Rockin’ for the Red Cross

Published 11:28 am Monday, July 18, 2011

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Saturday night’s benefit concert for the Red Cross may not have brought in as much money as promoter Brian Underhill would have liked, but he’s taking the positive aspects and rolling with them.

The concert, which took $2 from each ticket sold, raised $264 for the Red Cross. While the crowd wasn’t as big as he would have hoped, there was plenty to be happy with.

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“It was pretty good,” he said, just as the night’s fourth band, Throw the Fight was finishing its set. “I was surprised by how many people came out to support the cause.”

Those that did show up, gave Throw the Fight and the three bands before them Senseless Beauty, Heavens Gate, and Bad City an enthusiastic welcome to the Paramount’s stage.

Senseless Beauty, the five-member Christian band from Mason City, Iowa, hit the stage first, bringing an energetic and frantic pace to the night right off the bat; ramping up the sound behind the harsh-voiced vocals of singer Brandon Espinosa.

“Senseless Beauty put on a fantastic show for their core group,” Underhill said. “They give 110 percent and it’s all for their fans. They had great energy.”

Heavens Gate followed Senseless Beauty and brought no less of an impact to the stage, despite a technical issues that delayed their performance by about 20 minutes. Once going though, the four-man band from Faribault pushed the crowd, many coming from the area, even further.

The third band of the night, Bad City, was playing through the area after coming off a tour, opening for KISS. Their sound was a throw back of sorts, sounding very much like the bands from the late 80s with a stage presence that hearkened back to bands like Whitesnake and Def Leppard.

“It was great to have a band that caliber come in,” Underhill said.

The Minneapolis band Throw The Fight finished the night, electrifying the crowd with their fast-paced sound.

“Throw the Fight is one of these bands, they give everything they’ve got,” Underhill said. “They are going to be around more and more.”

This is the second, four-band line-up Underhill has promoted at the Paramount, and thought the steps are small, he is seeing more success and more support. Even if the money raised for the Red Cross wasn’t as high as he would have liked, Underhill still sees the positive of what he’s bringing to Austin.

“That money raised goes to the Red Cross,” Underhill said. “It wasn’t a bad night…I would like to see more, but $264 is $264.”