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Overloaded + Sour JaneOverloaded is a stellar band that has cemented their place as my favorite local act. I've heard their music, corresponded with members of the band, but had yet to see them live. It's a shame, I agree, but sometimes life's schedule can be a real bitch. Finally, on Thanksgiving Eve (the so-called "biggest bar night" of the year), I had an opportunity to catch the guys from Detroit at a local rock club in Fenton, which is about 60 miles north-west of Detroit. The venue, Mo Doggie's, is a pre-1970's gas station converted into a rock bar. Needless to say, it's not quite an arena. You know what they say about size, though - it's not how big, but how you use it. In this case, I'd have to give a mediocre grade to the venue. The stage is cramped, the sound system is lacking, but the staff is quite friendly and the atmosphere was electric. First to hit the stage was Overloaded, and after considerable tuning of the sound system they launched into a cover of Danzig's "Mother". Their set included two more covers - Crüe's "Looks That Kill" and Maiden's "The Trooper". Both were superbly executed, but with enough original material under their belts I'm surprised the guys offered up any covers at all. My favorites "President's Day" and "Feeling Overloaded" did make the list, however. Although the band was severely restricted by the smallish stage area, Erik and John played with much intensity and vigor, while John did his best to not only overcome the shallow acoustics but get the crowd involved and fist-pumping. While he couldn't quite succeed with the former (not his fault at all), he definitely brought the crowd to their feet and had heads banging. Talking to a few people in the audience before the show, only a handful had heard of Overloaded. After the show, however, the guys had the crowd talking and I saw several newly purchased CDs circulating around. Next up was Sour Jane, a band I was only remotely familiar with and had also never seen live. I gathered from their "headlining" spot and crowd familiarity that they were regulars, though. They put on a decent show of primarily covers, even bringing Chris back up to handle vocals on their rendition of "Man in the Box", and played with a lot of energy. The highlight of the night was most certainly Overloaded, though. I had a chance to talk with Chris after the show and get his thoughts on the band's performance. Despite the venue's shortcomings, he was pleased to see the crowd get involved and happy for the opportunity to play venues on the outskirts of Detroit, thereby expanding their fan base. While Mo Doggie's is not an ideal venue to catch a band live, Overloaded came through with a great performance. I will be sure to catch the guys the next time they hit a larger stage.
Official Overloaded MySpace Page
Official Sour Jane MySpace Page
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