By James Garvin
Close Enemies is touring in anticipation of their first record release later this year, which has been recorded and being mixed. Close Enemies is the band including Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton, Sheryl Crow guitarist Peter Stroud, the Babys drummer Tony Brock, engineer/producer/songwriter Trace Foster, and singer Chasen Hampton.
They made their way to the Ludlow Garage in Cincinnati, Ohio on June 12. The Ludlow Garage is a fairly small intimate space started as an automobile store upstairs, and then began featuring music downstairs in 1969. For two years Alice Cooper, Mountain, the Allman Brothers, Grand Funk Railroad, Iggy and the Stooges, MC5, among many others graced its small stage. The stage reopened in 2015.
Most press articles feature Tom Hamilton, but this is not Tom Hamilton’s band. The first ten songs of the show were original to Close Enemies. Their music is not Aerosmith lite, and includes elements of edgier pop, and even some progressive. For example, the first two songs, opener “Rain” and then “Inside Out,” for which they released a video, have a definite Baby’s influence in the guitars and pace. Then “Sweet Baby Jesus,” “Sound Of A Train,””Take A Pill,” and particularly “Wink And A Feather” have more of that groove guitar riff and gritty vocals reminiscent of Aerosmith.
“More Than I Could Ever Be” set a completely different tone, mellower, and a little bit progressive before they returned to more riff based hard rock with “Dry Rocket,” but then “Mystery Of Love” brought the music back to the less bluesy hard rock sound, before “Love Is A Battlefield” brought back the grittier hard rock. So ended the original music portion of the show. I was a little surprised at the variety of the music, ranging from basic rock to hard blues rock to a touch of progressive.
Singer Chasen Hampton is versatile enough that he can successfully pull off their multiple music styles. The feel was sort of like a garage band where each member contributes, but there really isn’t a dominant personality in the music. I appreciate this, as I’m not wanting to pick up an Aerosmith record, or a Baby’s record, or a Sheryl Crow record.
The final portion of the show was dedicated to Aerosmith and Babys tunes (I don’t write cover tunes because the musicians who created that music were on the stage.) First up was Aerosmith’s “Sick As A Dog,” followed by The Babys “Midnight Rendezvous,” Aerosmith’s “Sweet Emotion,” and ended with The Babys “Head First.”
There isn’t any way to know where Close Enemies will go from here. This tour is an opportunity to see music legends up close and personal away from the bigger stages that seem a mile away. Plus, this is serious music from a serious band. Go out and support.
More photos:
The post CLOSE ENEMIES Feat. AEROSMITH’s TOM HAMILTON Lay Down The Grooves In Cincy! appeared first on BraveWords - Where Music Lives.
Continue reading...