One weekday afternoon not so long ago, in a Sylmar neighborhood up near Olive View Medical Center, a local resident was outside doing some gardening, when his ears perked up in happy surprise at an unfamiliar yet welcome vibration that seemed to be emerging from a nearby house. It sounded like the rockin’ ruckus of a band at practice, and a stroll around the corner proved this to be true. The gardener knocked at what he figured was the right door, and the occupants knocked back, in a manner of speaking, because behind that door, a punkish quartet called The TommyKnockers was busy jamming. The TommyKnockers are a band of youngsters who blend alt, pop, and rock elements into their lively original songs, and these lads distinguish themselves by reviving a generations-old tradition in Sylmar: they practice in the den of the bass player’s home, which is almost as good and time-honored as a garage, in terms of rock launch pads. Sylmar is a town where many starry-eyed bands have started over the years, a few of which actually achieved some success (Madwhip Thunder and Phaze, for example, both of which graduated from house parties to gigs on the Strip and beyond). The TommyKnockers hope to ascend a similar “stairway to the stars,” beginning to pave the path with shows 
such as the one they played on Friday, Jan. 4th, at Guitar Merchant’s “Verity Room” in Canoga Park, along with Canyon Country rockers Forest Television and The Signet Ring, plus an impromptu project called Alley Dogs with Loaded Missiles.
Guitar Merchant is a friendly retailer on Topanga Canyon Blvd., a place where an aspiring musician can purchase a fine axe, obtain lessons, and get his or her instrument strung and repaired. The site also sports an alternate identity as a live-music venue, with events happening several nights per week in a cozy space called The Verity Room. For evening events, patrons enter at Guitar Merchant’s streetside storefront and head through to a comfy area that features rugs, chairs and beanbags, for an enjoyable, coffee-house-style exercise in music appreciation. (And in fact, refreshments are indeed available at a coffee bar near the rear entrance.) Performers play on a low stage that has colorful paintings of blues masters posted across the back, while the walls around the room are hung with regularly-rotated works by local artists.
A four-piece outfit from Agua Dulce named Forest Television got the show started, accenting the stage
with a small black-and-white TV set next to an amp, lit up with a screen full of static. Lanky singer-guitarist Shane Seville was suffering from some kind of pesky bug, but still he gamely soldiered ahead, despite the fact that whatever was ailing him certainly had an adverse impact on his vocal tone. Backed by Cam Merrick on guitar, Graham Walker on bass, and Kenny Walker on drums, Shane bravely bopped his way through a six-song set, beginning with “Like Insects,” a reverb-laden piece that was melodically driving. After the band got creative with a cut called “Creation,” Graham headed off to the side to a keyboard, to open up an emo-ish tune called “Under ESP.” The speculative “Skywatchers” was followed by what Josh said was a “very brand new tune,” a ringing song that had an aptly arboreal title, “Can’t Stop the Trees from Withering.” Forest Television closed with “Strange Life,” a song that can be heard, along with “Like Insects,” at the band’s webpage: purevolume.com/foresttelevision.
Next up were five folks from Valencia, collectively known as The Signet Ring. The all-black attire of everyone in the band suggested maybe a tinge of goth in their outlook, but lead singer Joshua Dolin flatly stated outright, “We’re rock!” – and TSR then endeavored to prove that fact, through a set that did in fact rock, and which also included elements of “emo,” “screamo,” and progressive modern music. The slim, goateed vocalist was an able showman, commanding the stage like a medicine-show barker, sometimes plunging to his knees and rising up again, with the ebb and flow of the music. The tone for many of the TSR’s songs was established by the precise, ethereal arpeggios and accents of lace-sleeved Camille Dolin on the grand piano 
so thoughtfully and conveniently provided by Guitar Merchant, and Camille’s feathery work on the keys was a lot less honky-tonk stomp-worthy than a workout from Elton John or Joe Cocker, say, and much more deliberate and introspective, like the moody musings of Evanescence’s Amy Lee. The sound was rounded out by competent guitar chordwork and leads by Ryan Pixley, and a solid rhythmic foundation from the drums-and-bass combo of Charlie and Toph. The band played several of the songs recorded for a CD last year, plus one new tune that sounded almost like something System of a Down might come up with, and which featured lively interplay between piano and guitar. The band also proved to be adept at the “power ballad” format, thereby adding confirmation to Josh’s claim that this group is indeed a capable rock band, once one recognizes that there are numerous sub-sets within the rock realm – and in this realm, the members of The Signet Ring have set their own personal seal on the scroll of rock-’n’-roll. Visit TSR at: myspace.com/thesignetring.
Finally, straight out of Sylmar came The TommyKnockers, who took their tag from the Stephen King story of the same name. These guys have the irrepressible energy of youth, and well they should, seeing as drummer Nick Guzman is 17, bassist-vocalist Andy Pacheco and guitarist James “Jimmy 333” Parras are both 16, and guitarist Chris “Crisis” Valdivia clocks in at a mere 15 years old. And there was no mistaking that these lads also possess poise and talent to spare, as seen during a nine-song set that consisted of six originals and three covers. The TommyKnockers kicked off with “The Mistakes We’ve Made,” and if mistakes may have been made in the past, the band must have learned from
them, because no repeat errors were evident. Next up was “Operation Mayday,” which Andy said was about the situation in Iraq, adding, “We don’t agree with it!” A song called “Wake Up Screaming” was about a nightmare, Andy said logically, while a new tune entitled “Widowmaker” was written about a burger at the Claim Jumper restaurant, which evidently gave the band food for thought (yikes!). The other two originals were “Boys’ Night Out,” which was suitably loud and crunchy, and “The Promise,” in which The TommyKnockers showed that they also know how to slow it down … just a bit. Their cover songs included “Say This Sooner” by The Almost, “Deadbolt” by Thrice, and finally, as set-closer, “Cute Without the ‘E’ (Cut from the Team)” by Taking Back Sunday, which was obviously a band of some inspiration to Andy, seeing as he was wearing one of their t-shirts. Andy and his partners were consistently able to get good responses from the crowd in The Verity Room, and at one point there was even a mini-pit in front of the one-step-up stage they played on, which testified admirably to the band’s chops and charisma. The TommyKnockers are four young men who are avidly learning the art of rock well, infusing all they play with strong, vital, positive punk enthusiasm. This is one more band from Sylmar to watch, on the way out of the den and on to the Strip and beyond, maybe the “next big thing,” could be. Check them out at: myspace.com/xxthetommyknockersxx.
The evening’s festivities concluded with a kind of jam session by a bunch of musical friends calling themselves Alley Dogs With Loaded Missiles. Guitar Merchant’s friendly and helpful booking agent, Dahlia, said that this “dog-pack” wasn’t exactly a full-fledged, full-time working band as of this particular evening, but rather was an assemblage of pals gathered together for the occasion, rounding out the bill to cap another night of good rocking in The Verity Room. Guitar Merchant is to be commended for being home to this comfortably intimate music salon, and musicians and fans from all over can find out more at: guitarmerchant.com.
