No Cause/No Cure

The Pitch
CRITIC'S CHOICE
No Cause/No Cure
Friday, September 23, at Davey's Uptown.
By Andrew Miller

Published: Thursday, September 22, 2005



Ozzfest didn't touch down anywhere near Kansas City this year, requiring an eight-hour road trip to Noblesville, Indiana, for die-hard headbangers. But Jim Kilroy's locally charged Rock and Metal Fest offers just as many heavy bands (20 in all), with the added appeal of club-crawl mobility and accessibly priced liquor. Perhaps the best band on this bill is No Cause/No Cure, which opens the Davey's Uptown slate. Led by Erik Schmutzler, whose operatic grasp recalls Rob Halford's earliest screams for vengeance, this quartet churns through manic, warped-carnival compositions. Alternating inventive progressions with rhythm-driven grooves, No Cause/No Cure delivers enough virtuoso variety for adventurous listeners without alienating garden-variety mosh-heads. And unlike the headliners at Ozzfest, this group remains in its creative prime.

http://www.pitch.com/Issues/2005-09-22/music/critics2.html - Pitch Weekly Kansas City

Jeanie Moore
Journalist
Date: Friday, June 24, 2005
Venue: The Island Bar
Location: Lee’s Summit, MO
Bands: Civel Bell, No Cause/No Cure, and The Leo Project

The Island Bar is nothing short of a hole-in-the-wall dive with no stage and poor ventilation, and island themed murals and decorations adorning the walls. The staff is friendly, and the place easily looks packed even with a small crowd.
Civel Bell was the first group to take the floor. Brace yourself – this is not pretty. The band is brand new, this being their second show, so they have plenty of room to grow. The band was together, although mildly sloppy. At one point, one guitarist played in a Crouching Tiger Hidden Guitarist pose that made me consider calling Robert Stack and ask, “What the hell?” He was not playing anything overly technical to warrant the pose. During the first song, the vocalist coddled the microphone like Jim Morrison, and in the next, he pulled out the Henry Rollins bulging neck vein tricks. The generic lyrics were readily apparent when they stole a line from Timmy of South Park in their song, “Living a Lie.” Essentially, Cival Bell plays a watered down version of Godsmack or Disturbed. Areas in desperate need of improvement are their predictability and unoriginality, and there was little to no crowd interaction. Leaving a bittersweet taste of hope for the future in my mouth, I would like to see them after some time to grow together musically and with stage presence.
Next up is No Cause/No Cure, who recently acquired esteemed former DayShift Strippers vocalist
Erik Schmutzler. This eagerly awaited performance was quite the treat. Schmutzler is truly a musical genius and fearless leader who exhibits style and a hearty vocal range, with obvious Mike Patton influences. This band is groove-oriented and tight as all get-out, and delivered a smooth and near flawless performance. The drums are solid and straight-forward, and the guitarist known only as “Mog” served the crowd a creative, talented presentation. They did a fine, if not surprising, cover of The Knack’s “My Sharona.” No Cause/No Cure certainly picks up the “fun” slack where the rest of the area leaves off. They were straight ahead groove-oriented rock. I could not ask for a better performance.
The Leo Project is last to take the floor; I have not seen a group this promising in a long time. They cover all the bases, from soft to hard, slow to fast in the blink of an eye. They were not excessively brutal, and throw in intense melodic riffs with excellent vocals from front man Tyler Lyon, especially when harmonized with bassist and backing vocalist Sean Hamel. Considering drummer Lance Bennett’s young age of 15, he is excellent, and will easily join the ranks of local drum heroes. They were unpredictable, and the closest description I can concoct is hardcore with a splash of metal for good measure. The songwriting is beautifully arranged, these guys obviously have their act together. This band was the only one to get a pit started throughout the evening. They hailed a lot of crowd interaction and demanded the audiences’ attention. I look for nothing but good things for them in the future.

- HeavyFrequency.com