Thursday, April 4, 2013

"D" is for...


District 97 
DISTRICT 97 "TROUBLE WITH MACHINES"

 



Formed in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park and named after the school district, District 97 was an instrumental band before adding singer Leslie Hunt who was a finalist on American Idol.
 
But don’t hold that against her-Leslie was also a music composition student who can navigate these difficult vocal lines with ease and she is incredible as a front woman.
 
District 97 return in 2012 with Trouble With Machines, featuring a savory blend of styles ranging from melodic rock to symphonic metal progressions in a stylistic blend that suits Hunt's voice-or maybe her voice suits the material, but in any event her expressive voice works.
 
This is far more comples fare than you would expect from an American Idol contestant-the compositions shinewith complexity with several musical twists and turns and strong grooves alternating with metal guitar riffs.

Although rooted in classic progressive rock, District 97's material is at the same time modern and relevant, revealing itself gradually over repeated exposures with the depth and complexity to allow you new discoveries in the mix for some time to come.

If you like extremely well done modern progressive rock, this album is one you should check out. The first run comes with a bonus DVD of the band's appearance at the 2011 Rites Of Spring Festival (ROSfest).
 
 
 
OPEN YOUR EYES
 


WHO CARES (live)



IN THE STUDIO




 


16 comments:

  1. Finally, a post about music. I love it. My husband played in a garage rock back for years. He'd love this, so I'll have to save it and show it to him.
    I love melodic rock -- or rock in general.
    Super D post. Hope to see more.
    Silvia @ Silvia Writes

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Silvia.

      I, too love melodic rock, but my taste ranges pretty much to all rock from the 60's forward. I thought the 70's was the best decade purely because of the variety, but each decade has music of merit.

      Larry

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  2. I like and will definitely be checking out more of their stuff! Thanks for bringing it to my attention. Always on the lookout for new music.

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    1. Tracy-if you end up buying something based on one of these reviews, please stop back and leave a comment letting me know!

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  3. I really enjoyed those videos. Thanks for introducing me to so many musicians I'd never heard of before!

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  4. "American Idol" goes prog rock? Now that's a kicker. Haven't heard of Leslie or this group, but I like 'em.

    Lee
    Wrote By Rote
    An A to Z Co-host blog

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    1. I've never watched Idol, but have followed some of their "artists" once they landed record deals.

      Two (Daughtry and Leslie Hunt) were far more interesting to me than any of the winners.

      I am against shows like Idol -I think bands need to form in garages, work their high school assemblies and move to small clubs, etc so they develop their talent as well as their ability to achieve a rapport with their audience.

      Jordin Sparks singing at a professional football game looks like a kid they let on the field.

      Bruce Springsteen singing at halftime of the Super Bowl has a rapport with the audience who are watching TV!

      Some of that is his experience, but I saw him back in 1975....and he had it then.

      Idol skips the step of artist development. And it shows in today's music.

      LC

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  5. Pretty darn good. Seems more alternative than prog to me, but whadda I know?

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    1. A lot of the modern bands are both...harder to fit neatly into a genre...

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  6. Thank you for bringing this band to my attention. Their music kind of reminds me of a mix of Paramore and Nightwish. Although I do not remember the lead singer from Idol. She must have not have made a big impression on me.

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    1. Vanessa-I think it's been quite a few years since she was on there, but since I don't watch the show there's not much else I know.

      LC

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  7. I like the picture. New follower here. I'm stopping by from the "A to Z" challenge and I look forward to visiting again.

    Sylvia
    http://www.writinginwonderland.blogspot.com

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  8. Dropping by as a blog tourist during the A-Z blogging challenge. Thank you for visiting my site. I will be back here tomorrow!

    Dana
    Waiter, drink please!


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