Music
Press
"Side Show[!] is a very original, bass-heavy, alt-rock outfit with driven phunk-punk influences."
- Dayton City Paper (April, '04)
"With their attention-grabbing live performances, Side Show! is an unfiltered slice of chaos with groove. Sharp to the senses and sparkling with untamed Funk charisma, they're sexy and obscene. Don't come with a date. Instead, show up stag and let the music guide you to a partner for the night. And the following morning." - Cincinnati City Beat (Sept. '05)
"This band got to the finals the old-fashioned way. They simply out-worked their competition. I saw them at several shows where they were not even performing, posting and passing out flyers to gain support for themselves. In other words they want to win, badly.
They pride themselves on their instrumentation and really cater to the ear of fellow musicians. [Side Show!] will keep you tapping your foot with a bass-heavy[,] car seat reclined with one hand on the steering wheel [groove]. Throughout the playoffs, they have had an uncanny ability to win over the undecided voter while being an underdog from Day One. [Side Show!] is for the Primus, Clutch, and Mr. Bungle in all of us." - Dayton City Paper (Sept. '04)
"Side Show[!] went first, quickly quieting the thousands of mini-conversations taking place throughout the bar with a steady barrage of bass-heavy sludge, high frequency, slippery lead guitar, and a pigtailed, powerful metronome. These guys have really tightened their set since the beginning of the summer [2004]. Their songs are high energy, groove-pounding music to the tune of Clutch of Primus with 'here and there' yells to supply the heart.
The last song of their first set 'Savage,' brought the bar to life. The shirtless SG guitar, decked out in a hobo hat, took the lead during a long drawn out break-down. The song finished with a hand-over-hand drumbeat build-up, a rattling bass and the competitive scream of a confident, yet humble, three-piece." - Dayton City Paper (Sept. '04)
"...The inveterate trio - Parris Graves (guitar), Uncle Prunes (bass), and Gabriel Widmeyer (drums) - is supporting its new five-song EP ...Hipper Than Thou. High-energy tracks such as Prairie Doggin' and Walk Things Off are derived from the Primus school of power-trio rock, but Side Show! puts its own distinctive stamp on the material.
Musically, the free-wheeling act employs the basic tools for this type of music: elastic six-string bass playing, complete with funk slaps, jazz-inspired solo runs and chunky power chords; fluid drumming with a mix of R&B grooves and heavy-metal power; and a muscular guitar tone with a preference for wha-wha jams and distorted leads.
Lyrically its a different story, with Side Show! eschewing goofy jokes in favor of social commentary. 'The Right?' tackles the issue of whether affluent countries such as the United States should provide aid to less fortunate countries. 'The Other White Meat' touches on conspicuous consumption, greed, rising oil prices, mindless violence and other issues. To find out more, visit www.sideshowrock.com." - Don Thrasher, Dayton Daily News (July, '05)
"...The inveterate trio - Parris Graves (guitar), Uncle Prunes (bass), and Gabriel Widmeyer (drums) - is supporting its new five-song EP ...Hipper Than Thou. High-energy tracks such as Prairie Doggin' and Walk Things Off are derived from the Primus school of power-trio rock, but Side Show! puts its own distinctive stamp on the material.
Musically, the free-wheeling act employs the basic tools for this type of music: elastic six-string bass playing, complete with funk slaps, jazz-inspired solo runs and chunky power chords; fluid drumming with a mix of R&B grooves and heavy-metal power; and a muscular guitar tone with a preference for wha-wha jams and distorted leads.
Lyrically its a different story, with Side Show! eschewing goofy jokes in favor of social commentary. 'The Right?' tackles the issue of whether affluent countries such as the United States should provide aid to less fortunate countries. 'The Other White Meat' touches on conspicuous consumption, greed, rising oil prices, mindless violence and other issues. To find out more, visit www.sideshowrock.com." - Don Thrasher, Dayton Daily News (July, '05)
Discography
...Hipper Than Thou, EP, released 4/30/2005
Photos
Bio
Side Show! TM
Our bio cannot compare to the testimonies of our fans. Here's the hype:
"Finally! Here's a 'NEW' band who hasn't rolled off of the corporate cookie-cutter crap machine (or tailored themselves to trail its trivial trends)!... Side Show! rocks you the old fashioned way: REAL musicians playing REAL rock REALLY well.
Believe it or not, someone has actually said 'it's got a great beat and I can dance to it' about this band. But did you know that these three brave men will callously conquere that consummate cliche at each and every show?! Actually, they will bend it right over and defile it... right after their bombastic bass bombardier does the same to you (don't worry, you'll like it). Complement his cannon-fire with some deliciously demoralizing drums, then smother it all with a sadistically sexy six-string snarl. Ooh, Baby! I need a cigarette!
Oh, and for you ladies: there's no 'wham-bam thank you, ma'am' involved with this 100% genuine 'class act.' How about capping off your epic evening with a big shot of provocatively obnoxious attitude and a splash of slapdash (yet stimulating) irreverent wit that is uniquely Side Show!? That's right. They'll give it to you again and again but they'll keep you craving more... every time, baby.
So it's really no wonder why Side Show! calls itself: 'The reason you came.' I must cordially concur. This band will grab you by the hips and heave your hostpitable body in ways that would make a hardcore pornographer blush. Will you feign this fresh behavior as 'absoutely ludicrous?' You might try. That is, of course, until you become receptive enough of Side Show!'s powerfully pernicious punk-funk promulgation to feel the more penetrating pleasures involved... pleasures that can only be facilitated by the threesome with the will to thrill..."
- "The #1 Fan"
"With their attention-grabbing live performances, Side Show! is an unfiltered slice of chaos with groove. Sharp to the senses and sparkling with untamed Funk charisma, they're sexy and obscene. Don't come with a date. Instead, show up stag and let the music guide you to a partner for the night. And the following morning."
- Cincinnati City Beat (2005 MidPoint Music Festival Guide)
"...high energy, groove-pounding..."
- Dayton City Paper
"...irreverent brand of party music..."
- Dayton Daily News
"...elastic six-string bass playing, complete with funk slaps, jazz-inspired solo runs and chunky power chords; fluid drumming with a mix of R&B grooves and heavy metal power; and a muscular guitar tone with a preference for wha-wha jams and distorted leads."
- Don Thrasher, Dayton Daily News
"...a band Mike Patton would be proud of."
- Kris Neises, Dayton City Paper
"Zappa-esque in the best sense: creative and original, not derivative. Musicianship that is tight as a tick in a coon's ear. It's punky - funky but it ain't junky. Groove on."
- Rich (valued fan)
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