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Everstar (bookworm & CharmSnake)

~ June 20th, Atlanta GA ~

The crowd got anxious when the first bank of house lights at the back of the arena went out. A few seconds later another, then two and three more. Darkness stepped its way towards the stage as a moderate churning beatbox rhythm emitted from the sound system. Finally the building was pitch dark save for the exit lights and the flashlights of the security guards. The audience cried out in approval as they recognized it as the opening rhythm to track 1 of the latest album Deadworld and began to clap along as it extended several bars longer than the recorded version.

Even though the song was hardly a ballad, lighters went up in the darkness as the floor swayed in a gentle dance to the beatbox and the clapping for a good three minutes. Then the shimmering chord finally came raining down by an upstrum of the guitar in D-minor, joined in long sustain by the deep crisp bass guitar and synthesized choral keyboard while live driving drums took over for the beatbox. On the beat of this chord the crowd erupted not only to the sound but the show's first visuals. Five of the six members of the band appeared under black light in black outfits trimmed in bands of fluorescent white. On the riser at the back the arms of drummer Lance Berg striped boldly from collar to cuff could be seen working the kit who's rims were similarly fluorescently ringed. Stage right of the kit on his own platform, manning a glowing rack system of synthesizers was Gabriel Pritchard. Gabe had been in the band since the beginning and was a co-writer. The gleaming tie and outline of his lapels gave away his black suit. The white band on his fedora completed the gangster look. To the right of Gabe was guitarist Tommy Preston, the newest member of the band. The young phenom from Tennessee had joined before the recording of Deadworld. He was all black save for white boots and brim of a sideways ballcap, and the edge piping and pickups of his black Les Paul. On a platform stage left opposite Gabe's keyboards, Anita Odegaard stood at a percussion stand, currently swishing perfect sixteenth notes into an overhead microphone with a shaker. Her long black evening gown was covered in bold glowing polka-dots. Before the show would end she would play a multitude of instruments ranging from cello to flute to theremin. At the footlights in front of her was Juha Salo, the six-foot-five inch shaved-headed Finnish freak bass player crouched over his all-white bass guitar, gyrating to the rhythm in a black body suit covered in glowing zigzags.

The rhythm continued, again much longer than on the recorded version. Gabe held the choral 'ahhs' with his left hand and reached over to his hammond organ with the right, his fingers meandering sixteenth notes up and down and around, mingling into the soundscape as Tommy cut into a soaring, brooding lead. Under it all, Juha struck that low drop-D every four bars and let it shake freely as he added sparse intermittent two-finger chords and funk pulls on the other strings.

Everstar was live in Atlanta, awaiting their lightning rod, their creative genius soul, their singer to make his entrance.
 
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