Hello; my name is Michael Canter. And yes, this REALLY IS ME - not some figurehead named Tom or something. I'm a WEB HOST. That's right, if you are a member here at SonicJive you have your very own website and I host it for you - for free.

In 1996, I went down to Greenwich Village, New York City, NY to a rock club called the Electric Banana. Don't look for it; it's not there anymore. But that night, I heard a band that for me redefined the words "rock & roll". I remember being knocked out by their... their exuberance, their raw power.... and their punctuality. That band was Britain's now-legendary Spinal Tap.

Spinal Tap is no longer around .....(ah, but they are BACK, and you can find them RIGHT HERE) and they've earned a distinguished place in rock history as one of England's loudest bands. So in the late winter of 2007, I decided I wanted to harness the energy, the uniqueness, the soul...of EVERY local and indie band & musician worldwide and the sights, the sounds...even the smells of those hard-working musicians, for the world to see, and hopefully create scores of new fans for our entire community of artists. And I've got that - it is this website SONICJIVE.COM and, I got more... a lot more, and lots of new friends.

But hey, enough of my yakkin'; whaddaya say?

Let's boogie!

FEATURED ARTISTS August 2008

1. Carmen & Camille - I Will Never
2. Arek Religa - Beyond Horizon
3. The Girls - Barely Know Your Name
4. Plank - So Wicked
5. Sally-Ann D'Amato - Wicked
6. Five Star Iris - Let It All Out
7. Aisha Raine - D.O.G.



SONICJIVE NEW MEMBER FEATURED PROFILE: The Outer Vibe

The Outer Vibe - Games We Play
Burn-The-House-Down Smoldering Good



Often, obscure bands like Love or obscure artists like Nick Drake get pulled out of near-complete oblivion and blown up to enormous proportions, with due cause, because they happen to be very good. But sometimes, critics, in an overcooked attempt to "dare-to-be-different" shove these artists down our throats simply because of mainstream artist media-saturation, which tends to leave quite a bit of "snobby" muck stuck to their heels. Thus, a great review for an obscure artist can often be the kiss of death.

Not so with The Outer Vibe. This band is a true rock-n-roll revival, an avant-garde tribute to classic power rock and free thinking soul that is both complicated and extravagant without coming across as, well, complicated and extravagant. Indeed, Games We Play is a frenzied and energetic joy to listen to, building on musical themes of the 60's & 70's (I swear the percussion on the song Trejo Show would fit perfectly on any early Chicago CD) to create an innovative sound that is both timeless and refreshing. The CD isn't just very good, it is burn-the-house-down smoldering good.

The band hails from Grand Rapid,MI and after establishing themselves as a top local act, they have begun to build a presence both regionally and nationally. I say, "World watch out!" The Outer Vibe is the real deal - mixing powerful guitar with great rhythm, vocals, percussion, keyboards and a kick-assed horn section. The slide work on the opening song, Anybody Home is positively scorching, the horns are phenomenal and in fact, it may be one of the finest singles overall I have heard all year. Sean Zuidgeest's vocals, no matter how frenzied the song, always seem effortless and though certainly unrestrained, Sean is never overbearing. That's a great thing because the rest of the band is equally great. Listening to Games We Play, which covers everything from progressive to psychedelia to trip hop to classic-alternative and everything in between, the following adjectives come to mind: rootsy, cutting edge, esoteric, fresh and unprecedented.

The best tracks, in my opinion, are Anybody Home, How Did It Come To This, Balloon, Mr. Nobody and Trejo Show, as well as the title track.

Often we use the star system to rate a CD, with five stars usually representing a standout release. But why govern something that is infinitely better with a system that is tied to limits? What if a CD is several times better than others that have been given the so-called standard of excellence. I cannot rate this CD because five stars is far too limiting and plainly put, way off base. Perhaps that will give you an idea of how good Games We Play is.


--Michael Canter www.SonicJive.com

"We're no longer called Sonic Death Monkey. We're on the verge of becoming Kathleen Turner Overdrive, but just for tonight, we are Barry Jive and his Uptown Five."


ORIGIN OF THE NAME SonicJive.com