Help these guys out.

     Hey everyone, my friends, and the first band I wrote about, Americana are trying to get a chance to be on Warped Tour. I'm sure all of you know how important it would be for a local band to play something this massive and they could use all the support they can get, so go onto this website and vote for them! The website link is here.

Auxiliary

     Okay lighter music fans; we finally found the band for you! These guys are called Auxiliary and they are an alternative rock band from Rolling Meadows. You can definitely hear the alternative in them with just a slight tint of jazz around the edges. The band consists of Connor Gooding on guitar and vocals, Kyle Gentile on drums and percussion instruments, Timmy Leuver on guitar, Marty Quinn on bass, Mitch Schaeflein on lead vocals, Laura Tam on keyboardist/french horn, and Chris Walenstchik wailing on the trumpet.

     The EP begins with the song "Strength In Numbers" featuring an impressive bass solo from Quinn. I find the song to be very soothing due to its slow pace, and nice shimmering guitar tone. The song more or less slugs along, but the slow pace definitely brings out the melody more allowing for quite the peaceful experience. It's also nice to have something I can relax to while I am sitting at home writing these reviews. 'Let This Love Go' brings the band to a bit of a faster pace with an impressive guitar solo near the end. 'No Today No Tomorrow' starts off with yet another impressive bassline by Marty which also carries some of my favorite vocal work by Schaeflein. Fourth comes 'Spade' which starts off with a beautifully cohesive guitar and drum line, and also features nice french horn undertones played out by Tam. The fifth and final track, 'Break Free' starts off with a calmingly vibrant melody shimmered out on the guitar followed by the vocal talents of Mitch Schaeflein.

      All things considered, if you like something fun to listen and relax to; Auxiliary is the band for you. You can find their EP, Drift, on their website.

The Obelisk

    If your taste in music is more in the realm of cliche modern power pop then if you see this band run away, run far away. The Obelisk is not for the faint of heart. With Pierre Worth and Lee Iliev on guitar pounding out some of the dirtiest guitar tones I've ever heard with an insane chugging sensibility. They also add a slight melodic undertone which is refreshing for such a heavy band. Josh Stevens obliterates his vocal chords to bring you the snarling growl that is the voice of The Obelisk. Ethan Shoun's bass tone is so low that it beautifully drones the music along while still keeping the groove touch that the bass needs to bring. Michael Federico drumming is just insane. His technique is nearly flawless and double bass ability is just remarkable. All that said, The Obelisk's members cohesive sound is just thunderingly brutal. If you come this band to hear a catchy whiny hook then look elsewhere because this band only serves the purpose of bringing out the primal nature in all of us. When going to one of their shows expect to come home with a sore neck and a couple bruises.

     The Obelisk's EP 'The Great Aerial Wanderer' begins with the track 'The Hour of Our Time.' The songs starts off with a bit of electronic feel which transfers nicely into the almost back-and-forth vocal style this song demonstrates. The song is a solid opener, but it definitely is not their strongest work. It is just enough to bring you in. The second track on the EP is 'Argot.' There is a very melodic tinge to the intro which brings you in just enough so that the vocals smack you in the face when they come in. 'Argot' is definitely the most melodic song on the EP with sweltering guitar leads and ferocious breakdowns. 'Earth Above' is the third song on the EP and is by far the heaviest. At a mere two minutes and twenty seconds, which is short give the length of the other tracks, 'Earth Above' sludges along with insane dynamics. At one second there will be fleeting guitar leads, and the next the guitars will be droningly chugging along. If you're into heavy, give 'Earth Above' a listen first. The final tack on the EP is 'Infernalis.' This is by far the strongest song on the EP given it's pace and overall feel. The moment that stands out the most to me in this song occurs in the last few seconds of the song, and it is a quote from Donnie Darko. 'Infernalis ends the EP ends incredibly well, and really sums up the entire feel of the EP.  

     If you're into heavy or you just want to try something different; give The Obelisk a listen. Metal has never truly been my forte, but I did rather enjoy this EP. You can download it for free from The Obelisk's website.


   

Americana

    With heavy guitars, tight-end bass, guttural vocals, and fleeting drumming Americana showcase their skill to the Chicago area music scene with their debut EP 'Where We're Coming From.'

     Coming out of  McHenry, Cary, and the Fox River Valley Americana features the vocal and lead guitar styles of Cody Varga, rhythm guitar abilities of Tony Aguilar, low-end control of Ed Dudzinski, and technical drumming capacities of Steve Gonzalez. All of whom are very skilled in their respective instruments. For those of you who listen to pop-punk or screamo-esque music, this is NOT for you. These songs are heavy and in your face with just enough melodic touch to remain extremely catchy. They're almost a perfect combo of the machismo demonstrated by old school hardcore bands and the musical prowess established by the newer wave of melodic hardcore bands of the late 2000s. There is also a killer metal tinge to this band that finds itself surfacing in songs like 'Hometown Haunts' and 'Louisville Slugger.' The "catchier" songs would have to be 'Every Night' and 'Giants' for those out there who prefer listening to melody rather than headbanging.

    The expeditious drum rhythms pounded out by Steve in the first track 'Hometown Haunts', the inspired bass-lines precisely plucked out by Ed in 'Giants', and the insanities that are guitar parts found in 'Louisville Slugger' strummed out by both Tony and Cody on this EP fail to disappoint me in the slightest. The closing/title track 'Where Were Coming From' says it all by helping to represent the small slice of angst ridden Midwestern America that is now becoming ever-present in the global hardcore/punk/metal music scene. All in all, this is certainly a band that has some serious skill, and I personally cannot wait to either see them live or play a show with them with my own band. Also, this EP available for download for $5 on the bands website, so check it out.

                          You can find their website at americanaband.bandcamp.com.

Hello

     Hey everyone! We are going to be spending the next few weeks looking for bands via Facebook and Reverbnation and seeing which ones we should write about, if you have anything that you think we should listen to, email us.