I stumbled upon Still Life entirely by accident. I was going to the Coconut Teaszer to check out a few bands that I normally try to support as often as possible. What I discovered upon walking in was an unexpected surprise in the form of this five-piece, amazing band from the East coast. Prior to the scheduled show, an unfortunate meeting between Millie, the singer, and a poisonous spider occurred. Consequently, the trooper that he is, he performed most of the set, still singing his ass off, mind you, but he had his foot and leg propped up on a tall stool. You know what though? He looked cool doing it! The band sounded so good, you would never have known what happened! Instead, the unknowing person would have thought he was just ultra, laid back.
The small crowd that had gathered at the Teaszer that evening was so enthusiastic, you would have assumed that Still Life was local. There were six or seven guys right in front that couldn’t keep still if their lives depended on it. Usually, it’s the girls you see moving like that. This time, it was the boys that were the most inspired to get down.
Comparatively, and for description’s sake only, Still Life sounds like a combination of today’s Sacramento, EmoCore similar to Simon Says but heavier, and more mature-sounding. I also heard some distinctly Tool-influenced vocal and guitar stylings. Throw in a dash of groove, and a few crunchy guitars for that familiar sound you’re used to from bands like the Deftones and you’ve got Still Life.
I highly recommend their demo, but I would keep your eyes open wide for any show dates, however rare, that may happen again in the future. To get a copy of Still Life’s 9-song demo, contact Ryan at 860.649.9498 or email them at still_life@yahoo.com. It’s okay; you can thank me later. I’m just doing my job.
Lesa Pence
