On a snowy December 10, 2013 evening CrypticRock attended the Amityville, NY stop of the Synner Conversion Tour at Club Revolution. The bill featured headliners Gemini Syndrome along with Mindset Evolution, and newcomers Starset. Upon arriving at the venue during a local act’s performance, one thing was evident: none of the bands on the Synner Conversion tour exhibited a “rock star attitude”. Literally every band member from each group was out walking around whether it was at the bar, at the merchandise table, or just chatting with fans and making new friends. It was refreshing to see that these ambitious artists are trying not only to get their name out there and tour, but are also attempting to connect with their fans on a personal level. By the time the first national act Starset took the stage, the audience was eager and ready for some hard rock.
Starset are actually embarking on their first national tour ever. The band is based out of Cleveland, Oh and has only been around for a few months, accomplishing a great deal in that time. Although member names have not been publicly released via their website or social networks, adding to the mystique, the band’s management consist of Rob McDermott , who managed Linkin Park, Logan Mader, formerly of Machine Head and Soulfly, and producer Harlan Lansky. Their lead single “My Demons” has reached peak positions on SiriusXM Octane and boasts a highly contagious chorus. It was impressive to see the number of fans who knew the words to the track, considering how short a time the band has been around. What really stood out about Starset was the quality of their live sound and stage setup. Decked out in homemade astronaut attire consisting of helmets with built-in blue LED lights, the guitarist and bassist flanked each side of the lead vocalist who sported formal attire with a bow tie. It appeared the vocalist had a large transparent iPad screen that he was manipulating during the set for cinematic effect in between playing the keyboard or rocking out. Starset are a stimulating band to check out for an engaging sight and sound rock show.
Next up coming from Peoria, IL were Mindset Evolution. The band’s big break came when they were selected as the winners of the “Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands” contest, which saw them traversing the nation alongside the whole Uproar Tour 2012 amongst other nifty prizes. Now having their first major release Brave, Bold & Broken under their belts, the band has a fresh set of tunes to play with. These energetic and hungry hard-rockers destroyed the Revolution stage from the first chord. Both vocalist and bassist, Rob Ulrich and Josh Bodeen respectively, literally towered over the stage while bouncing around like they were on pogo-sticks. They played a good 60% percent of their new record, including “We are Stars” as the second song in the set list, and closed with the ravenous new single “Burn it Down”. These guys definitely won over the crowd while giving shout-outs to the local bands and Starset. Mindset Evolution are exciting, respectful, and certainly amped up the audience for Gemini Syndrome up next.
For those who are not aware, Gemini Syndrome has been around for quite some time in the L.A. rock scene. They are a project formed from the mind of vocalist Aaron Nordstrom. Many May recognize Nordstrom from his year of touring with Otep during their Ascension tour cycle. The rest of the band is rounded out by Rich Juzwick (guitar), Mike Salerno (guitar), Alessandro Paveri AKA ‘AP’ (bass), and Brian Medina (drums) These guys have been in the process of touring their asses off throughout the past few years. Most recently, they were on a national tour with Five Finger Death Punch, Escape The Fates, & Miss May I. After sharing the stage in opening slots for Wayne Static, Disturbed, and Five Finger Death Punch among others, the band has finally embarked on their own headlining tour. Judging by the turn out, this tour is definitely garnering much attention in the hard rock scene. By the time they were ready to take the stage, the crowd had definitely thickened. When the curtains opened, the entire stage was covered in black with the band’s trademark “symbol-esque” logo above the drum set.
The band came out in all black, except Nordstrom, who was donning all white, creating a nice contrast. The guys came out swinging and had vibrant strobe lights that dominated a majority of the songs. A note to those who are prone to migraines or seizures, take extreme care at a Gemini Syndrome show! The strobe lights flank each side of the stage and flash continuously throughout the verses of the songs. Playing for just about an hour, the band played most of their acclaimed debut album Lux while even adding in a few tracks that are not included on release. They opened with the infectious and appropriately named “Syndrome” and never let up while transitioning into their well known tracks “Basement” and “Pleasure and Pain” towards the end of the night. Nordstrom’s live vocals sounded great and often resembled a bit of Maynard James Keenan from Tool and Chad Gray from Mudvayne. The drums sounded awesome, and watching skinsman Medina do his thing is like its own show entirely within itself. All five gentlemen really know how to work the crowd and got right up in the fans’ faces. Nordstrom, of course, thanked the fans and expressed how grateful the band was to have such a devout following.
Overall, this show was great through and through. Adding to the great performances the bands expressed their gratitude to the fans by signing autographs, taking photos, and just hanging around before and after their sets. The Synner Conversion Tour is a great line-up of new and exciting rock you should be sure to check out when it comes around to your town.
Written by Mr. G. / Photos by Ain’t Tellin Photgraphy
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