Veara gives lively show

Not many people have heard of Swayze's Venue, and it really is sort of a hole in the wall kind of place, but you should probably still check it out. It doesn't always attract big names, but there are some pretty decent bands that come through its doors.

This past month saw one such night when The June Lottery, 2*Sweet and Veara played. The bands aren't well known, but for anyone looking to discover some new bands or just have some fun on a weekend and go see a small, friendly show, it can be a fun spot.

Veara, the headlining band, provided just such a time. They're not an amazing band, but they were respectable, and above all, fun to watch.

They bring something different to the table with Brittany (that's right, a girl drummer) delivering pounding beats, Collin playing his guitar like he's trying to kill it and Cory doing almost as much dancing as playing on his keyboard. The fact that they love what they do, and were having so much fun playing their music, had an infectious quality, and everyone ended up enjoying the show and moving to the music. By the end of their set, people were dancing and shouting back the choruses of their songs.

Aside from being nice people and obviously having fun up on stage, these kids from Augusta gave a pretty decent show.

Their studio work is fast-paced and lively, but doesn't compare to the energy they discharge when they're playing live. Their wild and possibly crazy guitarist Collin smiles when he tells the story about the time he actually walked on the shoulders of the audience before hanging upside down from the ceiling rafters playing his guitar. He was playing their pounding melody "Fear of Jumping Ship" at the time, and if you will listen to his hard, driving riffs on that track, you'll understand how that story happened.

While they put out a lot of energy on stage, and their studio work is pretty lively, they'll appeal to fans of traditional indie and rock and roll as well as those who are into more of a power-pop/punk sound. Collin says he thinks they sound a bit like Saves The Day, but he says they've also been compared to bands like Taking Back Sunday and Newfound Glory.

Right now Veara is on an East Coast tour with 2*Sweet. As a result, they're not going to be releasing any new music anytime soon, but if you'd like to find some of their stuff, they've been picked up by New Jersey based Wisteria Records. They have an EP out, but its tracks are repeated on their ten-track album, The Walls Have Ears. The record will probably appeal to fans of Anberlin's early work and is the sort of CD that is fun to listen to in the car. Pick it up if you see it; it's a fun album, though it probably won't make its way into your best songs ever playlist.