March 3rd KFLI 90.5 FM presented a concert to students, faculty, and the general public in only the beginning of a series of planned concerts in March and April.
Scotland Yard, a band that was discovered by BCA and KFLI at the NACA Convention last October in Ontario, CA, finished off their "Lost Again Arizona Tour" by stopping off at Embry-Riddle before returning home to Orange County, CA. This concert was set up several months ago and it was only until recently that it was discovered that the Scotland Yard concert was occurring at the same time as the Hawaii Club Luau and a fraternity party later that night. As a result the turnout was not as great as expected, but the show went well beyond anyone's expectations. It was also the first show that KFLI has presented that the band received a standing ovation afterwards. The band had also found time in their schedule to spend nearly an hour in the KFLI discussing their new CD and the evils of the music business in general prior to the show.
Scotland Yard, led by lead singer Kim Cahill, performed for over an hour and a half in the DLC Auditorium Saturday night, March 3rd, in front of a very appreciative crowd. At two separate occasions students and friends of the band were invited up on stage to sing along with the group. They presented a wonderful mix of original tunes off their new CD "24/7" available on www.scotlandyard.net alongside a bunch of very familiar cover songs by bands like Blink 182, Lit, Dance Hall Crashers, and Dramarama.
The band took time out on several occasions to thank everyone for showing up to their show with the Luau taking place at the same time on the other side of campus. Most in the crowd was very impressed with the bands' mix of electronic dance beats and straight-ahead rock and roll. Their sound was compared to that of a mix between No Doubt and the Sneaker Pimps.
"Imagine No Doubt and 'Black' by Sevendust combining and you'll get an idea of what Scotland Yard is like." Said Jason Blade who also attended the Scotland Yard concert. "Scotland Yard is a really awesome band that is able to cover almost any ska or punk band. If you weren't there.YOU MISSED OUT!"
KFLI was proud to have brought the talents of Scotland Yard to campus and plan to bring them back to Embry-Riddle very soon. In the meantime, check out http://kfli.pr.erau.edu or tune into KFLI 90.5 FM for further concert updates.
Embry Riddle College Cd review Scotland Yard 24 / 7
Think of a band that 80's new wave retro meets 21st century dance and techno with some ska and alternative tossed in for good measure. Can you come up with one? That's basically how to define Scotland Yard's new CD 24/7 on Interpol Records. Based out of Irvine, CA, this is the next band to follow in No Doubt's footsteps from the Orange County music scene. 24/7 is the fifth release from this band, which formed in 1993 and has grown a steady LA following over the years. Led by Kim Cahill, who has a voice very similar to Gwen Stefani but smoother and maybe not quite as angry, the band is a collection of some of the best musicians in Orange County.
Each song on the 11-track CD has a different element that the band throws into the melting pot to define the Scotland Yard sound. Songs like Real World and BNR have a B-52's-esque retro 80's sound but certainly updated for the new millenium, while Movin' On and American Hero show their techno and modern dance side to their distinct sound. There are also slight traces of punk on the CD, and they show their rock edge with No Regrets (The first single released from 24/7) and Give It Up. Though the band is a basic four-piece bass, guitar, drums, and vocals setup there are a few ska tracks where the band invited a few friends in to create a horn section on songs like Tele and Song To a Friend.
The band has a very modern sound similar to groups like Garbage, No Doubt, and Republica and yet any fan of the old new wave bands like Blondie, Missing Persons, or Berlin will enjoy this disc very much. The hooks are very catchy and have an almost Offspring-like feel to them, while the guitar and bass are very heavy but melodic.
The problem with the LA music scene is that there are simply too many bands, and often most of them need to find day jobs and forget about music because they are never going anywhere. It becomes even harder to gain attention as an independent act, but Scotland Yard manages to sell out shows, draw a large local following, and sell their music very well with no major label support.
The entire disc is a very easy listen as each song connects despite bouncing around to different sounds, but the standout tracks are easily Movin' On and No Regrets. Movin'On is a very relaxed song about a soon to be ex, that has an almost trance-like techno beat backing it. No Regretson the other hand showcases the band's harder edge, with a really interesting and tricky bass riff and a catchy chorus that sounds like something Dexter Holland (Offspring) would write.
This disc is definitely worth your time and hard-earned money. If you are broke though check out their mp3's on mp3.com, keyword Scotland Yard; or go to www.scotlandyard.net for more info on the band.
If you canāt afford Luau tickets this semester, come check out Scotland Yard performing live for free with special guests Pulse from Bagdad, AZ, in the DLC Auditorium Saturday, March 3rd at 7 PM.
Live Magazine @ The Galaxy Theater Scotland Yard, whose members seeped through the fog wearing orange jumpsuits. I wasn't sure if haz-mat was there to clean up a sewage back up or if I should run for the hills in fear of a chemical attack. Scotland Yard quickly relieved my fears by cranking up some serious rocking tunes. They opened with a cover of "Girl You Want," and continued with a nice set focusing on providing the audience with a good time. The bands female singer has a nice vocal range, reminiscent of Blondie back in the day. SY has an 80's sound with a splash of reggae and a hint of, all things, Sound Garden. I was most impressed by No Regrets which was a roller coaster of a song with the pace moving quickly, then slowing down, then reaching a feverish pace and slowing down again. The song had a life-live-to-the-fullest message and is the first on Scotland Yard's new CD. American Hero was performed well and got a boisterous response from the crowd. SY appeared at home performing live, feeding off the crowd, and not taking itself too seriously.SOS
Scotland Yard CD 24/7
Scotland Yard is known for its crime solving prowess, yet the female fronted power-pop quartet from California that shares the moniker has more in common with having fun than fighting crime. On their spirited 11 track release, their ultra slick production value propels their Blondie meets Cheap Trick version of pop rock to No Doubt meets Bon Jovi heights ("Movin' On"). Sugary sweet melodies with just the right touch of radio friendly refrains should have the masses lapping this one up for a long time ("Real World"). While their upbeat techno rock could be featured in any given commercial ("American Hero"), it's their hard rock appeal a la Journey and Styx with a Go-Go's twist ("Give It Up") that may write the meal ticket for these sleuths of sound. .9/2001 Mike SOSExtreme-Online.com (Canada)
Gripe, complain, work all day and all night...but for once a 24/7 reference that's refreshing...especially after an all
nighter. The girl-fronted, boy backed Orange County, California quartet incorporates five additional musicians on their second release, adding variety and influences to the tunes. It's relatively
mainstream but edgy, a combination which should add up to airtime on radio stations across the continent. Like their Orange County colleagues No Doubt, they have a similar sound, particularly on the
opening track. Songs like "American Hero" fuse new wave 80s synth with current and intelligent political messages making the album a unique and worthwhile listen. - CG
Scotland Yard 24/7 CD Review by Blackflys.com (Orange County, California)
Scotland Yard, a band located out of Orange County, Calif. A place that seems to have so much unrecognized talent just waiting to blossom.This is definitely a group that I think is just
around the corner from exploding into the mainstream music market. I personally went to their CD release party and I'm telling you the crowd loves them and every show I've been to gets bigger and bigger.
This is SY's second full length release and is a very good pop mainstream, edgy, song oriented musical endeavor which I would expect to hear on various radio stations.This group does not need any song writing
help from the prefab music of today's genre. Song after song seems to have radio worthiness for many different types of listeners. Their first song, "No Regrets," starts with a guitar oriented edgy kind of 'no
doubt-ish' fever with sarcastic lyrics and very quick tempo changes. This song rocks and is a great opener to the rest of their music.You then go into a couple songs into the CD and you get a mixture of
influences and song writing that is very refreshing that all the songs do not sound the same. Some of the songs on this CD such as "American Hero," fuses new wave 80's keyboard sampling percussion tracks
with sounds similar to bands such as Garbage/Republica. This song has a captivating continuance, intelligent political lyrics, and just plain sticks in your head. Just when you think there is no way
there could be anymore great songs here, I come to a ballad appropriately named, "Movin On." This is the big hit that could be played on every pop station in the country and would be great for a movie
soundtrack. I'm not sure why this band hasn't been picked up by a major label yet except to say they are probably spending too much time and money on the next teen sensation and overlooking the obvious.
This is a pop band ready for the masses.It's a must buy, listen for yourself, visit their website.
Luke Magazine (England)
Scotland Yard were described to me as another US power pop band with a Britpop obsession and a suitably naff name, and they were right, but they're still nothing like I
expected. Forget the Beatles, Hollies, Move, Kinks and all the usual suspects, Scotland Yard instead plunder the '80s and progress a style made popular by Kim Wilde, Flock Of Seagulls and more recently
by Republica - in other words we're talking energetic electro pop, a sound which seems to drift in and out of fashion almost on a whim. They certainly deserve some success as 24/7 doesn't suffer any
shortage of cracking tracks and while it sounds dated in places, we'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say they're ahead of time and they're just waiting for everyone else to catch up. American
Hero and Give It Up are both standout songs, and had this album come out in 1983 it would be easy to get nostalgic over Scotland Yard.
Joe McGaha(Orange County, California)
writer for Garage Magazine, Indy Rock, Live Magazine
Hearing the name Scotland Yard would make me think of a Ska group from England, but I'd be wrong, because it's
actually a Pop group (I guess you'd call their style '80's Pop) from Orange County. Scotland Yard has a real smooth style-when I listened to their c.d. 24/7, I got the feeling that I'd heard it
before. The lead singer, Kim Cahill, has a very smooth voice, sort of a mix of Gwen Stefani and the lead singer of Berlin (what the hell is her name again?). Scotland Yard uses a mix of
electric guitar and synthesizer - very well thought out music.The first song on 24/7 is called No Regrets, and the chorus kind of reminds me of something that Offspring would do, only
smoother. They have a good image, and I'm surprised that I haven't heard of them before. If you like '80's Pop, and some of the heavier California groups of the '80s and '90's, you'll
definitely dig Scotland Yard.
