It was a hot, muggy night, so I wasn't expecting a large turnout, and as the night began, very few people were out in downtown Hartford. But nonetheless, I enjoyed the opening tunes of the band's set.

The Sellouts are somewhere between the frantic party band scene of CT and the more laid back classic rock cover band scene. A characteristic that works well for them. It's a niche market and I applaud any band trying to do something different in the scene.

What truly sets them apart from the flock is singer Frank Vitale's powerful and accurate vocals. In a sea of mediocrity among many of the cover bands in CT it's refreshing to hear a cover band with a singer as talented and as diverse as Frank. It also helps to have backing vocals from another great singer as Mark Balisciano, who aslo plays some nasty solos on guitar. The two create seemless harmonies that are hard not to sing along to. Joe Dewey and Craig Strilka round out the rhythm section on bass and drums respectively.

By midnight, the bar was filling up and people were getting into it. A slow night, but then the combination of the heat and the Block Party on the following weekend seemed to have killed the attendence. But the band was great, playing a variety of music that you don't often hear in the Hartford area anymore; Tom Petty along with Sublime, Cheap Trick with All American Rejects. A great mix that flows well and definitely keeps it entertaining. Hopefully the band will be booking more shows up this way.

For a show schedule and band info check The Sellouts out at www.thesellouts.net

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