UPCOMING SHOWS: 72nd and Central, Signs of Iris and Fed to Lions at the Channel

On July 21st three of Greenville’s most prized bands will take the stage at the Channel on Main St. 72nd and Central are described as “alternative” and “post-grunge” on the WATU website. On their Reverb Nation page, 72nd and Central list Kings of Leon, Foo Fighters and Modest Mouse as similar artists. I can hear bits and pieces of those genres/bands to some degree. Honestly though, these guys have a sound I can really only describe as an excellent example of “keep it simple stupid”. As a musician, I constantly remind myself of the KISS acronym. So many bands try to shove as much showmanship and technicality into a song that any semblance of an actual song is lost. These guys definitely have a grip on the songwriting process and it is obvious in their choices of chord progressions and solid 4/4 time signatures with tasteful fills. I would definitely call this radio-friendly. The song ’Contaminated’ is reminiscent of mid-nineties metal. While, ‘A Crack in the Mirror’ sounds somewhat like a Sunny Day Real Estate jam.

No stranger to the site, Signs of Iris have a strong female singer and booty shaking rhythms that should be very accessible to even the most pretentious music snob. I can hear a tinge of Metric and vocally, Cassie Posey has range and sustain like Beth Ditto of Gossip (or The Gossip). Upon first listening to ‘Birds of a Feather’, I was immediately sucked in. I hate to sound like a corny DJ on a college radio station or something but, keep an eye out for these four, they’re going to be making some waves.

Also on the bill is rounded out well with Fed to Lions, another Greenville band that is getting a lot of notice as of late. Continuing with a theme of talented young people with songwriting know-how, these guys mix indie and alternative with punk energy. They aren’t necessarily venturing out into any experimental void. They’re just writing hard hitting songs that are very enjoyable. I can’t quite put my finger on their sound but something about the song ‘Waiting Room Trauma’ reminds me of MUSE with the tenacity of Queens of the Stone Age. You would be hard pressed to find someone that can provide a legitimate reason for disliking Fed to Lions. They’ve got it. Whatever IT is.

Rounding out the bill is Jarren Pointer another local boy on the bill. 20 year old Pointer writes dangerously infectious pop-rock tunes that have an expansive library of influences such as, Mae, Jason Mraz and maybe even a less electronic Owl City. Without the nonsense talk of fireflies of course. A lot of people try to make music like this and fail miserably but Jarren may actually be heading down the right path to a cushy seat on the top 40. Seriously, listen and tell me you couldn’t hear this on every other radio station in the nation.

This is an all ages show. Doors are at 8pm and the cover is a mere $5.