Band Review: Eyeshine

I'm sure that I'm not the only one who's tired of sell-outs when it comes to music. So many artists change the sound they love just to make more money. It may not even be their faults-- record companies try to appeal to the masses, and take whatever artists they can and tailor them to what they think the public wants. This process has created a world where very few artists are true to themselves and their own desires... A world full of auto-tune and false glamour and overdone sex appeal.

However, a few bands refuse to be taken in by all this. As a consequence they're forced to remain unsigned, but a few have gathered cult followings of their own despite not having record deals. I've recently joined the fan base for one such unsigned band, and I'm quite impressed with what I'm hearing.

The band is called Eyeshine, and their genre is mostly rock, occasionally falling into side categories like punk or indie. However, it's consistent. It doesn't quite sound like anything on the radio nowadays, and that's because the sound is not affected by record companies and their agendas... The band writes their own music, whichever way they want to.

In fact, one song titled Never Gonna Fake It is a specific jab at a producer who told them that they'd have to change their sound if they wanted to make it big. Their response, through the song, was that they're satisfied with the fanbase they have and wouldn't change for anybody.

There's also an added bonus for anime fans like me. The lead singer (and lead guitar player) of the band is Johnny Yong Bosch-- a name recognizable to anyone who knows anime. Say what you want about him as an actor, but he's a fantastic musician (though I personally love him as both.)

Johnny is a well-known anime and video game voice actor, most recognized for his role as the english voice of Ichigo Kurosaki of Bleach. His other well-known roles include Lelouch Lamperouge of Code Geass, Izaya Orihara of Durarara, Vash the Stampede of Trigun, and Nero of Devil may Cry 4.

Though Johnny tries to keep his music and his acting separate, any fangirl can admit that she would enjoy knowing what Ichigo would sound like if he were to sing for us... I get occasional enjoyment out of pretending that it's Ichigo. But all nerdiness aside, Johnny has a great voice. It's very natural and just a little gruff-- absolutely perfect for the sound.

All in all this band needs more attention, and maybe one day they'll earn themselves a record deal (while still making the music they like, of course.) To start listening, you should visit their official YouTube channel (theeyeshineband), where you can see all of the music videos and get a lot of behind-the-scenes looks at the band. As far as song reccomendations go, my personal favorites are Alone, Here Comes the End Again, Tearing Away, and Dance with the Angels.

Official Website: http://eyeshine.net/