New Track

July 13, 2007 - DeKalb, IL was the launching point for the first show of a tour on the heels of the release of The Longue Duree which will take Holy Roman Empire through Western Canada and then on to some dates on the West coast of the U.S. I would highly recommend seeing these guys if they roll through your town. Their latest release, The Longue Duree, is a strong collection of well arranged and well-played songs.

I was totally unprepared for the power of this band live, especially Emily Schambra's voice, even after listening to The Longue Duree a number of times. "Undeserving You" kicked major ass - unrelenting guitars, driving rhythm section, and vocals that cut through the wash of sound and burned a path right through your heart.

The band ran through much of the material from The Longue Duree and it sounded even better than it does on the CD. I enjoyed seeing this band in an intimate venue like The House Cafe but in my opinion they could hold their own in any size venue. They looked comfortable on stage but more importantly they looked like they were really enjoying it. So many bands seem like they're just going through the motions so it's refreshing to see a band who look  like they're having a ball up on stage.

It was great seeing Tony Tintari on the drums. He has played in a couple of my favorite bands, Shai Hulud and Rise Against. Along with bassist Geoff Reu, who we've seen before with Killing Tree, he kept things percolating quite nicely. The guitars of Neeraj Kane and Jay Jancetic meshed well and always complemented the songs. No flash for flash sake here, although I'm sure both of them are capable of some major flash.

My eldest son went with me to the show and he often serves as a sounding board for me. He opined that Holy Roman Empire sounded a bit like Stavesacre with female vocals. Stavesacre is/was an band from Southern California which was known for some pretty intense live shows, smart lyrics, and heavy, musical songs. I don't like to get into the comparison thing, but sometimes it can be helpful for providing a reference point. I could hear what he was saying.

I would go out of my way to see Holy Roman Empire again. They put on a very good show.

I have to mention one of the supporting bands: The Coop out of West Dundee, IL. Self described as "a genre-bending, analog recorded sonic delight." They were that and more. A rhythm section, guitar, alto sax, and a keyboard player who doubled on tenor, they played some really interesting music. One of the best moments in their set was in the opening number when the alto and tenor were trading fours. A couple of times the band took it "outside" but they kept it very musical. I'd like to see them again