Neurosonic Cranks Up The Intensity
By The ShowBuzz's Melissa Castellanos.
Riffing on the guitar, ripping into the pre-fabricated Hollywood scene and creating music that shatters the mundane - what it really comes down to for Neurosonic is playing an "insanely intense show."
The hit "So Many People," off of their debut album "Drama Queen," savagely criticizes the phoniness and superficiality of Hollywood celebrities, including Ashlee Simpson's lip syncing on "Saturday Night Live." Some may get the impression that Neurosonic does this in bad taste and some may just laugh it off.
"It was tongue in cheek and it was mostly meant to blow off steam about a subject that is laughable at best," Jason Darr, singer and guitarist for the band, told The Showbuzz. "I meant every word, so you can take it or leave it."
"It's only rock 'n' roll," bassist Jacen Ekstrom said.
In the "So Many People" music video, the band is surrounded by blonde mannequins and there are flashes of trendy Paris Hilton-type party girls out on the town. The last scene shows the celebrity walking on the red carpet with a busted face, in what one assumes is caused by plastic surgery - a common trend in Hollywood.
Photos: 2007 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
"So Many People" has gained a lot of attention on MySpace, where it has received over 45,000 plays. It's also been featured on MTV.com, American Chart Show, Havoc TV, Music Choice and Mania TV and won "Oven Fresh" on Fuse TV, beating out the Foo Fighters for one.
The Bodog recording artists emerged from the Vancouver rock scene in 2006. They entrance and sometimes intimidate audiences with their fierce guitar playing that intertwines with electronic beats and blunt lyrics.
The band, made up of Darr, Ekstrom, guitarist Troy Healy and drummer Shane Smith, has risen to the top of the hard rock scene with a ferocious intensity on stage, which carries over to their work ethic.
Neurosonic performed in the 2007 Family Values Tour alongside hard rock icons KoRn and Evanescence, which highlighted their talent and introduced them to a new realm of stellar performers.
"To share a stage with bands who are your idols is a pretty big deal," Darr said.
In addition to sharing the stage with impressive company, Darr pointed out the incredible production elements that accompany playing on a massive stage in front of thousands of people.
"It was great for Neurosonic," Ekstrom said.
Just in from a jam-packed, month-long European tour, which involved gigs in 12 different countries, the band was able to briefly come back to earth with a quick stop in their native Canada. They will now embark on a U.S. tour with Evans Blue.
Although Darr and Ekstrom said that "the drinks were warm and the food was cold" in Europe and they had to resort to McDonald's food, the fans were a whole different story.
The music scene is different in Europe because the crowds show up earlier and they give a warm reception to the other bands that perform, Dar and Ekstrom explained.
Off stage, it's not all heavy metal for the band. Fans might be surprised to hear the Neurosinic's eclectic tour bus music collection, which ranges from Slipknot, Eminem, Winger, Rage Against the Machine, Pink Floyd, Elton John to Keith Urban.
And things keep getting interesting for the band - to say the least. While on tour, Neurosonic had an unexpected brush with the law and were suspected of being terrorists.
While at Heathrow Airport, in route to Germany, Neurosonic had to check in all of their band equipment. When they arrived to their destination, all of the equipment was returned, except for their pedal board. The band thought nothing of it until Darr answered the phone and was interrogated by the FBI about a confiscated "piece of luggage." He was also told that he is on the FBI watchlist.
"They said it's a pretty hot item that has been sniffed by the dogs and the bomb squad," Darr said.
Turns out the pedal board had a set list attached to it, which they considered "a coded message" with their songs, "Are Solar," "Crazy Shelia," "Until I Die," "Frankenstein," "So Many People" and "Fearless." Darr eventually got his pedal board back and to this day he has the set list hanging on his fridge.
The silly mishap with the law aside, Darr is completely thrilled to see Neurosonic going in the right direction. Formerly a member of "Everyone Loves Out Of Their Mouth," Darr wanted out because they didn't share the same work ethic.
"I got tired of carrying around other people's baggage," Darr said. "Nobody was really willing to forge ahead. I just yanked the plug and it was the best thing that I have ever done."