Voice of Addiction: September Remembered

Voice of Addiction (www.voiceofaddiction.com)

September Remembered

It may seem odd to start off this blog with the caveat that I know the guys in Voice of Addiction because my band has shared the stage with them several times.  I can say, however, that I am reasonably sure that even if I didn’t know and like these guys, I’d probably come to the same conclusion:  Voice of Addiction is a cut above most punk bands.  

VoA is a three piece band, a structure I’ve always admired.  It requires a responsibility for each person in the band to fill, but not overfill, their parts.  It also usually requires someone to lead sing and play their instrument well.  That is harder for many musicians than you may think.

The band's live shows are energetic, their performances genuine, their playing skills impressive, and most importantly to me, they write and perform songs critical of injustice and oppression.  If I were you I'd catch them before everyone in the punk scene is waiting outside venues paying some serious cash to see their shows.  They are that good.

Voice of Addiction is rooted in Chicago and regularly plays loads of shows across the Midwest. They are almost finished with a full length album, which should be available for download in about a month.  For now, I call your attention to a single they released sometime back, September Remembered.  To say this song is melodic, catchy, and full of interesting riffs would be an understatement.  The track starts with seductive, warm, and somewhat prickly guitar licks,  picks up energy very quickly via bright drums, and then kicks in with perfectly timed vocals. There is just something about the way lead singer and bassist Ian Tomele sings “You’ll never extinguish the fire.”  It sort of makes me wish I had written the song, and certainly makes me wish I could draw out a phrase like that and make it sound good.  The song continues with more thoughtful vocal and percussive cadence, punctuated with emotional but articulate lead and background vocals, and rather basic but powerful guitar parts.  The guitar solo is perfect – it has just enough contained flash to provide an extra layer to the song.   

You should download this song for free while you can.  All you have to do is go here, the official VoA website where you’ll probably hear the track start right away, and sign up for their mailing list.  Knowing Ian and the boys, they’ll probably send you the song within a few hours. Yep, they are that passionate about sharing their collective vision.