Viva Viva, Aloud, Public Relations, KPSoloman5000

The Milestone

March 26, 2011

The Deal: This past New Years Day, I was fortunate enough to be the only non-hung-over person at the Milestone's New Years Day Hangover Party. For this I am thankful because I got to experience some amazing music by KPSoloman5000 and Aloud from Boston and I probably wouldn't have been as struck if I were nursing a terrible hangover. To my surprise, and for the benefit of those that couldn't pay full attention last round, Aloud was to come back to the Milestone March 26 booked with their hometown friends Viva Viva and our locals KPSoloman5000 and Public Relations. I had the feeling I was in for a night of satisfying, moderate déjà vu.

The Good: KPSoloman5000 and his acoustic guitar took the stage first and from the beginning of his set he was cracking jokes and making us giggle. He is most certainly a gem rough in all the right ways. His voice is sweetly powerful, reminiscent of Johnny Cash's rasp and the warm tones of late '90s pop-punk. His range and inflection reflect emotion in such an intense manner; you will become torn between smiling and tapping your foot or tearing up as your heart is ripped delicately from your chest. Dressed in black from cowboy hat to dress shoes, the smoky lights shine upon him like sunshine in the darkest of places as he belts out lyrics that deal with common but unspoken problems that occur in day-to-day life. KP is a dazzling example of what it means to sing from the soul and his strumming is in complete organic unity. From his sad songs like “Amen” to his more humorous numbers like “Drunk Again,” he hypnotized the crowd with his presence.

Public Relations was up next and although they were particularly not my cup of tea, they weren't a bad number. With music in the style of a more melodic Blink 182, they were catchy and angsty. Their music brought me back to simpler times when I was young without a real care in the world. I must say, they are truly capable musicians for the style they play; overlapping their guitars in perfect sequence with simplistic drumming and bass lines they hit the nail on the head. As the band solemnly played on, their vocalist got into the words he was singing and got the room nodding their heads in appreciation. They even played a Japanese Noise Core song for us that reminded me of the great Peelander-Z.

While everyone had migrated to the bar between sets, Aloud began its performance sans microphone via acoustic guitar and harmonized singing in the middle of the floor. As they progressed in the song “Last Time,” band members began to join in. First their bassist entered the room from the bar, tambourine in hand banging along until he reached his instrument and their drummer clapped along as he made his way to his set. Before you knew it, there was a full band on stage jamming out in beautiful harmony that left you breathless and fighting tears of catharsis. I cannot stress enough how talented these people are, often trading instruments off throughout the set. Their melodies and vocal harmonies have the capacity to give you butterflies while their percussion and bass get your hips swinging. And they put off such a wonderful vibe that even on the dreariest of days you could put on their record and feel a thousand times better. By the end of the performance, everyone was grooving and smiling the night away, grateful that such beauty was laid out before them. Think I'm exaggerating? Check out this video of a performance they did about a year ago in their home state:

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Now that we had all reached an ultimate high on music, Viva Viva closed out the night with a nothing but stellar performance. If they hadn't admitted that they were drunk, we would've never known because they were that solid. Their music reminds me of old school punk rock ('80s) with a touch of modern indie. Standing tall (quite literally) their vocalist, Chris gracefully stumbled along to the music as he roared his words. Their guitarist is definitely the most energetic multitasker of them all, discharging the energy of a rabbit on acid as he flawlessly carries the tunes. Between these two guys, their slow-handed bassist, passionate keyboardist and rocking drummer they really are “angels with tambourine halos,” like they had jokingly claimed. The crowd was so into the moment that when they announced their last song everyone begged for more. Chris told us all that they were too drunk and when the crowd responded with “even better” he admitted they “could play 30 more but it would be a hot mess.” Despite the fact that we were all about that, we had to be understanding because most of us have been a victim of the Milestone's Whiskey Vortex just some of us couldn't pull it off quite as well.

The Bad: I wouldn't necessarily say it was a bad thing, but Public Relations kind of threw off the vibe of the night. They aren't a bad band and I would like to see them play again in a different atmosphere. I'm just not sure if they had the right sound to create the ultimate line-up and keep the flow going.

The Verdict: Despite my lack of love for pop-punk, this was a great show that resulted in me leaving feeling refreshed and completely in appreciative love with music. If Viva Viva or Aloud come back into town, I highly recommend you come out and experience the music that Boston is putting out. They must have something in the water up there because both bands are amazingly talented and put off great, rejuvenating energy. Until then, keep your eyes peeled for KPSoloman5000 and Public Relations shows because both of them are solid and sincerely worthy of your time.