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Saliva, Crossfade plays Varsity
The
members of Crossfade and Saliva, two bands that played at The Varsity Theatre
on Wednesday at 9 p.m., said they are down-to-earth, normal guys who don't mean
to intimidate anyone once they have left the stage.
But they have set antics
they perform. For example Jon Montoya, Saliva guitarist, enjoys spewing his beer
on the fans closest to him.
"It's hard to join a circus and not be a clown,"
Montoya said.
He said there is a pressure to act a certain way, to be a crazy
drunk all of the time.
Dave Novotny, Saliva bass guitarist, said he's pretty
much himself until he gets on stage where he has an alter ego.
"You have to
always try to kick ass every night," said Mitch James, Crossfade bass guitarist
and backup vocalist. "Everybody's always like, 'Are you nice to your fans? Do
you try to write them back?'"
Neither band is a stranger to Baton Rouge.
James said Crossfade has played in Baton Rouge six times, four of which have been
at The Varsity Theatre and another at a beginning of the year concert for the
University.
This is the second time Saliva has played in Baton Rouge in six
months. Novotny said the band has played about 10 times in Baton Rouge.
James
said Crossfade has a pre-show ritual where the band gathers together 30 to 40
minutes before the show to have a cocktail and get hyped up.
"We just kind
of say a prayer, and it's not really a prayer to anyone in particular," James
said. "It's a prayer to the gods of rock 'n' roll. Everybody knows that all gods
of rock are not holy ones. There's some dark lords of rock as well, so you kind
of have to pray to all of them."
Novotny said he likes to listen to classic
rock to prepare for an upcoming concert. He said he gets stage fright before every
show.
Montoya said the band makes up something to say before the show every
night, and that it only sometimes makes sense. "Pretty much we just wake up,"
he said.
Montoya said playing the same rotations of songs every night can
get old, but it's still fun.
"It's like going to work and making the same
hamburger every single day," Montoya said. "Eventually, it's going to get old."
But Novotny said the show still feels slightly different every time.
"We
try to give them everything that we've got, and when they give us everything that
they've got, it's kind of like this big circle," Novotny said. "The energy just
keeps building."
Montoya said the crowd in Baton Rouge is always really good.
There was a three-year hiatus between Saliva's fourth album, "Survival of
the Sickest," and its fifth, "Blood Stained Love Story." Novotny said this is
because their singer, Josey Scott, had a part in the TNT show "Wanted" for about
13 episodes.
Crossfade lost one band member, DJ Tony Byroads, when he got
married and decided to quit two years ago but have since replaced him with Les
Hall, lead guitarist. James said their style is going to change with the addition
of Hall because "he is a complete whack job - in a good way."
"He's eccentric
with his music and his performance," said James Branham, Crossfade drummer. "All
he does is eat, sleep and live his craft."
James said Hall is a brilliant
pianist, and so the piano will probably be featured more in upcoming songs.
Crossfade released a new album in August 2006 to mixed reviews, some of which
called it lackluster with strained vocals.
"Some people say that this album
is 10 times what the other one was," James said. "And others don't enjoy it, but
you can't please everyone."
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Contributed by:
Contact
Katelyn Porubsky at
kporubsky@lsureveille.com
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