Tidbits: February’s FredRock In Review
Originally Posted March 6th, 2011
February’s FredRock seems to have put the train right back on its tracks. Locals showed Saturday’s (2/26) event lots of love, filling parking spaces at the Moose Lodge. FredRock reciprocated the feeling by hosting several local “All Star” bands and having plenty of variety to offer for concertgoers. The Moose Lodge was in its seasonal décor of red glittery hearts and even the mascot moose seemed to be glowing with the warm vibes collectively circulating the party room. Here’s a rundown of the highlights…
I missed the first few bands, but hey it’s never a party until Go Home Freshmen show up anyway. I’ve seen them a few times now and they are always popular at FredRock, but this time they brought a little extra something to the table. The band of boys took to stage with a harder more aggressive attitude than I’ve previously seen and while that sort of things doesn’t usually impress me much the crowd was really digging the harder version of their normally upbeat pop emo.
A hard follow up to a FredRock favorite, newbie’s The B-Side Band mixed it up with some more traditional blues rocks covering Jimi Hendrix and some other classics. A solid fledgling group over all and the female singer had a voice complementary to the genre. My favorites however, were the solo jams by the lead guitarist who managed to bust of string before the end of the set.
Semi out of town guests this go round were This Time It’s War from Richmond, Virginia. They brought more metal hardcore rock to table, which of course was well received. The band had some great rhythm sections but the lyrics seemed a little muddy. We’ll chalk that up to not enough sound checking I guess because the recorded stuff on their MySpace page sounds crystal clear.
The Dirty Jacks were a name I didn’t recall seeing before, but I can guarantee I’ll keep an eye out for them in the future. It’s hard to describe the sound of The Dirty Jacks from Gaithersburg. It’s pop, its rock, sometimes there’s keyboard, and sometimes it sounds kind of emo. The lead singer is full of charisma and puts on an energetic live performance, but I think the best component of the music is the imaginatively creative lyrics that play like a movie in your head.
Next up were dub step/ dance/ electronica trio Plaeground who I’ve seen on lineups around town a few times before but never in person. Without much of an introduction, the grooves started and didn’t stop until the end of the set. The crowd chanted for an encore and we got a little high-speed piano riff from Jen. I hadn’t realize dub step was growing in popularity again locally until a few days ago, not to say Paeground is following some trend or that they are new on the scene. As far as Frederick bands go, they are almost veterans having been performing together since 2005 and from the sound of things, I wouldn’t say the group’s name is a fluke either. From the range of variety in their compositions, it really does seem like electronica is Jen, Will, and Carl’s playground of choice. (On a side note, check out this BBC documentary on the history behind British Reggae.)
Lastly, I finally got a chance to catch a live performance by popular bar scene band around town, The Knolly Moles . Their sound is a mix of many pop genres, acoustic rock, ska punk, and R&B dance. The show was well attended by a variety of all age folks and the Knolly Moles lived up to their reputation with a clean and tight danceable set. Apparently, the boys are going to be playing on 98 Rock’s Noise In The Basement on March 13th. Check out the event here . In addition, FNP life style staffer did an interview with the band a little more than a month ago, read it here .
Well that about wrap up February’s FredRock, look for the next one on March 19th!
February’s FredRock seems to have put the train right back on its tracks. Locals showed Saturday’s (2/26) event lots of love, filling parking spaces at the Moose Lodge. FredRock reciprocated the feeling by hosting several local “All Star” bands and having plenty of variety to offer for concertgoers. The Moose Lodge was in its seasonal décor of red glittery hearts and even the mascot moose seemed to be glowing with the warm vibes collectively circulating the party room. Here’s a rundown of the highlights…
I missed the first few bands, but hey it’s never a party until Go Home Freshmen show up anyway. I’ve seen them a few times now and they are always popular at FredRock, but this time they brought a little extra something to the table. The band of boys took to stage with a harder more aggressive attitude than I’ve previously seen and while that sort of things doesn’t usually impress me much the crowd was really digging the harder version of their normally upbeat pop emo.
A hard follow up to a FredRock favorite, newbie’s The B-Side Band mixed it up with some more traditional blues rocks covering Jimi Hendrix and some other classics. A solid fledgling group over all and the female singer had a voice complementary to the genre. My favorites however, were the solo jams by the lead guitarist who managed to bust of string before the end of the set.
Semi out of town guests this go round were This Time It’s War from Richmond, Virginia. They brought more metal hardcore rock to table, which of course was well received. The band had some great rhythm sections but the lyrics seemed a little muddy. We’ll chalk that up to not enough sound checking I guess because the recorded stuff on their MySpace page sounds crystal clear.
The Dirty Jacks were a name I didn’t recall seeing before, but I can guarantee I’ll keep an eye out for them in the future. It’s hard to describe the sound of The Dirty Jacks from Gaithersburg. It’s pop, its rock, sometimes there’s keyboard, and sometimes it sounds kind of emo. The lead singer is full of charisma and puts on an energetic live performance, but I think the best component of the music is the imaginatively creative lyrics that play like a movie in your head.
Next up were dub step/ dance/ electronica trio Plaeground who I’ve seen on lineups around town a few times before but never in person. Without much of an introduction, the grooves started and didn’t stop until the end of the set. The crowd chanted for an encore and we got a little high-speed piano riff from Jen. I hadn’t realize dub step was growing in popularity again locally until a few days ago, not to say Paeground is following some trend or that they are new on the scene. As far as Frederick bands go, they are almost veterans having been performing together since 2005 and from the sound of things, I wouldn’t say the group’s name is a fluke either. From the range of variety in their compositions, it really does seem like electronica is Jen, Will, and Carl’s playground of choice. (On a side note, check out this BBC documentary on the history behind British Reggae.)
Lastly, I finally got a chance to catch a live performance by popular bar scene band around town, The Knolly Moles . Their sound is a mix of many pop genres, acoustic rock, ska punk, and R&B dance. The show was well attended by a variety of all age folks and the Knolly Moles lived up to their reputation with a clean and tight danceable set. Apparently, the boys are going to be playing on 98 Rock’s Noise In The Basement on March 13th. Check out the event here . In addition, FNP life style staffer did an interview with the band a little more than a month ago, read it here .
Well that about wrap up February’s FredRock, look for the next one on March 19th!
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