SOhO Serves Up Home-Brewed Rock

Thursday night, February 25th, was a classic dose of home-brewed rock’n’roll at SOhO. The club featured three area rock bands that each had a different sound and flavor, ranging from punk, to psychedelic, to straight-up hard rock.

The Chores opened up the night and described themselves as sounding like a “junior-high rock band,” but they delivered so much more. The band was composed of two males and two females, with the boys on bass and drums, and girls on vocals and guitar. The fiery lead singer, Demi Boelsterli, had an incredible stage presence as she stomped around the stage dancing with each band member and letting her vocals fly off her tongue with ferocity. The band had a distinct skate punk sound. Songs like “I’m Alright,” “Hey Frank,” and “Never,” sounded like something out of 90’s Volcom Skate vid. Angry and pissed off at the establishment, this band got the crowd warmed up with rebellious ease. A solid local cult fan base came out to see the band rip the SOhO stage apart with their garage rock sounds. Clad in patched jean jackets and leather, each fan seemed to exuded lively punk rock vibes.

Rubberneck Lions were heavy and psychedelic. The band definitely had its roots in the hard rock genre as hints of Deep Purple, Ozzy, and Iron Maiden reverberated throughout their music. The singer hit crazy high notes and let out amazing wails over blistering drum fills and distorted guitars. The drums really stood out in this band as a driving force behind the heaviness and fullness of the music.

Afishnsea The Moon closed the show with smooth and swelling tones. Their song “Necklace” sounded like the large swelling waves that we’ve been experiencing during this past El Niño. The song features a tribal break breakdown with only drums, claps, and vocals and the crowd loved it. “Alright, another footstomper,” lead singer Johnny McCann said as the band went into another soulful and guitar-solo filled song. The band’s bluesy roots shined as the guitar players traded solos. The tone was bright but warm, and the guitar licks were incredibly tasty, like smoky aged scotch. The band closed with a country rock song that was reminiscent of The Eagles, the song’s gravely and whispering vocal harmonies built up to a rapturous chorus with a slide guitar melody that pulled at the heart strings. The band showcased a variety of talent and styles and I can’t wait to see them perform around town again.