CBK on the way
Sravanthi Dama
Issue date: 4/29/05 Section: Entertainment
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As Americans, we seem to have developed a natural inclination to poke fun at our Canadian counterparts. Everything about northern neighbor amuses us and late night talk show hosts have no shortage of Canadian jokes in their opening spiel. In spite of all of that, Canada is a melting pot of talent, especially when it comes to its music acts. In recent years especially, it has produced a surprisingly large amount of popular hardcore and punk bands in recent years.
 Media Credit: comebackkid.com |
Fans of the Canadian band Finger Four have no doubt already heard of their musical counterparts, Comeback Kid. In 2002, they opened for Finger Four. However, when Finger Four's vocalist Andrew Neufeld decided he'd rather play guitar than sing, the idea for Comeback Kid was born. Together with vocalist Scott Wade, drummer Kyle Profeta, bassist Kevin Call and guitarist Jeremy Hiebert, CBK first developed a Canadian fan base and has since turned into a veritable success of their own with an uplifiting heavy metal sound that even took this alt-rock girl by surprise.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I popped CBK's second album "Wake The Dead" (Victory Records) into my Discman. What I found wasn't that bad at all. Comeback Kid has a dark albeit upbeat edge to most of their songs that make them fun to listen to and even easier to sing along to. Almost instantaneously I found myself singing along with the chorus to "Bright Lights Keep Shining" and "Falling Apart". Vocalist Scott Wade says "the whole idea of a comeback kid is someone who gets up after the fall, and that's the direction we shoot for with our lyrics. Everyone can relate to day to day struggles but in the end you've got to keep your eyes focused."
CBK's lyrics are simple and to the point. Unlike a lot of the less tasteful songs we hear these days CBK's voice reflects a hardcore youthful sense of neo-optimism that we rarely see anymore. "Our distance/ I want to see you here with me/ And I want to tell you what you mean to me/ But I'll save this/ I'll save my breath this time" is reminiscent of the kind of angsty but refreshingly honest poetry that many of us have probably written at some low point in our life. Paired with a strong bass line and thumping guitar riffs, CBK's words have the ability to ring true with everyone who listens to them. If you close your eyes, you can almost pretend you're moshing along to the beat of Kyle Profeta's drums. The ability of a group of artists to affect their audience is what makes them artistic. CBK more often than not lives up to this creed.
For a girl whose tastes lie more along the lines of My Chemical Romance and Brand New, "Wake The Dead" was actually fun to listen to. For hardcore and punk fans, Comeback Kid is definitely your cup of tea. Check them out when they play in our own backyard at the First Unitarian Church at 2125 Chestnut Street on May 17. Tickets are $12.00 and doors open at 7:30 p.m.
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