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23 Link Chain: Consistent Patterns

Can I get a witness? WITNESS!! Numb with a quickness,
venom, I spit this. From the top of Olympus, to the top
of my hit list. You will drown, face down, in a puddle
of your own sickness.
Open a door to your mind, and you’ll find me behind you.I defined you!
-from "PULL"

I’ve always had mixed feelings about rock music that comes out of Los Angeles. Sure, bands like The Doors and later Van Halen shaped the landscape of rock music for successive generations. But for anyone who came of age in the 1980s… well, the mass media’s fawning over such horrendous L.A. glam acts as Poison, Motley Crue, and Ratt was enough to make one’s stomach turn.

Fortunately, glam died a painful and necessary death in the late 80s, as funk bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, death metal outfits like Slayer, and punk-influenced groups like Bad Religion and NOFX supplanted their lipped-glossed predecessors’ claims on L.A., opening up the local music scene to a convergence of styles, attitudes, and sounds.

And despite the 90s obsession with over-produced boy bands soundtrack divas, the L.A. club scene has uncompromisingly held onto its rock roots, while taking music forward into new directions. There’s something about the raw energy and power of hard rock that endures.

23 Link Chain is living proof of the die-hard, "fuck-the-trends" attitude that keeps heavy rock pure. While not afraid to toy with melody and harmony, this L.A. trio is unapologetic when it comes to keeping the edge on its music.

A common thread running through the work of 23 Link Chain is that of power. Not the power that comes with airplay, or awards, or platinum records, but rather the power that comes with being who they want to be.

I got a strong sense of this confidence when we visited the band in March of this year. Guitarist and lead vocalist J. Graham, whose voice growls his unique brand of dysfunctional poetry in their songs, is soft-spoken and articulate in person. He is at once ambitious and unimpressed by the trappings of megastardom to which so many club bands aspire. For him, success is measured by being able to make a living creating music.

While Graham is grounded and measured when talking about the band, bassist (and Graham’s real-life girlfriend) Shannon Brooks is outgoing and contagiously passionate about her role in the band. For Brooks, the thrill of life in a rock band is rooted in performing, in the dynamic between the band and its audience.

Drummer Eddie Matos, by all accounts, is a driven individual. He juggles dual careers, performing and recording with the band, while starring in the ABC soap opera "Port Charles". Brooks and Graham confess to amazement at the tireless dedication Matos has for each of his jobs.

It’s hard to predict the future for a band like 23 Link Chain. While many L.A. bands spend their entire careers on the club circuit, they also live in a city where the right contact can quickly propel them into the limelight. It’s comforting, as a music fan, to see a band that can be fulfilled either way.