Halifax and Over it : Live @ Chain Reaction in Anaheim

Chain Reaction in Anaheim, Ca has been the launching pad of careers for such bands as Thrice, The Ataris and New Found Glory. Hosting small and relatively unknown acts, Sunday, June 26, 2005 was no exception.

"This is the last show of this, well, nine day tour," boasts Halifax's frontman Mike Hunau. It seemed fitting, however, as the short length of the tour may very well represent the short amount of time these bands remain unknown.

Four Letter Lie out of Minnesota kicked off the show with an enigmatic mix of pop and hardcore. Mixing the screams of frontman Brian Nagan and the singing of guitarist Kevin Skaff, Four Letter Lie, completed by drummer Connor Kelly, guitarist Karl Kittelson, and bassist John Waltmann, bring the pleasantries of bands like Atreyu, Underoath, and Boys Night Out. Check out www.fourletterlie.com for more.

On the very opposite end of the spectrum are Satisfaction. Singer/guitarist Michael Rosas, bassist Aaron Wahlman, drummer James Fletcher, and keyboardist Matthew Fletcher, blend the intricacies of The Beatles, Phantom Planet, and The Redwalls, among others.

The indie-rock foursome played through a tight set pulling songs from their demo, obviously titled "Four Song Demo." Satisfaction are a well oiled machine ready to take over the indie scene and become the next mainstream cross-over. Get ready to be, pun intended, satisfied when you check them out. For more information visit www.satisfactionmusic.com.

Wester took the stage in the third slot, bringing watered down pop-punk to a watered down scene. Good musicians, check. Decent songs, check. Everything that has already been done 423 times, check. Wester delivered songs that had no stand-out qualities. The ear shattering vocals make it even harder to stand and enjoy. All that said, Wester does bring in experience (nearly 5 years) and a good live show, but the originality just isn't there.

Florida based Over It commanded the audience from the get go with the unbelievably catchy "Siren on the 101." The band, guitarist/vocalist Peter Munters, guitarist Nick Bailey, bassist Seth Watts, and drummer James Ulrich re-energized the crowd with their 30 minute set drawing songs from 2005's Silverstrand, released on Lobster Records.

Santa Barbara based Lobster Records helped launch the career of another Florida to California band - Yellowcard. Among the crowd Sunday night was Yellowcard guitarist and Over It fan Ben Harper. This seems fitting since some have dubbed Over It as "the next Yellowcard." They are not too far off. With Over It's gaining fan base, the band seems destined for superstardom. They just need a few more strong songs, and you can be sure that Over It will be a household name in the coming years.

Taking on the role of headliners were Halifax. Straight out of Thousand Oaks, Ca, the band garnered respect from the frenzied crowd. Hunau, drummer Tommy Guindon, and guitarists Adam Trabish and Chris Brandt, comprise Halifax, who although with only two EP's released, played a disappointingly short six and a quarter song set. The band opened with the hard hitting "A Writer's Reference" and followed it up with "Broken Glass Syndrome."

The band showcased a new song from their first full length album slated for a January '06 release. The quarter of a song came by way of a cover, which eventually got played even though "it got ruined," according to Brandt, who broke a string and could not go right into the song. No encore for this show, so the band ended with the powerful "Sydney."

The place went crazy as requested by Brandt. Halifax was not shy about the fact that they had a party planned for that night, which may explain why they didn't play "The Next Two Weeks," "Scarlet Letter Pt. 2," or the Paula Abdul cover "Straight Up."

Now the bands part ways, with Halifax and Over It doing selected dates on Warped Tour. Don't be surprised if Over It ends up on the next Yellowcard tour. As for Satisfaction? MTV's "You Hear It First" segment seems to be where they could be headed.