Published Tuesday, May 31, 2011 By amanda_caines. Under Editor : Amanda Caines, Photos, Show Review, Writer: Amanda Caines
Photos Here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shutter16mag/sets/72157626853231392/
With a sound and stage presence as original as their band name, Obraskai of West Columbia, S.C., packs a double-punch of energy at every live show. Four years of performance under their belts have given them a fantastic sense of showmanship, and two excellent albums In Dire Need of Heroes and Farewell to the Former provide some great tunes for any rock fan’s listening pleasure.
Obraskai’s wild antics on stage always seems to keep audience members wondering what crazy thing they’ll do next. Bassist Greg Bolton and Guitarist Chris Byers jump on just about any object on the stage (and sometimes they fall off), and spend a lot of time on their light-up “ego-boxes” head-banging like a hardcore band or making crazy faces. Boxes of what look like dressing room lights frame Matt Warren’s drum kit and add intrigue to the stage lighting, as well as a rubber rat that perches atop the bass drum (“He’s my buddy,” Matt explains). Between the music and the jumping around like wild apes on amphetamines, it’s hard for concertgoers to get bored at an Obraskai show.
This show in particular at New Brookland Tavern in West Columbia presented something even more special than usual: it marked the addition of a fifth band member for the first time in the four-year history of the band. Obraskai plucked up guitarist Josh Wright from the dying embers of his former band Tattermask and added him to the fold, allowing the band to duplicate their multi-tracked guitars in their sophomore effort Farewell to the Former in live performance.
The performance overall was very good, but having operated as a four piece for four years, the guys still have a lot of work to do to integrate Josh fully into the Obraskai clan. As if adapting to a larger number of people on stage wasn’t enough, the small size of the New Brookland stage worked against them, too. Additionally, they have only three ego-boxes for them to share. Chris commands the stage right box and vocalist Jeff Eargle has squatter’s rights on the center stage, leaving Josh and Greg with a timeshare for the stage left box. Josh’s gigantic array of effects pedals sitting right in front of the box further encumbered its use, and both of the guys seemed a bit timid to jump up there for fear of stepping on Josh’s pedals (or each other’s toes). Josh, being the only band member with a wireless system for his guitar-to-amp connection, had a lot of freedom to walk about the stage and snagged some time on the stage right ego-box, eliciting some funny territorial jokes of “stay on your side” from Chris after the show.
While the addition of Josh to the band really did sound excellent with new guitar harmonies on a few songs such as the new song “In Truth” and a fuller sound on songs like “Feeding the Nightmare,” Josh’s level of musical participation left his entourage of fans from previous bands a bit flat. Without exception, those who had heard Josh’s intricate lead guitar-work in former projects Tattermask and FlatLine felt he was “underutilized” in Obraskai. Kind of like if Three Days Grace hired Randy Rhoads (Ozzy Osbourne’s original guitarist) and stuck him on rhythm guitar. To Obraskai fans unfamiliar with his old bands, Josh likely appeared to be another dime-a-dozen guitar player. He had no opportunity to shine and shred some mad-complex solos for which he’s become notorious in Charlotte’s music scene. Hopefully future writings of the band will feature more of what Josh does best.
Other than that, the show was pretty fantastic. Jeff’s tone on the screaming parts of the songs shows some great development to add to his Maynard James Keenan-style singing vocals, and Greg’s backing vocals harmonized very well on “Bare.” Chris and Josh strum tightly together on the guitars, giving the band a polished sound, and Greg is stepping up his complexities on the bass for the newer songs. Matt kills it on the drums with an ever-increasing sense of confidence and intensity. Possessing a great live show and killer rock tunes with a dose of metal, Obraskai is clearly the band to follow in the Columbia hard rock scene and beyond.
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