#to coda

[promotingmysatellite]

"Say you’ll hold my memory Say you will not forget my name I felt forgotten in this cage I felt forsaken in this cage Say you’ll hold my memory"

"To Coda" - My Satellite

[themusicenthusiast]

Friday, February 24, 2012 – Gray, the New Black

I’ve heard of The Crown and Harp for many years, going back to when it was The Cavern, but never made down there. The primary reason for that is I’ve always heard how terrible the parking situation is down in the area, seeing as there aren’t many spots available in the first place. Anyways, Gray, the New Black was headlining the C&H this night, and it just so happened that their drummer, Johnn Hesseltine, lives just a few blocks away from the venue, and was gracious enough to allow me to park in his driveway, eliminating the parking dilemma all together. I heard how small the venue was, but it seemed more cramped than I had imagined, with the tiny stage being located directly to the right once you step inside. Actually, according to the sign, the maximum number of people the downstairs can hold is 49. I liked the vibe though, and it never felt as if you were invading someone else's personal space. Beginning the night was a noticeably younger band, To Coda. The band opened with one of their original songs, “Bullets”, which, as most of their does, seems to incorporate several different genres, including having a slight funk vibe, and even touches of soul and blues, but also has an older style rock sound. That may make it sound like there’s a lot going on, but not to the point where it would overwhelm you, and the way they have rolled it all together sounds quite good. They did a cover song next, as vocalist, Heather Darwin, announced it was “Misery” by Maroon 5, and afterwards did another one off their EP, which she plugged by saying tonight was the first time it was available for sale. The tune was “Be Okay”, and I remember correctly, this was the one she said they wrote over a break from school. I believe it was guitarist, Justin Rushing, whom she said sent her a text with an audio file of some lines he had come up with and asked if she could write some lyrics to it, which she said she did in a Wal-Mart parking lot. “Steal What I Have” came next, before they did another cover, this time tackling The Beatles, “Come Together”. It sounded pretty good, right up until they got to the line, “…He say one and one and one is three…”, and then it really took off, as Heather belted out the line, in which her voice sounded its most powerful and really grabbed your attention. They debuted a new one next, which if I heard right was titled “Summertime”, and then bassist, Stephen Williams, left the stage and switched out as bass with an acoustic guitar. This led to a couple slower songs, as they first did a killer cover Coldplay’s “Fix You”, then one of theirs, “Changes Seasons”, before Stephen swapped back to the bass as they ended their 40 minute set with “Take it Back”. I didn’t get around to buying their EP, “Take it Back”, but after listening to the music on their Reverbnation page, while it sounds good, it doesn’t even begin to do the live show justice and they sound much better than even what the recordings sound like. So they are definite must see if you get the chance. Up next was DyerWood, who I can only assume takes their name from the bands singer/guitarist, Justin Dyer. I can’t really elaborate much on their set, but I really enjoyed it. I thought their music sounded a bit southern rock with a hint of folk, and man, can Justin sing. They did a great set, which lasted about 40 minutes, and the one song of theirs that definitely stuck out to me was “Love and Hate”. It was a magnificent song, and if I remember correctly, it was a new one that they said had never been played before (or perhaps I’m confusing it with another song of theirs). At nearly 12:30, the three-piece rock outfit, Gray, the New Black, comprised of lead singer and guitarist, Mike Hamilton, drummer, Johnn Hesseltine, and keyboard player, Eric Gibbons, were ready to roll. They started into their set, and seldom let up as they went from one song to the next, with “Occam’s Razor” coming second. It was during the song after it, that Mike just let loose and shredded on his guitar, I mean, it was very impressive to watch. They rolled right along with several other songs,  before eventually they took a break as Mike gave some props to Chris Mueller (AKA The Ghost of Blind Lemon) who put this lineup of bands together. “We also have another local celebrity in the house…” he said and gave me a shout-out. It was pretty cool, though I respectfully decline his “local celebrity” remark, as I just don’t think I’m anywhere near that level yet… That doesn’t mean I didn’t like it, though. They did some more songs, some of which included “Every Hipster Has an iPhone” followed by “Enough Ain’t a Number”. They even welcomed a few guests on stage, one of whom was Suzanne Kimbrell, who took the microphone away from Mike and sang lead on. “…That was how I imagined that song sounding three years.” Mike said as she left the stage, giving her credit for it, saying he couldn’t pull it off that way. Then, as she left, they got another guest musician up there, this time it was Terence Bradford, who added a trumpet to the chorus of their next song. They did a few more afterwards, before arriving at “Counting the Holes In My Heart”, and then ended with what I believe they said was titled, “Compromise”. It was a pretty cool song, and was mainly an instrumental one, as they trio really rocked out during it. Seemingly, that was it. Until I think it was Justin of Dyerwood began shouting for an encore, which prompted some more fans to do so. They chatted about it for a minute, before giving in, and even did another one after it. “We haven’t played this one in like, three months.” Mike said of the latter tune, which did cap off their set at nearly 50 minutes. I’d seen the band once before this, and while I liked them, I wasn’t crazy over their music. I love it though when a band can totally change my impression of them (there have even been some bands I started off not liking at all and am now a real fan of), and that was what Gray, the New Black did tonight. The show was great, and Mike a certain twang to his voice unlike any other singer I have heard, which really gives him a stand-out quality. You can purchase their self-titled record on iTunes and if you want to see them live they have a few shows coming up. The first of which will be March 7th up in Denton at Hailey’s, and Johnn told me they would be back here at the Crown & Harp on March 23rd. So go see one of those if you can.

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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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A note to whom it may interest: I’m wanting to get advertisers on my blog. If you are a band, music venue, or have any type of product or business whatsoever you want to promote, e-mail me at: [email protected] for full info. I will tell you now though, I get good traffic on my site and my prices will be VERY, VERY affordable to even the most broke bands/people. So please, allow me to help promote YOUR product constantly, and not just when I do a show review. Venues, I can list all your upcoming shows as I do for the Granada Theater. Bands, I can put up an image of your album cover and link that to iTunes, etc. Let me know if you would be interested in getting in on this exciting opportunity!

[sammidollfans]

Skin is colder. I can barely stand. Pain takes over. I’ll wait no more. This is the curtain call. Oh, I know. I know it’s right. I know. I know it’s time. Memories flooding. Faces I adore. Body falling. I’ll wait no more. I’m clutching winged hands. Say you’ll hold my memory. Say you will not forget my name. I felt forgotten in this cage. I felt forsaken in this cage. Say you’ll hold my memory. So good-bye.

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