Gypsy Rose
The Corral
4/10/05
The Band:
J. R. Moreno - Bass/Vocals
Schiavi - Guitar/Vocals
Alfred Jasso: Drums/Vocals
Gypsy Rose opened for Slunt and the Cantina Flys on Sunday. There were very few people in the venue at that time, probably largely due to a venue change only a few days before the show. I'm sure it would have also helped if The Corral had a sign out in front, on Lee Trevino.
The first thing I noticed was that Gypsy Rose did not have enough volume for a large venue like The Corral. I don't know if this is because they didn't bring enough equipment, or if, as the opening act, they were not allowed to crank it up.
Gypsy Rose is fronted by Schiavi, the younger brother of Lylah's Norman. I found this out because, when I asked some of The Cantina Flys' members to point out Gypsy Rose to me, they introduced me to Norman. Norman introduced me not only to his brother, but to Greg Burton of Myseria Records, the record label of both Lylah and Gypsy Rose. I think they are also the label for Abinormal. Gypsy Rose's current CD is 'Give it Up.'
The sound was very clean, especially for a band that, according to their Myspace page, is going for an updated AC/DC sound. My eyes just glaze over when a band distorts their sound so much that you can't hear what the lead guitar is doing.
The vocals are OK, but kind of like Tom Petty. I like Tom Petty, but he isn't a singer. Schiavi's singing thankfully, is a little better than Tom's.
Schiavi's lead guitar sounded pedestrian at first, but he got better and better as the set went on. By the end, he was playing some pretty nice stuff.
Alfred Jasso, the drummer, kept up, but didn't do much else.
This band is rather young, but they have their key components in place. They have their recording deal, plus they seem to be intelligently managed. Right now I'm just going to say that they are a good band, but I expect to see good things from them in the future. They just need to keep at it.
- Charles Hurley
