Knock Out Roses Rock Raleigh

Knock Out Roses Debut At The Berkeley Cafe, Raleigh.

On Saturday, August 15, Knock Out Roses played to a packed house at Berkeley Cafe for their highly anticipated Raleigh debut. Nearly eleven months ago, three of the Knock Out Roses (Dan Abbate, Nick Abbate, and Lawson Taylor) played their farewell gig with Nathan Asher and The Infantry on the same stage.  The three have now merged with Jane Tarry and Stefan Turner of Overproof to become Knock Out Roses (KOR).

The show started with a impromptu, two-minute, comedic routine performed by Brandon Turner, of Nathan Asher and The Infantry fame, to jazz up the crowd.   KOR took the stage around 11:45 p.m., and led with their first single, “Don’t Make Me,” a fast tempo number with awesome drum fills and guitar riffs.  Five minutes and 37 seconds later, it was obvious that Knock Out Roses owned the stage, every eye in the club was on the band.

Heads and hips were swaying, and toes were tapping.  The crowd loved Knock Out Roses.

Jane Tarry’s stage presence was tight, sultry, and playful, and is a great combination with her soulful, hard-rocker voice reminiscent of Ann Wilson (Heart) or Amy Lee (Evanescence.)

The guys were also shining tonight. Dan Abbate wailed on the drums, while his brother Nick Abbate and band mate Stefan Turner grooved on the guitars.  Lawson Taylor played keyboards poetically, as he seemed deeply entranced in the rhythm.

A few die-hard fans, who probably heard the songs on Facebook or MySpace, could be spotted lip-synching.

Check out Facebook and MySpace for more info on upcoming shows.

Photography Credit:  Ashley Holmes and Wendy Thigpen Holmes.