Just the first 30 seconds of this album is so refreshing to hear. It’s easy listening, rocking and grabbing songs that don’t get released these days and definitely don’t get enough publicity. Four Star Riot is the epitome of a garage rock band with a little bit of cultivation from other genre’s to make it pop in more ways than one. They consider themselves as power pop and soul rock and say their influences come from stars like Parachute and Maroon 5 and it shows, but they still have their own flavor. Their hooks are catchy, the tone is straightforward and the album is filled with a wide variety of tones, tempos and styles. And although their tracks aren’t ones that will have the listener sitting alone is their room, contemplating the meaning of the lyrics and color of the songs, one may find their music perfect for relaxing drive or a chill hangout night with friends.
The album does sound similar to their past albums, with only devoted listeners noticing the changes like the lack of keyboards and organs (which did add a nice flare and color to their rock pop sound) but they still power on without any sense of empty space. Tracks like “Waves” are among the heaviest of the album, with some fairly crunchy, distorted guitar and popping drum tracks. But the heaviness of a song is largely determined by the vocal timbre and vocalist and rhythm guitarist Steve Alex, who’s voice can comfortably reach some pretty impressive octaves, creates a lighter hearted take on a standard rock band sound. It’s his sultry, flowing voice that defines them as a pop rock band. A more aggressive and growling voice would easily turn this into a pop-punk band but Alex’s voice fits the bill perfectly and puts them up there with groups like Parachute and Maroon 5.
“Empty Spaces” is another track to pay attention to. It has a funkier groove to it , with a steady beat and loads of tricky high-hat rudiments from drummer Mike Chilton as well as plenty of voice from bassist Aaron Akers. Guitarists Alex and Finn Walling also use a variety of tones, from tight, high octave blips of funky guitar to phaser-filled chorus’ to move the styles around throughout the song. It makes for a multidirectional song that would definitely get bodies moving during a live performance.
Listeners should also delve into “Just Tell Me” to appreciate the versatility of the band. The style in this track could be compared to groups like The Fratellis or maybe even Arctic Monkeys in terms of a more punk-ish sound. The pace is picked up for the first time in the album, and although the guitar might be a bit clean and spacey at first, it quickly changes to a hard, dirty twanging strum that absolutely rocks. The chorus hook is catchy and the songs moves around in different directions, making it a little less predictable than most pop rock songs.
Other tracks like “Don’t Go”, “Torn & Tattered” and “So Far” lay a little bit lower in terms of energy and instrumental complexity. They’re definitely enjoyable to listen to, but they’re also the most straightforward tracks on the album. Listeners might gravitate towards tracks with more flare like the ones mentioned earlier, and other like “No Shore” which although is fairly predictable, still has a unique reggae taste to it that spices things up just a bit to draw the listener in.
“Baby Blue” is another surprisingly funky track from the four stars that keeps a consistent tone throughout the track, but makes little variations on each verse and chorus that keeps things interesting. It’s on the shorter side at 3:00 but it has on of the catchiest vocal hooks in the album that will keep the listener humming it day and night.
As said before, this was a surprisingly refreshing album. There were different styles, all executed and produced perfectly and is definitely worth delving into. There is a least one track that everyone can vibe with in this album and it’s available now on Spotify and iTunes for download.
Key Tracks: Empty Spaces, Jest Tell Me, Baby Blue
Bruce Katz Band, the Hammond B3 and piano legend based in 
The Murphys wear their love of hometown and the working man/woman proudly on their collective sleeves. This was made ever more present on this night when, prior to performing “Bastards on Parade” midway through the set, the band was presented with the first and only ever “You Give a Shit” Award by members of the local IBEW/CWA unit for their support of the union during the recent Verizon strike.
The band employs dual lead singers. Al Barr provides the gravelly yet melodic Oi! style vocals while band founder Ken Casey lends his slightly gentler voice to the trad-Irish and rousing pub rockers when taking leads. In addition to the boisterous front men, the band also employs some top notch musicians in drummer Matt Kelly, guitarist James Lynch and multi-instrumentalists Tim Brennan and Jeff DaRosa. Brennan is imposing and animated. Whether he’s ripping chords on lead guitar or squeezing out notes on the accordion, his tall frame looms large onstage.
Throughout the show, the band recognized the dedication of its fans. Casey invited one enthusiastic audience member to the stage to take his job for a song of his choice. The fan traveled from Raleigh, NC to see the band and Casey recognized him as one of their most die hard fans as he allowed him to take the lead on “Devil’s Brigade.” Following the performance, Casey said of the aspiring vocalist, “What he lacks in melody, he makes up for in enthusiasm.” A big hug between them sealed the arrangement and the fan headed back to the crowd.
Starting with the most famous banjo notes to open a song, the unmistakable “The State of Massachusetts” whipped up the crowd and the mosh pit and merged into the traditional “The Irish Rover” to close the set.
It’s hard to tell what MC Chris took seriously while developing this album 
However, Charlie’s father’s dream was not his dream. He had already moved to London with his girlfriend and had no intention of staying in the family business. With a loyalty to his father he returns, and a chance encounter with a drag queen named Lola (J. Harrison Ghee), this pair come up with a brilliant idea to cater to a niche market as a way to save the shoe factory he has inherited.
Lola and her drag dancers (The Angels) wearing very exotic and glamorous costumes and insist that these stilettos must bear the weight of a man. So, with the help of an enormously humorous dedicated cast of employees, they make boots for “women who are men.” The only stipulation for Lola’s assistance in this endeavor, they must be RED “the color of sex and passion and danger”. Born are the thigh-high “kinky boot”. Lola’s rendition of “Sex is in the Heel” was a soulful and sultry number that included The Angels, her “gaggle of fabulous drags.” By the end of this number, every member in the audience was ready to buy into a pair of Kinky Boots.
Memorable performances by Lauren (Tiffany Engen) and Don (Aaron Walpole), leave audience members in stitches throughout the show. Lauren’s crush on Charlie is portrayed in the hilarious “The History of Wrong Guys” and her school girl giddiness in his presence is beyond believable. Don is portrayed as a very macho man and is convinced he knows “What a Woman Wants.” It’s a great ride watching him change his tune by the end of the show.
This Tony award winning musical based on Broadway’s own Harvey Fierstein’s book and with a score written by Cyndi Lauper is a beautiful story of acceptance, love, and tolerance. The musical definitely attempts to educate the audience on these virtues, and indeed it does! When Lola sings the moving “Hold Me in Your Heart” to her estranged father, the entire theatre broke into applause for a length of time before the show could continue.
Opener Brooke Annibale, comes from Pittsburgh via Nashville via Pittsburgh and back again. Her sound reflected her disjointed travels. Her beautiful voice sometimes reaching a more emotional gravelly strain, melodic strumming interrupted by dashes of brilliant fingerpicking, and simple rhythms shifting in surprising jolts. One of her songs took a cyclical path as well. “Alright,” off of her 2015 LP The Simple Fear (as most of the set was), was written while she was employed at Starbucks. After finally recording it a few years later, Starbucks bought the tune to play in their stores nationwide.
A smooth, stylish, distinctly different vocalist, Tad Robinson impressed with both tone and control by knowing when to punch a phrase and when to lay back. He also exhibited notable harmonica skills, particularly on the chromatic harp. Holdman took the lead for a song of his own with a bit of a gospel touch, and Robinson often gave Anker plenty of room to showcase his abilities on the Hammond keyboard. Remarkable moments during the two set show included “Rained All Night” from Back in Style, Little Walter’s “Last Night,” and a crowd-pleasing rendition of the O.V. Wright southern soul classic, “A Nickel and a Nail.”
Red Shift is a respectable band in the rock genre. Their music is impressive in many ways and, as a brand new band, they have a lot of potential. Ortiz has a very nice voice that fits in well with the rock genre. His voice is equally as impressive in “Heads or Tails,” one of their more rock-out tracks, as it is in “Around the Sun” which is slightly more mellow, giving the group plenty of options for the future.