Venue: The Corner Cafe'
Location: El Dorado, AR
Band: STONING CAIN -El Dorado, AR
Overview: Very competent young hard rock band with potential.
Rating:
The crowd at The Corner Cafe' was privileged to witness something very special last night. They saw & heard a band composed of young men that suddenly reached their comfort level at doing what they love the most...entertaining! Not just playing music...but the total experience of capturing, holding, and transporting an audience along with them. STONING CAIN "came into their own" in that aspect last night.
The show itself was a last minute occurrence, as the scheduled band for both Friday & Saturday night was a no show.STONING CAIN was contacted yesterday afternoon, and asked if they would be interested in filling the spot. After a quick conference between the members, it was decided that yes...they'd be glad to do it. Understand, these guys aren't the normal fare you'd find at The Corner Cafe' on any given weekend. Their entertainment usually tends toward acoustic solo/duo acts, or "party/dance" type bands doing predominately well-known covers. STONING CAIN is certainly neither of these...LOL!
As expected, the crowd at first tended toward the younger side of the spectrum, as many of their friends & other young musicians came to see & support their peers. The members Of AKA, another local band...showed up in full force, and their presence was greatly appreciated. Then gradually, as the evening progressed...more & more patrons of the 21 & up crowd began to come in. It was satisfying to watch their faces as they began to slowly enter into what the guys were doing, and It wasn't long before they were rocking right along with the band's original numbers as if they were familiar rock standards that they had all grown up with. I was reminded of the Denzel Washington quote from the movie Remember The Titans, where he compared the simple veer offense to novocaine...and the fact that if you just kept hitting them with it, it would eventually take effect. That's what I witnessed last night from a musical perspective. These guys just backed up, stood tall, and kept hitting them with what they had until it "took effect"!
Daniel Camp was masterful filling the front-man's role, as he involved the audience in the show, and made them part of the entire experience. You could tell he was totally at ease the entire night. Kelsey Camp was definitely "on a roll", as he seemed to become part of the guitar himself. I watched him pull off things that I was unaware he was capable of. Victor Zamarippa was nothing short of intense on bass, and attacked that thing in such an aggressive manner, he reminded me of a warrior going into battle. Jordan Camp on drums was a machine, pure & simple...with a focus & intensity that certainly belies his years, as well as his experience...this 15 year old held the audience in the palm of his hand. One of the highlights of the night was when he dropped his sticks, and did a 4 1/2 - 5 minute solo using his bare hands, ala John Bonham. The crowd went beserk, and gave the young man one of several standing ovations during the night. It's hard to believe he's only been playing for 14 months.
Yes, I'll be the very first to admit that I'm biased toward this band due to the fact that three of the members are my sons. As any parent knows..it's one of the purest joys in this world to be able to watch your children do well in any pursuit they undertake. But I'm also a fan of live music as well, and when I look at these guys objectively...I'm still impressed. Are they the best band around, bar none? Of course not...and they may never be. But right now, at this moment in time...they are the best band they can be through hard work & effort, and if they continue at it...will be even better very soon.
One thing I do know for sure & certain...it sure is fun to watch!
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