SAN ANTONIO – Post-hardcore “supergroup” Sianvar made a stop in San Antonio to deliver a sonic performance that rounded out a perfect Saturday evening.
Sianvar is composed of several members of other successful and popular post-hardcore groups. Sianvar is Donovan Melero of Hail the Sun, Will Swan of Dance Gavin Dance, Sergio Medina of Stolas, and Joseph Arrington of A Lot Like Birds.
Now, the group did state on several social media posts that they would be “silent” after this last tour run in January. The reason being, they’re “silently” working on a new record.
They did do the fans a nice service by playing their debut 2016 full-length LP Stay Lost in its entirety and it was wild. The album from start to finish is a post-hardcore record with standout songs including “Psychosis Succumbing,” “Omniphobia,” “Bedroots,” “Foxholes and Deities,” and more.
The album is a loud sonic mesh of vivacious and chaotic drum patterns, mixed with the fast sweeps and smooth guitars of two synched guitarists, all brought together with the melodic and piercing vocals of Melero. Overall a fantastic “rock” record that would have you look up the lyrics and sing along.
Setting the tone for the evening, Jack’s Patio Bar was the perfect venue choice in my opinion to enjoy this show. Small capacity, compact bar to the side, enough room for everyone to enjoy the show. The sold-out show was packed from the front of the stage to the doors in the back.
I had the best spot in the house, standing next to the bar mid-way through the crowd with a direct view of the band. Solid win. The bartender kept slinging Lone Star beer to patrons until he eventually sold out, Dos XX was my libation choice of the night, double win.
The band opened up the night with their title single, “Stay Lost.” Immediately, the fans began to sing along as Melero began to quietly and hauntingly sing the opening alongside distorted guitar notes.
The crowd was intense but surprisingly chill the entire evening. No mosh pits this time, just passionate fans enjoying the music and singing along at every opportunity they got.
As Sianvar began to ramp up their onstage presence the fans began to move and shout and sing at high-volume. Melero has such an entertaining stage presence. While singing in tune, full melodies, and piercing screams, Melero delivers a performance that has you trying to mirror his on-stage antics all while trying to sing in tune yourself.
Swan and Medina both shredding matching the pace of Melero as they delivered one hell of a musical performance. I had to get in the zone to match them, I signaled the bartender with the ‘ole two-finger solute and he sent over two Dos XX. The vibes and energy were about to be aligned.
A patron looked toward my direction and said, “I’ve been trying to get a water from this guy.” I looked over at the bartender and just raised my cup while mimicking a drinking sign and mouthed the words water. He brought me a water and I passed the water over to the kid.
The kid was happy, I was happy, now back to the sonic pulses coming from the stage. For more than an hour, the fans were treated to so many great songs and the energy emitted from Melero was definitely the highlight of the night. What’s more to be said when a band not only sounds better than the record live but that they ensured that fans would be served a night they wouldn’t forget.
Sianvar played “Stay Lost,” in its entirety but before they were completely done, the fans began to shout loudly, “One more! One more!” Quickly obliging, Sianvar began to play an old fan favorite from their EP days.
I’m excited to see Sianvar live again, hopefully, once they release their new record.
Not a bad way to kick-off shows for 2019.
This article was originally published on News 4 San Antonio.
Jamie Barrientos | Music, Art, and Entertainment 