Sacramento, California is one of those cities in the US that after Seattle’s unfortunate demise gave birth to some of the most original rock music. Bands like Will Haven (R.I.P.), Far (R.I.P.) and Deftones all came raging from Sacramento, claiming world wide fame and underground respect.

Also from Sacramento and also trying to claim their ground in the current rock scene is Shortie. A young modern hardcore/punk rock act continuously shifting between bellowing hardcore riffs and emotional outbursts, all carried by a striking combination of lingering melodies and mild anger. Sound familiar, huh? True, in essence Shortie do not shake the originality tree. Instead the band makes use of well known hardcore and punk rock elements. But somewhere within this amalgamation of sounds lingers a certain personal vibe that turns all of this into Shortie. Constantly balancing between hardcore and punk rock, one can still taste that self-willed attitude that Sacramento bands seem to have.

Note for all you hardcore fans who have a tendency to despise anything related to emotional hardcore (emo), Shortie might just be the band to listen to (provided you are open to it). Even if the vocal lines often remind you of typical ‘indie’ type bands, Shortie’s music is still anchored in hardcore. Especially the heavy guitar sound makes sure of that.

Unfortunately, Shortie’s music lacks the magic (you know, that certain something you can’t put your finger on) to overcome the current -huge- amount of struggling underground rock bands. Let’s not forget that the oldest band member is only 21 years old, leaving them enough room and time to grow. Smartest thing the band can do right now is go out on the road and play, play, play. Gain experience and discover new influences. If they’re able to do this, there’s not a doubt in my mind that Shortie’s next album will be three steps up. For now, they’re not able to make the difference.