So I went to the Knitting Factory, Saturday, February 3, 2007, but I didn't get there until 10:00pm. A number of people told me they liked the band that just played, The Vespertines, but I can't attest to much else myself. Catch them on MySpace if you are interested.

First band up after I arrived, THE AMNESTY ( You can hear them on MySpace under Connor Ragan if you are interested.) They seem to have a good number of fans in the audience. (They were sold out.) At first they didn't seem bad. Good music, but the lead singer does need a few vocal lessons, though he did have a good stage presence, and communicated to his audience well. But, after about 3 songs I started getting a little bored and antsy. Songs weren't distinct, vocals weren't good. These guys may have potential but they need a little more practice. Their MySpace music is much better than this live performance was, though even on MySpace it is evident the lead singer needs to get some vocal training.

Their performance: Decent, but a little boring after awhile; Musicianship: Decent; Vocals: a little off key, (sound better on MySpace); Creativity: OK, but after a while individual songs made no distinct impression on me. Audience rapport: good. They seemed to have a lot of fans, and the audience was paying attention as they played. Final analysis. Improving the vocals would really help this band. However, in all fairness, the lead singer was complaining to the soundman throughout his set that he couldn't hear himself. (But in complete fairness, Dead Sara complained about that too, but their vocals still rocked.)

Second up: DEAD SARA ( You can hear them on MySpace if you are interested.) What can I say. Dead Sara Rocked again! The crowded room even got more crowded when Dead Sara took the stage. (Another sold out performance, but it seemed like extra people were sneaking in the room, because it was really crowded.) And the already excited audience even got more excited as Dead Sara began. They did a set similar to the Whisky set they did. They opened up with their two song two member (reminiscent of the White Stripes) set, and finished with four more songs (Including "Innuendo" and "Momma Told Me" from MySpace) with a guest bassist and drummer (Their MySpace page still says bassist and drummer needed).

Performance: Great again! These girls (Emily and Siouxsie) rock, are alive, love music, and seem to have that extra quality that most of the other shows I see lack--these girls are going to be stars--It just shows. Musicianship: Great. Siouxsie rocked again on both guitar and drums. Vocals: Excellent! Again best vocals of the night. Great voice and Emily can both scream and sing! ( Not the same style but vocally reminiscent of Janis Joplin's ability to both scream and sing.) Creativity: Tops! Good mixture of songs and styles. Nothing boring. Audience rapport. Great! They were totally in sync with the crowd and afterwards you hear nothing but good comments coming out of everyone's mouths. Final Analysis: Like I said last time, keep your eyes on these girls. They are going places.

Third up: ENDLESS HALLWAY. ( They too can be found on MySpace). Good rocking music. But the vocals were a little weak (better on MySpace) and stage personality was even weaker. Didn't really communicate to the audience at all. But very good musicianship. Had a good size following there and like Dead Sara and The Amnesty they were sold out and had the audience with them throughout their set.

Performance: Overall, good. Musicianship: Very good. A good tight band. Rockin' music. Vocals: A little weak, (Better on MySpace than live.) Creativity: Good, not a lot of variation of style, but none the less good. Didn't get boring. Audience rapport. None. Didn't seem to think it important to communicate to the audience, so they didn't. None the less they seemed to have lots of fans there, and the fans liked them. Final Analysis. Worth seeing. Especially if you like good rockin' music.

As for me, I was mainly there to see Dead Sara. After seeing them at the Whisky I kind of consider them a rare find--a diamond in the rough. And apparently I am not the only one. As I type here at my keyboard this Sunday morning, I am already hearing rumors that Dead Sara was approached by record execs last night who were "wowed" and want to sign them.

Hey Guys --I found them first!

So I guess I am going to have to track these girls down and do an interview before they get too big and famous to remember me.

Sounds like a plan.

(c)2007 Ron Powers