YYNOT – LIVE – THE SPACE BALLROOM – HAMDEN

YYNOT – LIVE – THE SPACE BALLROOM – HAMDEN

By Bob Brancato

Vintage Rush for over two hours! An amazing show and performance by the Rush tribute band, HYNOT. Seventeen classic Rush songs spanning the period 1974-1984. Their musicianship rivaled that of the original progressive rock trio. The packed crowd (95% male – go figure) went wild with every selection.

HYNOT consists of renaissance man Billy Alexander (writer/arranger/producer) on guitar. It perfectly reproduced all the amazing tracks of the guitar god Alex Lifeson. Tim Starace on bass. The tone and sound on his Fender Jazz Bass was incredible. It also doubles as bass pedal synthesizer and keyboards. The protagonist is Adi Argelazi. She has a beautiful and powerful voice, Adi has her own unique take on Rush's vocals. Last but not least is Mike Hetzel on the drum kit. His playing and dexterity on the skins rivaled that of the late great professor himself.

HYNOT he has also released three original albums, which are sonic masterpieces. They played four original songs during their show. Each one was amazing. The set started with “The Spirit Of Radio” followed by “Tom Sawyer” and “Red Barchetta” from 1981. Animations. They played classic Rush tracks with selections ranging from many of Rush's dynamic albums. The pieces came from signals (1982), Standing Waves (1980), Grace under pressure (1984), Hemispheres (1978) A farewell to kings (1977), Night flight (1975) as well as A caress of steel (1975) and Rush (1974).

Every song was played with technical ecstasy and pure emotion. While Rush tunes are hard to play, HYNOT conquered it all. Even “Subdivisions” from signals the full length was awesome. It was the first time HYNOT play this track live. Tim admitted he was a little nervous for weeks about debuting the song. He really didn't need to worry since their performance was absolutely fantastic.

The band displayed excellent interaction on stage. You could feel how each musician loved Rush and loved playing the songs. After the show, the HYNOT stuck to eagerly meet their fans. They were both humble and unassuming. They really enjoyed talking to each person. While we can't bring back Rush, HYNOT is a great alternative. I highly recommend checking them out as soon as you can. If you love Rush, this is the band for you.

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