Stare Into The Dream

About two years ago, I was introduced to a band by the name of Ours. My first impression was that they sounded a bit like a mix of Radiohead and Muse, but I hate even comparing their music to anyone because they are so unique and different from any other band out there.

Since I enjoyed what I had heard so far, I decided to go see them in concert at the Avalon in Boston. I had no idea that what I was about to see that night would change my life forever.

To be honest, ever since the early 90s Seattle grunge rock explosion, I had yet to hear a band or see a performance that actually moved me. When I was thirteen, there were some great bands that had evolved: Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, Nine Inch Nails, etc. They were all so passionate and intense. Their music made me feel something. It sparked something inside me that I couldnt explain. Even if it was something sad, it was something. It was real. It had affected me one way or the other, and it takes a great musician to do that.

As I got older, my love for music started to fade. It wasnt that I loved music any less, it was the fact that there seemed to be a lack of talent in the music scene. A lot of musicians werent even writing their own songs anymore. How can you be passionate about what youre singing if you didnt even write it? How can you expect to move other people with your music when youre not even moved by it yourself? The answer is simple: you cant.

In my late teens and early twenties, I went to a lot of concerts, but it was mainly to get drunk and party. I cant tell you one show that I went to and was actually moved by the performance. Music started to become more of a party to me than what it used to be. What did it used to be? My emotional crutch. My love. My life. My obsession.

Luckily, in early 2006, I saw Ours in concert for the first time. They opened with a songtitled Realize off theirsecond album Precious. I dont know what in Gods name happened to me during this performance, but it changed not only my life but my entire outlook on music. Finally, THIS was what I had been missing. This intensity, this passion, this emotion. It was indescribable.

The lead singers name is Jimmy Gnecco, and for those of you who haven't been graced with the experience of seeing himperform, you have no idea what you're missing.The giant voice that escapes this man is surreal. You really dont expect such a big voice to come from such a small man, but when he opens his mouth to sing, the rest of the world seems to fade away. He doesn't sing to put on a performance. He doesn't sing to make money.When he sings, he sings from a place deep inside his soul. You can literally feel the emotion and intensity with every single note that escapes him.

But it wasnt even just his voice that amazed me, it was everything about him.The entire bandhassuch an intense stage presensethatit's hard to take your eyes off the stage when you see them live. After seeing them perform,I nowfind ithard to see other bands live without feeling disappointed that I don't feel the same rushthat I do when Ours is on stage.

At most concerts, by the time the first song was finished, I was ready for another drink. Id usually take a walk, buy a beer, check out the guys, you get the idea. Not this time. By the time their second song ended, I forgot I even had a drink in my hand. Hell, I think I even forgot where I was at that point. But I knew one thing: I had to hear more.

I didnt move or take my eyes off the stage for the rest of the show. I stood there in a hypnotic state, listening to every electrifying riff and chord, and prayed that it would never end.

I havent missed one Ours show in Boston since that night. Ive even managed to catch a few NYC shows as well. There's something to be said about a guy that can not only scream rock music, but can cover Queens Bohemian Rhapsody as well. Enough said.

To this day, whenever I hear Realize, I think back to the night that changed my life. The night that I realized that real music... intense, emotional, passionate, soul inspired music... still existed in the world.