09 Jul 11

"...we're Gidgets Ga Ga ...the other white meat..."

Hey, blogspot readers, this rockin' "work" week concluded with a steamy Saturday outting at The Abbey. SouthSide sought relief from the heat inside the warm Green Room where she chatted briefly with longtime friends, Gidgets Ga Ga and their guests. They were part of the lineup that also featured The Big Strong Men (MN) and local rockers, Wally Dogger with The Westerns opening the show.

Rockin' the stage with lively tempos within a classic English rock sound, SouthSide was excited to see her friends Gidgets Ga Ga - the original Ga Ga before it became monster famous. These trio of rockers somehow managed to put on an energetic rock show which included a rare acoustic moment (due to minor technical difficulties) despite the steamy atmosphere felt inside the venue. In this reviewer's opinion this impromptu moment of performing Angel highlighted the dynamic the vocal power of Mike (Gidgets front man and guitarist) and his raspy falsetto voice while in an acoustically downtempo electric tone. There were other instances in which the audience was treated to his vocal style especially during The Sorry Song where he projected a bit of emotional sincerity thus making the words sound so believeable when singing "...I am truly sorry/yes, I am..." Or listen to Bomb where one could literally feel (besides hear) the frustration dripping from his voice however Gidgets wasn't able to complete the live version of this particular song due to tech difficulties. Yet, that didn't stop or slow down these rockers. They stilll rocked out the stage with other lively tunes such as Belmont (highly charged allegro tempo), Offer Can't Refuse (think The Replacements when listening to this soulful English blues rock song) and closer Hit By A Train (an upbeat tempo featuring catchy guitar hooks though a little serious on the lyrical side but still fun). SouthSide highly suggests checking out her friends Gidgets Ga Ga at their next show. For more information, visit http://www.gidgetsgaga.com or http://www.myspace.com/gidgetsgaga.

From the land of thousand lakes, this rockin' musically diverse group of men brought their wild and planking act to Chicago, blogspot readers, that also included some push-ups too. Oh, Southside should warn you about The Big Strong Men (MN) and their show - expect the unexpected to happen while they rock the stage as well as listening to their songs. You're probably wondering why she would say that about them. Well, let's just say, these Men came out of the gates charging with high strung energy that everyone was instantly hooked onto their music groove in a sense they literally did take control of the show (a nice play on their second song We've Taken Control featuring front man Ben and his pushups). They kept their audience on their toes throughout the performance switching from funky energy to a soulful downtempo R&B sound (She's Gone featuring Ben dynamically wowing the audience with his vocals ...he melted the microphone during his Ray Charles-like tone) to Americana rock (World Get You Down) and a melodic example of English blues rock (Can't Get In). And that's just a tiny sample of what was heard during The Men's set. There was also the funny side to these rockers that featured a humorous tune about soap operas and the things we do for love in Crimes Of Passion or try the latest YouTube sensation with them called "planking" (laying on the ground or object on your stomach) during Still July. What SouthSide liked most about these Big Men was how they rocked the stage with vigorous intensity that at times she didn't know where they were coming or going ...or sometimes a little of both at the same time. That was the basis of their entire set, blogspot readers, which made it fun and very enjoyable with plenty of danceable swing-time music. If you want some of The Big Strong Men in your life, SouthSide highly suggests rockin' with these men at their next scheduled performance ...and bring along your planking moves too. Visit http://www.reverbnation.com/thebigstrongmen or http://www.myspace.com/thebigstrongmen for more information and music.

After that rousing performance, blogspot readers, SouthSide was ready for rockin' fun with her other trio of friends, Wally Dogger who enjoy being humorous inside their serious lyrics. She recently enjoyed their outdoor show at this year's Peace Fest however for their headlining performance at The Abbey, they did things a little differently. Not really having a ready-made set list for the night, Wally in a fun way winged it by asking the audience song suggestions while performing some of their fan favorites like Tramp Stamp (one jailbait teen you certainly don't want be caught with, fellas) or get a giggle (or not) from the Inside Jokes. Yet if you listen very closely, you shall hear the cruel seriousness as well as some true behind the lyrical meanings while poking fun at life especially during the song Take Your Shit and Leave. During this song, Pauly (front man on bass/keys) vividly emitted plenty of vocal frustration which was also heard off the twitterpating guitar riffs (also listen to You Only Like Me When I'm Leaving). Though it wasn't performed, SouthSide also recommends listening to Alphabet Soup and IT is For Rock Stars. Yet the highlight out of the entire evening came when Wally rocked out the stage with a rousing version of Mott The Hoople's All of The Young Dudes to close out their show ...it had fierce guitar intensity that had SouthSide and audience singing along with the band. This reviewer highly recommends checking out Wally Dogger at their next scheduled performance. Visit http://www.myspace.com/wallydogger or http://www.reverbnation.com/wallydogger for more information and music