FOLIO
by Ora “Tre” Brasel
Heading out to this show I was not really to sure what type of music to expect from the bands I was about to see, but as always I made sure to keep my mind and ears open to anything that was to come my way. As fate would have it I was about to witness two of the better acts I have heard locally, and two others hailing from Atlanta and Orlando that are certainly on their way to bigger and better things in the very near future. This particular show was also the very first GO GREEN concert in JAX, which was being put on by the environmentally conscious organization Girls Gone Green. The show featured earth friendly wristbands, biodegradable corn made cups instead of plastic, info booths with brochures about Girls Gone Green, and eco-friendly band merchandise. The night also included the raffling off of a brand new, black Epiphone guitar and t-shirts held at the end of the night’s festivities, with all proceeds going to help out Girls Gone Green. It was a very wonderfully put together show that suffered from only one factor, and that was the common occurrence that happens far too often in our city- people thinking they are made of sugar and will melt in the rain. Nonetheless I was very glad that I weathered the storm, and earned the privilege of seeing a class act event.
Things got started going almost instantly after I passed through the doors, and first off was some great local talent- Tragedy Hero. A tiny audience was all that was in front of them due to the heavy rain earlier in the evening, but that was quickly brushed off without any visible disappointment, and they just proceeded on as if it were business as usual, delivering their set with nothing but smiles and excellent tunes. Providing a very polished set of potential pop punk hits, even when they switched up some of their instruments and main vocals between Andrew Perlowich (lead vocals, guitarist) and Jeremy Austin (drums), while Andrew Wernisch (bass) kept the bass lines and backing vocals coming. A very impressive showing from a group that has been together for roughly a year at this point, and which truly seems to be well on their way to getting their name out there well beyond just J-Ville.
Next up was Last November out of Atlanta, who seem to be a very girl-friendly band in both looks and sound judging by the fact that practically every girl who was in the place gathered up in front of the stage for them. Probably a large part of this is due to their very radio-friendly single that is out now entitled ’17 at 3 in the morning.’ These guys brought a much more laid-back indie rock sort of vibe with them, and even though initially being skeptical about their sound they eventually managed to win me over a bit with their strong, relatable lyrics. I would imagine it won’t be too long before these guys are all over the radio, and probably high up on the charts as well with their accessible and appealing music.
Switching up the flavor of the evening yet again was the reggae, hip-hop stylings of Jacksonville Beach’s own Split Tone. With so many band members and equipment on stage it was surprising that this band’s large, energetic sound could fit up there with them, but it did quite easily so. Even though there might only of been a small amount of souls in the entire building it didn’t limit anyone in the place from showing their happiness during many enjoyable moments from this band. Covers of both Sublime and Damien “Jr. Gong” Marley were obvious crowd-pleasers which were pulled off with relative ease. These guys were very much ready to show everyone in attendance that Jah had shined his light on them.
For the final act of the Go Green concert was Senate out of Orlando. Busting out another musical flavor from the alternative music universe in the taste of rock and rap that laid somewhere close along the lines of 311, Rage Against The Machine and Public Enemy. Coming out with a strong, aggressive, and fun personality that showed these guys had clearly rocked a stage or two before tonight’s show. Even though I generally do not prefer this type of musical combination, there was something about the enthusiasm put forth from Senate that made me enjoy it regardless. Their sound was quite well put together and clean, providing a nice glossy performance that was a perfect note to end the evening on.
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