Alright lets hop in the DeLorean and soup up the Flux Capacitor and take that baby all the way back to July 18th, 2001 (side note, I really am not that big of a dork, really I'm not). So now that we are back in time, we are at the TLA here on South Street in Philadelphia, PA. Fresh off of their Bands on the Run win, Flickerstick was headlining the show with three bands before them. I heard the Flickerstick tour manager talking about how great one of the bands was so I decided I would be a little prick and be critical of their set…cause the tour manager had to say that stuff. Its not like he was gonna bad mouth a band sharing the bill right? So I tried looking for something not to like.

    Well the band was rubyhorse and needless to say they blew me away. I went out the merch table after the set and picked up their independent CD, how far have you come? So I was more than happy to see that Island picked them up and are now releasing their major label debut, Rise. While drawing on all previously recorded material, Rise is still a must-have CD.

    The production on the songs are all different and given new life. The biggest change occurs in the song "Into The Lavender", which is given more of a rock treatment with a much stronger drum presence. rubyhorse relies on well-written songs, great melodies, and killer musician ship. There really is not a song on the disc that I don't like which I don't think I have ever said before. Highlights are "Into The Lavender," "Sparkle," "Punchdrunk," "Live Through This," and my favorite track "Teenage Distraction." rubyhorse is a band that we think very high of after catching their great live show and look forward to watching the band break. So why do I rip it off of the final elusive .5 star? I just would have like to hear more new stuff but it is probably new to you. Rise is already one of the top CDs of 2002.