Concert Review - Hi-Test
- Alex
"Dude, you gotta come see Matty's band - they remind me of the Candyskins"
-Jake
And if you don't know me enough to know that's all it'd take, well then you haven't read this, have you? Granted, it only took Jake like ten times saying this
before I finally went, and then only after he'd dubbed me their CD, but hey let's not quibble.
Speaking of the CD, let's do a quick review. Oh yeah. It's pop/punk, guitar driven, great vocals, pretty much right
up my alley. It's got songs that I don't even really think about singing along with, I just sing along. To give you an
idea of another album where I do that, let's say Radiohead's The Bends. Which is, of course, high praise. But hey,
if you don't believe me, you can download When You Crash (which rocks), here.
And if you like the disc, you can buy it
here.
Yes, I'm really pimping this stuff. And yes, if you're paying attention, I do now actually own the CD. Lay off, it's good.
But so anyway, I finally got a chance this week to see Hi-Test play in person. If you're the kind of person who likes to know
if the band members are jerks or not, they're not. Jason, Jamison, J Matt, and J-Todd (so as not to be J-exclusionary). They're cool.
And the show was good. They're actually just off a tour of the UK, so there was a bit of rust at the start of the show. After a couple
songs they (and the sound guy) were kickin' it. They played most, if not all of their CD, including my faves When You Crash, The
Energy, Static, and Underground, plus a few new songs that seemed pretty polished.
And, if I may say, it's definitely nice to see a local act that has two guys who can actually sing. Seriously. Too often the
backup guy hits notes that make you wonder if they're just letting him sing so he'll shut up about it. Not Jamison. I was definitely
hyped about that, as it's one of my preferences to hear a band work in some sweet harmonies.
There wasn't a huge crowd at the 400 Bar, but if you're so inclined, you can see them at the 400 again on December 6th. I think
you should go. Unless your name is Wade, and you're hosting a party. And even then you should maybe think about going, just so
people can talk about how you ditched out on your own party. Heh.
Hi-Test's official website can be found here. I'm out. Peace.
11/13/03
