Appearances can be deceiving.

Take for instance the Kenosha band, The Other Side. Their guitarist looks like he's in a Van Halen video with his black leather pants and spiky hair while their lead singer, in baggy jeans and backwards baseball cap, would fit right in at a Linkin' Park concert.

The look is not going to change, but don't judge by image alone. Listen closer.

These six band members -- completely different people with completely different personalities -- combine everything from metal to blues to funk to swing, creating an intense yet melodic sound with honest lyrics that will have you dancing in the aisles.

Guitarist and pianist Matthew Specht and his friend, lead singer Lucas Ade, began to write songs in 1995. A year later, they wanted to develop and deepen the sound they were starting to create, and soon there were six.

The band began to play heavily in the area, growing a strong fan following. The next step was "Elemental," an album that took two years to make.

The band began recording in 1998, just as drummer Steve Hawkins, rhythm guitarist Russ Steiber and bass player Andy Cismoski joined the group. Since Ade was in the Air Force, his vocals had to be recorded while he was on leave. Money was quickly running out, which caused the recording process to drag on longer than expected. Still, it was these challenges that made the band and the album stronger. "Elemental" was finally released in September 2000 to positive reviews.

During that time, the band brought in Ade's sister, Betsy, to fill in and to bring another dimension to their increasingly diverse sound.

"Betsy really got involved a lot when I was gone," Ade explains. "She was never in the band because she was my sister. She is in the band because she is f------ awesome."

Ade prides himself on the album's diverse nature. "None of our songs sound alike," he says and it's true. "Brass Tacks" blazes and then they break into the eerie "Mindless" or the thoughtful "God's Day Off," catching you off guard.

Specht and Ade both agree that it all begins with the lyrics.

"Most of the time I don't even know I am going to write a song," Specht explains. "It's what I call an exorcism. It's just getting a feeling out of me that is self-expression."

That self-expression also gets vented at The Other Side's exciting and intense live shows, Ade says

"Our album doesn't even begin to reflect our live act," claims Ade. "It is 10 times more intense. The key is to be as energetic in front of five people as you are in front of 500 people."

Hawkins agrees, "It's a personal show. Our movement is telling the stories of the songs. The whole band gets involved. We are so comfortable with each other that we can walk onto any stage, in any setting, and do our thing."

"This area doesn't get a lot of credit for its local music scene," Hawkins says. "We push ourselves as an original band, which puts us against a lot of cover bands. There is a whole lot of competition in this area and there really doesn't need to be. We should help each other and become a scene. That is why the scene is so crappy right now."

Things continue to look brighter for The Other Side. They will soon begin work on their new album, which promises to be better than their last as they continue to grow and mature as a band. This time, they are going to attempt to record it themselves.

Hawkins is excited about it. "We are gaining confidence by playing in front of an audience and we are going to bring that back to the studio," he says.

Their hard work has also paid off in other ways. This year, the band landed a coveted gig at Summerfest, which they attribute to a clever promotional idea they had for their show at Shank Hall last March. The band sold tickets to their show by including a shuttle with free food and beer from Kenosha to Milwaukee. As word of the show spread, the band had to charter three buses for their loyal fans. The promoters were impressed not only by their show, but also by their marketing savvy.

The band sees their show at the Big Gig as the next step to breaking into the big time. Listen closer and watch them prove to you that appearances can truly be deceiving.

The Other Side plays at Bastille Days, Sun., July 14, 2:30 p.m. - 4 p.m. on the Kilbourn West Stage at Kilbourn and Broadway. In the meantime visit the band's Web site at www.theothersidemusic.com.