I'm staring blankly at my page, at a loss for what to say. Last night I saw three local bands, all of whom kicked ass, and it's my job to make you regret that you weren't there. That could be easily done if I'd show you a video of the performances; which would be possible, each band had at least one person videotaping. But describing it, articulating it, making you feel like you were there...therein lies the magic.

Besides The Razor's "Local Edge" Thursdays, a fledgling production company called Twilight Productions now books all-ages shows at Ryan's every other Sunday, featuring local bands. A tough decision, considering the Village of Combined Locks recently passed an ordinance stating that the police need to be notified of all-age events at least two weeks prior. But at least now there's somewhere for the "kids" to be able to see their favorite (or soon-to-be new favorite) local bands play. You have to appreciate that. The irony here is that they booked DM and FauLT...together. That's like gasoline and a match, folks. Actually, it's more like peanut butter and jelly; two different ingredients that just taste so darn good together. (I'm gonna get hell for that analogy!)

The show kicked off with Disinformation Machine, Green Bay's self-proclaimed "thought-provoking metalcore band." That's actually a pretty fair description; their songs are aggressive and poignant, overflowing with intensity. This band has definitely grown on me since I was first introduced to them; the thundering stop-start rhythm used to throw me off-guard. They opened the show with one of their new songs, "Earwig Song" which has been getting a pretty good reaction from their fans. My own personal favorite, "Italics," came next. I don't know what it is, but there's something about the way vocalist Jerrod screams out "Italicized!" that sends shivers down my spine. Their (slightly crowded) set also included newer material, "Diminished" and "When Autumn Leaves Turn To Green," as well as the songs from their 2002 demo. By the time their set concluded, guitarist Chris looked like he was having a seizure, while Jerrod and bassist Mike both ended up on the ground. Their drummer, Nick, seemed to prevail with a cool head (maybe that's because he was beating away at the drums the whole time).

As it was Sunday evening, when the radio was played between sets, "The Local Edge" was broadcasting. Coincidentally enough, the band playing on the air was the next band up, remembertheday... (with the ellipsis mark, thankyouverymuch). Another band from Green Bay, remembertheday... (that's gonna get annoying) utilize two vocalists: one at the lower registers, one higher; and both had their own brand of screaming. I've only seen them live once before, and this time around I was impressed by their bassist; he not only seemed really into his playing, he brought an interesting style into the mix. The mix being very, very loud. I found myself having to plug my ears (I forgot my earplugs again) in order to hear the difference between the vocalists. Overall, there's just so much going on with this band that the songs get crowded and noisy, at least live.

FauLT (who used to be known as fault.) closed the show out. By this time I'd already forgotten that I was at an all-ages show on an early Sunday evening. The thankfully-still-somewhat-full crowd made their way towards the stage at last, just in time for the amusing "intro music"...singer Ben held the mic to his cell phone, which played "Take On Me" by Aha. You gotta love it. (Ben actually DID get a phone call during their set. He didn't answer it, but I thought it would have been hysterical if he had and put it up to the mic.) FauLT have a brand of metal that borders on the "nu" category; some screaming mixed with deep melodies, guitar parts that can just as easily switch from lilting to power-heavy, downbeat lyrics, and a beat that invites movement. Funny how that combination results in a good time, isn't it? Playing songs off their last demo, "Desolate," "Lies," and my own personal favorite, "Grey," they also demonstrated some of their newer material, as well. "A Silent Tragedy" stood out (despite my inability to recall the song title), though I'd have to hear it a few more times to pinpoint why. The moshing started partway through their set, inspired not only by the effort of the band, but the fact that there were video cameras rolling. But it wasn't only the fans busting loose; Paul's guitar strap broke, and he ended up having to play the entire last song while holding his guitar.

Something was in the air this night, causing these bands to go balls-out in their performances. Three of the guys independently reported to me that they were sore as the result of their playing. You gotta love it when the bands play so hard they hurt. Did I do these bands justice? Probably not. Did I make you feel like you were there? Who knows. The point is, go and check out your local bands. Even if it's an all-ages show on a Sunday in February, give it a shot. They just might surprise you.

For more pictures, go here.

www.disinformationmachine.com
www.remembertheday.net
www.faultland.com
clik.to/twilightproductions
www.ryansballroom.com

Photos by Jaimie