The Grotto “Rain Maker”
Posted on February 14th, 2008 at 10:06 am by Junkie


OK, obviously this was written when I was in another place (physically and mentally). Some biz-arre town named Grand Junction Colorado or whatever. But the CD rocks still so I’m sharing. They have all new stuff too, so hit them up.

Writing reviews the past few weeks has been hard. I had one I needed to do because the band was hitting town, another because I’d had the CD so long it was becoming embarrassing … and, you know.

But a friend and coworker dropped off The Grotto’s CD in the middle of this. I listened and immediately wanted to fling the other reviews aside and share the great sounds coming out of The Grotto. So what this other international band was coming to town - The Grotto is already here! They are OURS! And they rock.

This CD is a four-song shortie and it was a blast. Perfect to drop into the CD player and fill your commute with local sounds. “Nothing” starts out slow and then hits a very sweet groove. The music and lyrics sound so polished, it makes me proud. What is too hot about this song is that about three minutes in the guitars and Jake Ruybal’s vocals just explode. What a great way to finish off a meaningful song.

“All You Need” lets us know right away that we’re dealing with a multi-talented band, as Lyndsy Pritchard takes her turn on vocals. The chorus of this song is so intense and head-filling it made my hair stand up the first time through. Some excellent keyboard work adds to the originality of this tune, taking it from a “Hey, Fleetwood Mac could have done this” song to something altogether with and beyond its time.

Although a great listen, “No One But Me” is (in my questionable opinion) the “weakest” song on the CD - that’s not to say it’s weak like weak - just comparing it to the others, the vocals are a bit cloudy. The guitars come out so clear and sharp … maybe that’s why the vocals seem a little underdone. The song breaks about two-thirds of the way through and really showcases the instruments. The vocals do pump up, but not enough to break free. Definitely not a song-killer, because this band is clearly made up of talented musicians.

“Rain Maker” is a haunting mix. I really enjoy the almost unsettling shifts in the music and mood. Pritchard’s smooth vocals do perfect service to the lyrics. I don’t know who composes what, but this band is as tight as any that’s been around the block 20 or 30 times. What an outrageous and wondrous thing that they are from Junction. God, this town rocks!

Grab some CDs and other cool stuff on the band’s site Web site www.thegrottoband.com. I’m going to be sporting The Eye t-shirt ASAP. See The Grotto on April 28 at Mesa Theatre & Club. Call the club for times and all that.

Posted in Music, Music Reviews, Independent, Indie, Rock | No Comments »

The Sammus Theory “Man Without Eyes”
Posted on October 17th, 2006 at 9:29 pm by Junkie


Thanks to the high-decibel exposure I’ve been getting from local bands, harder and harder rock is appealing to me more and more. So The Sammus Theory came to the top of the stack at just the right time. Great sounds riding the edge of metal and lyrics riding the edge of insanity.

I almost didn’t get past the fourth track on the CD because the 2, 3 and 4 tracks were so compelling and brain-frying I kept putting them on a loop. “Lead Foot” is the best tortured romantic love song I’ve heard in eons - and believe me, I know eons. Here’s a taste:

“You try to drag me but I’m weighted
with my lead foot.
A ball and chain around my legs slows me down,
I cannot seem to move.
Drop me up from so high into water …
Watch me drown; you’re my lead foot.”

Beautiful, I know (sniff). Sammus, responsible for both lyrics and manic vocals, has a unique twist to his words that speaks to a deeper part of my brain. And I’m not so strange. I think your brains must have those dark little holes you crawl into sometimes and hey, here’s the background music for that space.

“Hole In the Wall” is a perfect example of speaking volumes with few words.

“Your last breath cried out loud.
It was a bullet hole in the wall.
No one really understood
What pulled the trigger …”

Although the first half of “Man Without Eyes” is much stronger and memorable than the second half, my greatest whining complaint is that I was sent the radio-edited, clean version of the lyrics. Should an independent CD even have a clean version? Did they send the sanitized version because I’m a chick? Did I come off as a prude in my past reviews? I must look into this while you look into The Sammus Theory.

Posted in Music, Music Reviews, Independent, Indie, Rock, Hot Vocals, Metal, Smashing Lyrics | No Comments »

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