http://myonitlive.com/Madside

Dr. Pete’s band review of... MADSIDE!! DUH!!
Current mood: rockin
Category: Music

Madside - straight adrenaline
Current mood: cooky/wacky
Category: Music

Sounding like Alice in Chains on a three-day heroin bender

Madside dishes out ball-busting, bass-thumping rock. Yes indeed, Madside is the winner of the Dr. Pete – Nor Cal Local Roots band review contest. Now let me immediately bow down to all the Madside fans that voted to make it happen. All of you truly appreciate what a great thing you have and obviously want to share these guys with the world – and well you should!

www.myspace.com/madside or pick up a song or two off CD Baby or ITunes.

Immediately, I am struck by Madside's presence coming straight through their music, I can only imagine that their live show would be even more profound – even if you threw in the trappings of a Stones worthy stage. I only ask one question…why are you guys still in Redding? Nothing against the place – I actually had an alcohol involved incident in an airplane hangar there, resulting in the weirdest way anyone can join the Mile High Club.

Back to Madside and the important stuff…the minds and talent behind the music include: Mike on vocals and guitar, Brian on guitar, The Ratcow on Bass and Dave rounding things out on the drums. I am currently celebrating their entire musical catalog (attribute that line to Office Space for all you movie line geeks out there)! Honestly, every Madside song that I flip to is a total winner - from the vocals down to the structure and songwriting. Hopefully you too, become immediately engulfed with the same love affair and devotion exhibited by so many of their fans.

My favorite Madside tune so far has to be Enemy. But not only is it my favorite, the chorus seriously inspires me to break up with my imaginary girlfriend before she leaves me for a life as a VIVID feature girl…or some other brash emotional release. With the song Enemy, Madside gives listeners a straight adrenaline injection to the heart!

With all that said this goes to you the Madside fans that voted and turned me on to this band – thank you.

If you don't yet know Madside, look them up at

Peace, Dr. Pete

Mike Mathis - vocals & guitars
Brian Adolfson - guitar
Ryan Johnson - bass
Dave Watts - drums



TRACK FRAGMENTS:
1.) "Sinking In" - This track opens with a special effect sound before going into the musical intro. Dave chose to use a tom-tom rhythm for the verses. This is very cool and not done often enough. Mike vocals on the choruses are a lot more intense sounding than they where on the verses. After the first chorus there is a very small pre-verse that was not used at the beginning of the first verse. This is something you would only find from seasoned songwriters.
2.) "Never Gonna Be The Same" -This track opens with a fairly standard modern rock intro. Either Mike or Brian chose to use a effects pedal for the guitar tracks on the pre-choruses. The chorus section has one of the sweetest hooks I've ever heard on a modern rock song. At times through the second verse the vocal lines have a duet feel. The Tom licks of the pre-chorus have a very subtle sound to them. Just for flavor and to change things up during the last chorus they added a vocal effect in the studio to a few of the backing vocals.
3.) "Ammunition" -This track opens with a clean electric along with vocals. The song picks up with intensity after the small vocal line. Underneath the end of the pre-verse section is a very small lead guitar riff, that almost goes unnoticed. Dave has some great foot work through out the song. There is a small breakdown section that was the same as the intro.
4.) "Enemy" (click here for audio) -This track opens with a very up tempo drum arrangement along with the main guitar riff of the song. The guitar riff underneath the vocal lines of the verse have a very eighties sound to them. The chorus section has a small modern rock hook. Like most modern rock songs the song has a very simple arrangement. At one point in the song you hear the beginning lick of what sounds like is going to be the guitar solo, but no.
5.) "Deny" - This track opens with a very melancholy sounding clean electric and vocal line. The vocal lines of this track really let Mike shows his vocal abilities. The entire band kick the chorus in. Instead of using the hi-hat or ride cymbal through the chorus Dave chose to use the crash cymbal, which gives the song a very heavy sounding foundation. The only time Dave uses the ride cymbal is during the breakdown section of the song. This song was very well arranged and should be the second release taken off the CD.
6.) "Blame" -The intro to this track consists of a guitar arrangement and a pattern being played on the ride cymbal. The verse has a huge drum rhythm that lets Dave express how well his hands and feet work together. The verses where arranged in a very laid back modern rock style. There is a huge hook on the vocal line of the chorus. For a bunch of fairly young musicians this song sounds like it was written and arranged by a seasoned veteran.
7.) "Never Enough" -This track opens with a drum arrangement before incorporating the lead and rhythm guitar over top of it. The verses of this song are set up and arranged in a very simple fashion. at times though the chorus the vocal accents where screamed instead of sung. But that is pretty common in this style of music.
8.) "Don't Care" -This track opens with a very intense musical intro. The bass and drums are the main instruments used through the verses with the guitar just used as a fill in instrument. The vocal lines of the chorus are a little laid back in comparison to the musical arrangement. I really liked the small breakdown on this track.
9.) "Face It" -This track opens with the pre-chorus. This is one of the few if not the only track on the release that has backing vocals. Once again as a former drummer the hand and feet control Dave has just amazes me. The songs arrangement has almost a modern pop feel to it, which is good because it shows that the band has more influences than just modern metal.
10.) "I See Nothing" -The intro to this track has a very cool little lead guitar riff sound to it. The backing vocals of the chorus even though short are laced with modern rock hooks. The vocal accents of the backing vocals sound like the are being screamed, this give the song a very intense feeling. I felt the opening and closing of the hi-hat on the drum rhythm gave the song a lot of dynamics.
11.) "Lesson" -The guitar riffs of this intro are echoed going from left speaker through to the right. The bass line of the pre-verse was turned up and gives the song a very heavy feeling. The vocal lines of the verses are very laid back. During the chorus the backing vocals where screamed instead of sung, which make the song very intense sounding. The breakdown section has a very abstract re-verbed guitar riff that you do not expect at all.

Madside will be the new face of the modern rock generation !!! With that being said, Madside chose not to write any guitar solo's for any of the songs. This is very unusual in this day and time, but at the same time refreshing. The only time I really noticed there wasn't a guitar solo was during the pieces of music where a solo would have normally been within the arrangement.