San Antonio Rocks Review: Sintense, Open Chapter and El Sancho at Rock City Bar

Friday night we headed out once again to Rock City Bar, this time to catch Sintense, Open Chapter and El Sancho. I hadn't heard much about El Sancho, so I had no idea what to expect. We walked in about halfway through their set and I wish we had gotten there a little earlier to catch the whole thing. Put together the reggae rock of Sublime and the funk rock of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and you'll get something like El Sancho. They really mix it up - every song sounds different, and I love that. I was talking to some of the guys after their set, and they told me that they're always writing new songs and that they play a different setlist at every show. That's cool - keep it fresh - you never know what to expect! You also never know what instrument they're going to pull out. They had bongos, maraccas, a tambourine, a vibraslap and something else that I missed. You can listen to two of their songs on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/elsanchomusic. You can also listen to the next band's - Open Chapter's - music on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/openchapter. The guys in Open Chapter are very young and have a lot of potential. The singer has a great gritty voice and a good range. Some really cool-sounding harmonies with the guitarist. The bass player is way hyper - I kept waiting for him to knock out the singer with his bass! My only complaint is that I'd like to hear a little more variety within and between songs. Change it up a little...different rhythms, more complicated riffs, etc. It's things like that which make a song catchy, memorable, make it stick in your head, make you want to hear it again. Other than that, good modern alternative rock sound. Definitely a band to keep an eye on. Next up, Sintense. These guys sent me a CD a while back, and I've been trying to get out to see them ever since, and I finally made it. I'm so glad I did. It was a great show! Sintense has a great alternative rock sound, mixing heavy driving songs like "Probandt" (my fave) and "4 O'Clock Rush" with a bit more mellow tunes like the rock ballad "Define Happy" and the almost classical-sounding "Julias Tune". The singer, Dex, is extremely energetic, damn near moshing on stage. That boy needs a much larger stage! Here I kept waiting for him to take out the bass player! Great guitar and bass riffs from Paul and Ike. Bernabe jammed on the drums. I think, if given the chance, these guys could make it far. They also have a pretty large following. I've never seen Rock City so packed. About mid-set, I looked over at the far wall and realized that it had become standing room only in there. They definitely have a loyal (and violent) fan base...one guy kept threatening to kick their asses if they didn't play one more song. They ended up doing several encores! They have 4 songs up on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/sintense. "Define Happy" will be on the upcoming Edge Magazine compilation CD. Also, they're now playing "4 O'Clock Rush" on KISS, so call up and request it!