QuadSquad skates past competition
It’s fast. It’s aggressive. It’s loud. And it’s all done on roller skates.
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It’s fast. It’s aggressive. It’s loud. And it’s all done on roller skates.
Relaxing on their tour bus parked just outside Five Points’ Group Therapy, The Supervillains seem just like regular guys knocking back a few and shouting at the television as their favorite NBA team, the Orlando Magic, takes on the Philadelphia 76ers in a close game that’s come right down to the wire. “If you want to know what really keeps us going, it’s Magic games,” vocalist and guitarist Scott “Skart” Suldo said, keeping his eyes glued to the screen as the team lined up for a foul shot. “That’s really all it is.”The Supervillains include original members Suldo, drummer and vocalist Dom Maresco and bassist Dan Grundorf. New to the band are sax player Nathan Anderson and the keyboardist simply known as T-Rex, who joined after two members of the band’s horn section left. Originally formed in Orlando, Fla., during their school years, the band released three albums before they struck gold with 2006’s explosive “Grow Yer Own.” Since then, The Supervillains has been on the climb in the reggae charts, dropping hit singles like “Little Girl” and “Resin” while touring across the country with Pepper, Slightly Stoopid and Fishbone. “When we met, we all kind of decided that we didn’t want real jobs like most people, but we never thought it would get this far,” Suldo said. “We idolized groups like Fishbone and The Mad Caddies. And the cool part is that now we get to tour with some of those same groups that influenced our music.”When listening to any Supervillains track, a common thread is apparent. The songs are heavily influenced by a grooving island sound, complete with blaring horns and classic ska bass strumming alongside tongue-in-cheek lyrics. They’re easy to sing and chill to, drawing audiences from the West Coast. However, Suldo said one of the most unique things about the band is its ability to remain immune to stereotype.“When I read the press, I don’t really want our sound to be pigeonholed because we do a lot of songs about weed and women,” Suldo said. “That’s why our new album is probably the best we’ve ever done, because it’s where we are right now, and it’s free of curse words and drug references. We tried to keep it kosher so that everyone can enjoy it and not feel alienated.”The House in Five Points hosted The Supervillains Wednesday night, and although the crowd was slightly smaller in comparison to the sold-out tours with Pepper and Slightly Stoopid, Grundorf said no matter the crowd’s size, it’s all about the vibe. “You can have as much fun playing to a 20-person crowd as you can with a thousand people,” the bassist said.Their set at The House certainly proved that point, as the band ran through fan favorites like “Car Sex” and “Mary Jane and Jagermeister,” still managing to interact with the dancing and swaying crowd. “We sure have a good-looking crowd here tonight!” Maresco shouted to the audience halfway through the 90-minute set. “I guess they were right about South Carolina girls being so beautiful.”As far as the band’s future, Suldo said they plan to continue touring as long as they can, even though things are not always as fun as they may seem.“There’s not too many ska-punk bands blowing up out there, so it’s like we’re a part of an inner circle of doing what we love,” he said.
Enter hardcore quintet Colour Revolt from Oxford, Miss., that has been filling in the shoes rock and roll left behind since 2006.
Three years ago, a group of five wild and loud Kentucky-bred rockers burst onto the rock scene boasting a hardcore bluesy-punk sound and a reputation for an intensely energetic live show. With their self-titled debut album, Cage the Elephant found the perfect recipe for rock success: take one part garage rock, one part modern blues, add two parts convulsing lead singer, mix well with a raw unpolished sound and you’ve got a hard-hitting, chart-topping single. Hits like “Back Against the Wall” and “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” climbed both indie and rock charts in 2008, developing a mass following for the band with the name no one seemed to understand. Now the band hopes to uncage some of that same angst and brazen appeal with their new album, “Thank You, Happy Birthday.”On “Happy Birthday,” Cage the Elephant, comprised of lead singer Matthew Shultz, his guitarist brother Brad Shultz, bassist Daniel Tichenor, guitarist Lincoln Parish and drummer Jared Champion, captures all the boldness and unkempt sound that first paved their way to fame in the world of rock ’n’ roll . However, Cage is still pushing their musical boundaries, serving up gentle acoustics and depending less on typical rock instruments in favor of more electronically-revved-up rhythms and beats. The album’s opening track, “Always Something,” begins with a driving electronic backbeat, sounding more like a dark DJ mashup than the funk rock one would expect. Only when Shultz’s famous howls ease onto the track and the drums start to open up does it really start to feel like Cage the Elephant. The band also takes on a taste of the ironic on the new album, leading an assault on their followers with the thrashing and piercingly-honest track “Indy Kidz.” “I wanna be just like you,” sneers Shultz right before he breaks into guttural growls and Tichenor’s pounding bass takes over. The track is a crazy explosion of slamming drums and unexpected riffs while Shultz picks apart everything from television zombies to indie disciples: “I don’t watch TV ‘cause it’s just a box of lies / It makes me want to stick a toothpick in my mind.” It’s dark humor at its finest. However, Cage also goes soft on a few gentler tracks on the album, including the simplistically sweet “Rubber Ball” where Shultz translates his typically harsh vocals into melodic crooning. “All I’ve got is nothing but a little bit of love / Gonna give it to the people then they’ll see,” he sings in an almost feeble tone that sounds as if he’s floating through space trying to clear his mind. They explore a similar depth on “Flow.” Running over seven minutes long, this track tears down the band’s typically aggressive nature and exposes a lazier sound complete with a repetitive guitar, lighter drum play and tinkling vocals that are tailor-made for drowsy days. “Paper Cut (Walk Around My Head)” is also a track not to miss on the album. Although the lyrics and stylings of the song sound as if they were penned specifically for alternative rock gods the Pixies, Shultz certainly makes the song his own. “I don’t think it’s very nice to walk around my head all night / You’ve got me tangled like a bread tie twisted / I don’t think it’s fair. Do you?” Shultz roars over a guitar beat that is one of the catchiest the album has to offer. Other tracks, like “2024” and “Shake Me Down” are also destined for radio success, with hypnotic beats and sing-along style lyrics sure to please.
From "OK Computer" to "Kid A," the band has garnered a large following of fans from every corner of the world and certainly shows no signs of stopping. And now for the first time, USC students can chart Radiohead's musical journey from beginning to end, as the music department has introduced its brand new course, which will focus strictly on Radiohead's impact on the music world.