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| by ben hsieh (bbhsieh) | |
Band of the Month - Green Light Go - Ben Hsieh
ENTER THE 36th CHAMBER.
So read the sign above the stairs on my way down to the basement practice area of Green Light Go. A bit of a kung fu fan myself, I half smiled at the reference to the 1978 Gordon Liu movie. I picked up on the kung fu/martial arts theme of the room a bit more when I noticed all of the Bruce Lee pictures and the array of fighting dummies and actual swords/daggers/spears on the wall.
Part of me hoped that this band resolved songwriting or practice conflicts by elaborate, duel to the death kung fu fights. Part of me wondered if I would have to prove my journalistic integrity by besting their drummer in hand-to-hand combat. (It's always the drummer, after all). Still another part of me reminded myself that there was probably a more reasonable explanation for this, and that I should probably cut back on the caffeine.
"We used to have shows down here," later explained guitarist Darin Smith. "We went to Chinatown one time and I went kind of crazy and bought all of these Bruce Lee posters."
Rats. Apparently, Smith and his housemate were pretty avid martial arts enthusiasts and trained down here as well. Bassist Mike Daab said he knew some kung fu, so I tenuously held on to the hope of a guitar-vs-bass–as-weapons fight over who had rights to the big space on the surge protector – but I wasn't holding my breath.
Sadly, the band practice I sat in on was devoid of any conflict whatsoever. Probably part of that was because I was sitting in on them, but probably another part of it is just that they get along, which can be a rare thing in bands, at least in my limited personal experience.
Still, I wasn't the only one to have a dramatic first impression of the band's practice space. After answering the ad for a female singer in February of 2004, singer Emily Thompson found herself in a very similar situation.
"The first time I came to get a tape for the audition," said Thompson, "Darin was like, ‘come down to my basement'."
"I was really out of my comfort zone," laughed Thompson. "It was very interesting."
Undeterred nonetheless, Thompson's talent blasted through the competition and the band was formed in February of 2004.
"She kinda blew us all away," shrugged Smith.
What started as a basement collaboration between former April Crash band member Smith and drummer Jenny Stewart very quickly became a relatively high demand local live act, with the band playing a multitude of shows in and around Champaign-Urbana. So high in demand, in fact, that Stewart left the band because of her other obligations as a psychology grad student and was replaced by current drummer Too Smooth.
"We had a lot of shows in the summer [of '04] and a lot at the beginning of the school year," explained Thompson.
Musically, Green Light Go has become a mix of powerpop and post-punk, mixing melodic, anthemic pop melodies while also pushing songs in and out of different meters. They recorded an EP this past October in Peoria (reviewed this month at openingbands.com) and have plans for a later full length.
"Mike and I have diametrically opposed musical backgrounds and tastes," says Smith.
"Darin just likes poppier stuff in general," agreed Daab. "I consider different things catchy, I guess."
Combining these influences with Thompson's powerful vocals has earned the band comparisons to Pretty Girls Make Graves and that dog.
It is this balance of influences that made me a fan of the band from the first time I saw them at an Enon show at The Highdive in February of last year. They had original drummer Stewart back then, but even at their early stages green light go demonstrated pretty clearly that they knew the point of powerpop was about walking that thin line between outsider angst and meaty pop hooks.
"The fact that we butt heads so much actually turns out to be a good thing in the end," said Smith.
"It's getting harder to decide a setlist," added Too Smooth.
Guitarist Gabe Tongate has also begun songwriting as well, and with Thompson in charge of lyrics, everyone pretty much has to work together. And they apparently enjoy the work, no matter what the conditions.
"Our best shows involve moustaches and superhero costumes," joked Smith. Whether it's a superhero benefit, an all night dance-a-thon, or a show at Nargile, Green Light Go is willing to try anything for a good show.
"Sometimes it works out and sounds amazing," said Daab.
"...and sometimes we have massive martial arts battles," summed up Smith.
Guess I was right after all.
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| by gina provenzano (theredhead603) | |
Green Light Go at Canopy Club - Gina Provenzano
As concert goers came early to see hipster buzz-band VHS or Beta on Friday, Feb. 11 at Canopy Club, they were treated to local pop-punk act and March's Openingbands.com Band of the Month, Green Light Go. The stage set-up was actually on a smaller scale and set closer to the crowd than other shows I have seen at the Canopy, and this seemed to work for the band. It was obvious friends and fans were comfortable rocking out to the catchy songs up close to their band, and lead singer Emily Thompson kept telling the crowd she wished they'd stand right in front of her, though no one took her up on her offer.
It was clear that the band had a punk attitude on stage and in their songs as they kept the energy level up for the length of their set. The band continued to move in what little space on stage they were given during their fast-paced set. Thompson's clear rock vocals and sheer energy were notable, and overall I was impressed with the show and my first experience hearing the band. I feel that Green Light Go would have fared better with a crowd more interested in pop-punk than in the retro sounds of VHS or Beta or the experimental rock of second local opening band, Terminus Victor, but by the end of their set they had much of the crowd moving around and won over all that decided to move closer to the stage.
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| by nathan schwalm (mythox007) / ben hsieh (bbhsieh) | |
1. Winds Take All Things East
2. Lions
3. Try to Say No
4. All the Words
Review #1 - Nathan Schwalm
Imagine a beautiful, sunny day outside near 70 degrees Fairenheit with winds right off from the nearby lakes. Throughout this fifteen minute EP, it will take ya there with the fun-filled soundtrack.
This Champaign-Urbana quintet been churning out fun songs for quite a while at their live shows. This EP captures the live fuzzy feel in it's limited two-track rough demo sort of format. A nice hybrid of Power Pop with elements of Pop Rock, Pop Punk and straight up Rock. It seems to me that the songs and melodies contain the hooks of Plain White T's with dashes of New Found Glory, early Get Up Kids, better moments of Element 101, and strong influence in the vocals from the Go-Gos. All of the songs seem to fit quite well together with its bouncy rhythms and catchy riffs. My personal favorite on this album leans towards the closing number and the chillin' melodic mid-tempo tune "All the Words" with the best melodic rock I've heard in a long while.
The only negative aspects to say are the rough demo sound without any effort for mixing throughout its muddy sound (I really want to hear what Emily is singing about) and the biggest bummer is the fact that it is only four songs in a fifteen minute period; every listen makes me beg for at least five to eight more catchy, fun songs.
Overall, this CD deserves to be regonized with it's great pop sensibilities in a live setting. I really dig this EP to the exstent of being in my CD player numerous times while it seldoms leaves the CD player without putting it on Repeat mode a few times. All you have to do is go out there and support Green Light Go at their shows and this recording!!!
Review #2 - Ben Hsieh
If there's one thing that Champaign locals Green Light Go do best it's balance. Their mix of power-pop and post-punk tacitly wraps an outsider's love/hate relationship with popular culture in a shiny, high-energy shell that encourages spontaneous sing alongs and goofy hopping around. At least that's my excuse. (Sorry about that broken door, Jason)
Just as the beauty of Rivers Cuomo wondering what's with these homies dissin his girl is based on this juxtaposition, tracks like "All the Words" and "Winds Take All Things East" do a great job of capturing a similar type of exuberant alienation.
Fans of Pretty Girls Make Graves will have an easy time liking Emily Thompson's powerful vocals as well as the bands' affinity for mixing up meters and having melodic hooks emerge from discordant, shimmering guitars. I really like the coordinated sound of this band - melodies alternate between vocals and guitar, diverging just enough only to crash back together for some great anthemic choruses.
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| by phil prather (AnalogBoy) | |
"Helping Build a Scene" - An Interview with Distant Failure Productions
Starting at Illinois State University in August 2003, Distant Failure Productions was founded for the sole purpose of bringing live music to the scene in Bloomington/Normal. Heather Faulkner started Distant Failure Productions because she and her friends missed having shows to attend after the Benchmark Music Board stopped putting on shows. After finding a venue (the Bowling & Billiards Center, on the ISU campus) and booking bands (The Junior Varsity, 7th Grade Underdog, No Particular Night or Mourning, Scouts Honor), the first Distant Failure show was held on October 18th, 2003. Even though only 30 people attended the show, the response was very positive and people had a good time. After talking to some of the concert goers, Heather learned that her and her friends were not the only ones who missed having shows to attend. Since that time, Distant Failure has brought 15 shows and over 40 bands to the Bowling & Billiards Center. Some of the bands include Moneen, Fall Out Boy, Duvall, Spitalfield, Park, and June.
On February 5th at the ISU Bowling & Billiards Center, I got the chance to sit down and talk with Heather Faulkner about her work and experiences with Distant Failure Productions.
Phil: What challenges did you have when you got started?
Heather: Getting the cooperation of the university was always a problem. They saw shows as a problem and thought we were out to cause trouble. Getting bigger bands to come was tough at first, because they didn't know what our turn out was like. After we started getting a good reputation about putting on shows, bigger bands were willing to come and play.
P: Was there anything that made you want to stop booking shows?
H: The university made me want to stop, they always gave us a hard time. The Moneen show (3/25/04) was almost shut down by ISU security because some kids were moshing. They thought they were causing trouble, not simply having a good time.
There is a solid rule at the Bowling & Billiards Center shows; There is no moshing or crowd-surfing. Anyone who breaks that rule will be asked to leave the show. Because if people continue to mosh or crowd-surf, the show may be shut down for the night.
P: Is it true that Distant Failure will no longer be a part of the ISU scene after this semester?
H: It dies... (laughs). Yeah, this will be the last semester for Distant Failure. I plan on booking shows in Chicago suburbs after I graduate.
P: Do you think your work with local shows has helped improve the scene?
H: Yes. It's important to have a different place to go. It's good to not have to drive out of town to see a show. The more that people came to the shows, there was a community feel to it.
P: Do you have any advice for people who plan on booking shows?
H: Promote! We printed out 1000 flyers for each show we put on. Use the Internet as much as you can to promote as well. Talk to the show goers, get suggestions from them and get to know them, so they'll come back in the future.
The next Distant Failure show will be Saturday, March 26th. The bands include: Blame Twilight, Best Days Behind, Sherlock, J.A.C.K., and Adair. It starts at 6 p.m. and the cover is $5. Visit for www.distantfailure.com for more details. Info is also available here.
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| by chris earnhart (Pocket) | |
The Story of Innocent Words - Chris Earnhart
Troy Michael, the man, the leader, the legend. He recently made his way back to Chambana for the first time in over a year, and what a return it was! Why so amazing? Well, he brought with him More Ways Than Three, which is the latest compilation released on his label, Innocent Words. And he was followed by a slew of great bands for its release show. While I wasn't able to sit down and chat as I had wished, I was still able to correspond with Troy to bring you the following story. Names have not been changed, because no one from Innocent Words is innocent.
IW began as a free magazine that focused on local and indie music. The first copy hit the stands in December, 2001. The label began one year later with the release of Small, My Table, IW's first comp. Quick to sign were three of Champaign's premiere bands: Lorenzo Goetz, Terminus Victor, and Triple Whip. From there, it's never been an easy road (as these things never are). And as Troy remarked, "You can never settle in this business or you will only stagnate, so the bands and I always try to push ourselves each year."
Now starting its fourth year of existence, the label looks to the past to make better the future. "Since our last comp release I feel we also went through a cleansing period. I feel like we learned our lessons in the first three years of Innocent Words," noted Troy. Now that they have cut "the dead weight" and been left with a solid line-up that is willing to tour on a regular basis, the members of the label look to the future.
The magazine is doing well as is, and its distribution just keeps getting larger. Cameron McGill (Pocket <3 him) has recently signed and added his second contribution to an IW comp. Both he and Terminus Victor will be releasing full-lengths this year, and both look promising. For future releases, IW will be expanding and searching for national acts. Lorenzo Goetz has broken into the biggest industry in the country: porn. At first, Troy said he wanted to keep that information under the radar, so as not to offend, but "the fact that thousands of people will hear a Lorenzo Goetz song in a porn is great exposure." I excused the pun and we both agreed that sex is a beautiful thing.
Perhaps, the most notable facet of Innocent Words Records is the diversity of the bands it encompasses. According to Troy, the eclectic gathering "just happened." From T Vic's hard, electronic rock to Lorenzo Goetz's trip-hop/pop-rock to Triple Whip's rhythm-driven, stripped-down cinemarock to Cameron McGill's singer-songwriter style accompanied by a band, no one can argue that any two IW bands sound similar. But as Troy wisely points out, "One thing these bands do have in common is a strong passion and love for their craft and art, and that can never-ever be manufactured."
This reporter (said to refrain from using the first person) truly believes that this passion is what sets Innocent Words a step ahead of the rest. Troy has that same passion. He has been a fan of music since the tender age of six. He worked at an Indie Record store for ten years. When asked what time period he would live in, Troy based his decision on the music of the time. The 50's appealed to him as the time of the birth of rock ‘n' roll and "kick ass cars." The 60's were his next choice because of musicians like Hendrix, the Stones, and The Who. He feels that "people actually lived then" and mourns the loss of the sense of community in modern times.
So now that the past and the future have been covered. One must look to what is most important: the present. More Ways Than Three is officially released and can be found for sampling and buying on www.innocentwords.com.
, along with all of the other IW releases. A portion of each sale will go to benefit Riley's Hospital for Children. You can pick up the Mar/Apr issue of Innocent Words Magazine at numerous locations around Chambana, including Highdive, Canopy Club, Espresso Royale, Cowboy Monkey, and many more. You will soon be able to hear "Flagrante Delicto" on Sinful Asians 4 (yes, it's hard to believe they have only made up to four). And, finally, GET A COPY OF MORE WAYS THAN THREE. Get out to the shows of IW bands, get to the website. Get a copy.
In conclusion, I would like to note that I have been invited to a porn watching party, and that my pants, at least, are optional. Keep an eye on Innocent Words, as it will not disappoint. And I will end with these two lines, which emphasize the attitudes behind the Innocent Words Record label and its bands.
"It's not about making money. It's about making a difference." -Cameron McGill
"I love coloring outside the lines. Always have." -Troy Michael
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