Aloha, babies...this is Fumo with a local band called Seven Falls. Four guys pumpin' tunes straight out of Orange County, with more energy than all the cars and trucks parked on the 55, 57, and 22 freeways at rush hour. They have a sound that seems to combine the speed and quickness of Green Day with the catchy and playful lyrics of Sum 41. Combine these sounds together, and Seven Falls comes off raw and clever.

The energy of their self-titled CD can be felt in the first track, "Miss Connections." After its ripping guitar intro, the bass and drums jump in with just as much ferocity. The lyrics are simple and easy to sing along with as all of us have similar questions when it comes to relationships. Seven Falls is in touch with the thoughts and ideas of regular folks, i.e., their fans.

The energy level drops a little with "Breathe." It starts out very Green Dayish-sounding, with slowly building guitars and the singer’s voice sounding louder than the instruments that will soon over take him. "...out of state, out of mind, out of gas long ago." How many times have we all have felt like that…okay, just me, whatever. You would think due to the intro on this tune that the music would overrun the singer, like it seems to do in most cases, but here the boys keep "Breathe" at the right level. They could have gone over the top, but they didn't.

"Rearview" starts off pretty raw, almost Iron Maiden-like with its dark chopping sound of bass and drums while the guitar’s high notes give off heavy metal rage. Although the song seems somewhat dark, the pure energy of the riffs and the drumbeats make you jump about and head-bang yourself into a migraine. It has that type of hard beat, but again, the lyrics come in clear, and the singer holds his range well. People who choose not to scream out their lyrics are a plus with me. Believe me, sometimes you need to scream the lyrics out, but Seven Falls opts not to on occasion. I like that.

If you want to hear more or learn more you can contact Seven Falls at either their website or their MySpace page.

Have a good 4th and be good citizens. Mahalo...FV.

Written by Fumo Verde