"Unexpect" - 02/04/2008 - Whisky A Go-Go

by Travis Baumann

I was expecting "Echoes of Eternity" to play in the second-up slot but unbeknownced to anyone, they had canceled their show. I found out later that this was due to the lead singer getting really sick and due to sores in her throat and on her vocal chords she was under doctor's orders to not perform, a disappointment to say the least. In their place was a band called "Unexpect".

The band took the stage and consisted of a live drummer, a keyboard player, two guitarists who also sang, a bassist playing some weird sitar-necked bass guitar with about ten strings, and finally a female vocalist as well.

They announced themselves and you could hear a pronounced French accent so they were either from Canada or Europe I would guess. From the beginning of their first song you could tell this was going to be a different style of music. Underlying everything was a heavy dose of metal. It was extremely heavy in terms of layered guitar and harsh vocals delivered from both of the male singers. The female singer alternated between hissing and growling along with them to melodic uplifting pieces in between.

As I said the under-layer was metal but an enormous amount of other sounds and influences drive through every song. I hate to make comparisons but if you took something as insane as the first couple of Mr. Bungle albums, add a bit of John Zorn oddism too, then mixed it up with some Black Metal and even a bit of frenetic speed metal and maybe some punk rawness, added some LSD and Gothic Industrial sound shaping and maybe some more stimulants as well and you have it in a nutshell.

The band was as frenetic on stage as that may sound too. They spazzed, convulsed, and head banged to their weird free-form -metal-jazz experimental sound and generally captivated the crowd. It was interesting to see people's faces go from sort of shock and awe to a general "digging" of the groove (because there was a funk element somehow as well, maybe the bass-player's slap bass technique), to finally head-banging along with them.

I was rather puzzled over them myself. I did enjoy the spectacle for sure and they had lots of weird little spoken bits between the two guitarists. The member with the braids and braided goatee would always speak in angst filled near-screams (pretty much how he sang too) and the one with the shaved head would be a bit more "normal". At one point they were talking about love affairs with dolphins (I think) and other humorous but rather nonsensical intros to their songs.

All in all, I found them a bit dischordant for my tastes. I am still intrigued by them however and find myself interested in hearing them on CD or on the internet to see if they are the same in a studio setting or how they may differ. I definitely thought about them a lot after the show.

I generally don't like jazz too much but I always like how Mr. Bungle had adapted that free-form style and mix of instruments but then adapted it into modern metal style music and although certainly not commercial, bordered on commercial music stylings and I would say that "Unexpect" bring that same integration of genres into a very entertaining package. At times there would be heavy guitar, guttural growling, and then this dischordant piano running through. The drums would range the same span of styles, even throwing in some blast-beats. They also mentioned their violinist could not make it so that would have added another layer of craziness to the live show I am sure (although with the Whiskey stage being what it is I have no idea where they would have been able to stand).

I think the pictures illustrate their colorful appearance as well, but it is really hard to describe them fully, their songs were predominantly in the vein of what I have mentioned but I also recall one song running the gambit of styles, slowing down to a melodic female solo with cool electronic atmosphere behind her which suddenly transitions into this insanely heavy but funky blast to bring the song to a close. You really can't predict where the song will go and in that way, they really live up to their name. If you were to take slices out of their songs, they have a piece that could almost fit into every genre (except rap, thank your deity of choice).

Would I see them again? Yeah, you almost have to. It's like a complicated movie with lots of twists and unexpected odyssey that you have to see at least twice to figure out what the hell just happened.



					"Unexpect" 02/04/2008 - The Whiskey A Go-Go: L.A. by Travis Baumann I was expecting "Echoes of Eternity" to play in the second-up slot but unbeknownced to anyone, they had canceled their show. I found out later that this was due to the lead singer getting really sick and due to sores in her throat and on her vocal chords she was under doctor's orders to not perform, a disappointment to say the least. In their place was a band called "Unexpect". The band took the stage and consisted of a live drummer, a keyboard player, two guitarists who also sang, a bassist playing some weird sitar-necked bass guitar with about ten strings, and finally a female vocalist as well. They announced themselves and you could hear a pronounced French accent so they were either from Canada or Europe I would guess. From the beginning of their first song you could tell this was going to be a different style of music. Underlying everything was a heavy dose of metal. It was extremely heavy in terms of layered guitar and harsh vocals delivered from both of the male singers. The female singer alternated between hissing and growling along with them to melodic uplifting pieces in between. As I said the under-layer was metal but an enormous amount of other sounds and influences drive through every song. I hate to make comparisons but if you took something as insane as the first couple of Mr. Bungle albums, add a bit of John Zorn oddism too, then mixed it up with some Black Metal and even a bit of frenetic speed metal and maybe some punk rawness, added some LSD and Gothic Industrial sound shaping and maybe some more stimulants as well and you have it in a nutshell. The band was as frenetic on stage as that may sound too. They spazzed, convulsed, and head banged to their weird free-form -metal-jazz experimental sound and generally captivated the crowd. It was interesting to see people's faces go from sort of shock and awe to a general "digging" of the groove (because there was a funk element somehow as well, maybe the bass-player's slap bass technique), to finally head-banging along with them. I was rather puzzled over them myself. I did enjoy the spectacle for sure and they had lots of weird little spoken bits between the two guitarists. The member with the braids and braided goatee would always speak in angst filled near-screams (pretty much how he sang too) and the one with the shaved head would be a bit more "normal". At one point they were talking about love affairs with dolphins (I think) and other humorous but rather nonsensical intros to their songs. All in all, I found them a bit dischordant for my tastes. I am still intrigued by them however and find myself interested in hearing them on CD or on the internet to see if they are the same in a studio setting or how they may differ. I definitely thought about them a lot after the show. I generally don't like jazz too much but I always like how Mr. Bungle had adapted that free-form style and mix of instruments but then adapted it into modern metal style music and although certainly not commercial, bordered on commercial music stylings and I would say that "Unexpect" bring that same integration of genres into a very entertaining package. At times there would be heavy guitar, guttural growling, and then this dischordant piano running through. The drums would range the same span of styles, even throwing in some blast-beats. They also mentioned their violinist could not make it so that would have added another layer of craziness to the live show I am sure (although with the Whiskey stage being what it is I have no idea where they would have been able to stand). I think the pictures illustrate their colorful appearance as well, but it is really hard to describe them fully, their songs were predominantly in the vein of what I have mentioned but I also recall one song running the gambit of styles, slowing down to a melodic female solo with cool electronic atmosphere behind her which suddenly transitions into this insanely heavy but funky blast to bring the song to a close. You really can't predict where the song will go and in that way, they really live up to their name. If you were to take slices out of their songs, they have a piece that could almost fit into every genre (except rap, thank your deity of choice). Would I see them again? Yeah, you almost have to. It's like a complicated movie with lots of twists and unexpected odyssey that you have to see at least twice to figure out what the hell just happened.