Thursday, May 08, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

Music: Now hear this

Mercury Music Showcase 2: The Reckoning

By Andrew Kiraly

Leave it to Sean McCollough to get too caught up in the spirit of things. During a March benefit show at the Huntridge tied to the Vagina Monologues, the guitarist for local hardcore outfit A Silence Fell couldn't help but yell between songs, "Who wants to be my baby's mama!"

Talk about a silence falling.

"Everyone just shut up," McCollough says. "I guess it was obscene."

Par for the course for this local five-piece, which blends old-school metal and hardcore for a pretty sophisticated sound that belies their status as high-schoolers. Not that the members of this young band--one of seven that will appear at the Mercury's second Music Showcase--are just a buncha smart-assed brats. They're charged with some quite adult work in Las Vegas: trying to make it as a rock band in Vegas' ever-sputtering all-ages scene.

Since our last episode, the scene has seen more ups and downs than a meth freak. The Skillet Cafe quit doing shows after a few visits from Officer Friendly; but, on the upside, the Summerlin Smoothie King's seasonal roster of shows is about to kick in once again. What's an underage band to do? Shrug it off and rock out, say the members of A Silence Fell.

"I don't think the all-ages scene is doing too bad right now," says guitarist Travis Naegle, joined by John Lehmkuhl on bass, Mike Lorenzo on vocals and brother Bryan Lorenzo on drums. "Skate City is doing some shows that are pretty cool. But there needs to be at least another venue that's not like a bar for the underage kids."

But being a young'un does have its perks. How many bands, after all, can take a full summer off--unsaddled by the full-time work grind--to tinker with songs? That's the only kind of summer school these guys have in mind as the high school semester winds down.

"Oh my God, you have got to hear some of our new songs," says Naegle. "I am so proud of them. The addition of Sean and John has really made our influences more eclectic. They're more into punk, so it's not so much metal-metal-metal all the way. It's more of a mix of metal and Sean and John's punk influences."

Cool. Now if only Mom would let them tour.

That said, the sounds of A Silence Fell aren't the only ones rock fans can hear the Mercury Showcase 2. Also on the roster: Jr. Anti-Sex League, which specializes in smartly hooked fuzzpop; By Death's Design, proffering melodic metal; Guilty By Association plies old school-flavored straightahead punk; Last Hope offers well-done buzzsaw rock; the rest of the bill is rounded out by melodic pop punkers September Star and newish rockers Introspect. Those arriving at 6 will be treated to hamburgers and barbecue with KXTE 107.5ers Hambone and Homie, a full dessert buffet courtesy of Newspapers in Education, and pre-show entertainment by the fine folks who run Balcony Lights.