I almost didn’t go out the night of Thursday, December 2, but I sure am glad I did! Conan’s Pub housed a show of intense festive entertainment that night. I hope I can adequately relay the experience it in this textual format. The bands in the line up were Subconscious, The Fellow Betrayed, and Rose Moyer. Five dollars was the fare at the door.
I arrived just after 9:00 and quickly found a place among some friends. Friends really do make a difference. If you are in a band, having friends in the audience can bring the show to levels that might just exceed expectations.
I love Conan’s! It is a great venue all the way around as far as I am concerned. It has a large stage, well run sound, great stage lighting, and is well suited for an ever growing entertainment scene.
Anchorage Alaska’s Subconscious opened the show with their driving sound and eager youthful energy. This band was a great example of the positive attitude needed to make a great impression on its audience. With their energy it is no surprise that Subconscious is sponsored by Red Bull energy drink.
Subconscious is singer Dan Hall, guitarist Ari Katcher, bassist Andrew Totemoff, and drummer Axel Bodnar. Dan led Subconscious in a journey of heavy, music-driven power and desire. Three of the four members were under 21 years old and therefore unable to be anywhere but the stage, although they didn’t mind one bit. The crowd was responsive to their unique sound and active presentation. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that their technical proficiency was superior relative to my experiences, but it certainly wasn’t sloppy. The material was well-suited for their audience, with ample melodic content as well as raging screams. Subconscious used dynamics to keep the interest of the audience and showed how this detail is a very important element when it comes to music. I only noticed vocals on the part of Dan, even though Ari had a microphone available. Andrew and Axel were locked in with each other and all members appeared to be having fun. Thank you! I look forward to more from Subconscious.
We are The Fellow Betrayed! We are The Fellow Betrayed! We are The Fellow Betrayed!
I am not easily impressed when it comes to music and live shows, but The Fellow Betrayed made me shake my head in utterly impressed disbelief. Having never heard or seen them, I didn’t know what to expect. From the first notes, I was indelibly marked with the words that title the treasure that is this band. The chemistry between the audience and the band was all too tangible as many in the audience were also musicians. With such a great recipe we were about to be served a musical meal fit for royalty. The Fellow Betrayed used every tool and technique in the “How to make your band successful” book. They used dramatic dynamic changes that held my attention hostage, odd-interval harmonies that surpassed the typical vocal content, and nearly impeccable instrumentation that beat my musical sensibilities senseless. How could there be such a group of musicians that were so utterly complimentary to each other?
Jeremy seemed to lead the vocal endeavor, but, to my delight, all members made enormous contributions. Brian’s vocal skills, stage presence, and love for the art easily equaled his incredibly apt drumming. Shawn poured his six-stringed tones into the Betrayed goblet and completed the feast with his knight-like contributions. At one point, Jeremy brandished the fist-of-power informing the audience that they were all part of the fellow betrayed. One would have thought the band KORN was in the house when tFb covered Blind in what must have been note-for-note fashion. Um…WOW!
The Fellow Betrayed should give classes to the many who would otherwise struggle to learn what it is to be truly entertaining. I certainly felt schooled. The Fellow Betrayed is among my favorite acts at this time, after only one show. I am still shaking my head in disbelief. I implore you to go out and get a heaping serving of what The Fellow Betrayed has to offer. In the meantime you can check them out on the web at http://www.myspace.com/thefellowbetrayed/.
This show had impressed me so much by this time that I had almost forgotten that Rose Moyer was still to be experienced. Yet another tasty treat! Rose Moyer’s power-rage touched my receptors in a way that increased my appreciation for this style of music. Their compositions defied my notion that a band like that would just be noisy and go against the grain of my senses. Thank you for making me see the light that is Rose Moyer.
The Rose Moyer portion of the show was hot and energetic with sounds that shook the very structure of the building that houses Conan’s. At the end of the set, tFb’s Shawn and Brian joined Rose Moyer for a rap that stirred the audience back into a frenzy that many may have wanted to recover from. They each took a turn on the mic and once again showed their versatility by bustin’ out some dope-assed rhymes. I wasn’t sure if this was a cover of someone else’s rap, or their own. Nevertheless, it was so good that it seemed all theirs. Rose Moyer and friends really made the night complete. Thank you again!
In my subjective opinion, this show was among the best that I have witnessed. I have only relative experience to base that on, but I am confident that all in attendance were as thoroughly entertained as I. It was definitely more than the music on this night. I guess I made the right decision in getting out that night. This could have been the best show I ever missed.
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