again for the final set. Finding themselves in the awkward position of closing out a show after the headlining act was done, Soul Circus laid it down for all of those who stayed. I will admit that I feared the worst for these guys, but they did not back down, and rose to the occasion with another of their fun "Party" sets. John Massey and Ken Thomas continue to just blast the beat for this band to feed off of! Check these guys out at their next show at the DawgHouse in Clinton Twp for the Stars and Stripes Festival after party and on myspace.com/soulcircusdetroit. 

Wow, all that and I had to be at work by 8:00 am……..I'm not sure if I still hear the music thumping in my head or is it just that I'm toast today! No time for rest though, the DR2 crew is off to the Hayloft Liquor Stand in Downtown Mt. Clemens tonight for the Camel Summer Series featuring the Brave Rifles and The Muggs. Stop by and chat if you see us there. Later.M 

Harley Fest 2007

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Tuesday, June 19, 2007

HarleyFest 2007 Review
Category: Music

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WoW!.... HarleyFest 2007. It's Monday morning and I'm still not sure if I've fully recovered. The sun shone bright all day Saturday, and as the temp's rose during the afternoon for the occasion, so did our beloved Detroit Rock-n-Roll bands playing the 9th Annual Wrif HarleyFest. What a day to see your favorite bands all at 1 location, and to maybe find yourself another band that you dig. Too bad it wasn't even bigger and included more of these hard working Detroit Bands! After arriving during the PHX set, yes I missed Headrush & The Displays, although I've seen them before (quite capable young dudes they are), we settled in for a day of music, food, and of course cold drinks! What a sight to see all these Harleys in one place. Kind of reminded me of the front door at HD headquarters in Milwaukee, where if you work there, ride there, you get to park at the front entrance. Imagine that one. PHX ran through their set, even though they had to be frying up there with the sun in their faces. One of my biggest surprises came during the Radiocraft set. Now I have seen this band a few times before in area clubs, and they have always pleased. But, with Suzie feeding off one of the larger "early crowds", they delivered one hot set. With Suzie and gang also torching in the sun, they had the crowd jumping, dancing, and sweating through the heat. The packed front of the stage was on the verge of erupting during the set ending cover of Walk All Over You. One more song (one our favorite chants) and we would have had the first "pit" develop! This band greatly benefited from the Huge Sound at this event compared to most clubs. Soul Circus was up next, sun still blazing, nailing their set also. Like the name implies, this is one "Fun" band. Never the type of guys to hold back and playing off the heavy beat of John Massey & Ken Thomas, Soul Circus flat out rocked Dirty Little Habbit, leaving all in a dazed, sweaty state of delirium.  Great set from the boys of Soul Circus.  I believe this is when the beer tickets started flowing, along with the beers themselves, and one of them deliciously awful corn dog things. By the way…….5 bucks for a 24 oz'er….not a bad deal……except for the next morning……. Anyways, The Unheard hit the stage next at 4:30 to continue the onslaught of loud music, beer, and heat. I love it when an outdoor show gets as hot and sweaty as one of those Lager House nights! Fresh off their show at the Dawghouse, the Tour Bus pulled into the Freedom Hill parking lot right along with god knows how many "fans". Hey maybe we could do a DR2 cribs type of thing guys……As usual, The Unheard played the crowd right into their hands, I think I even seen Brittney ~local rocker ~up front for these guys. By the time they unleashed their hit song Helpless, the sun had finally started to move behind the stage, and they had everyone swaying to their jam. No let down here, The Unheard definitely kept the pace if not increased it. Now at 5:15 and with some of the "Harleys" roaring down

Metro Parkway
, the time seemed right for a bit of a "slow down". NOT!!! With a show as energizing as that pink little bunny, and a lead singer who can pull you in and keep you there, Planet Of Fun puts on one hell of a show. Now if we can only get these guys to write a couple of their own tunes…..We'll keep on them and who knows. Anybody catch their sets afterward at Augies? Greg told me he was just getting primed, even though it looked as if the crowd offered up, and he graciously accepted what seemed like more than a case!! This guy is truly amazing and well worth a trip to see Planet of Fun next time they're in your town. Six Pm brought us Paper Street Saints. So much for ANY kind of slow down. These guys pushed the pedal to the metal and never looked back! This night was shaping up to be one hell of a Detroit Party, and I believe that's why that while the Harleys were leaving, the true Detoit Rock Fans were just arriving. PSS gave us another of their patented rock shows. Laying it down in the middle of their set, backed by the hard but melodic sounds of one of Detroit's best rhythm sections, was one of my fav's , A Fool To Lie. Lead singer Cheyenne displayed his talent of fronting such a group, while delivering one hell of a smooth vocal on the new song Hopeless. Another awesome set. Ray Street Park, 6:45. More Beer. More Corn Dogs! Now if we could only get them to throw out bottles of JAGERMEISTER !! Seems fitting doesn't it? These guys have been rocking the downriver area for some time now, and have been rewarded with quite a few DMA nominations. With a thumping bass player like Terry Martin, coupled with the hard driving vocals of Rick Stafford, it's no wonder. By the time they kicked out thier hit King Of Everything, the place was in a frenzy, and a bit of a pit did finally show its face. I think this band kinda just ripped the faces off of everyone there, including me! Great set. Mindcandy was up at 7:30, and as usual, Rudy was up there just wailing away through their hits I Am, and Recognize. I know this band has been having some issues of late and I hope that they can pull it together and find the fit their looking for. Now with the sun getting lower, and the temp's finally starting to subside, The Brian Schram Band took the stage at 8:15. WoW! Pretty much sums up this set. I see why our own beloved Uncle Kracker had him on his side. Very promising words from all over Detroit are being said about this guy. From what I understand they have this new drummer who hails from my hometown of Fraser, MI. He is in his early teens, and boy, he can certainly keep pace with a vengance!  If you've never seen Brian Schram play, imagine morphing a Stevie Ray with a (do I dare say it) Jack White, you would end up with a Brian Schram. I was kinda just in awe this whole set, and it just left me with a  "what the hell did I just see?" type of feeling. Definitely will be at his show Thursday at Club 54.  This kid is truly amazing, can't wait to get my hands on one of his new CD's at da Club. So, how do you top off an all day festival with 12 of Detroit's Best bands? You have the Dirty Americans come in and take over to close the show. If you are any kind of Detroit music fan, I really shouldn't have to say much more than, they out did themselves again! No matter where, when, and why they're playing, they will most assuredly hit you smack between the eyes with their balls out rock and roll. When a band can get up there and start their show with what may be their best song, you know you are in trouble (the good way). Jet Black Holy Water, The Only One, Fall All Night. Just one kick ass rock n roll band. When you have Kenny Olson on your side, Kid Rock pulling up to the stage in a big ass black Limo, just to see you, you must be doing something right. What a day, what a night. Local Detroit music at it's best!

 

 

See ya at da Club 54 Thursday, then the Hayloft for the Muggs & Brave Rifles on Friday.....till next time. over.

Harley Fest 2007 Kick-Off Party

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HarlyFest Kickoff Party @ Club54

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Thursday night brought another in what's becoming a long list of excellent shows to "da Club", a relatively new eastside Rock Club in Clinton Twp. Last night's gathering was the "Official" WRIF HarleyFest Kickoff party featuring 3 of the bands that are scheduled to perform at this weekend's HarleyFest at Freedom Hill. As the night began, with rif's Doug Podell at the helm, there was a buzz develpoing through out da club in anticipation  to the night's performances. Opening the night was no other than local "cover" band PHX, who pleasantly surprised us with 2 "original" songs added to their set. Perhaps one of the coolest moments of the night occured during the soundcheck. After overcoming some minor techical difficulties,  a nearly empty club, and no drummer in sight, we where treated to a rendition of Dio's Holy Diver with a plugged in Bass, Guitar, and Matt Mathews vocals "un-miced". Actually sounded quite awesome. Although the trudged through all those covers, the real treat was the live performance of their song Undone. I'll need to give this one a spin or two soon, but judging from last night, it sounded good.

Next up, fronted by one of Detroit's very own Queens of Rock-n-Roll, Suzie Ferro, Radiocraft rocked the house. With members of one of Detroit's other bombastic bands, Soul Circus, in attendance, the band ripped through their set like the seasoned veterans they are. Mainly pulling from their Red album, Radiocraft delighted all of us with their mainstays of Hurricanes, Bakersfield, and one of my fav's Red. Things again got interesting as the headliners for the night, The Dirty Americans, where zipping along I-94 somewhere between Ann Arbor and the C-Town and running a bit late as they had just opened up for the Taproot show at the Blind Pig. As Radiocraft launched into their final song, a frantic KG was asking Suzie for 2 more songs.  We again were treated to another one of those "special" moments when they gave us their version of Led Zepplin's -Babe I'm Gonna Leave You. All I can say is wow! Totally awesome vocal that rang true through out the crowd. Job well done as they had to shoot from the cuff. I love it when that shit happens.

It seemed to be a night full of surprises as Radiocraft was ending the aforementioned song.....low and behold the Big White Trailer backs up to the front door of da club, delivering us The Dirty Americans. One thing I can say about our Detroit rock bands, the bigger they are, the faster they seem to load out and load in. I think that within 15 minutes of their arrival, Radiocraft was tore down,  the Dirty Americans where up their with Myron ready to rock out for all of us. Truly amazing. For all of you who have had the pleasure of seeing the Dirty Americans, it was another stellar performance from one of the tightest rock outfits in the area. If you haven't seen this band, let me tell you right now, that you do not know what you are missing. From the opening chords of the lead song Jet Black Holy Water to the final high fives of the night, they just do it right, never leaving a minute for you to catch your breath before firing off another hellfire missle into the crowd. If you do indeed get a chance to see these guys, make sure you take a 4-pak of beer with you to the front of the stage......Myron and the rest of the boys will appreciate every drop!

PS- The HarleyFest takes place this Saturday June 16th at Freedom Hill in Sterling Heights. PHX takes the stage at 2:15 pm, with Radiocraft following at 3:00. Dirty Americans close the show at 9:00 pm. See ya there!

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