The announcement of “The stupid bird band is about to start making a lot of noise,” by J Rose of Bird Violence called about 20 guests into the dirty, hole-in-the-wall room called the Rat Trap. There were at least two with brightly colored mohawks. The majority of guests were clad in studded jackets with patches. “Blame Society,” one read. The anarchy “A” garnered another.

There was no running water, so the toilet wouldn’t flush. A few audience members skated around a “Caution, wet floor” sign. The floor wasn’t wet. This was the first show ever held at the Rat Trap.

“Someone wanna turn down the lights?” Rose asked. Groaning ensued until someone walked over and turned the lights off. The artists were then illuminated only by brightly colored Christmas lights.

A man with long hair projected images of galaxies, birds, fruit and static across the wall behind the two members of Bird Violence. The musicians began playing.

It started off slowly, going in and out of time, and eventually a beat was picked up, dropped and picked up again. The music was uplifting and filled the room. It was an all-encompassing sound that begged its listeners to shut their eyes and let the music happen to them. Each musician switched between ten or so pedals without skipping in time.

They played one 30-minute song.

After their show, the musicians wrote on the wall under “Set List,” “Bird Violence: The same thing over and over.”

“Hey, what’s up you guys? I’m Bansheebeat,” said Dylan Browne.

“Hi Dylan,” a crowd member shouted back.

Browne from Bansheebeat smiled and clicked a button. A storm was set off in the small room. He played the drum and cymbal while his computer played specifically set-up tunes. With a flick in his wrist, Browne altered the mood in the audience. His songs were uplifting, happy and fast. Half the audience sat and nodded. The other half hurriedly moved to the beats.

A short applause and a “Thank you” separated each song. Browne continuously added short stints of drumming. His last song started out orchestral with a choral song. He slowly added electronic notes until a huge bass drop.

Browne is Tucson born-and-raised and has been playing as Bansheebeat for six years.

“I really like the intimate setting with smaller venues,” Browne said of the Rat Trap. “But there’s nothing like getting that synergy from a big crowd.”

The show was finished by Blaine from Buried For A Day.

Blaine used the whole range of his guitar and sang along with most of his tunes. They were original and interesting, melding techno with hard rock and screamo.

Blaine was active with the crowd, flipping his hair, and constantly moving and lunging. After the first song, he said, “Oh fuck. I’m already tired.”

The issue with Blaine from Buried For A Day? He didn’t know when to stop. He’d cut his music off in the middle of a measure, causing confusion in the audience. Often times it sounded like he was trying to meld different styles but was unsuccessful.

Although playing tracks from Game Boys is dope, Blaine desperately needs a band.

“I’m super shy,” Blaine said. “It’s freeing, but at the same time I’m super nervous about it.”

This is exactly what Joby De La Rosa, Cyrus Murphy, Vana Steele, Ashley McVicker, Bryan Harris, Jasmine Rosen and La Richi Jackson had in mind when they starting holding concerts at the Rat Trap. They’re happy they have the opportunity to get artists who wouldn’t normally stop in Tucson out and playing.

According to De La Rosa, the Rat Trap is wonderful because it helps “broke kids hear some music.”

The Rat Trap plans to have many more shows to come. If you’re interested in attending and seeing them for yourself, check out their Facebook page. 

Follow Christianna Silva on Twitter.