Benefit for Make A Wish Foundation @ Caloosahatchee Jack’s Bar & Grill
This was the longest day in the history of ROCK for me…and I enjoyed every precious second of it!!
I arrived early, about 3pm back stage to find the Master Coordinator Mr. Brandon Holiday from BH Productions and the Sound Ninja Mr. Dan Bolen from Mad Sound Productions not just setting up one stage…but two stages. With the exuberant amount of stagehands all doing their part in a time constricted fast pace …I was on my best behavior to stay out of the way. The musical assault that was in place to grace the stages consisted of some of the most accomplished musicians and bands to enter our Original Local Music Scene. With Sheena Brooks, Remedy X, F, Saints Of Rebellion, Nine Mile Drive, Oblivious Signal and our beloved Before The Fire…This was an all out star studded event!
Some of the bands I have seen and have written reviews on but some of them I had the pleasure of finally getting to hear. One in particular was Sheena Brook. The dynamic duo of Sheena and Scott Krehling is a match made in musical heaven…even St. Peter would be jamming his wings off. With the excellent combination of a little bit country and a little bit Rock & Roll it’s no wonder why Sheena Brook appeals to such an enormous audience. There’s no need to choose which genre she produces because it’s the perfect mix of both. I first saw Sheena perform at The Dixie Roadhouse back in 2012 opening up for Sevendust. This little bottle of high-energy musicianship has come a long way and it’s been awesome watching her develop into the exquisite performer she is hailed for and we are blessed to see today. Forget about Jesus…We drank, drank, drank our way to Sheena!! She is the ultimate performance to make any bad day turn around and ROCK!!
“Hero” closed out Sheena’s set and rightly so. With a kick-ass rock beat and the quintessential drumming of Sean Robbins doubling on
bass beats and Scott’s grinding riff’s it produced the perfect lead into our next band up…Remedy X! And what could I possibly say about Remedy X that I haven’t said already. I’ve done 3 reviews on them and they never cease to amaze me…3 of the best guys I’ve ever known. Josh, Patrick and Sean are the dynamic trio that continue to impress us every chance they get. They do it professionally; with amazing talent and pure humbleness in it’s natural form.
F took to the spot light and then it was time for the National act that so many were waiting for Saints Of Rebellion! 
Now you want talk about a true hard rocking and working band if I ever saw one …Saints Of Rebellion takes a prize for sure. I’ve come to know these guys as personal friends and always enjoy a good melt your face off rocking set by them. Taking the time out of their busy “New American Dream Tour” to Rock The Lot for Make A Wish is exactly what these guys are all about. Coby DeShazo shines through with his amazing vocal capabilities capturing and mesmerizing the crowd while the Guitar Gods smile down on John Adams and the tasty riffs he produces from his axe grinding it all down to the unstoppable Jay Hitaffer on Bass and new comer drummer Anthony Hitaffer. The prodigious duo of the Hitaffer brothers heading up the rhythm section in SOR is the magical choice and well done. The amazing on stage network that SOR has is fascinating to watch. I’ve spoke of bands being more than just musicians playing music before…They are a brotherhood hands down and anytime they come to town I always make plans to see a show…You should too and to keep up on their tour schedule you can hit their Facebook page up as well as the SOR Street Team Page and it would be in your best interest to get a copy of their debut album “New American Dream”…It ROCKS!!
https://www.facebook.com/saintsofrebellion
https://www.facebook.com/groups/sorstreetteam
Next up…Nine Mile Drive!!! Do I really need to say any more? Just an amazing, off the chain, awe inspiring, show stopping big huge package of total incredibly magnificent talent!!! There certainly isn’t too much more to say than that except if you’ve never seen these 5 amazing men on stage…You are the biggest fool!! Check out my exclusive interview with Nine Mile Drive on The SoundCheck Blog at:
Newcomers to our area were a great band from Fort Lauderdale…Oblivious Signal. Now…the lead singers name is Cristina so I KNEW I was going to like this band before they even played one note…but I was wrong…I LOVED them!! Combining melodies and hard pounding riffs into one musical assault was in its extreme prime with this band. Cristina’s unique vocals and stage presence is something that I think other female musicians should be inspired by. The tiny ball of fire that encompassed the stage with a beautiful melodic voice encompassed with riveting growls that would give Maria Brinks a straight up run for her money. There’s no comparison that I have seen yet. Cristina is backed by the impeccable talents of Nick Orisino on Guitar, Greg Andrews on Bass and Jason Tally on Percussion and I would have to say that Oblivious Signal is the perfect combination of talent, looks, musicianship and professionalism on and off stage that I have witnessed in quite some time. Follow Oblivious Signal on their Facebook page as well as purchasing their new single Crash and their 2010 album “Into the Night” which features the single The Inflicted Shame. This is definitely a band I am going to keep my eyes and ears on!!
Last up on the musical roster were our beloved Before The Fire guys. Not enough can be said about this band both musically and personally. Five great guys…Five outstanding musicians with their picture next to the definition of stage presence!! BTF has proved to us time and time again to be one of those bands that all of a sudden just nail it the way it was meant to be…and this was by far the most exquisite close to a perfect day!! With a big huge shout out to our SoundCheck photographer Denise for hanging in there with me through the incredible heat and assisting me with a First Responder Emergency as well as Brandon Holiday of BH Productions, Dan Bolen of Mad Sound Productions, Michael Koch, all the stage hands and of course the bands and Caloosahatchee Jacks for making it a memorable day as well as for a great cause…You all ROCK!! And I was honored to a part of it!!
So until next weekend keep rockin’ it like you own it!!
Peace, Love and Rock & Roll,
~Christina
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