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Press
MUSIC CONNECTION Vol XXXVI No.4 03/03/02
A guitar-driven, Florida based, melodic pop-rock fourpiece, Four Star Riot have studied their genre well, coming up with a crafty, self-assured, and thoroughly listenable disc. The best tune, "Brand New Heart" really pumps to the extremities; "Dont Wanna Know is another soid regular-gy outing with strong vocals that remind us of a cross between Bryan Adams and Everclear's Art Alexakis. "Celebrate Tonight" seals the deal for us. While the drums are a little too out-front in the mix, the band's potential is crystal-clear. Check 'em out. - Mark Nardone
Think you detect a bit of Police influence in the music of Soulsystem, from Tampa? You’re not mistaken. Mike Chilton’s reggae beats and snappy drums fuel tunes such as Celebrate Tonight. Make it to the self-titled disc’s last tune and what do you find? Voila! A fun cover of Sting and the gang’s So Lonely.
Soulsystem’s originals are good, too. Opener Brand New Heart details the same old story of being stuck in the same old rut with the same old girl, but in a much brighter way than we’re used to. Singer Steve Alex handles vocals with smoothness; his is an immediately engaging voice. Johnny Deliz’s slap-happy disco bass on Stereophonic invites you to dance. Lies is all yummy reggae dub and washes of effects-laden guitar, courtesy of talented Tony Purnell.
- Gina Vivenetto
Discography
New Release coming Summer 2002
Eponymous 2001
Disguised in Sound 1999
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Four Star Riot is a band from Tampa, Florida. We play Modern Rock tinged with slight elements of reggae and funk while staying close to the sound of commercial radio. This is the story our band. Our influences range from the Police, to the Stones, and the Attractions. Our sound is modern, yet old-school. Basically, we like rock bands with a bit of attitude and innovation. FSR comes across as an energetic frenzy armed with a shit-load of hooks and melodies. We keep busy with an average of over one-hundred shows a year since 1999. In recent months, FSR has opened for a string of platinum selling bands like Lit, Sum41, Jimmy Eat World, Alien Ant Farm, Nine Days. As we release our third independent disc in as many years, we are preparing ourselves for a club tour of the eastern US in the coming months. And it all started way back in the 20th century. Within our first year together, the band underwent a couple of name changes as well as a change in line-up, losing our original guitarist. In the years to follow, FSR released two independent discs. Both sold through the initial 1000 unit pressings. The band has received gracious press reviews for both discs, but especially 2001's Eponymous release. In Y2K we were dubbed Best Original Band in the Bay by the Weekly Planet magazine. This summer, Four Star Riot releases its third full-length disc titled The Best Things. To record it, we returned to work with local producer Greg Marchak at Audio Lab in Tampa. This record contains our strongest material to date. The title track from the CD is about stamina, and the power to remain strong, even when it seems the world is against you. That's exactly what this group has done. We have endured a number of disappointing events, but none the less, we have endured. Things that commonly extinguish unsigned bands drive us harder to press on. Everyday. This is not a weekend project. This is our lives in the making. If you have read this far, sorry it was so boring. So the bio sucks. The band does NOT! On stage, we give a full-on rock show. The fan base is growing, singing along more and more with every show. This band is rabid. Our songs are radio-ready. Four Star Riot is exactly what it proclaims to be. We'll see you at the rock and roll show.
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