2008 Woodie Awards
The Alley's Punk Show Leaves much to be Desired
Local bands do not take advantage of exciting local venue's potential for exposure.
Trevor Owens
Issue date: 9/6/06 Section: Entertainment
The Alley in Fullerton hosted six bands last Tuesday, all local punk or pop/punk bands. Far From Famous headlined the show, which also included Ever So Good, The Outside View, Strike Twelve, The Crush, and Run Home Jack.
The bands in the show ranged from cringingly awful, to marginally mediocre, to somewhat promising. The night got progressively better though, and each band seemed to sound at least a little better than the one before it.
When Reel Big Fish played The Alley last semester, the place was absolutely packed. They were filming for a forthcoming DVD release, and excitement was rampant.
Far From Famous sounds like a band with a chance of being signed by a major label. Easily the best band of the night, these headliners sound like they spend a lot of time playing music together. The result is a band that stays musically tight, and actually makes an admirable attempt at vocal harmony.
Ever So Good opened the show, followed by The Outside View, and Strike Twelve. Strike Twelve
sounded better than those that came before, but their sound was generic; the last thing that punk fans want from their music.
The Crush broke up the monotony of the first half of the show with a female vocalist, Nicole Viramontes. The band sounds a lot like Avril Lavigne, minus the cute factor. The Crush is also a lot less pop than Avril, and a whole lot more punk. This means more screaming, and less crooning.
Viramontes played the part of the talkative and energetic lead singer, with only one major
shortcoming. The Crush would have fared much better, but Viramontes was off-key for the whole set.
The Alley is a spectacular venue for struggling bands with little or no following. It is not much bigger than a garage, so bands can play through their amps unaided. The guitarist from The Crush did not think his sound output was adequate, and decided to put a live microphone in front of his
amplifier, which caused intense feedback issues for the entire set.
The bands in the show ranged from cringingly awful, to marginally mediocre, to somewhat promising. The night got progressively better though, and each band seemed to sound at least a little better than the one before it.
When Reel Big Fish played The Alley last semester, the place was absolutely packed. They were filming for a forthcoming DVD release, and excitement was rampant.
Far From Famous sounds like a band with a chance of being signed by a major label. Easily the best band of the night, these headliners sound like they spend a lot of time playing music together. The result is a band that stays musically tight, and actually makes an admirable attempt at vocal harmony.
Ever So Good opened the show, followed by The Outside View, and Strike Twelve. Strike Twelve
sounded better than those that came before, but their sound was generic; the last thing that punk fans want from their music.
The Crush broke up the monotony of the first half of the show with a female vocalist, Nicole Viramontes. The band sounds a lot like Avril Lavigne, minus the cute factor. The Crush is also a lot less pop than Avril, and a whole lot more punk. This means more screaming, and less crooning.
Viramontes played the part of the talkative and energetic lead singer, with only one major
shortcoming. The Crush would have fared much better, but Viramontes was off-key for the whole set.
The Alley is a spectacular venue for struggling bands with little or no following. It is not much bigger than a garage, so bands can play through their amps unaided. The guitarist from The Crush did not think his sound output was adequate, and decided to put a live microphone in front of his
amplifier, which caused intense feedback issues for the entire set.
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