Not Falling Down
Bruce Von Stiers
AbbySomeone is one of those bands that you'd swear you heard before but just can't place. They have a sound that is a mixture of Americana and hard hitting rock. They just recorded and released an album titled Schizosonic. What's so special about this release is it is bundled with a DVD that has music videos and behinds the scenes material about the band.
The band has its roots in the Black Hills of South Dakota. They moved around a bit and apparently have settled in the Minneapolis area.
Will Waller is on keyboards and vocals. Shawn Michael Bitz does vocals and plays guitar. Gary Rose also plays bass and does some vocals. Brad Williamson is on drums and vocals. Chambers Waller plays guitar and provides vocals. I saw references on a couple of web sites that Bitz is the son of musician / comedian Gary Muledeer.
The album begins with Hound. It has a haunting guitar and drum intro. It is a little Charlie Daniels with an Americana and rock bent. And maybe a little bit of Firefall too.
Without Lights is next. It is a tour de force of hot guitar and searing vocals. Diamond slows things down with subtle piano to begin it. The melody seems familiar, like the band might have been influenced by some older rock music when writing the song.
Fall Down is an awesome song. Shawn brings an upbeat mood to the song with his vocals. The guitar between verses is very smooth. This song won a “Best Song of the Month” in June 2005 from SongWriter Universe Magazine.
Can't Lie has some tough guitar and good vocals. The song's telling her that he knows she's cheating and that it's no use lying to him. The Ride has great acoustic guitar.
The album ends with a remix of Fall Down that changes the tempo a tad bit.
The DVD has a video segment where the guys go to L.A. to play and hopefully get the attention of some record company executives. The recurring theme throughout the video is that the band is trying to keep things real and hopefully reach out to people who not only want to hear good music but can get something out of the messages in the songs. Two of the band's songs, Fall Down and Diamond are played in a live setting on the DVD.
The DVD also has a music video for the song Twin City Lady. It is a love song done with a pop / Americana flavor.
Bitz and the other members of Abby SomeOne are definitely keeping it real. You won't find a song on the album that doesn't touch upon some element of human drama. They do it with a style that should move them from the college and club date gigs to capacity filled arenas in the near future.
You can hear clips from Schizosonic on Abby SomeOne's web site. You can also order either the CD by itself or the CD / DVD combo from the site. The band's other albums are also available from the site. The site is www.abbysomeone.com .
© 2005 Bruce E Von Stiers