Vanne, vocalist for Radioboxer
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Radioboxer
with Boxwood
August 15, 2009
The Annex, Hialeah, Florida
Review by Veronica Suarez
Photos by Alexander Chi
On a rainy Saturday night, I drove to the desolate warehouses of Hialeah, where a local show lay hidden in the shadows. At the Annex Warehouse, near the pale yellow glow of streetlights, a large crowd gathered beneath a white tent: They were here to see the eccentric pop-rock band, Radioboxer. With their quirky personalities and original stage performances, Radioboxer has risen to the top of Miami’s music scene. The crowd gathered here for the band’s album release party, Radio Drama, which featured the theme of a circus carnival.
Boxwood, opening band
Inside the venue, old clown statues lurked in the corners of hallways. A fortune teller sat near the clowns, reading tarot cards to suspecting strangers. The main room — a small, tight space decorated with local artwork — seemed to enclose the crowd which had now gathered within. The crowd formed a half circle, facing the fluorescent glow of a light on the floor, where Boxwood, the opening band and one-man show, had settled his instruments.
Vanessa covered her face with a masquerade mask, and tucked her soft curls behind her ears. With the sound effects of a synthesized string, the song started with the crescendo shriek of a woman.
L- Vanne, vocalist; R- Jota, bassist
Boxwood began the set, banging on two drums, producing long hypnotic rhythms. His guitar was slung on his back, and on the floor laid sound effect pedals and a tambourine. He used all the instruments throughout the songs, stepping on the pedals to release recorded voice samples, beating on the drums to steady beats, and singing on the microphone with a dreary ambiance. The songs were lucid, dreamy echoes that repeated melodies while Boxwood pleaded with his ethereal voice. The songs developed with layers upon layers of sounds that interlaced with each other. If Dali’s melting clocks had a voice, Boxwood would be the sound.
Santos, guitarist
After the air of mystery that Boxwood left, the crowd gathered outside for Gian, the Vodka-spitting fire eater. With a swoosh of liquor, Gian spit fire with his mouth. He poured liquor on the floor, and lit trails of fire. But even with Gian’s fire antics, the crowd seemed anxious for the main event.
Inside the warehouse again, the crowd’s attention shifted to vocalist Vannesa from Radioboxer, who lit the room with a sparkler. The rest of the band stepped on stage, while the crowd hollered and cheered. A man with a megaphone introduced the band, and with the crowd’s enthusiasm, they began their set.
Fortune Teller
Radioboxer sang songs about heartbreak, the loss of relationships, and even a song about a woman who kills her husband, "Deborah." During that song, vocalist Vannesa smeared red paint on herself and showed her bloodied hands to the audience. But the best moment of the night came when the song "The Killer" was played.
Before the song began, Vanessa covered her face with a masquerade mask, and tucked her soft curls behind her ears. With the sound effects of a synthesized string, the song started with the crescendo shriek of a woman. Then, the jittering notes of guitarist Santos filled the room, as he plucked the strings on his acoustic to a fast paced rhythm. Vannesa’s voice filled the space of the notes as she sang about feeling alienated in a crowded room. As the tension of the guitar notes rose, her voice trailed, and the drummer tapped the time of the song. The song then moved into a flamenco tune, the guitar rhythms providing the beat while Vanessa sang the story.
"So I stepped outside to hear the music in the darkness. And the melody steals the beauty from my sadness. And every single note I hear is a reminder I’m still here."
Vanne, the singer for Radioboxer the band
Then, from nowhere, the song broke into hard rock with the thrashing of cymbals, leading into the chorus: "Because the killer / The real killer / Is inside of me and you."
The song then switched back to a Spanish guitar solo, with Santos plucking sweet notes on his acoustic. As he played, his brown campesino hat lay low on his face, while strands of hair fell on his eyes. Vannesa’s voice then brought back the swaying rhythms of flamenco, while she sang about creating fiction from the elusive experiences of life: "Because what you don’t understand / You can make it mean anything you want."
The song broke again to the chorus of "The Killer" with the full accompaniment of the band. Unexpectedly, it then morphed into a haunting circus theme, ending full circle with the crescendo shriek of a woman.
Without a doubt, "The Killer" brought the eerie darkness promised by the night of carnivals and clowns. And while the rest of the show floated along with Radioboxer's catchy pop songs and Latin boleros, the highlight of the evening was definitely "The Killer." The song creeps with the hidden shadows of the desolate warehouses of Hialeah.
Radioboxer fans, MySpace Us!
Boxwood
Vanne, vocalist for Radioboxer
Flyer(The Illusionist)