By Carey Langsner, Rock At Night Ontario Correspondent
Venue: The Casbah,Hamiton, Ontario–March 25, 2017
Saturday night The Casbah was rocking with Radio Free Universe’s debut LP release party.
The Casbah is one of the premier music clubs in Hamilton featuring many successful and up and coming musical talent. Bands such as Arkells and Monster Truck played this venue many times while building up their following and then moving on to larger venues and international tours.
Opening the night was The Detours. I did not know what to expect having never heard this band play before, but knowing that they had just won the McMaster University Student Union Battle of the Bands I was looking forward to seeing them. The Detours did not disappoint. The band has a very energetic performance and a fresh sound. Before they played a single note, they asked the crowd to “come closer, no closer”. From that moment on, the audience was taping their feet and swaying to the music. Nobody left the front of the stage until the band had finished their set and was unable to fulfill a request for an encore as they were “out of songs”.
Second on stage for the night was the Slo Motions. The Slo Motions is a three-piece rock band, also from Hamilton. The entire group just seems to have a lot of fun on stage and engages with their audience. They would introduce their songs with a simple statement of “this song will include some drums” or “this song will feature the bass”. Their show was so enjoyable that time went by and it was over before you realized it.
Radio Free Universe is a four-piece band consisting of George Panagopoulos [Vocalist/Lyricist], Ryan Davie [Backup Vocalist, Guitarist], Ashton Norman [Drummer], Adam Neumann [Backup Vocalist, Bassist].
Radio Free Universe’s debut album ‘Casa Del Diablo’ was released earlier this month via Jet Pack Records and features twelve tunes. The band’s first single ‘Disclosure’ is currently on radio across Canada.
The themes of the songs included everything from relationships to politics to drinking to aliens and more drinking. George said that the idea for the alien song “came to him in a dream he had. It’s about aliens running the planet. Aliens from another dimension. It talks about 9/11 and reptilians that take you away and teach you how to love, take you away until you’re one of us.”
As the band advertised, they are “MAKING ROCK GREAT AGAIN”. With a sound very reminiscent of 70’s Rock and Roll [which I grew up with and still love] mixed with some styling of bands from today like Sound Garden, Foo Fighters, etc. Radio Free Universe has created a sound all their own that is powerful, in your face and great to listen to. Their stage presence is equal to that of a band that has been touring for many years with plenty of interaction with their audience, even pulling audience members on stage to sing back-up with them while George sings lead from on top of a chair in the middle of the room.
A very successful LP release party – and we wish them much success with their debut LP. We know we’ll be hearing more from Radio Free Universe!
‘Casa Del Diablo’ is available on Bandcamp, iTunes, Archambault
For More Info:
http://www.jetpackrecords.com/
http://www.radiofreeuniverse.ca/
EPK – http://wp.me/pciNW-9w2
Free for download exclusively on PureGrainAudio.com here.
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I am the Ontario, Canada correspondent for Rock At Night covering music and summer festivals in pictures and words.
I grew up in the 70’s (gasp!) going to the concerts of some of the best hard rock and punk groups to ever make music.Music seems to have always been involved in my life one way or another.I even met my wife in a bar when I was working with a band and we have been together ever since.Working with Rock at Night feeds my concert and photography addicts.
