Genuine Uprising performs at Chain Reaction
Jamming (Joseph Espiritu)
Sounds of thunder pulsed as strums of guitar were plucked with a powerful vengeance, while vocals echoed throughout the walls of Chain Reaction. This energetic, but ear-pleasing music came from the band Genuine Uprising.
After arriving I passed by the smoking area, which contained graffiti-painted walls that looked as if a gang member or a professional artist had been there; the latter being the obvious realization, as the walls were artistically satisfying to the eyes.
Once passing the graffiti -painted walls and inside the actual stage room, there played the opening band. At first I was a little worried as the crowd was rather small, but once Genuine Uprising came to the stage, fans seemed to burst through the doors as if money was being given away for free.
As soon as music began to blast from the stage, fans began moshing in a fury of pushes and pulls. Some of the smaller fans rushed out of the way to avoid being trampled. Not only was the crowd getting into the music, so was the band. The singer could be seen thrashing his head and throwing his arms up and down to the beat of the drum, while the guitarist thrashed away at his axe.
Genuine Uprising, a Punk/Rock/Reggae/Ska band which consists of Blake Williams, Mike Schmitt, Matt Holley, Kyle Waller and Chris “Juicy” Augustine. The band as a whole has been together for six months and all the members are from Mission Viejo, besides Mike Schmitt who resides in Lake Forest.
“At first it was kind of weird, because we all came from different clicks,” Blake Williams, 20, lead singer, said. But soon they were all vibing together and have “been making music ever since and loving every minute of it.”
When asked about how their band name was chosen, Williams said, “It’s meant to be open for interpretation, but we feel that it represents (genuine) passionate (uprising) positivity.”
For those pursing a career in music, lead singer Williams said, “Keep going! If it’s what you love and it makes you feel good then keep going and to the people holding you back…@#!$ ‘em all.”
For more information about Genuine Uprising visit myspace.com/genuineuprising.