Bands: Reggie & the Full Effect, Eisley
Venue: Tremont Music Hall
Date: March 18th, 2005
Review & Photography: Andy Hewitt
Having seen both Reggie & the Full Effect and Eisley before, I knew what I was getting in to traveling 3 hours to Charlotte from my temporary home of Milligan College. The last time that I had seen Eisley live was before their 2nd EP, Marvelous Things, had been released, so I was ready to hear them play some music off of their recent Warner Bros. debut full length, Room Noises. I had also seen Reggie & the Full Effect play once before, which I must say is one of the best live stage performances out there. Overall, I knew that I was in for a memorable night of insane antics of Reggie & the Full Effect and his sub-groups Common Denominator and Fluxuation, as well as the beautiful harmonies and melodic sounds of Tyler, Texas natives Eisley.
As Eisley took the stage, my excitement began to build. The band started the set off with “Marvelous Things”, which I must say is one of my personal favorites. The piano’s first few notes sent shivers through me as Stacy began to sing. The rest of Eisley’s set featured “Golly Sandra”, “Plenty of Paper”, and “My Lovely”, which came off of their debut full length. Stacy and Sherri’s voices sounded so beautiful, and they never cease to amaze me with how well they harmonize and create musical bliss. Chauntelle’s stage presence was also very enjoyable to watch, because she was smiling so much, and seemed to have such a good time performing, not that the other’s don’t, but she especially drew my attention. The only negative point of their set was the feedback that kept reoccurring throughout the set, but that is in no way their fault. Although Eisley was limited to a half an hour set, they had the best set of the night with their melodic and dreamy guitar parts and the harmonious voices of Stacy and Sherri DuPree.
Following Eisley’s beautiful set, Reggie & the Full Effect was set to take the stage. For those not familiar with Reggie & the Full Effect, the creative genius of James DeWees (The Get Up Kids). Through his past 3 releases on Vagrant Records, he has been able to develop characters that reappear throughout his records. While many may see Reggie & the Full Effect as one band, it is in fact 3 bands in 1. There is Reggie & the Full Effect, Fluxuation, which is a mock European Techno-Pop group, and Common Denominator, a metal band from Finland headed up by the infamous “Klaus” (James DeWees).
Okay, now that we can see the complexity of Reggie & the Full Effect, I can tell you about the show. Going in to the show, I knew that Reggie & the Full Effect used costumes throughout their show for the 3 “different bands”, so I was highly anticipating their choice of costumes. The band emerged ready for a show full of energy as they donned their Easter bunny outfits. The show opened up with a couple songs off of their first record, “Greatest Hits ‘84-‘87”. They also played some new songs off of his new record, “Songs Not to Get Married To”, which sounded really good. The band sounded good throughout their set full of varied genres. James and his synthesizers sounded especially good throughout the entire set. The back up band seemed to have a good amount of experience, which made the set sound so good. Reggie & the Full Effect closed their set out with “Something I’m Not” off of their record Promotional Copy, which is a favorite of mine. Up next, Fluxuation took the stage driving a Power Wheel’s Fire Truck, which had a working fire hose, in tight swimming shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt that had been cut so that his stomach was showing. While Fluxuation only played one song, “Gloves”, it was a very enjoyable show. Last but not least was the Finnish metal band Common Denominator. The group came out with robes, other gothic attire, and “blood” on their faces. Common Denominator’s set was full of distortion and double bass pedal goodness. The band also played the song “Dwarf Invasion”, another one of my favorites off of Promotional Copy. Overall, Eisley’s set was relaxing, beautiful, and full of harmony, while Reggie & the Full Effect, Fluxuation, and Common Denominator brought a new dimension to stage presence and offered a uniquely creative outlook on music.
M U S I C |
