New Music Festival 2000
Chomsky, Drowning Pool, Baboon,Slick 57 and Jibe
Deep Ellum
11.10.00 |
This past weekend was the North Texas New Music Festival2000 that hosted over 100 bands from the Metroplex turning Deep Elluminto a musical taste test extravaganza. As always, the yearlyevent was a success, but there was only one problem - too many bandsand not enough time to see them all. However, I did manageto catch 5 great acts over the weekend; Chomsky, Drowning Pool andBaboon on Friday night and Slick 57 and Jibe on Saturday
night. Out of the five bands, I had only seen twoof them perform live before, so I was bubbling over with anticipationas headed out Friday night. |
| Friday evening began with a set by Dallas band Chomsky,who played at the Curtain Club. The club was already swarmingwith people when they came on just shortly after eleven. WhenChomsky takes the stage, the first impression of these clean-cut,tie and slack wearing guys is that they're going to spout off a happy-go-luckyversion of "Love Me Do" while bobbing their heads. Nonetheless,they take you by surprise and break into straight-ahead alternativerock music with a pop twist. |  |
 | Guitarist Glen Reynolds leads the group in crazyantics like laying on the floor, holding up canned-goods and spewingwater into the air. However, don't let this "band clown" foolyou, because he's an awesome guitarist. Considering Chomsky is mostlyguitar driven, Glen has a big job to do and does it well, throwing out incredible riffs like a pro. He's also responsible for the back-upvocals and compliments front man and "founder" of the band, SeanHalleck well. Unlike many live shows at small clubs, the lyricscould actually be heard
throughout their set, allowing Halleck's smooth voiceto shine. Bassist James Driscoll and drummer Matt Kellum completethe band creating a pleasing harmony with an eighties new wave soundsimilar to that of the Pixies and Hagfish. They kept the enthusiasticcrowd entertained with their music, as well as their on stage humorleaving them thirsty for more. To quench your thirst for Chomsky,pick up their latest CD, A Few Possible Selections for
the Soundtrack of Your Life, via the band's web site,www.chomsky.com. |
After Chomsky finished amusing the boisterous mass ofconcert-goers, it was time for Drowning Pool to take the stage. At this point, the place was so packed that the body heat made everyoneforget about the bitter cold outside. This up and coming band also fromDallas has been performing throughout the Metroplex, as well as New Yorkand other cities. Though they've been around for almost four years,it wasn't until recently that they started getting the notorietythey've longed for.
The effort has paid off and it shows in their performance. Many were introduced to this band at Localpalooza (July 2000) andthey've made a drastic improvement just in the past few months. Farmclub.com was on location filming and photographing the show andlead vocalist Dave Williams immediately stepped into the spotlight, coaxing the crowd and stirring up a frenzy for the cameras. |  |
 Thishardcore rock band is known for large audiences and feeds upon theattention like a well-seasoned group. Steve Benton (bass) andChristian Joseph (guitar) let loose, amazing the crowd with gratingriffs and strong bass, along with the heavy foot of drummer MikeLuce. Williams tops everything off with jarring, yet well structuredvocals and his own on-stage and boyish grin. Though no majorrecord deals have been cut yet, there has been some talk that something huge is in the works and soon, Drowning Pool will be on their way to national stardom. The band has grown quite a bit and so has their loyal fan-base.They will release their new six-song EP titled Pieces of Nothingthis week here in Dallas, featuring two songs off an older CD whichthey have re-mastered. For details on the CD release parties and other future shows, go to www.drowningpool.com. |
 | Finishing off the evening, I ventured into Trees to catch Baboon's set. Baboon is Steven Barnett (drums and room-evacuator),Andrew Huffstetler (vocals and trombone), Mark Hughes (bass and backingvocals), and Mike Rudnicki (guitar and backing vocals) and has beena Dallas favorite for almost a decade. Without fail, they alwaysmanage to put on an amazing and comical show. This night wasno different. A couple of the band members were decked outin studded shirts, painted head to toe with silver paint making fora beguiling, eye-catching set. Plain-clothed Huffsteler lead his flashy cronies with his in-your-face vocals and trombone playing talent.At this point in the night, the alcohol laden crowd had grown weary,but Baboon shook them up and kept their attention long enough toclose the place down. They produced and energetic mix of music and on-stagehumor with enough pep to keep your head bobbing and your face grinningall the way home. It was the perfect way to end the night! Baboon is currently working on some recording projects with LastBeat Records, one of which is a live CD to be released in the nearfuture. For more information on this band , go to www.baboonland.com. | |
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- MelissaHowell
dallasmusic.com |