From CSUN's paper,
Daily Sundial:
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Smells good
Alex Viray / Staff Reporter
Located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles and down a dark alley
is a small and cozy hole-in-the-wall venue for live music and art
called The Smell. For Angelinos, The Smell is regarded as a hot spot
for indie and underground artists whose eclectic style of music is
often overlooked by the mainstream music scene. Here you’ll find both
local and out of town musicians playing music just to please the home
crowd.
Recently, The Smell had a progressive rock show that was mind
boggling and awe-inspiring to watch. Clevis was the first band to
perform and played music that not only set the tone for the evening,
but was also mesmerizing to watch. Clevis is comprised of bassist Ken
Moore and drummer John Enke, but the lack of other musical instruments
didn’t take anything away from the sheer quality of their performance.
The floor looked like an endless array of effect pedals, but Moore
incorporated them as if he’d been using them all his life. Moore used
endless styles of playing that ranged from slapping to finger tapping.
Clevis even incorporated an electric cello that Moore played while the
bass ran on a loop track. Enke’s drumming was not something to be
ignored as he belted beats that complemented the music in every aspect.
“The bass player was awesome, he tore it up like there was no tomorrow,” said fan Greg Lee.
Another solid performance of the night came from We Be the Echo of
San Francisco. They played an infectious blend of progressive rock and
experimental metal that would have fans of Rush take notice. We Be the
Echo was the only band to have a guitarist and it was a nice change
from the mix of other bands that were all comprised of bass and drums
as the main instruments. The guitarist, who goes by the title of Graeme
Nicholls, played intricate parts that ranged from clean melodies to
heavy riffs that ran up and down the guitar. At one point they played
the intro of Chocolate Rain, which was pretty cool to see played on
guitar, bass and drums. The bassist, known as Myke Stryker, and the
drummer, known as Ilk Koskelo, added to the elaborate style of music
with a fashion that only hard working musicians could do.
Drummer Jesse Appelhans and bassist Eric Kiersnowski of Totally
Serious put on show that was technical beyond belief. Appelhans was
constantly beating away at the drums at an inhuman pace. The look of
intensity on his face said it all as he belted away at the drum heads
with the technicality of a seasoned drummer. Kiersnowski’s bass lines
were so frantic and complex that everybody’s eyes seemed glued to his
performance. It was a sight to see as much as it was to hear.
“These guys are beyond belief,” said fan Lucas Taylor of Totally Serious’s performance.
Ninja Academy spruced up their show with a little visual entertainment.
The bassist and drummer, known as Indo-Ninja and Outdo-Ninja
respectively, graced the stage dressed as ninjas. The use of costumes
almost always makes for an indelible performance, and Ninja Academy
definitely left their mark on the audience. Also in the group was
Ninjamamalickum who sang vocals with opera-like gracefulness and Gongis
Khan who played a taiko drum.
All in all it was a great show and none of the bands disappointed
that night. The audience gave much gratitude and appreciation to the
bands, and it was mirrored in all of the musicians’ performances.
“I love the bands and I would definitely come back again, even in the pouring rain,” said fan Jessica Parsons.
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Well, fan Jessica Parsons, you'll have your shot to come back again, because Ninja Academy, Totally Serious, and Clevis will be back at the Smell on May 21st!
It's not a cello though, that's a bass...
-Ken