Demon's Eye branding some old standards

 So as I surf the web for another show to catch I came across the name of a band called Demon's Eye. Now this conjures up all sorts of imagery in my head. I'm thinking another heavy metal band singing of knights and sorcery and things of that nature. So with that thought in my mind I research this band even further. I come to find that Charlie Grosso is playing guitar for this band. I recently learned of Charlie a couple of weeks ago when I caught him in another band called Sinner's Prayer. Behind the kit is Nick D'Alessandro from Awaken and Earth Eatz Dog and I'm sure many others. From my perspective Nick is the go to drummer on Long Island. And if you have ever seen him live you'll know why. Rounding out this trio is Leo Binelli on Vocals / Bass a force too be reckoned with in his own right.
 So that was all I needed to make my way to LuLu's Pub and catch this trio live. For starters I didn't get the heavy metal knights and sorcery I had envisioned. What I got was some ripping heavy blues with extended jams. These guys are well versed musicians and play well off each other. Opening their set with a killer rendition of Rufus Tomas / Walking the Dog some may be more familiar with the Aerosmith version.  Charlie explained to me that the idea behind their set was covering songs originating from black American blues artists that were subsequently redone by white classic rock artists.  And now Demon's Eye giving these songs life with their brand of hard rock/blues interpretation. The band likes to think of it as a presentation of standards for the next generation. Demon's Eye plays these songs with such heart and conviction you would have thought they wrote these songs themselves. Other highlight's of the night were Baby Please Don't Go, Just Got Paid and Bring It On Home.
 The audience cheered, danced and sang along to every song in the set. And a few audience members started shouting out requests. Hopefully the band took some notes so they can surprise the audience next time around with some of those tunes.
  So with other good night of live music under my belt. I'm happy too report the LI music scene is thriving with great talent. If your not part of the scene then get your ass off the couch and catch a show.
 I must thank Charlie for graciously giving me a CD before the show. It has many of the songs that they played tonight and I've been happily jamming it in my vehicle as I cruised around town today.

Mudcat takes us back in time.

Its funny how things work out. I was going to cover another show tonight. But yesterday I got notice that the show had been moved to another venue ( I wasn't up to the added mileage). So I opted to see Mudcat at LuLu's Village Pub.

Thing is Mudcat has no web site. Only a facebook page that I could find. And there wasn't much information about them and no music to sample. So I was going into this show like a blind man with very little information as to my wereabouts.

I was trying to keep my reviews to original bands. But sometimes life's biggest surprises come unexpectedly. And one of those surprises came in the form of a band called Mudcat.

The audience at LuLu's were treated too a set filled with some classic rock tunes. Not your typical tunes that every other band on the island covers. But other gems that don't get there due on the cover scene. Mudcat kicked off the night with a smoking rendition of Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers (ZZ Top). Some of the highlights of their set included Last Child (Aerosmith),Hot Legs (Rod Stewart) and The Cowboy Song (Thin Lizzy). Oh yea they also covered Suicide by Thin Lizzy (Thin Lizzy is a favorite of mine). Can I ask for a request or two for future shows? Cold Sweat and Dancing in the Moonlight. And they did a killer version of Oh Well (Fleetwood Mac).

The band is fronted by John Golden on Vocals and guitars. I'm familiar with John from his work with Earth Eatz Dog. It's fitting too see John fronting a band. He has the look the chops and the voice. Also on guitar is Steve Culotta serving up some tasty guitar work. And holding down the low end is Jon Valente on bass. And serving up the big beat is Gary Worrel on drums. These four musicians injected new life into these classic songs (goes to show you somethings get better with age).

I gotta thank Mudcat for a couple of things. First just for a great night of music. And second I've spent so much time on my mission to support music. I've forgotten that all these great tunes they played tonight. Were original songs by those artists at one time. So thanks again for a great night of music.

So for the picture above this review. The included captions were either said by the band members or they were thinking those thoughts. If you don't believe me you should have been there. Keep a lookout for Mudcat. You won't be disappointed.

Awaken the metal thunder.

This weeks band is a progressive metal band called Awaken. I wish this show was better attended. Why is it people will spend 100+ for tickets through ticket master? When they can see great bands close to home for a few dollars? But for those who spent a couple of bucks tonight were treated to a great show. These are five very talented musicians.

I was approached by bass player Freddy Villano before the show. This was nice to see and more bands should be networking a room like this. We spoke about the scene and his band briefly. Turns out the members are spread throughout the New York area. Which make rehearsing not such an easy task. Also singer Glenn DaGrossa (from Lazarus fame) resides in CT.

During the show Glenn joked with the crowd. Stating he had to swim to get to the show. The guitar duo of Joe Todaro and Scott Bennet were amazing to watch. I was shocked that Scott had never practiced with the band before and it was his first time on stage with them. And rounding out the band was drummer Nick D'alessando. I've seen Nick play in various bands in the past and he is one hell of a drummer.

I would like to have seen Awaken with a merchandise table setup during the show. I think a band should have an area in the club to promote themselves. And clubs should give the space for a band to set up a merchandise table. It should be as important as the performance itself.

Awaken has no official .com at the moment. But they are taking advantage of sites like Myspace, Facebook and my favorite site ReverbNation.

To all you bands out there. Take my advice and sign up for a ReverbNation account. There are many tools for you to further your career.

On a final note. With the experience, Talent and accolades this band has combined. They should have no problem climbing the metal mountain. I wish them great success.