North River Tavern is becoming quite the magnet for local bands, despite its O.T.P. (Outside The Perimeter) address. Frequently we've seen many familiar up and coming groups grace the stage, and even an event for Comcast Spotlight which featured several local groups on OnDemand TV. The large interior meshed with the local watering-hole atmosphere appeals to most showgoers, who want a good price on beer and a great show. This was not Groove Stain's first performance at this venue, but is a great example of the band's consistency and the spell they put on their audience.

This particular show was much longer than usual. Most headliners who play for about an hour and half, play about 15-16 songs. Groove Stain performed a grand total of 23 songs, including many new songs that will be on their much anticipated album expected to drop next year. While one may think that a band would lose its crowd's attention, this was anything but the case. Fans danced and sang every beat all the way up until the last note was played. All the crowd pleasers such as LSD, With You, The One, Fat Cat, AOK, and Out All Night were embraced and celebrated with dancing girls and clinking glasses. The members looked at home on stage, and gave off a confidence during these particular songs, feeding off the crowd's energy. The difficult feat at hand was testing out their new material, which to little surprise was warmly received. Groove Stain's usual reggae/ ska sound has a double shot of rock in their latest material. Empty Handed was a personal favorite, which stuck to their true colors with an addition of alternative rock. Keep Us Blind had a strong trumpet, tight drums, and a simple but well placed guitar solo. Light It Up, Burn It Down was sweet, yet somber and received a great crowd response. To top it all off they played several covers that inspired laughter, dancing, and camaraderie, such as Live And Let Die, Unbelievable, Billy Jean, What I Want, and Kris Kross' Jump. I was surprised however at the uncommon lack of regular attendees. I believe their loss of attendance was due to minimal promotion. If any advice could be offered to this band, it would be to focus more on getting the word out.

Groove Stain is a talented 5-piece who always puts on a great show. If reggae/ ska/ rock sounds like a fit for you, you should definitely give these guys a listen. Their contagious energy will get you off your feet and a part of the moment. Their next performance is November 29th at the Masquerade. They will be performing with fellow locals The Bastard Suns and BPM, a reggae band from Birmingham. This is a show you won't want to miss!

~Kris Melton
Rock Fist Reviews

As Groove Stain heads into thier 3rd released album, there are some updates that need to be addressed............

* GS will be headed back down to Orlando FL next week to finish up recording on the final songs to be added to their new full length album. CD will include 14 tracks packed with all new material as well as a couple of never before released songs. There will also be a bonus DVD added with the album filled with live footage, videos and some extra goodies. Juan Covas (Grammy award winning engineer) will be involved in the production, mixing and mastering, along with good friend and Rock Yard Recording engineer, Noah Hammerle. You know what that means.........CD release coming soon! Tour will follow.......

* Itunes update: GS will be releasing 5 live albums and 2 earlier albums including a never before released album very soon. Shows will include: Breakers Music Hall (R.I.P.) - The Vinyl - CJ's Landing (R.I.P.) - The Trash Bar (NYC) - Double Door Inn (Charlotte NC). Albums include: Open Up A Can (1997 First GS Release) - Over The Moon In Extacy (2000 Unreleased) - Other 9 to 5 (2004 EP).

We love all of you so keep checking back for updates! Groove Stain

 

Groove Stain, May 23rd Show Review

The Drunken Unicorn is a dirty, hole in the wall kind of bar off of Ponce De Leon… perfect for the local rock scene. Despite its humble appearance and lack of parking, you can usually find a good (and sometimes not so good) show throughout the week. As you walk down the steps to greet the bouncer, pay your cover, and open the door, the pungent aroma of cigarettes and beer drift up your nostrils. The dark rooms are covered in murals and filth. The crowd is ranging from punk to hip hop. This is the kind of place where modest bands create their followings, and have the most intimate kind of show. I love attending shows in settings like this, where your main draw for attending is for the music and the experience, and less of the lights and glamour. This is the setting for the May 23rd Groove Stain show.

The small stage could barely hold all of Groove Stain's members and equipment. This however did not hinder their performance by any means, as they were still mobile and interactive with their crowd. Opening up with "AOK", a fast paced, high energy song was certainly the way to go. The drums kick it off, the trumpet enters the scene, and the rest of the band follows suit. Eric Patterson, vocalist, has a raspy, yet soothing voice that when matched with the ska and punk sound invokes the listener to immediately start dancing. Mike Hatton, bassist, seemed enthralled by his own talent maintaining a cool disposition side stage, while thumbing with enthusiasm and flare.

As Brian Daggett, drummer, provides the intro to "Fat Cats", a jazzy twist on their punk rock sound, you immediately want to start jumping around. The bridge towards the end slows down, and then steadily picks back up hyping their listeners and encouraging squeals from the crowd as the trumpet spins and the guitar kicks. Jon Etheridge, trumpet and vocalist, really shines throughout the performance, particularly in "Friday", which shows their diversity with a side order of reggae. A very smooth sounding song that made the entire crowd sway as Patterson entranced the crowd. Chris Pope, guitarist, has a very appropriately placed solo, that certainly shows off his skills with the strings.

Possibly my favorite song of the night, "The One", is both creatively intelligent and beautiful musically. The band's change ups from one sound to the next are smooth and superior. The crowd was very familiar with the song, and sang right along with Patterson. The trumpet and guitar are harmonious and exquisite, finishing the song with a delicate touch.

Whether you see them at a hole in the wall like The Drunken Unicorn, or a larger venue like The Masquerade, the quality of talent is apparent. If you love the sound of ska matched with the appeal of down to business rock, you will surely enjoy this band and get your groove on in the process. Check them out at an upcoming show near you.

~Kris Melton

2008 has been a very action packed year for Groove Stain thus far. It is due time for an update. Many realizations have been made as a whole. First off, the need to expand our market. So, on the road we go to develop our fanbase in many new cities. We booked shows all the way up the east coast in April. Starting in Raleigh, we rocked out the Pourhouse with O period. This has become one of our favorite places to go. The hospitality of our boy Johnny and the Big Boss Brewery crew always makes it feel like a home away from home. Next we went to Atlantic City to rock with Tsunami Rising in their stomping grounds. Great show, several great bands on the bill, very lively crowd. Next stop, Ocean City, Md. We opened up the night for Can't Hang,very tight musicians. The venue was cool. We realized on the way to the show that our boys S.O.J.A. were rocking in a town thirty minutes away. We hauled ass over there to catch the tail end of the show. This put the cherry on the whole evening. Next day we head to NYC. We have the day off so we invade our good friend John Scott's apt in Sunnyside Queens to set up camp for the week. Monday comes we head to Boston to the All Asia Bar. Pretty interesting night. They had a bicycle competition before we got on stage. So a bunch of bike kids were there racing on a treadmill type contraption. After we get rocking they proceed to get hammered and bust out some of the wierdest dances moves we have ever seen. Tuesday we are at the Trash Bar in Brooklyn. J Skeezy organizes a wild crew of people from his network of folks in the production industry. Trashed we were at the Trash Bar. We got a live recording of the show. From this evidence we vowed to ourselves to calm down a bit on stage and stay in the pocket with the music. Next day we did a photo shoot all around NYC thanks to Richie. We might look a little beat up after a week of being crammed together like sardines and partying hard every night but thats rock and roll and we are not glam prettyboys anyways. Thursday we head to long island to rock with Harold's Trousers. These dudes are like our brothers from another mother. Kick ass band, down to earth real people. We felt at home at the venue Mr. Beery's. Thanks to Tom and Lulu for being so damn cool. Next stop, Arlington, Va. Whitlows on Wilson is a great spot. They fed us the best meal we had all week. Very receptive crowd. Being the hometown of B. Daggs many of his old school cronies were out. Officer Paul and Captain Shrapnel amplified the vibe of the night. We shot a live video here. Capital Ale House in Richmond was the last show of the tour. The venue was impressive. Great live room with amazing sound system. Overall we viewed this tour as a success. We made hundreds of fans and we reaffirmed the fact that we can do this. The next week we went to Charleston to open for S.O.J.A. at the Poorhouse. It is always a blessing to be able to share the stage with them and to perform in front of such a great audience. The last weekend of April we did three shows in a row. The loft with Heavy Mojo was a great show. Great turn out for the night. Thanks to our fans that stuck around for us to close out for we hit the stage later than usual. It was also a good night at the Hideaway with Dawn of the Dude in Johnson City, Tn. It is pleasing to us how quickly we have been building a fanbase out there. It is so refreshing to see kids instantly react to the music and to see more of these faces becoming familiar. The Inman park festival was also a success. We love playing outside at festivals. We were thankful it did not rain on our parade and to have the opportunity to play for alot of hometown ears that have never heard us.Last weekend we were in Louisiana. Baton Rouge is a great place for music.We performed an outdoor venue on the campus of LSU on a beautiful night.The next day we hit Bourbon street before playing the Bar in Fat city. Good times. New Orleans is an intoxicating city. It is great to see it alive and thriving again. Jazz fest was going on, lots of people raising hell. We rocked out with our homies Fuego again. They sounded tight and our great people to party with. Anyways, this blog is getting long but there were alot of blanks to fill in. What's next for Groove Stain? We are working on a new album with Grammy award winning mix engineer and producer Juan Covas also in conjunction with self titled album engineer Noah Hammerle. We are writing this month and recording in June. We have test driven a couple of the tunes live but there is much more that you haven't heard. Our sound will be more polished on this one and songwriting is more focused. Other than that we will continue expanding our web without neglecting home. Be at the shows, recognized what the bands like us, The Bastard Suns, The Green Hit, 50/50 shot,etc are trying to do for Atlanta scene and support it so we can continue on.......