Over The Falls

Santa Rosa's Over The Falls ... seems to have a time machine hidden somewhere and they are able to use it to go back to the underground scene in the early Nineties to borrow riffs and ideas. Glaring influences include Clutch, Mastodon, and The Bakerton Group. Over The Falls brought their own style of Thrashy Metal to the stage and brought it well. Think early King Crimson mixed with throaty screaming vocals delivered by Chris Rodgers, who is constanly moving around the stage and keeping the energy high. Guitarist Bret Fontaine plays his speedy, overdriven riffage through a Mesa Boogie Stilletto halfstack, solidifying that nineties sound. His vocals are a bit smoother than Rodgers' and a little bit Mike Patton. The OTF myspace page appropriately credits Ryan Alderman as "Drums, Long Hair", his sticks and long hair were flying everywhere during the set. Alderman comfortably transitions between odd time signatures and plays with a respectable intensity throughout the set. Tim Bastianon gets an extremely warm sound from his Fender P-bass/Jazz Bass hybrid while effectively cutting through the mix and playing interesting yet complicated riffs. Unlike many rock bass players, he doesn't just get lost under what the guitarist is doing, he plays in his own style without trying to steal the spotlight. Come to think of it, all four members are usually doing something interesting enough to captivate the audience while at the same time staying in the pocket with the rest of the band, isn't that the definition of a good live band?