I was prepared to hate them. I was dragged to Liquor Boxx’s show at Rock City, in Mentor, OH, by a friend who had been given a flier by one of the band members the night before, proclaimed that he was “really cute” and that we had to go. Now, this is normally the sign of a long night that can only be made better by some kind of freakish power outage, but thankfully, this was not the case here.

Around 10:30, a group from Chicago called Liquor Boxx took to the stage, which I had been noticing before they’d even gone up because it looked, well…professional.. Though appearing to be effortlessly cool, someone in the band had obviously put a lot of thought into the look of it, with scarves on the mic stand, and a tiger-print looking drum kit and matching guitars, though it didn’t give the impression they were trying too hard.

They announced that they were on the East coast leg of their tour, dubbed “Inner Peace”, and started with a catchy up-tempo number. With the opening notes, their Hendrix and Zeppelin influences were plain to see, though they were coupled with the band’s own dramatic flair. It soon became clear that Kevin Mace the singer, is quite the frontman and before the night was over he literally had people moving on the dance floor and several women who actually invited themselves onstage. During their set, Patrick Creedon, the guitarist actually played guitar around a girl and then hoisted her on his shoulder-all the while doing a wicked guitar solo. The bassist, Marty Farrelly, was very solid and had a great quiet presence and Johnny Stoneking, their drummer, played a five minute solo that ended with him playing with glow-in-the-dark sticks and then just his hands!

Liquor Boxx offered a live show that had something that I haven’t seen in a long time-substance. Not only do they actually play their instruments, but they play them exceptionally well, not only are they charismatic but they make you feel personally involved in, and responsible for, their rising stature on the indie scene; you’re rooting for these guys to succeed because they work so hard, put on a great show, entertain the crowd and they have that intangible something special. Already signed to Refugee Entertainment, LLC, a smart move by the indie record label, Liquor Boxx’s live show offers guitar contortionism, musical virtuosity, charisma, and passionate, bluesy alternative rock at its best.

Liquor Boxx upcoming “Inner Peace” tour dates:

08.28.08 10:00 PM New York City NY Arelene’s Grocery

08.30.08 8:00 PM Southbridge MA The Pump House

09.05.08 8:00 PM Pawtucket RI KC’s Tap

09.07.08 8:00 PM Barrington NJ The Roadhouse

09.11.08 8:00 PM Philadelphia PA Sweeney’s

09.13.08 8:00 PM New York City NY The Knitting Factory

09.20.08 1:15 AM Marietta GA Atlantis Music Conference

10.17.08 8:00 PM Raleigh NC Dive Bar

10.18.08 8:00 PM Fayetteville NC The Rock Shop

10.24.08 8:00 PM Hilton Head Island SC Riders Lounge

10.25.08 8:00 PM Hilton Head Island SC Riders Lounge

10.26.08 8:00 PM Hilton Head Island SC Riders Lounge

Liquor Boxx sites: http://www.myspace.com/liquornbooze

http://www.refugeeentertainmentllc.com