Nightflying: The Entertainment Guide

    I managed to find my way to Memphis on this particular Friday evening (October 21, 2005) to a showcase of Memphis music. Now, this isn’t Memphis music like you might think. It wasn’t the blues or even that old time rock’n’roll. This was the new breed of music that is being spawned across the Mississippi River. Following the trail that the band Saliva blazed, these five bands tonight appear to be on their way.
    The man responsible for the show this evening was a Brit named Tony Mack. His goal is to promote the Memphis sound that appears ready to burst out of the garages, basements and nightclubs. “It’s high time we put Memphis back on the map”, Mack said to the crowd in front of the New Daisy stage. Mack also plans to pursue a locally based television show along the lines of SpotlightON to promote Memphis area bands. Here’s to your success, old bean.
    The first band up tonight was Submerged Truth. Submerged Truth is Evan Swift on guitar and vocals; Casey Childs on guitar and vocals; Austin Purvis on bass (although he was absent this night); and Tyler Rickman on drums. Submerged Truth got their start when they won a talent show at their high school a few years back. Since then the band has tightened their sound into something pretty hot. Tonight the band’s bass player would be Daniel Dwight. Dwight plays in another band, The Fairwell, that will be opening a few shows for 3Doors Down and Shinedown. In fact, they will be opening for them when these bands hit Memphis in November. A couple of Submerged Truth’s songs that spotlighted their music were “Picturesque” and “Everything I Have”.
    Next in line was my new favorite band, Patient Zero. These guys were playing their second gig ever but it did not show. Their stage presence and musicianship were top notch. The only thing they lacked that the other bands did not was an adequate adjustment to their vocals on the sound board. That will come with experience. Now, I’ve got to admit to you that I’m partial to this band because my son, Aaron Hulin, is the bass player. And he’s pretty damned good. I’m not blowing smoke here. Even the promoter, Tony Mack, commented that “…he’s certainly not wasting his time. I was watching him and he’s very good.” Picture me (and Sherree) with big grins right now. The rest of Patient Zero is Al Ticer on vocals; Shawn Morgan on lead guitar and vocals; and Mike Lovelace on rhythm guitar and vocals. The best songs in Patient Zero’s arsenal, in my opinion, were “Suddenly” and “Take Me Away”. I also don’t want to miss out on mentioning Chris Jones who was doing the videography this evening for Patient Zero. Watch for Patient Zero in the Little Rock area in the near future.
    Following Patient Zero was the Little Rock based band, The Frail Division. For those of you who do not know, these guys were formerly the band Singleminded. The Frail Division was one of the best bands to take the stage this night. Their presence on stage demands the audience pay attention to them. Lead singer Preston Palmer’s looks bring to mind the late Curt Cobain and his stage demeanor reminds me of Jim Morrison. Palmer has all the makings of a great front man. His presence on stage, his moves and his voice all add up to something special. Ben Ghormley’s guitar work is nothing short of sensational. He was without doubt, one of the better guitar players in the room tonight. Bassist Matt Kennett jumped and stalked around the stage through the entire set, reminding me of Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo. I did not get to see much of drummer Justin King. He stayed pretty busy through the set. I guess that’s a good thing. The best song of the evening without a doubt was “Sara”.
These guys have already toured extensively, selling over a thousand copies of each of their CD/EP’s, Dysphoria and Red. Not bad for hawking out of the back of your car while you’re on the road. They have shared the stage with the likes of Seether and Shinedown. The band also represented Little Rock at the SXSW music festival in 2004. I’ve got to say I was duly impressed with their set. I got to spend some time talking with Preston, Matt and Justin before and after their set. These are a great bunch of guys that you need to go hear for yourself. You’ll probably see me in the crowd. Check out their website at www.thefraildivision.com.
    Up next, we were back to the Memphis bands with Life Like Theory. I didn’t take any notes on these guys because Tony Mack, during his introduction, said this was their last show and that the band was breaking up. They were a pretty good band, but were my least favorite of the evening. The highlight of the show was Daniel Dwight re-taking the stage and doing a rock’n’roll rap tune with the band’s lead singer.
    The headline band for the night was Chosen View. Chosen View is made up of Anthony Basurto on vocals; David Cowell on lead guitar; David Sawyer on bass; Michael McManus on percussion; and Josh Myers on rhythm guitar. I had heard of Chosen View before tonight but had never heard them. After hearing them, they’ve got a new fan. Their show was tight and professional. The sound was well done and on target. Basurto is another front man that has all the tools to be a big time star. Chosen View is definitely worth checking out. As far as a particular song, I could not pick one. Everything I heard them do, I liked. Be sure to check out their site at www.chosenview.com.
    Like I said, this night was not a sampling of your parent’s Memphis music nor was it for the faint of heart. This music is along the lines of Saliva, Staind, Fuel, Shinedown, etc. I also got a feel for some old Stone Temple Pilots, The Cult and Red Hot Chili Peppers while I listened to these bands. And while the sound is reminiscent of these predecessors it is defiantly unique in and of itself. Understand too, these bands were doing all original music…there were no covers tonight. Check these bands out when you get the opportunity. You will not be disappointed. And much luck to Tony Mack as he puts his project together.
    Pretty much all the bands have a page on the MySpace website. You can dig in for information on all of them there.

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