I remember seeing Stavesacre at Cornerston '97 and thinking, "Man, Mark
Soloman's voice is TOO loud." On Friction and Absolutes, Mark had this very
boombastic voice that just kinda pounded your ears. Lots of people were into
this new post-punk/post-hardcore sound and I liked songs like "Tranewreck"
and "Shiv," but I could never bring myself to buy either of the CD's. But I
saw Stavesacre live last January and they performed most of the new material
and I was shocked. Mark's voice had softened to melodic boom and actually
had some intense emotion to it. For this reason, scene-sters are saying that
Stavesacre sold out and went "emo." WRONG. This is hardly emo and if you
think it is YOU'RE WRONG. Stavesacre has matured from a caterpillar into a
butterfly. Songs like "Minuteman" and "Sundown Motel" reflect their past
with loud bass and pounding rhythms. "Keep Waiting" has a meloncholy aura
about it as Mark Soloman grasps for the high notes and natches them as BGV's
fill the background. "You Know How It Is" has the traditional Stavesacre
sound with a bit of Outer Circle (Mark's short-lived side-project). The two
songs that I remember best from that concert were "Rivers Underneath" and
"Gold and Silver." They both offer up worship and Mark sings softer to show
his reverence for the words he is presenting. Seeing "Gold and Silver" live
was incredible. My friend Daniel almost cried, I think.
Lars-O-Meter: 8 out of 10
Favorite Songs: "Minuteman" and "Gold and Silver"
Record Label: Tooth&Nail Records
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