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Breakpoint

FREMONT, Calif. — Breakpoint is a dynamic acoustic duo out of Fremont with a knack for catchy melodies and honest lyrics that aren’t always about tortured breakups.

According to singer/guitarist Brent Walsh and guitarist Ian Pedigo, the group got its start on a school bus.

“We were riding to school — I think it was in the ninth grade — and our old drummer, Dave, mentioned that he was getting a drum set for Christmas,” Pedigo recalled. “And I was getting a guitar for Christmas, so we talked about starting a band.”

The group played with a full lineup for a several years before dropping its bassist and drummer

“We definitely would love to have a full band after this album drops,” Walsh said, noting that after losing the original lineup it was hard for he and Pedigo to nail down a solid replacements.

“It was actually kind of by default that we ended up being acoustic,” Pedigo added. “Half our band wanted to go to school and me and Brent decided we wanted to do music.”

Walsh said playing acoustic has its upsides.

“People really get the songs and get the message, because you are naked up onstage — it’s just voice and guitar — so I think the lyrics and the melodies and the songs get across easier,” Walsh said. “But every time we play a show and there’s a live band after us, it just makes me want to play electric so bad and just jump around.

Pedigo and Walsh say they draw inspiration from other local bands, life, love and death.

“When we were younger we used to go to shows and it was amazing and we were, like, 16,” Pedigo said.

“As far as lyrically,” Walsh said, “Shit just comes to you. … Some stuff is stories and others are about things as cliché as breaking up, getting together, anything in life, I guess.”

. To hear Breakpoint check out www.myspace.com/breakpointmusic.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The MySpace page of the Sacramento thrash-metal group Omnidemic offers visitors a definition of the bands name: “A widespread occurrence of an infectious phenomenon which affects all things.” Metal, bro.

The group has been playing shows in the Sacramento and greater Bay Area since May 2007 after drummer Josh Reed and guitarist Dallas Tringali left their previous group, rap-metal ensemble Decade of Sin.

According to band members, Omnidemic works at melding classic and contemporary metal sounds when writing music. They are influenced by the sounds of 1980’s thrash as well as by the more contemporary melodic metalcore genre.

Right now, the band said they are content being weekend warriors, but added that they are on the lookout for label interests. Guitarist Dallas Tringali said “We are inspired that we are all good friends, and that all of our fans are good friends. Every show feels like a party where everyone knows everyone. We’re writing for our friends, and our friends help us get more fans.”

Keeping in step with the party atmosphere the group fosters at shows, the band only had this to answer when Zero posed the question of whether the guys enjoyed beer or whiskey:

“Yes. Yes, indeed.”

When asked to comment on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim program Metalocalypse, Omnidemic had this to say: “Hilarious and brilliant. It’s a perfect mockery of certain kinds of musicians that take it way too seriously, but they still manage to write some halfway decent metal songs. It’s good that heavy metal musicians have something to relate to. It’s like Spinal Tap, if they were nihilist and had an unlimited budget.”

-A strum of Shadows Fall
-A kick of Killswitch Engage
-A yelp of Lamb of God
-A bump of Tool.
-Stir rapidly, slow down, then ball up and throw it in your neighbor’s face.
-Add any alcohol within reach, party hardy, show your tits, screw all night, and take it all in with a Camel Wide.
-Serve hot and sweaty.

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Red Phantom chose the genre “Melodramatic Popular Song,” as the third classification after “Metal/Progressive” on their MySpace page.

OK. I can roll with that. While it is doubtful one will be hearing The Red Phantom on Disney radio any time soon, the group’s sound can easily be imagined as accompanying the climactic scene in 1959’s animated classic, Sleeping Beauty, when Maleficent turns into a dragon and starts spewing fire at the ultra valiant Prince Phillip.

Indeed, whilst watching the aforementioned iconic scene with The Red Phantom’s tricky time switches, grinding breakdowns, and somehow-sweet metal melodies blaring in the background, the trembling voice of that horned witch blends in effortlessly with the groups instrumental jams, which are often accompanied by other, less-identifiable, though equally epic, speeches.

“I’ve won, and you have lost,” begins “Punisher War Journals,” one of the songs available on The Red Phantom’s MySpace. “The question is, ‘Why?’ Because the power of your will has no ambition to feed it…” — a groan can be heard in the background, presumably that of the (here’s that word again) melodramatic speaker’s foe — “… nor the need to crush your enemy!”

The song rips open with flailing power chords, soaring demon keys and frantic drumming.

According to the band’s bio, The Red Phantom is influenced by a book about serial killers, titled In Blood Letter and Bad Men. “Each page we read, led to a new story of murder and maiming, each killer more devastating than the last.”

But metal fans need not fear of Tipper Gore getting on her high horse about these South Bay metalheads. They aren’t out to glorify killing sprees: “Rather than promote these sick individuals, we decided our first album’s concept would reflect our reaction to these findings.”

The band has since moved through a zombie phase and is now on to super heroes. The Red Phantom’s newest effort is called Marvel’s Greatest Battles.

San Francisco, Calif. — Following the musical daydreams of singer, Karen Gaiser, this powerhouse singer ventured from the lands of Israel (this rockin chick was once a part of the Israeli Army!) to San Francisco, where through the magic of the Internet site craigslist, she then teamed up with band mates Jose Santiago (guitar), Damian Lynch (bass) and Tim Dayner (drums), to form a sound all their own. Although formed just over a year ago, this polished and accomplished group has a unique sound that will tear the roof off of any venue, and leave a lasting melody engraved in your mind.

Heavily influenced by the popular sounds of bands such as Primus, Tool, Metallica, Led Zepellin, Santana, Alanis Morissette, Red Hot Chili Peppers the band set out with their idols in mind to create a sound all their own. According to the bands Web site (www.passive theaggressives.com) “Few bands are more aptly named than The Passive Aggressives. The term itself describes aggression expressed in passive ways, and in many respects, that's how the band reaches their sound. Melodic sounds draw the listener in, a voice coos and then the hammer comes down. It's a sound not easily defined (another passive aggressive move); maybe it can be called "libido rock" or another term never heard before - but the Bay Area based quartet's debut, "Reloaded" is like nothing currently out there -- and they want you to know it.”

My prediction, the infectious sounds of this heavy hitting and soul wrenching in-your-face band will be in your CD collection faster than you think.

Band Members:
Jose Santiago-guitar
Damian Lynch-bass
Tim Dayner-drums
Keren Gaiser-vocals