After living out in the Riverside area for long enough (for me....maybe about 2-3 years cumulated) I got tired of the fact that there were so many bands that no one heard about or bands that everyone loves that won't step foot out in the desert. Not that I necessarily blame them. Musicians are a freedom seeking and often open minded sort and moving into an area that seems to exude family values and conservatism that will call the cops on your for playing above the 3 notch on your amp at 6 pm doesn't seem to appealing.
But for those of us still living here and faced with the possibility of strapping on an SRH hat and landing us a sweet bro hoe or playing music to get the hell out of dodge or to vent whatever feelings they have to get off their chest, living in this area where music seems a little muffled hope to attract some attention. And that's what I'm trying to accomplish. Attract a little attention.
In a little corner off the old town path off the 15 in Temecula lies the Merc: a transformed mercantile shop now housing art exhibits, and live shows. The brick walls have been standing for almost 120 years offering great acoustics for nearly any band that passes through its intimate doors on friday nights. And tonight Universal Trap took every inch of open air and filled it with some interesting musical choices and promise.
They look like your typical alt-rock band, maybe a bit 90's looking but there's a certain bit of quiet confidence from them as they strapped on their guitars and played their first of two sets for the night.
Guitarist Greg's first licks brought an immediate bluesy influence to set the tone while the keyboardist chimed in giving his large distorted chords and clean licks a lungs filling breath of depth. (This will happen often, my name remembrance is a little shot so if I forget a person or mistake them let me know.) Vocalist Ian have a commanding voice live. It's clear and invites the listener to really let the lyrics settle and stew in their head.
With a solid drum and bass behind them driving the songs forward with certainty, they played a tight first set, but to be honest, nothing really memorable. A few of the songs have an almost soundtrack quality to them, making me feel like they're something I would have heard on a tv show or would put on my stereo for some extra ooph to my mood.
After a short intermission (They were the only band of the night.), the boys downed a few beers and hopped back onstage to make you completely forget about the last 30 minutes.
The drums and bass I were talking about? They were solid and grounding which kept you from completely letting your mid float off in the best of ways as the keys and guitar grabbed your ears and took you off your chair. It felt like at entirely different band as they pulled out a page from classic rock and experimental bands like Iron Butterfly or Pink Floyd. With wandering guitar solos and a sweeping organ sounds, you start to feel the music rolling and free feeling rather than just listening to the little by-the-numbers songs from earlier. Ian's voice just entrances you during this second half as I felt like I was just coming into a psychedelic freak out. I hope this is the current direction of the band as the boys owned their sound with passionate sounds, yet their stage presence felt professionally restrained. They could have a bit more audience interaction but the crowd didn't care as a large portion were chanting "One more song! One more song!" afterward. Universal Trap didn't disappoint with a spacey outro that felt like it should have lasted forever because you didn't want it to end.
One of the members commented that they are a relatively new band, only being formed a year or two ago. But with tight playing, ear grabbing musical vistas, and dipping their toes into a natural feeling experimental slant, I was pleasantly surprised. They should have been in my father's vinyl collection the entire time waiting for me to rediscover them.... that is if my father ever collected vinyl.
Universal Trap is:
Ian, Greg, Tim, Kyle, Scott
Band Website
Myspace: Universal Trap Myspace
Facebook:
Song Downloads: Sound Click (pop ups on page. I personally hate those buggers.)
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