Full Value Review - Madlins show 1-12-05 review

MADLINS 1/12/05 WEDNESDAY SHOW

On a nipplely night in Temecula, CA, Full Value Entertainment and Madlins took the chill out of the air, for awhile, by presenting a SRO Wednesday night show for school age new music fans and parents alike. The crowd, friendly and polite like the bands, came early and stayed late, as did the musicians in attendance. It was the first Wednesday night show of the new year and it was a blast, as any SRO show is.

SET 1 – A CHANGE OF PACE

Back from Peoria, Arizona, not Illinois, was A CHANGE OF PACE, a band not seen around these parts since they rolled into Madlins with SKSK (that’s SCARY KIDS SCARING KIDS for those peeps just hatched this semester) on tour last year. This time out on the What Doesn’t Kill You, Will Just Piss You Off Tour and promoting the upcoming An Offer You Can’t Refuse CD due out in March ’05 on Immortal Records, the boys opened to a packed house and got the crowd hopping with their brand of ‘Arizona hardcore’, though some purists would argue it’s more post than straightedge. Appearing with NEVER HEARD OF IT and EWI in San Diego then LA on this tour leg, you can decide for yourself what their music wet spot is. Always a band with cutting edge tools -visit their ‘in your face’ website (www.achangeofpacemusic.com)- this time out they brandished a double jacketed CD/DVD complete with pictures showing why you never want to be the first person to pass out around ACOP. Members are Johnny Abdullah (bass/vocals), Jon Kelly (drums), Torry Jasper (guitar/vocals) and Adam Rodgers (guitar) and are on myspace.com.

SET 2 – BROWN EYED DECEPTION

Everyone’s favorite ‘play-on-words’ band and a crowd pleaser at the Temecula Rec Center this summer as well as at Madlins, BED was back to keep the crowd in a frenzy and offer a fresh stock of their ‘Beaver?’ shirts to all the local hotties on hand. Hummm, BED and beaver do go together, kinda like dick and Jane. Jacob (bass/additional vocals/band cheerleader), John (guitar), Cheyen (drums), Logan (guitar), and frontman Kyle, started the set with some audience participation. Though the second song had only been played twice before, you couldn’t tell it from the nice guitar work during the bridge. Also as so many bands do, they debuted a new song to the Madlins crowd. Their powerhouse performance showed why they are ‘favs’ around these parts and familiar enough to have many in the crowd sang the refrain to ‘So Far Away’, as everyone rocked out. Check them out at myspace.com and link from there.

SET 3 – LONDON COLOURS

The screams of anticipation started coming from the amped crowd before LC took the stage. “It’s our first show in two months. It feels good to be back (at Madlins),” said frontman mover Billy Duckworth, introducing Josh Caddy (guitar/additional vocals), Tieron Bradley (bass), Sebastian Kerrivic (guitar), and new drummer Matt Simeta. Constantly in motion, Billy sustained the crowd movement by doing oldies like ‘Candles’, a song recommended by Simon Lector and others that the crowd sang along with. Remarking that there was quite a turnout for a school night, the reply (from a female) was “f**K school!” I hadn’t seen this many ‘big dogs’ out since my glory days with Kathi, Glo, and Yo. But I digress, you can catch London Colours in San Diego later this month at Soma with LETTER KILLS. Check their usual place at myspace.com for the dates.

SET 4 – THE CHEMISTRY

Cooling things down before we blew a ‘fifty amp fuse’ was THE CHEMISTRY, who, missing a drummer and playing on short notice, did an impromptu acoustic set. Playing lead acoustic Epiphone and doing a fine job of it, was Thomas Scriver, seated on a chair back. Seated on the other side of the stage in a chair was Tommy Hamilton, on rhythm Epiphone and additional vocals. Standing, doing backup vocals and playing bass Epiphone, something rarer than a twelve string Ovation, was Jared Valencia. And handling the keys along with the vocals, plus doing a turn on an Epiphone was Danny Mitchell. The soulful set yielded another rarity in the slowed down version of ‘Living On a Prayer’, a rendition Jon Bon and Ricky would have been proud of. Also as the icing on the cake, free demo CDs featuring three songs and the video from the forthcoming Spring ’05 Razor & Tie self titled release were handed out to the crowd. It was the perfect lid for a boiling pot of hardcore stew, but there were some tired puppies in class today, you can bet. See the usual place at the usual space and link from there. –PT ROTHSCHILD