the Autumn Era, NumberOneGun, the Beautiful Mistake & Ettison Clio

Ettison Clio, a youthful five-piece out of East Lansing, Michigan, was the first to take the stage on Wednesday night at The Red Room and set a high mark for the rest of the bands to follow. The band crackled with potent energy. Members of the group climbed atop the bar, jumped off the stage and onto the floor and threw their bodies around in joyous release, playing heavy, melodic pop rock with a sharp bite, thanks in part to the edgy, explosive guitar work of J.P. Niemiec and Brian Roop. Jared Nisch (bass) provided the occasional, screamed backups, but the brunt of the vocal duties were superbly handled by pixie-like frontwoman Stephanie Gunther, whose strong, dulcet voice carried above the relentless, building rhythms and distorted guitars.
Up next was The Beautiful Mistake from Riverside, California. Mixing elements of emo, hardcore and punk and featuring mellow, soothingly melodic passages shattered by harsh dissonant eruptions, the band couldn't have been more aptly named. These shifts in tone were signified by solid stops and segues provided by drummer Armin Chami and bass player Jon Berndtson. Dueling vocalists / guitarists Shawn Grover and Josh Hagquist also provided contrasting tones, one screaming in a throaty, atonal voice while the other provided a smoother, emotive croon. Unfortunately, sound problems plagued much of their set - a microphone cut out after their first song and, after it was fixed, was lost again later. Much to their credit, however, The Beautiful Mistake was able to regain much of the momentum they lost early on.
Two local Chico bands followed starting with NumberOneGun, who were greeted warmly by a hometown crowd gathered inside The Red Room and standing outside at the window. Isabell's Trevor Sellers (bass) and Ben Tietz (guitar / vocals) seemed at home in their new outfit, though the rough edge they had displayed with their previous band has been tempered by the level voice of NumerOneGun's frontman, Jeff Schneeweis. While this performance lacked the striking physicality of that of the first two bands - they played their songs with conviction, but their stage presence was pretty static - NumberOneGun did not disappoint when it came to clever, catchy songwriting and tight musicianship.
Finally, as the crowd began to thin out, The Autumn Era wrapped up the evening's festivities. This was the only band on the bill I had seen perform previously, and I was much more impressed with them this time around. When I caught them over the summer, I thought a lot of the intricacies of their sound fell victim to a muddled mix, but Wednesday night at The Red Room, I was surprised to hear how complex their music actually was. Marked by carefully layered guitar work, abrupt changes and ferocious outbursts, their songs pulled those who remained down a dark road paved with difficult emotions. In addition to their strong songcraft, The Autumn Era was engaging to watch as well. The band members, crammed onto The Red Room's small stage, shook, jumped and screamed their way through a harrowing set - a fitting exclamation point to a night of emotionally charged music.
- James Barone
- Photos by Alyssa Starkey

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