Onasis headlines five band show at The House
September 21, 2008
The House Café, 263 E. Lincoln Highway, showcased a variety of local acts on Friday night that created a calm and cheerful vibe.
Five bands performed, with the headlining grunge/rock band Onasis. Its stage presence had very high energy and the vocalist had a similar sound to Coheed and Cambria. The group was very energetic, as the bassist and guitarist were often jumping onstage. Onasis held the heaviest sound of the night.
“Onasis was my favorite, the other bands were okay, but Onasis was extremely good,” said audience member Jessica Schmitt.
Also on the lineup was Brave Tin Soldiers, who held a heavy garage rock sound with wailing guitar solos and heavy bass. They often encouraged audience participation and one would find themselves really getting in-tune with the music. A wide-range of vocal tone and quick-paced drums also highlighted Brave Tin Soldier’s set. They had a very balanced sound with not too much going on, but enough to keep the music interesting and intriguing for the listener.
Up third was project: Threeville, a five-piece band with a rock/progressive sound. The fivesome had an extremely excitable stage presence, and the audience reacted with the same enthusiasm. Wailing guitar solos, crisp-sounding drums and tempo switch-ups within songs highlighted project: Threeville’s performance.
One of their songs, placed in the middle of their set, may have caught the audience off-guard. project: Threeville started the song with a melodic sound and lots of keyboard in the beginning, but then lead into heavy guitar and fast-paced drums, like their other songs.
During the middle of some of project: Threeville’s songs, the group did an instrumental breakdown which added depth and complexity to their performance.
“project: Threeville was my favorite band to see. I was just coming out to a random show tonight and they really caught my attention,” said audience member Steve Reilly. “They were more coherent than other bands of that genre and put lots of effort into their performance. It was a very epic performance.”
Next on the line-up was another acoustic performer, Andy B. White. White had a similar sound to that of the opener, but he still held his own unique sound. Light, pop-like vocals lead to a clean, crisp, almost poetic sound.
Toward the end of his set, White performed a few covers. Jimmy Eat World’s “Just Watch The Fireworks,” and Kermit the Frog’s “Rainbow Connection,” were both covers the audience enjoyed, and his renditions sounded very close to the originals.
Opening the night, paired with his acoustic guitar, was Steve Chambers. Chambers held the audience’s attention by playing soothing, melodic riffs with an indie-rock sound.
During some of his songs, Chambers produced a percussive-like sound, while busting out strong, powerful lyrics. The audience seemed in-tune with Chamber’s music, as well as his friendly, talkative personality. Many picked up his free EP after his performance.
While his performance mostly consisted of upbeat songs, Chambers wasn’t afraid to slow things down a bit in the middle of his set. He was extremely passionate with his music.