GMA Showcase:Day 1

Last night I went to the Not Of This World, c28.com showcase at 12th and Porter.  With over 25 bands, you can imagine that things were pretty hectic. Basically, they had it set up so that one band would go on in one room, and then another would start just as the first band was finishing. 12th is a very unique venue in that part of it is set up like a partially open air venue. There are two large garage doors that are opened during business hours and you can actually watch the concert from outside on the sidewalk.

With such a huge lineup, it was hard to keep track of all of the bands that played, but there were a few that really stuck out to me. First of all, Alakrity. They are from Wisconsin and are a punk-pop style band. The coolest part of their set was that John Schlitt from Petra actually joined them on stage and joined in on their cover of “Beyond Belief”. Two other bands that really were memorable were Words On Windows and  The J. Walkers, with the later being like a melding of Yellowcard and The Spin Doctors, among others.

The night did include a few well known bands like Canada’s Manic Drive, and Minnesota’s Children 18:3. Both bands have a unique style to their music and shows. Michael, the guitarist from Manic Drive actually does a version of the robot while he is playing. It is an amazing technique that you have to see to fully appreciate. And Children…. there are no word that I can use to describe how much energy that they put out on stage other than frenetic and “spastic”. And they are both meant in the nicest of ways. They just exhude energy and they are very down to earth as well.

After Children, I saw the band that I had heard so much about, but still wasn’t sure what to expect. That band is White Collar Sideshow. And to hear their “leader” say it, they are a mix of The Blue Man Group and Rob Zombie. Basically, their whole show is a performance piece about his life and how he was wrapped up in drug and pornography addiction and how God saved him. As part of their performance, they showed a trailer for a movie that they have filmed called “The Witchhunt”, that will release next year. Musically, they use distorded bass, drums, pre-recorded backing tracks, and random hardware instruments, including a steel drum, saw blades, and a large pull saw. It is truly a sight to see.

After that, I took account of my day and made my way back to the hotel for some much deserved rest.

Stay tuned for more from the rest of GMA 2009