Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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r_j New Brookland Tavern hosts thrashing punk show Photos And Story by Sean Rayford Gamecock Critic For a few hours Friday, there was absolutely nothing wrong with Columbia’s music scene. The New Brookland Tavern came alive that evening with the kids in the crowd pretending they had left Columbia in search of a show in L.A. And I am not talking about Lancaster. It wasn’t a collection of drunken boofy-blitz frat boys jumping up and down, spilling beer and attempting to grope the girls in front them. It was just a bunch of kids having fun. And exactly who was everybody so hyped about? They don’t get spins on our beloved Chan nel 93.5, and it would be a tragedy if they ever did. It was a great example of how bands can succeed without the god of corporate radio. Five Emo guys from New Jersey known as Saves the Day arrived only minutes before they were supposed to appear. They pulled up to the back of New Brookland and unloaded their gear onstage. But despite this, they played as if they had just spent a few days resting on a cruise ship. They ripped into their first song, “All Star Me,” with the same feverish pace heard on their latest release, Through Being Cool. The bodies in the crowd reacted and sang along with lead vocalist Chris Conley. They could identify with these New Jersey kids. They weren’t wearing flashy shirts or leather pants, and they appeared as if they could have graduated from high school yesterday. In fact, Conley was even sporting a thrift store-style Robert Palmer T-shirt. There was no attempt of separating themselves from their fans by looking like rock stars. And their stage appearance paralleled the music they played. Just like Through Be ing Cool, each song in the set played off one another and blended together into 40 minutes of captivating action. When Saves the Day finished, a sense of disappointment hovered in the sweaty air. But still to take the stage were the hard core favorites Hot Water Music, and it seemed as if everyone was eagerly antici pating their appearance. This was apparent when Hot Water Mu sic exploded onstage and the crowd fol lowed suit, slamming against one another. 1 hose near the front could barely stay on their feet. The room temperature rose 25 degrees in the blink of an eye as Hot Water Music lit up the stage. There was an amazing personal relationship that flowed between the group and the crowd. Hot Whter Music’s superchaiged thrashing reached out and shook up the crowd. Despite the fact that peo ple were thoroughly enjoying themselves, it looked like a destructive mess. There were a few gallantly orchestrated stage dives and even an attempt at a circle pit. The four guys relentlessly slammed out pure emotion that would make any parent cringe. Pow erfully harsh vocals and gigantic layered guitars blasted at your ears while the kick drum shook your insides. It was just simply'loud. Your ears and head hurt like hell. But you were glad to be there. Hot Water Music No Division OUT OF Gainesville has given us anoth er album front Hot Water Music that is bursting with power, soul and some raw emotion. At first, it’s a little hard to tackle this record if you aren’t among the regulars in the hard-core scene. But it’s easy to see how Hot Wa ter Music has attracted the atten tion of so many of today’s youth. There is little bit of fresh air on their August release, No Division, at a time when everything in the music industry appears so stagnant. their messages and music are appealing to so many kids who have come to realize that life isn’t such a sugar-coated fantasy. No Division is a major emotional release. Their layered guitars and charging bass lines offer freedom to do what you want to. “It’s Hard to Know” and “Jet Set Ready” are two of the prizes on the album. “It’s Hard to Know” takes advantage of background vo cals to create a dynamic effect. The title track, “No Division,’ is a chal lenge to stand up against society, “We’ll sing our hearts in umty, that we won’t obey or follow ha.e, We stand together, we stand with no division and the ways of old will be swept away.” MTV’s Carson Daly and all those annoying sign-toting girls in Tunes Square need to watch out, because N’SYNC is about to be dethroned by a lit tle Emo band called Saves the Day, Attention, pas sengers on the Saves the Day Express: Next stop, Total Request Live. Number one. Well, maybe not quite, but it’s probably best this way. The guys in this band play instruments. The latest from Saves the Day, Through Being Cool, is amazingly orchestrated and sports a genuine sound. Conley’s abilities as a lyricist and songwriter have the ability to knock you off your feet. His (Above) Hot Water Music’s Chuck Ragan screams his lyrics and Saves The Day’s guitarist Ted Alexander shows off on the New Brookland Tavern stage. Both bands visited the New Brookland Tavern on Friday night in support of their latest releases. simplistic use of language creates personal con nections. It might take a little time to come to appreci ate the lyrical content of this album, but when you find it, it comes across as something special. In “Third Engine,” Conley sings, “I just want you - to know that every pool of water reminds me of you. Is that all right? I hope you think it’s cool.” “Shoulder to the Wheel” and “Rocks Tonic Juice Magic” are the first hooks on the album. You come back for more, and the remainder of the record quickly sinks in. Then the whole album be comes a giant hook, and you wish there were 30 tracks on the album. You come to recognize Con ley’s ability to shift gears and mix things up with the dynamics of his voice. There is something spe cial about each and every song on Through Being Cool. This is exactly what an album is supposed to be. Space rock's Paul Newman latest release: indie stellar album by Jonathan Garrick Gamecock Critic Austin, TX and the surrounding areas seem to be a rnecca for the indie-space rock movement with bands like American Analog, Windsor For the Derby and Sonna setting their sights on the min imalist and eclectic sound as pioneered by The Mercury Rev, Slint and, most recently, Mogawi. Paul Newman (name derived from the founding guitarist, not the actor) keeps the Austin space rock sound alive and innovative with their new release Machine Is Not Broken. Where the American Analog Set find influence from White Album Beatles and Windsor For the Derby find it in Phillip Glass/John Cage minimal ism, Paul Newman find their inspiration in the post punk sound of Louisville, KY’s influential Slint, Although the Slint reference is very noticeable on this record, it is not just a vain attempt at cal culated post-punk. Paul Newman have found a perfect middle ground between minimalist ambi ence (Track 3, “Perhaps You Wbuld Be More Com fortable”) and harder-edged post-punk (Track 5, “Under the Golden Horses”), which results in a truly innovative sound that builds on the past and looks toward the spacious future. The shame in this record is that it will be great ly overlooked in the college radio and independent markets, leaving only a few devoted fans to feast on these lush melodies. Artist: Paul Newman Album: Machine Is Not Broken Rating: Atirfrtir out of tKh*# Listen to 90.5 WUSC-FM - Columbia to hear this album.