Seeing ROAR live is truly a pleasure. Groovy bass lines from multi-instrumentalist Robin Vining and the tasty drum beats of Chase Kamp keep you focused on their layered sound. The piano and important noise riffs are brought to you by Preston Bryant cementing the overall feel of the band. Songwriter and frontman Owen Evans pulls from his experience to create remarkable songs and executes them through his voice and guitar. Their first album I Can't Handle Change shows you just how talented ROAR can be. As you listen to the album in your car, sitting in your living room, or even in the background while multitasking, you can hear the passion that each member gives to the music.
All the music on I Can't Handle Change was written and performed by Owen Evans, with help from an allstar cast of Valley performers including Robin Vining of Sweet Bleeders, Dave Gironda of The Whisperlights, and Nick Krill who engineered and mixed the album. Adding an interesting twist, the majority of the performing band (who did not record the songs) plays the songs live as they are on the album. Owen, however, performs variations of the melody and plays different guitar riffs at his shows.
Now to stray away from the mechanics of it all, I Can't Handle Change has a theme of sorrow, revenge, and overcoming heartbreak. The album begins with a distorted guitar that gains harmony and a short drum fill launches you into an entangled story of give and take.
Battles to create balance in a relationship fuel this album. Heavy drum sounds reflect the heavy heart that sings about taking care of oneself before you can please another, which is a great portrayal of the push and pull of a troubled relationship.
The third track "Heart-for-Brains" especially sticks with me because I feel it is such an important work of art. It could tell the story of this whole album all by itself. Initially, this song has a sweet and earthy sound in the acoustic guitar, leading the listener through a sugar-coated obstacle course as the chords change effortlessly. The layer of sugar melts away as the dissonant screeching of violins tear through the verse. When the chorus comes along, it pours a new fresh coat of sweet, comforting sugar, soon to be torn away again.
The final track "Just A Fan" has a heavy-left-foot marching feel… as if you had been wounded in a fight and are walking away to see the light at the end of the tunnel. This work of art is completed with a craving for anything but loneliness that makes your heart ache when the first track begins to play again. I highly recommend journeying through this album.
