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Truth Before Treason at Every Buddy's Bar & Grill PDF Print E-mail
Written by John Abbott   
Wednesday, 23 November 2011 06:09

Truth Before Treason on stage at Every Buddys November 2011

It was a great night of music in downtown Chippewa Falls.  I love it when the two Central Street bars both have music on the same night.  I love walking a few yards during set break of one band and be able to walk in on another.  Particularly when the musical styles are diverse as they were on Saturday night.  Blues at the Snout and Metal at Every Buddy's.  I was happy to make the walk between the two!


We were next door, catching some blues from Howard Luedtke and Blue Max, so we missed the first band at Every Buddy's.  It was a "To Be Announced" band  so I didn't feel like I was going to be missing too much.  I might have been wrong though.  There was some talk from the stage indicating the early crowd was larger.  I don't even know the name of the band that opened.  But I was very happy to have walked in when I did, when Truth Before Treason's set was going on.   There were still a fair number of people there and they were tuned in and having a good time.

Ben Ulwelling on stage with the band, Truth Before Treason at Every Buddys Bar & Grill November 2011
Ben Ulwelling on stage with the band, Truth Before Treason at Every Buddys Bar & Grill November 2011
I have pretty much discovered I am going to be very happy with any band containing one of the Ulwelling family.  So the band was shortlisted for me when I heard Ben Ulwelling, brother to Faith and Jacob of Left Wing Bourbon and cousin to Jason, bass player in Orestus, was in this band.   Last year Truth Before Treason also rated quite high in the Volume One reader poll.  <ahem> Not that I put too much stock in that.  The comments around them winning seemed to indicated it was warranted, so it was a little more hopeful.   

All in all, I was very pleased with the show.  I thought the lyrics were great.  I am a total sucker for the soft ballad broken by chorus' of crashing guitars and roaring vocals formula of song.  Truth Before Treason has this nailed.  They weave in the lighter end of this spectrum.  I wouldn't really call them a heavy metal band even though several songs had moments that approached that genre.

I had a couple of extra opinions along with me.  The wife, who no matter what I say here is going to give me hell for misquoting her, liked them somewhat but was a little bothered by the imperfections in the music.   And, I will tell you, there are some there.  She felt like they needed more practice and stage time.  They are a young band, likely she is right.  

But I have to say I really loved the raw edge of their music.  I was willing to overlook some timing and tune-age issues here and there.  I thought lead singer Chris Tulip did a fantastic job bringing a real ballad feel to that edge between what I wouldn't really classify as heavy metal, but harder than hard rock.  I really loved how his voice had a bit of waver in it.  It wasn't studio polished perfection and that was fine with me.  It is what made it seem more real to me and I liked it.

Chris Tulip lead vocals and guitar for the band Truth Before Treason
Chris Tulip lead vocals and guitar for the band Truth Before Treason

The Blonde was a fan as well, siding more with me, but she was more of a fan of backup vocalist Jack Shaw's rather than than lead singer Chris Tulip.  Despite my feelings to the opposite, I could understand her view.  Jack has a deeper stronger voice at least in the couple of songs he played a major part in.   I don't think my videos capture an example of it.

Truth Before Treason was not the headliner.  But, as far as I am concerned their set was my musical highpoint of the night.  It wasn't many songs, so I am hoping to catch the band a longer show if they place around here.   The are from the Durand area and I think they play pretty often down there if you are willing to make the drive.

I have to confess that I only gave the headlining act, Cwn Annwn, four songs.  I just wasn't a fan. It just wasn't going to do it for me long term.  Not when Howie is still playing only yards away.  Does anyone remember the movie Amadeus?  Where young Wolfie presses the emperor for a complaint?  The emperor finally pronounces that it just has too many notes.  I felt that same way about Cwn Annwn's music.  It had all of these horribly complex riffs, jam packed with notes and trills and chills.  And I, playing my part as Emperor Joseph II, felt like it was too much.  It bogged the music down.  Too bad really.  Cwn Annwn is a female fronted band, with some strong clear vocals.  The energy level was high on stage.  But they are somewhere musically I am not.

 

Julie Schultz lead singer for Cwn Annwn
Julie Schultz lead singer for Cwn Annwn

viewVideo

 

Truth Before Treason and one of their original songs, perhaps titled Better Days.
Another song by Truth Before Treason, You Weren't There.

 

http://www.myspace.com/tbtshreds
http://www.myspace.com/cwnannwn

 

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