Lead singer Jay Buchanan rarely addressed the audience during Rival Sons gravel, grit and groove filled ninety-minute set but when he did, the words chosen were as invigorating as the songs performed. Judging from his frequent chest and throat rubs followed by copious sips of whatever healing elixir helped get him through the night, the most titanic tonsils to ever spawn from the bucolic Wrightwood forest to urban streets of Long Beach California, set aside whatever physical discomfort he may have been experiencing to release a carefully crafted Kraken roar cache that captivated the fist-flying faithful who braved the lousy elements and downtown traffic for a glimpse of vintage sounding modern rock greatness.<\/p>\n
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While the room and players warmed, the So Cal fellows found their sonic stride as they launched into a complete, track by track rendering of the band\u2019s seismic 2011 sophomore long play, Pressure & Time<\/em>. By selection four, however, the smoldering ballad, \u201cOnly One,\u201d the ancient Vic was in full resurrection, frenetic fans seduced into soulful Hammond B3 submission by the dancing digits of touring keyboardist Todd Ogren, sporting an Amish faced outcropping for the ages. \u201cGet Mine,\u201d \u201cBurn Down Los Angeles,\u201d \u201cSave Me,\u201d \u201cGypsy Heart,\u201d \u201cWhite Noise,\u201d and the luminous Zep-like \u201cFace of Light\u201d put a Goin\u2019 to California\u201d esque exclamation point on part one of the evening\u2019s melodic festivities.<\/p>\n How did this assembly of talented and driven musicians jump from the palm tree lined streets of Sublime\u2019s LBC<\/em>, escape the taco stands and tramp stamps of la la land\u2019s sun drenched sand camp? Call it a confluence of electromagnetic and iconic influential events. Four young, ambitious artists coalesce around the Long Beach music scene after guitarist Scott Holiday knew from avidly following Jay\u2019s MySpace page, that the singer was something truly special. Scott met drummer Mike Miley, who introduced him to Jay, his longtime local collaborator and the rest – to borrow a time-tested tuneful clich\u00e9 – history.<\/p>\n The buzz on \u2018Pressure & Time\u2019<\/em> was so deafening, it caught the attention of some rather revered tastemakers, among them axe legend Jimmy Page and album art avatar, Storm Thorgerson. Sir Pagey spoke publicly and passionately of the band\u2019s power and potential, his enthusiastic sentiments appearing in various British music publications, which helped the Sons secure some significant European tour opportunities. Add to the early alignment, the man who designed the cover of Dark Side of the Moon<\/em> volunteers <\/em>to craft your presentation.<\/p>\n “I don’t think you can be certain what’s going on here,\u201d recalled the late, great Thorgerson about his Sons\u2019 cover. \u201cTo me it’s a picture about fear or concern. Here’s someone about to descend and doesn’t know what they’ll face, or where this might lead. So, in his mind he’s imagining the action. That’s what you see, into his mind, as he focuses on what’s about to happen. When he gets to the bottom of the stairs, where does he go? Turn left, right or straight ahead, anything’s possible. And I hope this cover will have fans of the band intrigued for a long while.\u201d Or maybe it\u2019s just a middle aged man approaching a fork in the road while contemplating the headless youthful female figure clad in underwear that beckons a choice in direction? Who knows, the poetry of imagery belongs to the observer.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s a decade later and the intrigued Rival Sons global fan base has expanded considerably thanks to a series of solid studio efforts and tireless concert trekking. After a quick breather (and several more sips of his mystery tonic), longtime brown lid covered (now hatless blond front man) Buchanan, rides his second wind (and instrumental brothers) into part two of the evening\u2019s rapturous rock rodeo, lassoing several neo classics off Head Down, Great Western Valkyrie<\/em> and their most recent celebrated offering, Feral Roots<\/em>, \u201cToo Bad,\u201d the anthemic, \u201cOpen my Eyes,\u201d the thermo nuclear, \u201cElectric Man,\u201d and \u201cDo Your Worst\u201d highlight the backend of the program, which culminates with a soaring, fence clearing, \u201cKeep on Swinging.\u201d Tonight, the kids from the Pike drove it high, hard and far thanks to Scott Holiday\u2019s incendiary riffs and dexterous noodling; buttressed by the concrete rhythmic foundation supplied by bassist\u00a0Beste and drummer Miley.<\/p>\n No matter how scary and uncertain our freaky future continues to appear, as long as the Rival Sons just keep their head down, the galaxy\u2019s the limit.<\/p>\n ================================================================<\/p>\n For more on Rival Sons, click here<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Rival-Sons-The-Vic-Theatre-Chicago-October-2021-07.jpg\")
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