Again, I'm probably gonna be rushing through a few of these. Sorry.
#52
Gollum
Mortal Man
Dim the Darklit
@ Reggie's 08/28/09
Pretty fun one, even Dim the Darklit were better than usual (and that is saying a LOT). I still say that once Mortal Man releases an official demo, this town's music scene is done for. They're not gonna be able to compete. Gollum were good, but I've seen them so many times I'm kind of sick of it.
#53
Down
The Melvins
Weedeater
Haarp
Evil Army
@ House of Blues 09/04/09
My friend David reminded me about this one. Even though it was kind of expensive, and I still hate the House of Blues, I decided to bite the bullet. Good thing I did because this turned into one of my favorite shows of the year. Evil Army were a good start that probably confused a lot of Down's stupider fans, playing a good mesh of horror punk and thrash. It did get a little old admittedly, but they were better than I thought they'd be. Phil even introduced them, as he did the next band, Haarp. Incredibly heavy and evil sludge/death/doom. The singer spent most of his time on the HoB floor. Cool. And of course, the almighty Weedeater, who were thrown on at the last minute, tore it up. They were right up the crowd's alley. It's weird seeing these guys on a big stage as opposed to the Soapbox or Reggie's. I had never seen the Melvins before, but had always wanted to. For this tour, it was technically Melvins/Big Business, which was even better. They were amazingly tight and just all around awesome. I wish they had played a little longer, but I know now that whenever they tour next, I will NOT miss it. No excuses. And finally, it was time for Down. I hadn't seen Down in 7 years (Ozzfest 2002 was the last time) and had a better knowledge of their material now. They played pretty much everything I wanted them to play. Phil sounded awesome, Pepper, Jimmy and Kirk did spectacular jobs, and the two bassists they had rotate (Rex was out for reasons I can't remember) were great too. For the encore, they brought out Big Business and Dixie Dave from Weedeater for a jam at the end of "Bury Me in Smoke." Undoubtedly one of the best encores I've seen in a loooong time.
#54
Pavlichenko
@ The Soapbox (Downstairs) 09/06/09
Pavlichenko played for free. It was part of a DIY weekend thing the soapbox put on. They admittedly weren't in top shape that night, but it was still fun.
#55
Patriot
Death of an Idol
Oceans Over Monuments (sans singer)
@ 16 Taps 09/11/09
Bit of an odd show. Two bands or so dropped off, so it turned into just the three bands mentioned above. OOM did a nice job, but it was weird seeing them without their singer Corey (who couldn't get off work in time to make the show). Death of an Idol is the new band with ex-members of Acirema, Die Like the Rest, and Choose Your Weapon, and they fucking ruled. Kind of like the Classic Struggle at times, but a little thrashier and with better grooves. Plus, how can you not chuckle at Dave's explanation of a song? ("This is about the night I took mushrooms. It's called "The Night I Murdered Everyone.") Patriot ruled too, always good to hear some good old fashioned street punk/oi. Eddie's a great frontman and gave some good speeches. I wish they'd play a little more often.
#56
Kylesa
Tombs
Bison B.C.
Beard of Antlers
@ The Soapbox (Upstairs) 09/17/09
BOA's third show, and our first with some really big bands. Cool. I thought I could have been better, but I remembered more lyrics this time. Good turnout that I think mainly came for us (not trying to sound egotistical I swear). I've always liked Bison B.C. on record, but live is where they shine. They remind me of Mastodon if they decided to stop experimenting and just kept producing riffs galore. Cool. Tombs didn't blow me away at the Isis show, but something must have happened because they were incredible at this one. Their post-metal/black metal mix just seemed more fitting tonight and even though it seemed to bring down the "party and feel good" vibe that was somehow set up from us and Bison B.C., it fucking ruled. Ironically, the guys in the band said they thought they were sloppier tonight. Heh. Finally, Kylesa came on. This show was being advertised as them performing "Static Tensions" from beginning to end. Seeing as how that was one of my favorite records of the year, I was only more excited. I was, however, mildly disappointed after they were done though. I wasn't disappointed with them leaving out "Insomnia for Months" from the previously mentioned record. I was disappointed with the sound man at the Soapbox. Apparently he decided to drink heavily and turn everything up on Laura Pleasants' end, and everything else got shitty sound. Moron. After the ST set, they did a few oldies/goodies like Bottom Line and Descend Within. Nice gig, but good lord I wish the soapbox would fire that sound guy.
#57
Mono
Maserati
@ Local 506 09/25/09
I originally didn't have plans to make this one due to distance and money, but I received a call from my friend Nate in At Half-Mast and he told me he had a free extra ticket. I made a wise choice to accept his offer for the ticket, because this might rank as my top show of the year (it's a tie between this and DEP). The drive to and parking for the venue was a pain, as was most of the crowd, but everything else was absolutely phenomenal. Also, I know some aren't going to approve of this, but I smoked a couple of bowls here and there before and during the show, so they certainly helped as well. I had never really checked out Maserati before, and I'm mad at myself for not doing so. They were amazing. Fantastic post-rock/groove/dance that you just found yourself swaying to whether you could help it or not. If I had more cash, I would have bought an album. I hadn't seen Mono since they appeared with High on Fire back in 2007, but I was blown away then and even more now. They were touring in support of their beautiful and powerful "Hymn to the Immortal Wind" and they played a few selections from it, along with some tracks I recognized from "You Are There." The amount of emotion and just pure beauty (I sound really lame right now, I know) that emanated from them was amazing. I turned from a casual fan into a "holy crap amazing!" fan just after this one. After the show was over, I bought a shirt and the HTTIM double LP, which might be the best piece of vinyl I've ever seen.
#58
Day of Suffering
Pulling Teeth
Moutheater
Peregrine
Wall
@ The Soapbox (Upstairs) 09/26/09
The old time school xVx band reunited for the first time in quite a while and played a good, but not great show. Sourvein dropped off, and Wall were thrown at the last minute. They're a two piece now, but sound just as loud and awesome as before. I liked what I heard of Peregrine online, but wasn't that impressed live. Super nice guys though. Moutheater, however, I wasn't impressed with online but they fucking ruled live. Very noise rock/sludgy. Pulling Teeth were good, but like what happened with Kylesa, the sound guy ruined it. Their set seemed rather tame too considering that I expected a pretty big ruckus for them. DOS were very tight and it was kind of cool seeing so many out of towners screaming their lungs out. I bought a couple of 7"s that night from PT and DOS.
#59
Weedeater
Mortal Man
Akris
@ The Soapbox (Upstairs) 10/03/09
Riverfest weekend. I really don't recall much about Akris, other than them being a two piece with a girl and not being very good. Mortal Man were awesome, but somewhat ruined by the crowd. Weedeater were damn good too, but again, crowd sucked. I should have mentioned ASG were headlining this one, hence why I left early.
#60
Bracewar
Rise and Fall
Creatures
The Network
Robotosaurus
@ The Brewery 10/07/09
How the hell was this underattended? Kids used to love Bracewar in NC (even though I always thought they were kind of boring). Robotosaurus and the Network were on a separate tour that got combined with this one, hence the obvious difference in sound. Robotosaurus were kind of like Converge, but a little sloppier. Their singer seemed quite drunk/angry and didn't like the fact that people on the floor were so quiet/demure. I should mention that them and The Network played on the floor, whereas the others played on the Brewery's actual stage. The Network were much cooler, playing a real frenzied style of metalcore along the lines of Coalesce, Botch and Deadguy. I gotta give their new record a listen. Creatures weren't very exciting, too generic for my tastes. Rise and Fall were amazing. The new songs are putting them in a different league than other hardcore bands. I heard pretty much all I wanted to hear from them. Bracewar sucked. I wanted to see if they'd do better than the previous times I've seen them, but they didn't.
#61
Bane
Blacklisted
Foundation
Folsom
Just Die!
@ The Brewery 10/22/09
This was thankfully saved by the "B" bands. For some reason, the Brewery told people they couldn't leave the venue that night, meaning I had to suffer through the two bands I really didn't want to watch. Just Die! were pretty cool, did a nice "Pay to Cum" cover that got the crowd going off. Folsom were pretty bad, only real highlight was laughing at all the kids moshing for them. I still don't like Foundation either, although I got a kick out of their joke about Greg from the Mongoloids, who was working merch for Blacklisted. Blacklisted were great, though I wish they had played a couple or so more songs. No "Wish" was surprising. I wasn't sure how Bane was going to follow them, but they did an awesome job. Good to see so many people singing along and just having a lot of fun. The new song they played was great, and I got a bit of a chill when Aaron (frontman) talked about his g/f telling him "those highway lines will never love you back." I wanted to try and talk to George from Blacklisted, but didn't get much of a chance and talked to their temporary guitarist, who also plays in Paint it Black. Super nice guy.
#62
Maserati
White Tiger and the Bed of Roses
Coup De Grace
@ The Soapbox (Upstairs) 10/23/09
After being blown away by Maserati at the Mono show, this was a no-brainer. Coup De Grace were surprisingly really good, cool post-rock with a "tech" edge. White Tiger were cool, but a little too "rock and roll" for this show if you ask me. Maserati blew me away again, band is so talented. I got a moment to talk to their drummer and mentioned seeing them at the Mono gig. He seemed a little surprised that I was there seeing them not that long ago. Nice guy. I was shocked and saddened to hear that he passed away only a couple or so weeks later. Terrible loss of an amazing drummer and person. R.I.P. Jerry Fuchs. Your talent will be missed.
#63
Mortal Man
Holy Dirt
Hog
@ Reggie's 10/27/09
Cool gig, every band was awesome. Hog were straight up stoner/sludge goodness from Raleigh with ex-members of Tooth, who were a solid band as well. Should have bought a CD but didn't for some reason. Holy Dirt were awesome, great noise/stoner rock from around Jersey if I remember correctly. They sounded very similar to Fight Amp, which is always a good thing. Mortal Man were, well, Mortal Man. They're making it a habit to cover Nazareth's "Hair of the Dog" now in their set and they do it really fucking well.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
#40-#51 (aka about damn time)
I realize it's been ages since I posted a new entry, and I assure you, it wasn't due to a lack of shows. No, it was more like I was just incredibly lazy. Sorry folks. These will be rather short due to me not wanting to be up until 6 in the morning.
#40
Judah Friedlander
@ DC Improv 06/20/09
Dude was very funny. My pop, stepmom and I went to see him during my most recent trip up to Maryland. His openers was pretty damn funny too, making a very clever joke about how Twitter is just a collection of "3 year-old thoughts." Most of his material derives from exaggerated lies, but man are they fucking hysterical. Got to talk to him afterwards about the Feast flicks. Got a picture, but alas it's lost to the world due to it being taken by some random dumb blonde who didn't stay around for me to tell her my e-mail to send it to. Oh well.
#41
Salvacion
Mortal Man
Conquer Me
Wrathlord
@ Lucky's Pub 06/26/09
A.K.A. R.I.P. Conquer Me. It was one of their last shows, for the band would break up not that long after this. It was also Mortal Man's first show at Lucky's Pub, and they killed it. Pretty damn good turnout for this one. Wrathlord started out okay (it's been a year or two since I've seen them, and they haven't changed much), but it got pretty bad towards the end. Conquer Me stuck out like a sore thumb, but they were warmly received anyway. Josh (singer) made a funny little quip about "we're a HARDCORE band!" MM killed like always. Salvacion is the new band with Carlos (who used to run the awesome, but short lived Grind Hut) and they're more akin to old 70s hard rock and metal. Their Rainbow cover made me blow my voice out. Worth it.
#42
Faith Collapsing
Champion of the Sun
Oceans Over Monuments
@ Rumrunners 07/05/09
I was very drunk for this one, and honestly forgot there was a show that night. Luckily had my camera with me, and also happened to sort of enjoy the bands who were on the bill. OOM had added a 2nd guitarist and did pretty well. COTS were fun, but they're kind of suited more for covers, as shitty as that sounds. Faith Collapsing were much better than the previous times I've seen them. Maybe being sloshed helped. Kind of sucks that they're breaking up too. Not a good time to be a Wilmington band.
#43
Energy
Fallen From the Sky
Debaser
Ripper
Hivemind
Already Dead
@ Lucky's Pub 07/06/09
The turnout was pretty weak, but it was good seeing Energy and FFTS back at Lucky's. Already Dead didn't play. Hivemind were pretty cool, and were nice enough to use the pics I took of them on their myspace page. Ripper didn't really impress me the last time I saw them, but something must have happened because they ruled pretty hard here. Solid songs, solid dudes, very funny in between song banter. Debaser were more fast punk, kind of like The Nerve Agents. They did a Descendants cover, but I can't remember it to save my life. Fallen From the Sky continues to be one of the only things on Eulogy that doesn't fucking suck. Kind of surprised that they remembered me from the show the previous year. Energy did a solid job as always, playing most of what the kids wanted to hear, and closed with their Operation Ivy cover. Good times.
#44
The Hammer Bros.
The Bonus Army
The Fake Boys
Fingers Crossed
@ Lucky's Pub 07/08/09
There were maybe about 20 something people here, which is a shame considering almost 100 were out at Lucky's when TBA played with the Carrier. Fingers Crossed were pretty tight. Good energy, good Madball cover. I thought the Fake Boys were pretty disposable. Just standard punk rock. Singer for THB on guitar and vocals. The Bonus Army could have been better. The singer lost most of his vocal "ability" midway through the set and it sounded pretty bland after that. The Hammer Bros. were pretty damn good, but man their set was over pretty quickly. I was a little pissed, though maybe not as much as the band themselves were on stage.
#45
Who's Bad (Michael Jackson tribute)
@ Downtown Wilmington 07/10/09
Gee Golly Jeepers was this crowded! Then again, it was not that long after the King of Pop passed away, so it was understandable. My friends and I were lucky to get a decent view of the stage, but it took a while to find it. I gotta say, tribute acts aren't really my thing, but these guys were really damn good at it. Several different wardrobe changes, with nearly every one of his hit singles (even some from the Jackson 5 era) being played rather well. I'd be willing to catch these guys again in the future, though I hope tickets for their shows aren't going to skyrocket in price. I also got interviewed for the local news that night, which I managed to tape and hear my voice for a few seconds. Reminded me of that "It's Always Sunny..." episode where Mac talks about being on the news.
#46
Poison the Well
Madball
Terror
Trapped Under Ice
Crime in Stereo
The Ghost Inside
War of Ages
This is Hell
Death Before Dishonor
Embracing Goodbye
@ Hooligan's Music Hall 07/12/09
I just want to go out of my way right now and say Hooligan's is the worst venue on the East Carolina shore. Good god that place sucked. Staff were douchebags, prices were ludicrous, NO re-entry whatsoever, and a pretty lousy sound system too. Complaints aside, the show was pretty fun. I missed Embracing Goodbye (big whoop) and DBD (seeing them in Jacksonville, Marinetown, just spells disaster). This is Hell did a good job, but most of the crowd didn't know what to make of them. Performed a Warzone cover that nobody recognized. They even admitted after the show that the Wilmington kids were the only thing that made this show worth anything to them. I skipped War of Ages. Didn't like what I heard. I don't know why I watched The Ghost Inside. Oh wait, yeah I do; I wanted to see them do their American Nightmare cover...which they didn't do. Blargh. It was a pretty painful performance. Crime in Stereo were kind of boring to be honest, which was a shame considering they were the one band I hadn't seen on here that I wanted to see the most. Trapped Under Ice, as expected, brought the insane mosh (including yours truly). New songs sounded pretty good live, even though I can't get into the full-length. Terror did a bang up job as well, though I would have liked to hear a few more old songs. Vogel seemed to be in a great mood. During a brief fight, which made security jump the barricade in order to break it up, he even screamed "Now's your chance! There's no security! Get up here! Get up here!" Gotta love the guy. They got the only stagedives of the night. Madball weren't as good here as they were at the soapbox earlier in the year, but they still did a damn good job. Set seemed rather short. A lot of the crowd left before Poison the Well came on, which was a shame, but I guess I can sort of understand. They did pretty well, but the big stage and barricade kind of ruined any chance for crowd interaction (though it didn't stop most of the bands earlier on). One of the new songs sounded rather post-metalish, which was pretty cool. Overall, for $10, it wasn't a bad show, but any chance for a truly fun "hardcore" show was ruined by the stupidity of the venue.
#47
Evergreen Terrace
Thick as Blood
Unholy
The Word Alive
@ Lucky's Pub 07/13/09
This was the last time Mark from Lucky's said he'll book another big "national" tour, though his announcement of booking Marcy's Playground makes me now question that statement. Such a shame the turnout here was lousy. The Word Alive stank, as did Thick as Blood (who have some pretty damn douchey fans), but Unholy surprised the hell out of me with their patented metallic hardcore. Imagine Advent with a little more "metal" to them and you'd get this band. Evergreen Terrace have officially won me over. I wasn't a big fan when I first saw them two years ago with Hatebreed, God Forbid and Terror, but they've gotten better every time I've seen them. They had barely anybody watching them, but it didn't stop them from playing their hearts out. I got around to talking to their singer Andrew afterwards, and talk about a super nice dude. If I wasn't in a hurry, I would have loved to just chat with the dude for the remainder of the time there.
#48
Dark Castle
Bloody Panda
Beard of Antlers
Burn Heavy
@ The Soapbox (Downstairs) 07/25/09
Oh my. Well, as you may have seen in the other blogspot I have, BOA is the band I sort of/kinda sing for and this was the first gig. And my first time on a stage. I think we did pretty good, though I really didn't have any lyrics written down for my song. People seemed to dig it though. Burn Heavy were, well, heavy. Their guitarist looked just like my friend Mary, so much so that I texted her (then) b/f Mario to tell him. Ha. Bloody Panda were bloody weird, experimental drone/doom with a very quiet and shy Japanese girl howling over the music like something out of a twisted J-Horror film. Most of the crowd could not get into these guys at all, but I thought it was pretty cool. Dark Castle were incredibly loud and slow, just like the first time when I saw them with Blacktusk. I think they went on a little too long, but they were still really good. Think I may have a little crush on their guitarist/singer. *blushes*
#49
Shai Hulud
Reign Supreme
The Carrier
Advent
Signs of Hope
Where it Ends
At Half-Mast
@ Lucky's Pub 08/09/09
The last hurrah for hardcore at Lucky's in a loooong time, seeing as how this would be Scottie P.'s last show for Lucky's, and Mark's last big "tour" he'd book for quite some time. If this is it, then hot damn it went out on a pretty high note! The only band I didn't see was Where it Ends, who I didn't care for a whole lot when I saw them with Death Threat. They broke up only a month after this show though, which kind of bummed me out. At Half-Mast is on what, their 15th lineup? :P Either way, they did an excellent job, and Nate was made to front this band. The new songs were incredible. I always say keep an eye on these guys, because they're going to be huge, and damn it, I still mean it.
I don't honestly remember much about Signs of Hope, other than the hype about them before the show happened. I do remember the Leeway outro they did, which caused the floor to erupt.
Advent were very heavy like last time and got a much better reaction than I thought they'd get. Kids were into it, and not chastising the band for being Christian either (though they never brought it up). They did a new song which was quite good and closed with One Crushing Blow. Good job guys. You're one of my favorite bands in the Carolinas.
The Carrier opened with a new, slow song that set the mood well. They then went into the usual business of things, meaning most of the songs off the CD and all of the 7". The more I listen to these guys and really study the music, I think they're worth the hype. Kids went bananas for em, just like last time.
I was actually more excited for Reign Supreme than I was most of the bands on the bill (give me shit go ahead) and they didn't disappoint. They were down a guitarist from the last time I saw them, and their set was shortened a tad bit because of it. Didn't hurt the intensity of it though. Played most of "American Violence" and some of my favorites from the new one. It's hard NOT to mosh while these guys are playing. Picked up the new record on a limited edition tour press vinyl. Cool.
Shai Hulud had yet another new singer for this tour, and he did a competent job but not a great one either imo. Most of what I knew by them was played, and played rather well. Kids who knew the lyrics were screaming like their lives depended on it. Had a rather good convo with Matt Fox after the show was done. Incredibly nice guy and pretty well spoken.
#50
Doug Stanhope
Mersh
@ Level 5 City Stage 08/11/09
Without a doubt, some of the best standup I've seen in years. Doug's brand of humor isn't for everyone, but if you dig folks like Bill Hicks and George Carlin, you're guaranteed to love his stuff. His opener Mersh was very funny, but only did about 5 minutes worth of material. When Doug came on, he had a bucket full of beer bottles and ice with him. I knew from that sight, I was in for something special. I DEFINITELY knew I was in for something special when I was told they were recording this for a cd. Awesome. I'm in the front row. Or rather, front table. Good god. He was on fire. He went on for I want to say an hour, and none of the material failed. Got to meet him after the show and got a pic too. I can safely say I was a fan that was converted into a superfan after this gig. Go see him if you get the chance to.
I've attached a couple of clips from youtube just in case...
#51
Infernal Stronghold
Pavlichenko
Banal
Stinkbomb
Beard of Antlers
@ The Soapbox (Downstairs) 08/14/09
BOA's 2nd show, and I think I was more comfortable this time around. Didn't hurt that I had actual lyrics this time. Good turnout too.
Stinkbomb did a pretty good job, but they kind of messed up a little towards the end, though they admitted they hadn't practiced for a bit.
Infernal Stronghold actually set up to play next, and played on the floor as opposed to the previous two bands. These guys are going down in my book for one of my 10 best discoveries of the year. Raw and fucking brutal crust punk/black metal from Philly, with some nasty riffs thrown in for good measure. If I had more money on me at that moment, I would have bought a shirt or album.
Banal is a 3-piece powerviolence band that started up not that long ago, and features the bassist from Pavlichenko on guitar/vox. Their set was pretty short (no shit) but pretty good. Liked the song about Street Fighter. Oh how geeky I am.
Pavlichenko played last and did a stellar job like always. Chris Marshall really is one of the best dudes in this town when it comes to booking stellar shows, and he's an awesome drummer to boot.
That's it for now. The rest to come later...
#40
Judah Friedlander
@ DC Improv 06/20/09
Dude was very funny. My pop, stepmom and I went to see him during my most recent trip up to Maryland. His openers was pretty damn funny too, making a very clever joke about how Twitter is just a collection of "3 year-old thoughts." Most of his material derives from exaggerated lies, but man are they fucking hysterical. Got to talk to him afterwards about the Feast flicks. Got a picture, but alas it's lost to the world due to it being taken by some random dumb blonde who didn't stay around for me to tell her my e-mail to send it to. Oh well.
#41
Salvacion
Mortal Man
Conquer Me
Wrathlord
@ Lucky's Pub 06/26/09
A.K.A. R.I.P. Conquer Me. It was one of their last shows, for the band would break up not that long after this. It was also Mortal Man's first show at Lucky's Pub, and they killed it. Pretty damn good turnout for this one. Wrathlord started out okay (it's been a year or two since I've seen them, and they haven't changed much), but it got pretty bad towards the end. Conquer Me stuck out like a sore thumb, but they were warmly received anyway. Josh (singer) made a funny little quip about "we're a HARDCORE band!" MM killed like always. Salvacion is the new band with Carlos (who used to run the awesome, but short lived Grind Hut) and they're more akin to old 70s hard rock and metal. Their Rainbow cover made me blow my voice out. Worth it.
#42
Faith Collapsing
Champion of the Sun
Oceans Over Monuments
@ Rumrunners 07/05/09
I was very drunk for this one, and honestly forgot there was a show that night. Luckily had my camera with me, and also happened to sort of enjoy the bands who were on the bill. OOM had added a 2nd guitarist and did pretty well. COTS were fun, but they're kind of suited more for covers, as shitty as that sounds. Faith Collapsing were much better than the previous times I've seen them. Maybe being sloshed helped. Kind of sucks that they're breaking up too. Not a good time to be a Wilmington band.
#43
Energy
Fallen From the Sky
Debaser
Ripper
Hivemind
Already Dead
@ Lucky's Pub 07/06/09
The turnout was pretty weak, but it was good seeing Energy and FFTS back at Lucky's. Already Dead didn't play. Hivemind were pretty cool, and were nice enough to use the pics I took of them on their myspace page. Ripper didn't really impress me the last time I saw them, but something must have happened because they ruled pretty hard here. Solid songs, solid dudes, very funny in between song banter. Debaser were more fast punk, kind of like The Nerve Agents. They did a Descendants cover, but I can't remember it to save my life. Fallen From the Sky continues to be one of the only things on Eulogy that doesn't fucking suck. Kind of surprised that they remembered me from the show the previous year. Energy did a solid job as always, playing most of what the kids wanted to hear, and closed with their Operation Ivy cover. Good times.
#44
The Hammer Bros.
The Bonus Army
The Fake Boys
Fingers Crossed
@ Lucky's Pub 07/08/09
There were maybe about 20 something people here, which is a shame considering almost 100 were out at Lucky's when TBA played with the Carrier. Fingers Crossed were pretty tight. Good energy, good Madball cover. I thought the Fake Boys were pretty disposable. Just standard punk rock. Singer for THB on guitar and vocals. The Bonus Army could have been better. The singer lost most of his vocal "ability" midway through the set and it sounded pretty bland after that. The Hammer Bros. were pretty damn good, but man their set was over pretty quickly. I was a little pissed, though maybe not as much as the band themselves were on stage.
#45
Who's Bad (Michael Jackson tribute)
@ Downtown Wilmington 07/10/09
Gee Golly Jeepers was this crowded! Then again, it was not that long after the King of Pop passed away, so it was understandable. My friends and I were lucky to get a decent view of the stage, but it took a while to find it. I gotta say, tribute acts aren't really my thing, but these guys were really damn good at it. Several different wardrobe changes, with nearly every one of his hit singles (even some from the Jackson 5 era) being played rather well. I'd be willing to catch these guys again in the future, though I hope tickets for their shows aren't going to skyrocket in price. I also got interviewed for the local news that night, which I managed to tape and hear my voice for a few seconds. Reminded me of that "It's Always Sunny..." episode where Mac talks about being on the news.
#46
Poison the Well
Madball
Terror
Trapped Under Ice
Crime in Stereo
The Ghost Inside
War of Ages
This is Hell
Death Before Dishonor
Embracing Goodbye
@ Hooligan's Music Hall 07/12/09
I just want to go out of my way right now and say Hooligan's is the worst venue on the East Carolina shore. Good god that place sucked. Staff were douchebags, prices were ludicrous, NO re-entry whatsoever, and a pretty lousy sound system too. Complaints aside, the show was pretty fun. I missed Embracing Goodbye (big whoop) and DBD (seeing them in Jacksonville, Marinetown, just spells disaster). This is Hell did a good job, but most of the crowd didn't know what to make of them. Performed a Warzone cover that nobody recognized. They even admitted after the show that the Wilmington kids were the only thing that made this show worth anything to them. I skipped War of Ages. Didn't like what I heard. I don't know why I watched The Ghost Inside. Oh wait, yeah I do; I wanted to see them do their American Nightmare cover...which they didn't do. Blargh. It was a pretty painful performance. Crime in Stereo were kind of boring to be honest, which was a shame considering they were the one band I hadn't seen on here that I wanted to see the most. Trapped Under Ice, as expected, brought the insane mosh (including yours truly). New songs sounded pretty good live, even though I can't get into the full-length. Terror did a bang up job as well, though I would have liked to hear a few more old songs. Vogel seemed to be in a great mood. During a brief fight, which made security jump the barricade in order to break it up, he even screamed "Now's your chance! There's no security! Get up here! Get up here!" Gotta love the guy. They got the only stagedives of the night. Madball weren't as good here as they were at the soapbox earlier in the year, but they still did a damn good job. Set seemed rather short. A lot of the crowd left before Poison the Well came on, which was a shame, but I guess I can sort of understand. They did pretty well, but the big stage and barricade kind of ruined any chance for crowd interaction (though it didn't stop most of the bands earlier on). One of the new songs sounded rather post-metalish, which was pretty cool. Overall, for $10, it wasn't a bad show, but any chance for a truly fun "hardcore" show was ruined by the stupidity of the venue.
#47
Evergreen Terrace
Thick as Blood
Unholy
The Word Alive
@ Lucky's Pub 07/13/09
This was the last time Mark from Lucky's said he'll book another big "national" tour, though his announcement of booking Marcy's Playground makes me now question that statement. Such a shame the turnout here was lousy. The Word Alive stank, as did Thick as Blood (who have some pretty damn douchey fans), but Unholy surprised the hell out of me with their patented metallic hardcore. Imagine Advent with a little more "metal" to them and you'd get this band. Evergreen Terrace have officially won me over. I wasn't a big fan when I first saw them two years ago with Hatebreed, God Forbid and Terror, but they've gotten better every time I've seen them. They had barely anybody watching them, but it didn't stop them from playing their hearts out. I got around to talking to their singer Andrew afterwards, and talk about a super nice dude. If I wasn't in a hurry, I would have loved to just chat with the dude for the remainder of the time there.
#48
Dark Castle
Bloody Panda
Beard of Antlers
Burn Heavy
@ The Soapbox (Downstairs) 07/25/09
Oh my. Well, as you may have seen in the other blogspot I have, BOA is the band I sort of/kinda sing for and this was the first gig. And my first time on a stage. I think we did pretty good, though I really didn't have any lyrics written down for my song. People seemed to dig it though. Burn Heavy were, well, heavy. Their guitarist looked just like my friend Mary, so much so that I texted her (then) b/f Mario to tell him. Ha. Bloody Panda were bloody weird, experimental drone/doom with a very quiet and shy Japanese girl howling over the music like something out of a twisted J-Horror film. Most of the crowd could not get into these guys at all, but I thought it was pretty cool. Dark Castle were incredibly loud and slow, just like the first time when I saw them with Blacktusk. I think they went on a little too long, but they were still really good. Think I may have a little crush on their guitarist/singer. *blushes*
#49
Shai Hulud
Reign Supreme
The Carrier
Advent
Signs of Hope
Where it Ends
At Half-Mast
@ Lucky's Pub 08/09/09
The last hurrah for hardcore at Lucky's in a loooong time, seeing as how this would be Scottie P.'s last show for Lucky's, and Mark's last big "tour" he'd book for quite some time. If this is it, then hot damn it went out on a pretty high note! The only band I didn't see was Where it Ends, who I didn't care for a whole lot when I saw them with Death Threat. They broke up only a month after this show though, which kind of bummed me out. At Half-Mast is on what, their 15th lineup? :P Either way, they did an excellent job, and Nate was made to front this band. The new songs were incredible. I always say keep an eye on these guys, because they're going to be huge, and damn it, I still mean it.
I don't honestly remember much about Signs of Hope, other than the hype about them before the show happened. I do remember the Leeway outro they did, which caused the floor to erupt.
Advent were very heavy like last time and got a much better reaction than I thought they'd get. Kids were into it, and not chastising the band for being Christian either (though they never brought it up). They did a new song which was quite good and closed with One Crushing Blow. Good job guys. You're one of my favorite bands in the Carolinas.
The Carrier opened with a new, slow song that set the mood well. They then went into the usual business of things, meaning most of the songs off the CD and all of the 7". The more I listen to these guys and really study the music, I think they're worth the hype. Kids went bananas for em, just like last time.
I was actually more excited for Reign Supreme than I was most of the bands on the bill (give me shit go ahead) and they didn't disappoint. They were down a guitarist from the last time I saw them, and their set was shortened a tad bit because of it. Didn't hurt the intensity of it though. Played most of "American Violence" and some of my favorites from the new one. It's hard NOT to mosh while these guys are playing. Picked up the new record on a limited edition tour press vinyl. Cool.
Shai Hulud had yet another new singer for this tour, and he did a competent job but not a great one either imo. Most of what I knew by them was played, and played rather well. Kids who knew the lyrics were screaming like their lives depended on it. Had a rather good convo with Matt Fox after the show was done. Incredibly nice guy and pretty well spoken.
#50
Doug Stanhope
Mersh
@ Level 5 City Stage 08/11/09
Without a doubt, some of the best standup I've seen in years. Doug's brand of humor isn't for everyone, but if you dig folks like Bill Hicks and George Carlin, you're guaranteed to love his stuff. His opener Mersh was very funny, but only did about 5 minutes worth of material. When Doug came on, he had a bucket full of beer bottles and ice with him. I knew from that sight, I was in for something special. I DEFINITELY knew I was in for something special when I was told they were recording this for a cd. Awesome. I'm in the front row. Or rather, front table. Good god. He was on fire. He went on for I want to say an hour, and none of the material failed. Got to meet him after the show and got a pic too. I can safely say I was a fan that was converted into a superfan after this gig. Go see him if you get the chance to.
I've attached a couple of clips from youtube just in case...
#51
Infernal Stronghold
Pavlichenko
Banal
Stinkbomb
Beard of Antlers
@ The Soapbox (Downstairs) 08/14/09
BOA's 2nd show, and I think I was more comfortable this time around. Didn't hurt that I had actual lyrics this time. Good turnout too.
Stinkbomb did a pretty good job, but they kind of messed up a little towards the end, though they admitted they hadn't practiced for a bit.
Infernal Stronghold actually set up to play next, and played on the floor as opposed to the previous two bands. These guys are going down in my book for one of my 10 best discoveries of the year. Raw and fucking brutal crust punk/black metal from Philly, with some nasty riffs thrown in for good measure. If I had more money on me at that moment, I would have bought a shirt or album.
Banal is a 3-piece powerviolence band that started up not that long ago, and features the bassist from Pavlichenko on guitar/vox. Their set was pretty short (no shit) but pretty good. Liked the song about Street Fighter. Oh how geeky I am.
Pavlichenko played last and did a stellar job like always. Chris Marshall really is one of the best dudes in this town when it comes to booking stellar shows, and he's an awesome drummer to boot.
That's it for now. The rest to come later...
Thursday, July 16, 2009
#37-#39
I watched almost 20 bands within just one week. Good god.
#37
Victims
Trap Them
Black Breath
Torch Runner
Blck Vise
@ The Brewery 06/08/09
Despite the less than spectacular turnout, this turned out to be quite a rager. Props to Scottie P for booking this one, but a big WTF to whoever handled sound for the show. Vocals were buried for every band except the first one.
Blck Vise were on first and played exceptionally well to whoever decided to come inside and watch them. It was solid heavy punk, though it was a bit of a bummer knowing they were disbanding after only a few more shows.
I don't think I could ever get tired of watching Torch Runner. They're probably the loudest, most pissed-off band in the carolinas and make me slightly less ashamed to live in NC. The new songs fucking killed, and it was actually cool to look around and see members of the other bands into it too. I expect them to blow up in 2009.
Black Breath were on next, and I honestly wish I could say something slightly more intelligent about their performance, but I think I'll just stick with HOLY SHIT! This band fucking destroyed everything. I had downloaded the Razor to Oblivion EP a while ago and while it was fun, I wasn't completely sold on them. After this though, well, consider me a believer. The band played unbelievably tight, and the riffs were all instantly memorable. I don't know when Stockholm became the new Gothenburg, but after hearing bands like these guys, I don't mind at all. If I had more cash, I would have bought a shirt.
Honestly, I love Trap Them. A lot. But every time I've seen them, they destroy live, but are usually upstaged by the bands they perform with (Torch Runner the 1st time, Napalm Death the 2nd time). It really wasn't an exception tonight. That being said, they still did destroy. Playing a lot of material from SIBP, with a couple of tracks from Sleepwell and Seance thrown in for good measure. It was cool to actually see a few more folks into them this time as well, such as when Ryan McKenny went onto the floor for Guignol Serene and a few people (myself included) swarmed him for the end lyrics. Sweet. I took video of them playing "Mission Convincers" and "Gutterbomb Heaven..." which I hope to upload soon.
And now for the sweet finish, Victims from Sweden. It was their 2nd or 3rd time coming to the states if I'm not mistaken, and as they pointed out, their second time in NC. The setlist was quite long, and included quite a few numbers I wanted to hear (This is the End and We're Fucked being the ones I sang along to the loudest). I also got a few props from the band for my Nasum shirt. Thanks dudes. As for the performance, they smoked. D-beat/crust bands are usually never boring live, at least from the ones I've been able to catch before. They seemed to be having a blast from what I could tell. I picked up the new 7" and a "Killer" shirt after the set.
#38
Summer Slaughter 2009:
Necrophagist
Suffocation
Darkest Hour
Winds of Plague
Dying Fetus
Born of Osiris
Origin
Beneath the Massacre
After the Burial
Blackguard
Thou Shall Burn
@ Amo's Southend 06/10/09
My first venture to Charlotte, and it's really all thanks to a certain lady named Amanda who was kind enough to get me and my friend Dylan into the show for free. Good deal if you ask me. I could give a review of Charlotte itself, but that'll be saved for another time.
We got there a little late, thinking we were going to miss Blackguard, but it turns out there was a local opener to the show. It also turns out it was a band I've (sort of) seen before, Thou Shall Burn. They seemed to have gotten a little better since the last time I saw them, but they were still pretty forgettable death metal.
Thankfully, I didn't miss Blackguard. There's been a lot of hype behind these guys (and gal drummer) and I wanted to see if it was justified. After this performance, yeah I'd say they deserve some attention. A nice mix of melodic black/folk metal, with some fairly cheeky lyrics thrown in. The singer's mic kept going in and out, which kind of brought down the mood a little bit, and I personally wished the circle pit they called for had been a little bigger. Oh well. I've gotta give their record a d/l.
After the Burial and Beneath the Massacre were my first of two attempted "breaks," seeing as how neither band has ever really impressed live or on record. I caught a little of the end of both bands. The former is still pretty average, with their Meshuggah riffs being the only interesting part of their set. The latter were a LOT tighter than they were when I saw them 2 years ago (ironically) at Summer Slaughter 2007. Not great, but not as awful as they were once.
Origin were one of the 4 bands I was most excited to see on this, and minus some technical problems that befell the band halfway through their set, they didn't disappoint. Probably some of the most insane musicianship I've ever seen. They didn't play for as long as I had wanted them to, but that was expected. Hopefully they come through the carolinas again.
Born of Osiris were another "break" band for me, and from what I saw of their set was downright BAD. Jesus christ. I really wish all these new "tech" bands would quit with the abundance of breakdowns in their songs. The keyboardist was also mostly useless, serving more as a hypeman than a member of the band.
The last time I saw Dying Fetus, they played an excruciatingly long set at Lucky's Pub. This time, they played a surprisingly short set (5 songs!). Part of me was actually disappointed. Strange. Anyway, they were pretty good. They definitely had the most brutal pit of the day, with seemingly every weightlifter and overweight death metal d00d coming out of their house for their set.
I avoided Winds of Plague like, no pun intended, the plague. Band sucks, their fans suck, only on the tour because their keyboardist is fucking the drummer for Darkest Hour (at least that's what Suffocation's bassist said).
I think I've lost count with how many times I've seen Darkest Hour live, but I'd estimate it's probably between 10-12. That's not a complaint mind you, as they've delivered live almost every time I've seen them. They did a damn good job this time as well, but they were definitely out of their environment. Too many people standing their with blank expressions or just not choosing to do anything for their set. It was kind of cool being recognized by the band themselves though, including getting "you know what to do" spoken to me at the beginning of The Sadist Nation. Picked up Deliver Us on vinyl after the show was over.
Suffocation should have closed this show. I don't think there was any need for ANY band to follow them up after the job they did. As I've stated before, I'm really choosy with death metal, but these guys absolutely slay live. The set was comprised of mostly Blood Oath and Effigy of the Forgotten material. They got quite a nasty circle pit going for Infecting the Crypts. Frank went on a little rant about religion that seemed to go over well with most of those in attendance. Got to remember to find that new record when I get the chance.
I know some folks will crucify me for saying this, but Necrophagist were really boring. On record, I can't take a whole lot of what they do, but live, it was almost unbearable. Guys, at least look like you enjoy what you do. As far as technicality goes, they were on par with their records. But it was still boring.
Afterward, we all decided to hit the road (4 hour drive, oy), but not before we stopped by Waffle House (and I said bye to John Henry of Darkest Hour :P). Again, thanks to Amanda and Derek from Suffocation for being super cool and getting me in.
#39
Dillinger Escape Plan
The #12 Looks Like You
Knife the Glitter
The Lineage
The Reaping
@ The Brewery 06/12/09
It took me almost 6 years to do it, but I finally got to see DEP! Too bad the rest of the lineup wasn't as solid.
Zoroaster and ASG were originally supposed to be support for this show, but for reasons that are still unknown to me, they both dropped off. No big loss with ASG not playing, but I was thoroughly bummed to not see Zoroaster. The blow was more painful, considering who their replacements were.
I honestly wish I could tell you the difference between The Reaping and The Lineage, but I don't really think there were any differences. The music was near-identical, with the same shitty abundance of breakdowns and metalcore/deathcore cliches that I think most people have grown tired of these days (though judging by the moshing both bands got, Raleigh may be helping keep this crap alive). At the very least, as my friend Eli who rode up with me said, they got the place to wake up and show some energy. Doesn't really help their music though.
Knife the Glitter seems to get either a lot of love or a lot of hate from DEP fans who've seen them tour with the band before. I suppose you could say the most interesting parts of their set were the Phil Anselmo spoken word samples thrown in between songs. The music itself, wasn't really my cup of tea (instrumental 3 piece technical post-rock). They weren't terrible like the previous bands, but they weren't terribly interesting.
When I caught #12LLY on Sounds of the Underground two years ago, the best part of their set was their drummer. He was insanely talented, but he parted ways with the band some time ago in order to join Horse the Band (smart move). With him gone, I really didn't want to watch. And I didn't. Eli said they were abysmal though, and he even liked one of their albums.
Finally, after what felt like forever, DEP came on. They opened with a very eerie instrumental piece that apparently is going to be on the new record, and went right into Fix Your Face. The place went up pretty quickly. The band had an insane amount of energy and crazy stage presence, fueled by a light show that surprisingly wasn't annoying and nearly crisp clear sound. DEP had their own sound guy travel with them, which was a smart choice when I think back to the Victims show. The set was comprised of mostly Miss Machine and Ire Works material, with a few oldies (Under the Running Board, Sugar Coated Sour) and rarities (Come to Daddy, When Good Dogs Do Bad Things, Horse Hunter) thrown in for good measure. The audience was eating it up too. They even ate it up when Greg, the singer, tore dangling pieces of the Brewery's ceiling off and threw it at the audience. They loved it when Jeff and Ben, the guitarists, stagedived onto them while still playing perfectly. It was truly magnificent. When they closed with 43% Burnt, the floor almost turned into a blood bath. Everyone who seemed to fatigued suddenly had a burst of energy again, and they went berserk. It was probably the most satisfying performance I've seen this year, and it easily topped all of the other bands I've seen so far.
#37
Victims
Trap Them
Black Breath
Torch Runner
Blck Vise
@ The Brewery 06/08/09
Despite the less than spectacular turnout, this turned out to be quite a rager. Props to Scottie P for booking this one, but a big WTF to whoever handled sound for the show. Vocals were buried for every band except the first one.
Blck Vise were on first and played exceptionally well to whoever decided to come inside and watch them. It was solid heavy punk, though it was a bit of a bummer knowing they were disbanding after only a few more shows.
I don't think I could ever get tired of watching Torch Runner. They're probably the loudest, most pissed-off band in the carolinas and make me slightly less ashamed to live in NC. The new songs fucking killed, and it was actually cool to look around and see members of the other bands into it too. I expect them to blow up in 2009.
Black Breath were on next, and I honestly wish I could say something slightly more intelligent about their performance, but I think I'll just stick with HOLY SHIT! This band fucking destroyed everything. I had downloaded the Razor to Oblivion EP a while ago and while it was fun, I wasn't completely sold on them. After this though, well, consider me a believer. The band played unbelievably tight, and the riffs were all instantly memorable. I don't know when Stockholm became the new Gothenburg, but after hearing bands like these guys, I don't mind at all. If I had more cash, I would have bought a shirt.
Honestly, I love Trap Them. A lot. But every time I've seen them, they destroy live, but are usually upstaged by the bands they perform with (Torch Runner the 1st time, Napalm Death the 2nd time). It really wasn't an exception tonight. That being said, they still did destroy. Playing a lot of material from SIBP, with a couple of tracks from Sleepwell and Seance thrown in for good measure. It was cool to actually see a few more folks into them this time as well, such as when Ryan McKenny went onto the floor for Guignol Serene and a few people (myself included) swarmed him for the end lyrics. Sweet. I took video of them playing "Mission Convincers" and "Gutterbomb Heaven..." which I hope to upload soon.
And now for the sweet finish, Victims from Sweden. It was their 2nd or 3rd time coming to the states if I'm not mistaken, and as they pointed out, their second time in NC. The setlist was quite long, and included quite a few numbers I wanted to hear (This is the End and We're Fucked being the ones I sang along to the loudest). I also got a few props from the band for my Nasum shirt. Thanks dudes. As for the performance, they smoked. D-beat/crust bands are usually never boring live, at least from the ones I've been able to catch before. They seemed to be having a blast from what I could tell. I picked up the new 7" and a "Killer" shirt after the set.
#38
Summer Slaughter 2009:
Necrophagist
Suffocation
Darkest Hour
Winds of Plague
Dying Fetus
Born of Osiris
Origin
Beneath the Massacre
After the Burial
Blackguard
Thou Shall Burn
@ Amo's Southend 06/10/09
My first venture to Charlotte, and it's really all thanks to a certain lady named Amanda who was kind enough to get me and my friend Dylan into the show for free. Good deal if you ask me. I could give a review of Charlotte itself, but that'll be saved for another time.
We got there a little late, thinking we were going to miss Blackguard, but it turns out there was a local opener to the show. It also turns out it was a band I've (sort of) seen before, Thou Shall Burn. They seemed to have gotten a little better since the last time I saw them, but they were still pretty forgettable death metal.
Thankfully, I didn't miss Blackguard. There's been a lot of hype behind these guys (and gal drummer) and I wanted to see if it was justified. After this performance, yeah I'd say they deserve some attention. A nice mix of melodic black/folk metal, with some fairly cheeky lyrics thrown in. The singer's mic kept going in and out, which kind of brought down the mood a little bit, and I personally wished the circle pit they called for had been a little bigger. Oh well. I've gotta give their record a d/l.
After the Burial and Beneath the Massacre were my first of two attempted "breaks," seeing as how neither band has ever really impressed live or on record. I caught a little of the end of both bands. The former is still pretty average, with their Meshuggah riffs being the only interesting part of their set. The latter were a LOT tighter than they were when I saw them 2 years ago (ironically) at Summer Slaughter 2007. Not great, but not as awful as they were once.
Origin were one of the 4 bands I was most excited to see on this, and minus some technical problems that befell the band halfway through their set, they didn't disappoint. Probably some of the most insane musicianship I've ever seen. They didn't play for as long as I had wanted them to, but that was expected. Hopefully they come through the carolinas again.
Born of Osiris were another "break" band for me, and from what I saw of their set was downright BAD. Jesus christ. I really wish all these new "tech" bands would quit with the abundance of breakdowns in their songs. The keyboardist was also mostly useless, serving more as a hypeman than a member of the band.
The last time I saw Dying Fetus, they played an excruciatingly long set at Lucky's Pub. This time, they played a surprisingly short set (5 songs!). Part of me was actually disappointed. Strange. Anyway, they were pretty good. They definitely had the most brutal pit of the day, with seemingly every weightlifter and overweight death metal d00d coming out of their house for their set.
I avoided Winds of Plague like, no pun intended, the plague. Band sucks, their fans suck, only on the tour because their keyboardist is fucking the drummer for Darkest Hour (at least that's what Suffocation's bassist said).
I think I've lost count with how many times I've seen Darkest Hour live, but I'd estimate it's probably between 10-12. That's not a complaint mind you, as they've delivered live almost every time I've seen them. They did a damn good job this time as well, but they were definitely out of their environment. Too many people standing their with blank expressions or just not choosing to do anything for their set. It was kind of cool being recognized by the band themselves though, including getting "you know what to do" spoken to me at the beginning of The Sadist Nation. Picked up Deliver Us on vinyl after the show was over.
Suffocation should have closed this show. I don't think there was any need for ANY band to follow them up after the job they did. As I've stated before, I'm really choosy with death metal, but these guys absolutely slay live. The set was comprised of mostly Blood Oath and Effigy of the Forgotten material. They got quite a nasty circle pit going for Infecting the Crypts. Frank went on a little rant about religion that seemed to go over well with most of those in attendance. Got to remember to find that new record when I get the chance.
I know some folks will crucify me for saying this, but Necrophagist were really boring. On record, I can't take a whole lot of what they do, but live, it was almost unbearable. Guys, at least look like you enjoy what you do. As far as technicality goes, they were on par with their records. But it was still boring.
Afterward, we all decided to hit the road (4 hour drive, oy), but not before we stopped by Waffle House (and I said bye to John Henry of Darkest Hour :P). Again, thanks to Amanda and Derek from Suffocation for being super cool and getting me in.
#39
Dillinger Escape Plan
The #12 Looks Like You
Knife the Glitter
The Lineage
The Reaping
@ The Brewery 06/12/09
It took me almost 6 years to do it, but I finally got to see DEP! Too bad the rest of the lineup wasn't as solid.
Zoroaster and ASG were originally supposed to be support for this show, but for reasons that are still unknown to me, they both dropped off. No big loss with ASG not playing, but I was thoroughly bummed to not see Zoroaster. The blow was more painful, considering who their replacements were.
I honestly wish I could tell you the difference between The Reaping and The Lineage, but I don't really think there were any differences. The music was near-identical, with the same shitty abundance of breakdowns and metalcore/deathcore cliches that I think most people have grown tired of these days (though judging by the moshing both bands got, Raleigh may be helping keep this crap alive). At the very least, as my friend Eli who rode up with me said, they got the place to wake up and show some energy. Doesn't really help their music though.
Knife the Glitter seems to get either a lot of love or a lot of hate from DEP fans who've seen them tour with the band before. I suppose you could say the most interesting parts of their set were the Phil Anselmo spoken word samples thrown in between songs. The music itself, wasn't really my cup of tea (instrumental 3 piece technical post-rock). They weren't terrible like the previous bands, but they weren't terribly interesting.
When I caught #12LLY on Sounds of the Underground two years ago, the best part of their set was their drummer. He was insanely talented, but he parted ways with the band some time ago in order to join Horse the Band (smart move). With him gone, I really didn't want to watch. And I didn't. Eli said they were abysmal though, and he even liked one of their albums.
Finally, after what felt like forever, DEP came on. They opened with a very eerie instrumental piece that apparently is going to be on the new record, and went right into Fix Your Face. The place went up pretty quickly. The band had an insane amount of energy and crazy stage presence, fueled by a light show that surprisingly wasn't annoying and nearly crisp clear sound. DEP had their own sound guy travel with them, which was a smart choice when I think back to the Victims show. The set was comprised of mostly Miss Machine and Ire Works material, with a few oldies (Under the Running Board, Sugar Coated Sour) and rarities (Come to Daddy, When Good Dogs Do Bad Things, Horse Hunter) thrown in for good measure. The audience was eating it up too. They even ate it up when Greg, the singer, tore dangling pieces of the Brewery's ceiling off and threw it at the audience. They loved it when Jeff and Ben, the guitarists, stagedived onto them while still playing perfectly. It was truly magnificent. When they closed with 43% Burnt, the floor almost turned into a blood bath. Everyone who seemed to fatigued suddenly had a burst of energy again, and they went berserk. It was probably the most satisfying performance I've seen this year, and it easily topped all of the other bands I've seen so far.
Monday, July 6, 2009
#35 & #36
#35
Pavlichenko
Plague
Shards
Wall
@ The Soapbox (Downstairs) 06/04/09
A sort of local punk/grind/thrash showing. Unfortunately, I arrived too late to catch Audacity and Surf Nazis on Ecstasy, and I really bummed to miss the latter. I did get there in time to catch Wall, who are still really righteous. I've seen these guys a handful of times already and this might have been the best time. The sound wasn't quite so deafening as it has been in the past, but everything still had the power and intensity it's had in the past.
Shards didn't really impress me. They had good energy and seemed to really be into what they were playing, but I was honestly bored throughout most of their set. Sorry guys.
Plague weren't musically amazing either, but they were more entertaining. The singer was certainly something else. He wore his sunglasses and a big denim jacket for the entirety of their set, and seemed to want to run into everyone, be it on purpose or accidental. He alone was worth the price of admission.
Pavlichenko closed out and did a fine job like always. I wish they'd put out an album already, seeing as how they're too musically talented to be just a "live" band. Great riffs, great dudes, good speed (the music that is).
#36
Indian
Dr. Powerful
Empire State Troopers
@ Reggie's 06/06/09
Weedeater was originally supposed to play this one, but due to a mishap involving Keko, the drummer, damaging/losing his finger after slashing his girlfriend's tires (don't ask), they dropped off. A big blow to the show if you ask me.
Empire State Troopers were kind of interesting. They had a chick singer who didn't really sound like a chick (even when she was talking). They played a mixture of old style hard rock and new school hard rock, meaning there were some songs that hit, and some that really didn't. Nice folks though. They offered a free d/l of their album because I took pics of their set.
Dr. Powerful were on next, and they were yet another band that didn't necessarily fit the bill. Playing kind of post-punk/post-hardcore with some almost dancy beats. Their main singer looked like Nate Newton from Converge/Doomriders fame. Not bad, but I don't think I'd be in a hurry to see them again.
And on next to close the night were Chicago's own doomsters, Indian. I needed some good riffs to really get me back in a good mood, and they definitely provided it. Before I forget to say it, these guys were LOUD. Sunn amps are cool, but in small spaces, they can make your experience painful. They were still pretty damn good though. Their set seemed shorter than the other bands' were. Oh well.
Pavlichenko
Plague
Shards
Wall
@ The Soapbox (Downstairs) 06/04/09
A sort of local punk/grind/thrash showing. Unfortunately, I arrived too late to catch Audacity and Surf Nazis on Ecstasy, and I really bummed to miss the latter. I did get there in time to catch Wall, who are still really righteous. I've seen these guys a handful of times already and this might have been the best time. The sound wasn't quite so deafening as it has been in the past, but everything still had the power and intensity it's had in the past.
Shards didn't really impress me. They had good energy and seemed to really be into what they were playing, but I was honestly bored throughout most of their set. Sorry guys.
Plague weren't musically amazing either, but they were more entertaining. The singer was certainly something else. He wore his sunglasses and a big denim jacket for the entirety of their set, and seemed to want to run into everyone, be it on purpose or accidental. He alone was worth the price of admission.
Pavlichenko closed out and did a fine job like always. I wish they'd put out an album already, seeing as how they're too musically talented to be just a "live" band. Great riffs, great dudes, good speed (the music that is).
#36
Indian
Dr. Powerful
Empire State Troopers
@ Reggie's 06/06/09
Weedeater was originally supposed to play this one, but due to a mishap involving Keko, the drummer, damaging/losing his finger after slashing his girlfriend's tires (don't ask), they dropped off. A big blow to the show if you ask me.
Empire State Troopers were kind of interesting. They had a chick singer who didn't really sound like a chick (even when she was talking). They played a mixture of old style hard rock and new school hard rock, meaning there were some songs that hit, and some that really didn't. Nice folks though. They offered a free d/l of their album because I took pics of their set.
Dr. Powerful were on next, and they were yet another band that didn't necessarily fit the bill. Playing kind of post-punk/post-hardcore with some almost dancy beats. Their main singer looked like Nate Newton from Converge/Doomriders fame. Not bad, but I don't think I'd be in a hurry to see them again.
And on next to close the night were Chicago's own doomsters, Indian. I needed some good riffs to really get me back in a good mood, and they definitely provided it. Before I forget to say it, these guys were LOUD. Sunn amps are cool, but in small spaces, they can make your experience painful. They were still pretty damn good though. Their set seemed shorter than the other bands' were. Oh well.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
#30-#33
Another batch I'm going to try and knock out of the way. And how fitting that they're all within a week as well.
#30
Mortal Man
Witch's Tit
@ Reggies 05/24/09
I can never pass up a chance to see Mortal Man. Even though they've played less than a dozen shows, they're probably one of the best bands we have in this town. In Loving Memory played first, but I avoided them as much as I could. Very nu-metal. Ick. Witch's Tit were pretty cool. Had a very EHG vibe going on, and they shared members with Deadbird. Mortal Man headlined, and for a show announced less than a week before it happened, they had a pretty good turnout. I was pretty happy to hear that Nash, the former drummer of Beer Wolf, was their new drummer now. He did a damn good job too. I just want MM to release an album already. Their blend of stoner/NWOBHM would probably sound just as monstrous on record as it does live.
#31
Miss Daydream
@ The Soapbox 05/25/09 (part of WE Fest)
Ms. Daydream is a blues/singer-songwriter project of sorts comprised of 3 friends/acquaintances of mine. I figured I'd go to their first real show, being that they're good folks and I even did their photoshoot. Despite the oh so wonderul Jessi having a cold, she sang wonderfully. Will and Taylor did great jobs too, though I kind of wish Will didn't unintentionally hide from the camera. Whatever the case, it was a good job. And they ended with a cover of "I'm on a Boat!" Can't ask for much more.
#32
Battle!
Never Knows Best (formerly known as A Shot Below the Belt)
2613
@ Luckys Pub 05/26/09
For $5, I figured it couldn't hurt to hit this up. Battle! is always fun live, and it's cool to see ASBTB (excuse me, Never Knows Best now) getting better. I tried to avoid 2613 by showing up late, but I still ended up seeing 2 songs or so. Still not my thing. Still trying too hard to be "emotional." Never Knows Best were on next, and they did a good job. It's rare to see people not mosh for them though. Then again, the turnout for this show was NOT good. I spotted more people outside than inside. Battle! closed and I was really impressed by their new songs. From what I heard of their old record, it's a case of good music, average vocals. These new tracks seem to correct that mistake. They seemed to be happy just playing here, regardless of the lack of people around.
After the gig, I ended up going to 16 Taps for karaoke, which has become a sort of regular thing for me now.
#33
Rotten Sound
Maruta
Man Will Destroy Himself
Bile Nephrosis
@ Slim's 05/27/09
Never heard of Slim's? That's alright, nobody else seems to have either. For those in Wilmington reading this, imagine a more narrow version of East Coast Opera House. The stage was barely big enough to fit the band and there wasn't a whole lot of room to move around. Meaning this was going to be quite awesome.
Bile Nephrosis were on first and they were pretty okay. There were some slight deathcorish elements that I could have done without, but it was overall pretty entertaining death/grind. They're also the first band I've seen to play with an ipod acting as their drum machine. Interesting to say the least.
Maruta were up next and ripped pretty hard. They were a three piece like Pig Destroyer is, but they were much heavier and more unintelligible than PD are. The singer was pretty nuts. He loved jumping around a lot and really getting into it. Some technical difficulties brought about some awkward silence at one point (it was only awkward when you consider that the band was so loud, and then suddenly it's quiet for an extended amount of time). I'll have to give these guys a download.
Next, the band I came to see. Finland always seems to have a knack for giving birth to great bands, but their extreme metal scen has always been captivating. Rotten Sound have always reminded me as the heirs to the throne of modern grindcore. I knew I was in for something special when just the mic check yell startled me so bad, it actually almost scared me. The band absolutely ruled. Their written setlist was quite large, but not everything from it was played. I loved hearing "Targets" and "Corpornation," the latter being from last year's amazing Cycles. Have you ever felt like you got your ass kicked after a performance? That's what Rotten Sound felt like. Holy hell. It's no wonder I picked up two shirts.
Man Will Destroy Himself were set to close, being the bigger band in this area at least. Try as they might, they just couldn't top the awesomeness of the two bands before them. I think most people needed to recover from that onslaught of a job done by RS. Shame because I usually like MWDH too.
On a side note, if you're a beer drinker, give Wild Blue a try. Slim's had bottles of it and while being 8% alcohol, it tastes like a dang blueberry! Sweet.
#34
Isis
Pelican
Tombs
@ Cat's Cradle 05/29/09
I gotta thank my friend Lauren for being awesome enough to buy me a ticket for this and being the driver for me, my friend Mario, and herself. I think I officially love the Cat's Cradle, except when it comes to drink prices.
Tombs opened the gig with their post-metal/black metal/experimental craziness. I like some of Winter Hours, their Relapse debut, but I wasn't in love with it. They did a good job live though, giving off enough energy and passion to keep people's interests. I was surprised they only played for 25 minutes. Yes I know they're the opening band, but this audience would have appreciate lengthy sets from every band there.
I've been waiting about 4 years to see Pelican, and admittedly, I went to smoke some pot with my friends for a quick bit before they went on. I really wanted to be into this set. And I was, for about 70% of it. Pelican is really damn good, don't get me wrong. Post-rock/post-metal live though, is real choosy and I think you have to be pretty patient or else you might get bored like I did for a little bit. Also, nothing off of The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw? C'mon now.
And of course, the mighty Isis were set to close. I still haven't listened to Wavering Radiant, their newest release, but most of the material in the set was from said album. They threw in a few surprises that made me quite content, such as "Dulcinea" and "In Fiction," the latter which drew the only real headbanging from me that night. The band was incredibly tight live, and I have to give some extra kudos to their keyboardist Bryant, who pulled double duty for the set and performed third guitar in addition to playing the keyboard. They closed with what I think most people would expect Isis to close with: Celestial (The Tower), albeit drawn out into a 13 minute version of the song. It was quite a sight to behold. Speaking of sights to behold, that brings me to my only real complaint of the night: Tool fans. I think touring with Maynard and co. has tainted the post-metal fanbase, or at least the Isis fanbase. There were quite a few meatheads and dumb "frat" type of guys who were just drinking and being loud, pushy jackasses. Seriously, who moshes to Isis? You've got to be a pretty big douche to do such an act.
But alas, Isis were still really damn good. This week put me out of commission for a few days though. But man, it was worth it.
#30
Mortal Man
Witch's Tit
@ Reggies 05/24/09
I can never pass up a chance to see Mortal Man. Even though they've played less than a dozen shows, they're probably one of the best bands we have in this town. In Loving Memory played first, but I avoided them as much as I could. Very nu-metal. Ick. Witch's Tit were pretty cool. Had a very EHG vibe going on, and they shared members with Deadbird. Mortal Man headlined, and for a show announced less than a week before it happened, they had a pretty good turnout. I was pretty happy to hear that Nash, the former drummer of Beer Wolf, was their new drummer now. He did a damn good job too. I just want MM to release an album already. Their blend of stoner/NWOBHM would probably sound just as monstrous on record as it does live.
#31
Miss Daydream
@ The Soapbox 05/25/09 (part of WE Fest)
Ms. Daydream is a blues/singer-songwriter project of sorts comprised of 3 friends/acquaintances of mine. I figured I'd go to their first real show, being that they're good folks and I even did their photoshoot. Despite the oh so wonderul Jessi having a cold, she sang wonderfully. Will and Taylor did great jobs too, though I kind of wish Will didn't unintentionally hide from the camera. Whatever the case, it was a good job. And they ended with a cover of "I'm on a Boat!" Can't ask for much more.
#32
Battle!
Never Knows Best (formerly known as A Shot Below the Belt)
2613
@ Luckys Pub 05/26/09
For $5, I figured it couldn't hurt to hit this up. Battle! is always fun live, and it's cool to see ASBTB (excuse me, Never Knows Best now) getting better. I tried to avoid 2613 by showing up late, but I still ended up seeing 2 songs or so. Still not my thing. Still trying too hard to be "emotional." Never Knows Best were on next, and they did a good job. It's rare to see people not mosh for them though. Then again, the turnout for this show was NOT good. I spotted more people outside than inside. Battle! closed and I was really impressed by their new songs. From what I heard of their old record, it's a case of good music, average vocals. These new tracks seem to correct that mistake. They seemed to be happy just playing here, regardless of the lack of people around.
After the gig, I ended up going to 16 Taps for karaoke, which has become a sort of regular thing for me now.
#33
Rotten Sound
Maruta
Man Will Destroy Himself
Bile Nephrosis
@ Slim's 05/27/09
Never heard of Slim's? That's alright, nobody else seems to have either. For those in Wilmington reading this, imagine a more narrow version of East Coast Opera House. The stage was barely big enough to fit the band and there wasn't a whole lot of room to move around. Meaning this was going to be quite awesome.
Bile Nephrosis were on first and they were pretty okay. There were some slight deathcorish elements that I could have done without, but it was overall pretty entertaining death/grind. They're also the first band I've seen to play with an ipod acting as their drum machine. Interesting to say the least.
Maruta were up next and ripped pretty hard. They were a three piece like Pig Destroyer is, but they were much heavier and more unintelligible than PD are. The singer was pretty nuts. He loved jumping around a lot and really getting into it. Some technical difficulties brought about some awkward silence at one point (it was only awkward when you consider that the band was so loud, and then suddenly it's quiet for an extended amount of time). I'll have to give these guys a download.
Next, the band I came to see. Finland always seems to have a knack for giving birth to great bands, but their extreme metal scen has always been captivating. Rotten Sound have always reminded me as the heirs to the throne of modern grindcore. I knew I was in for something special when just the mic check yell startled me so bad, it actually almost scared me. The band absolutely ruled. Their written setlist was quite large, but not everything from it was played. I loved hearing "Targets" and "Corpornation," the latter being from last year's amazing Cycles. Have you ever felt like you got your ass kicked after a performance? That's what Rotten Sound felt like. Holy hell. It's no wonder I picked up two shirts.
Man Will Destroy Himself were set to close, being the bigger band in this area at least. Try as they might, they just couldn't top the awesomeness of the two bands before them. I think most people needed to recover from that onslaught of a job done by RS. Shame because I usually like MWDH too.
On a side note, if you're a beer drinker, give Wild Blue a try. Slim's had bottles of it and while being 8% alcohol, it tastes like a dang blueberry! Sweet.
#34
Isis
Pelican
Tombs
@ Cat's Cradle 05/29/09
I gotta thank my friend Lauren for being awesome enough to buy me a ticket for this and being the driver for me, my friend Mario, and herself. I think I officially love the Cat's Cradle, except when it comes to drink prices.
Tombs opened the gig with their post-metal/black metal/experimental craziness. I like some of Winter Hours, their Relapse debut, but I wasn't in love with it. They did a good job live though, giving off enough energy and passion to keep people's interests. I was surprised they only played for 25 minutes. Yes I know they're the opening band, but this audience would have appreciate lengthy sets from every band there.
I've been waiting about 4 years to see Pelican, and admittedly, I went to smoke some pot with my friends for a quick bit before they went on. I really wanted to be into this set. And I was, for about 70% of it. Pelican is really damn good, don't get me wrong. Post-rock/post-metal live though, is real choosy and I think you have to be pretty patient or else you might get bored like I did for a little bit. Also, nothing off of The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw? C'mon now.
And of course, the mighty Isis were set to close. I still haven't listened to Wavering Radiant, their newest release, but most of the material in the set was from said album. They threw in a few surprises that made me quite content, such as "Dulcinea" and "In Fiction," the latter which drew the only real headbanging from me that night. The band was incredibly tight live, and I have to give some extra kudos to their keyboardist Bryant, who pulled double duty for the set and performed third guitar in addition to playing the keyboard. They closed with what I think most people would expect Isis to close with: Celestial (The Tower), albeit drawn out into a 13 minute version of the song. It was quite a sight to behold. Speaking of sights to behold, that brings me to my only real complaint of the night: Tool fans. I think touring with Maynard and co. has tainted the post-metal fanbase, or at least the Isis fanbase. There were quite a few meatheads and dumb "frat" type of guys who were just drinking and being loud, pushy jackasses. Seriously, who moshes to Isis? You've got to be a pretty big douche to do such an act.
But alas, Isis were still really damn good. This week put me out of commission for a few days though. But man, it was worth it.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
#26-#29
These might be a little shorter than usual. I'm really far behind.
#26
Mastodon
Kylesa
Intronaut
@ Cat's Cradle 05/13/09
I was very excited for this one. It's been years since I've seen Mastodon, and I've never seen them headline either.
My friends and I arrived with some time to kill, but not a great amount to kill. The show was sold out, and I was pretty determined to get a good spot for the show. I went to get some food next to the Cat's Cradle (which minus the drink prices, is probably my favorite venue in NC as of now), and that caused me to miss the first song or so of Intronaut. What I saw of their set was DAMN impressive though. I was actually underwhelmed when I saw them 2 1/2 years ago open for Misery Index, but maybe they just had an off-night. Ironic considering they told me all the live songs from their Challenger EP were recorded at that show. Heh.
This was probably the best time I've seen Kylesa, despite them not playing a lot of old material. All of the best tracks from Static Tensions were played, as were Bottom Line, Hollow Severer, and Where the Horizon Unfolds. The great thing about the Cat's Cradle is their attention to sound, and they brought out the best from them.
And finally, Mastodon. I admit, I don't adore Crack the Skye like everyone else seems to, but my love of the album was definitely boosted after seeing them perform the ENTIRE THING live that night. Hot damn. I got a standing spot near the side of the stage, which was almost perfect. The band was so focused and tight, with every song sounding damn near exact like it does on record. Brent's guitar was occasionally cutting out at times, but I don't think many people noticed (he sure didn't). The set was comprised of Crack the Skye, from beginning to end, which also had a trippy video screen playing in sync with the band. They took a quick break after that bit, and came out to do older material afterwards. Most of it was Blood Mountain material, but it was cool to hear Seabeast and Megalodon. Only song from Remission though? Blargh.
Overall, it was definitely worth the money and travel. The fact that Mastodon isn't everyone's little secret anymore is still a little hard to digest. Good for them though.
#27
Monkeyknifefight
Spring Break 1931
Stinkbomb
Audacity
@ Luckys Pub 05/15/09
This was a real last minute decision. I was kind of fatiqued from Mastodon, but I wanted to see Stinkbomb and had heard interesting things about SB31.
Audacity were on first. For a bunch of kids who looked like they were still in high school, they did pretty dang good. Solid 80s punk. I gotta wonder how many patches one of the kids in that band had on though.
Stinkbomb were great. Sounded better than at the Kontatto show, and played a couple of covers to boot (Sailin' On and Live Wire). A small part of me wonders what will happen when they play with ASG soon. Perhaps a clash of fanbases? It's likely to occur.
And now, Spring Break 1931. Well, the music wasn't the greatest thing ever. In fact, it was downright sloppy at times. I didn't like the fact that there were two frontmen, something which I don't think is necessary for ANY band. The set WAS entertaining though. Beach balls and balloons being thrown around constantly, watching drunk punk rockers make fools of themselves, and just a generally "fun" vibe, which I don't see in a lot of Wilmington bands these days.
I've seen Monkeyknifefight several times before, and I like em. I think I was just too tired to really watch, minus a few songs. Bands sure love to cover "Fix Me" these days as well. It's a great song and all, but man there are more Black Flag songs to choose from. I left after the cover, pretty much saying I was going to relax for some time. But alas...
#28
Mobile Deathcamp
Temple Destroyer (performing 2 sets)
@ Luckys Pub 05/16/09
God damn it, I'm back at another show. I WAS going to go to MC Chris/Whole Wheat Bread, but I didn't feel like paying $14 for just two bands. So instead, I paid $5 for 3 bands (Acirema was supposed to play, but dropped off for reasons unknown). I figured that if I hated this gig, it was only $5 wasted and no more.
Temple Destroyer opened and did a pretty okay job. They're talented kids, but I think they need to work on the vocals. Pretty cool black/thrash. After they completed their set of their own material, they came out to do a second set, which was comprised of nothing but covers. They covered Mastodon, Slayer, and Metallica with the exception of "For Whom the Bell Tolls," they were all pretty accurate.
I really didn't know anything about Mobile Deathcamp. I didn't like the name all that much, and I figured it'd be like the Wings to Gwar's Beatles (and good god, I just compared the Beatles and Gwar). I'm eating my words though, because they ripped pretty hard. These guys could fucking play. Their guitarist/vocalist, the one who I believe was the ex-member of Gwar, was a hulking dude who could shred that little Flying V of his pretty well. They even played a couple of covers which were both gnarly (Thin Lizzy-Emerald and Devo-Freedom of Choice). I'd be more than happy to see these guys again.
Though the turnout was terrible (maybe 10-15 kids came out?), the show was quite cool. The same can not be said about the show the day after...
#29
Queensryche (performing extended sets of Rage For Order/American Soldier/Empire)
@ House of Blues 05/17/09
Even though I dig the shit out of Operation: Mindcrime, I'm not a big fan of Queensryche. My friend Will won a pair of tickets to see them in SC, and offered me the chance to see them with him, even though his excitement for them was about the same as mine: not very big.
After driving through possibly the worst storm I've seen in a couple of years, we got to the House of Blues and managed to stand near the side of the stage for most of the performance. Let it be known, I HATE the House of Blues. Corporate bullshit with some of the most ludicrous prices around. Plus I really can't get behind any venue that forbids re-entry. I had actually taken a vow back in September 2008 after watching Flogging Molly perform there that I would never set foot in there again. Well, I lasted 8 months. Joy. But back to the show.
Queensryche were pompous, boring, and cheesy. And not necessarily in that order. The Rage For Order set was just plain boring, with Geoff Tate acting (and looking) like he was a suave higher being than most of the people not on stage with him. Dude, wearing sunglasses indoors for most of your performance is never usually cool. The American Soldier set was ATROCIOUS. The songs from the record sounded more akin to Limp Bizkit than they of their own sound. A Drill Sergeant hype man, a backup singer who looked eerily like the singer for Buckcherry, and a duet with a 10-year old awkward little girl made the set something straight out of Spinal Tap. We left midway through the Empire set, having finally given up on seeing anything that resembled good. Plus I got tired of having someone constantly to me behind him and ask "You having a good time? What do you think so far?" Oh if only you knew. If only you knew.
I don't think I'll be catching Queensryche again anytime in the future, unless they can promise to stop acting like egotistical douchebags on stage and do nothing but Operation: Mindcrime material.
#26
Mastodon
Kylesa
Intronaut
@ Cat's Cradle 05/13/09
I was very excited for this one. It's been years since I've seen Mastodon, and I've never seen them headline either.
My friends and I arrived with some time to kill, but not a great amount to kill. The show was sold out, and I was pretty determined to get a good spot for the show. I went to get some food next to the Cat's Cradle (which minus the drink prices, is probably my favorite venue in NC as of now), and that caused me to miss the first song or so of Intronaut. What I saw of their set was DAMN impressive though. I was actually underwhelmed when I saw them 2 1/2 years ago open for Misery Index, but maybe they just had an off-night. Ironic considering they told me all the live songs from their Challenger EP were recorded at that show. Heh.
This was probably the best time I've seen Kylesa, despite them not playing a lot of old material. All of the best tracks from Static Tensions were played, as were Bottom Line, Hollow Severer, and Where the Horizon Unfolds. The great thing about the Cat's Cradle is their attention to sound, and they brought out the best from them.
And finally, Mastodon. I admit, I don't adore Crack the Skye like everyone else seems to, but my love of the album was definitely boosted after seeing them perform the ENTIRE THING live that night. Hot damn. I got a standing spot near the side of the stage, which was almost perfect. The band was so focused and tight, with every song sounding damn near exact like it does on record. Brent's guitar was occasionally cutting out at times, but I don't think many people noticed (he sure didn't). The set was comprised of Crack the Skye, from beginning to end, which also had a trippy video screen playing in sync with the band. They took a quick break after that bit, and came out to do older material afterwards. Most of it was Blood Mountain material, but it was cool to hear Seabeast and Megalodon. Only song from Remission though? Blargh.
Overall, it was definitely worth the money and travel. The fact that Mastodon isn't everyone's little secret anymore is still a little hard to digest. Good for them though.
#27
Monkeyknifefight
Spring Break 1931
Stinkbomb
Audacity
@ Luckys Pub 05/15/09
This was a real last minute decision. I was kind of fatiqued from Mastodon, but I wanted to see Stinkbomb and had heard interesting things about SB31.
Audacity were on first. For a bunch of kids who looked like they were still in high school, they did pretty dang good. Solid 80s punk. I gotta wonder how many patches one of the kids in that band had on though.
Stinkbomb were great. Sounded better than at the Kontatto show, and played a couple of covers to boot (Sailin' On and Live Wire). A small part of me wonders what will happen when they play with ASG soon. Perhaps a clash of fanbases? It's likely to occur.
And now, Spring Break 1931. Well, the music wasn't the greatest thing ever. In fact, it was downright sloppy at times. I didn't like the fact that there were two frontmen, something which I don't think is necessary for ANY band. The set WAS entertaining though. Beach balls and balloons being thrown around constantly, watching drunk punk rockers make fools of themselves, and just a generally "fun" vibe, which I don't see in a lot of Wilmington bands these days.
I've seen Monkeyknifefight several times before, and I like em. I think I was just too tired to really watch, minus a few songs. Bands sure love to cover "Fix Me" these days as well. It's a great song and all, but man there are more Black Flag songs to choose from. I left after the cover, pretty much saying I was going to relax for some time. But alas...
#28
Mobile Deathcamp
Temple Destroyer (performing 2 sets)
@ Luckys Pub 05/16/09
God damn it, I'm back at another show. I WAS going to go to MC Chris/Whole Wheat Bread, but I didn't feel like paying $14 for just two bands. So instead, I paid $5 for 3 bands (Acirema was supposed to play, but dropped off for reasons unknown). I figured that if I hated this gig, it was only $5 wasted and no more.
Temple Destroyer opened and did a pretty okay job. They're talented kids, but I think they need to work on the vocals. Pretty cool black/thrash. After they completed their set of their own material, they came out to do a second set, which was comprised of nothing but covers. They covered Mastodon, Slayer, and Metallica with the exception of "For Whom the Bell Tolls," they were all pretty accurate.
I really didn't know anything about Mobile Deathcamp. I didn't like the name all that much, and I figured it'd be like the Wings to Gwar's Beatles (and good god, I just compared the Beatles and Gwar). I'm eating my words though, because they ripped pretty hard. These guys could fucking play. Their guitarist/vocalist, the one who I believe was the ex-member of Gwar, was a hulking dude who could shred that little Flying V of his pretty well. They even played a couple of covers which were both gnarly (Thin Lizzy-Emerald and Devo-Freedom of Choice). I'd be more than happy to see these guys again.
Though the turnout was terrible (maybe 10-15 kids came out?), the show was quite cool. The same can not be said about the show the day after...
#29
Queensryche (performing extended sets of Rage For Order/American Soldier/Empire)
@ House of Blues 05/17/09
Even though I dig the shit out of Operation: Mindcrime, I'm not a big fan of Queensryche. My friend Will won a pair of tickets to see them in SC, and offered me the chance to see them with him, even though his excitement for them was about the same as mine: not very big.
After driving through possibly the worst storm I've seen in a couple of years, we got to the House of Blues and managed to stand near the side of the stage for most of the performance. Let it be known, I HATE the House of Blues. Corporate bullshit with some of the most ludicrous prices around. Plus I really can't get behind any venue that forbids re-entry. I had actually taken a vow back in September 2008 after watching Flogging Molly perform there that I would never set foot in there again. Well, I lasted 8 months. Joy. But back to the show.
Queensryche were pompous, boring, and cheesy. And not necessarily in that order. The Rage For Order set was just plain boring, with Geoff Tate acting (and looking) like he was a suave higher being than most of the people not on stage with him. Dude, wearing sunglasses indoors for most of your performance is never usually cool. The American Soldier set was ATROCIOUS. The songs from the record sounded more akin to Limp Bizkit than they of their own sound. A Drill Sergeant hype man, a backup singer who looked eerily like the singer for Buckcherry, and a duet with a 10-year old awkward little girl made the set something straight out of Spinal Tap. We left midway through the Empire set, having finally given up on seeing anything that resembled good. Plus I got tired of having someone constantly to me behind him and ask "You having a good time? What do you think so far?" Oh if only you knew. If only you knew.
I don't think I'll be catching Queensryche again anytime in the future, unless they can promise to stop acting like egotistical douchebags on stage and do nothing but Operation: Mindcrime material.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
#25
#25
Guerrilla Radio (Rage Against the Machine tribute band)
Eulogy (Tool tribute band)
@ Luckys Pub 05/08/09
I've never been to a real tribute show, minus the all local one some months ago. This though, was a show comprised of two TOURING tribute acts, to two bands that aren't really deceased (RATM reunited a couple of years ago, but haven't done any more gigs as of late). Nonetheless, I figured it could be fun to check out. The first thing I noticed when I walked inside Luckys was the crowd. This definitely wasn't what I was accustomed to seeing here. It was mainly comprised of fratboys and meathead drunkies. Say what you will about some of the younger generation at shows these days, but they're easily preferable to these kinds of folks.
Eulogy, the tribute to Tool, were up first. I haven't really cared about Tool for a few years now, but I still paid attention for the most part. They were surprisingly faithful in almost every aspect, even going so far as to have a frontman who put on facepaint with white dots going down the back, just like what MJK occasionally does. Their set was mainly a "greatest hits" package.
Parabol
Parabola
Prison Sex
Sober
Stinkfist
46 & 2
Schism
The Pot
Vicarious
Every song was performed exceptionally well, though I thought the drumming could have been a tiny bit better. I also have to ask, how and why do you "rage" to Tool? And by rage, I mean take your shirt off and mosh? I just can't comprehend it.
Guerrilla Radio was on next, and the first thing I noticed was that none of the members really looked the part. The guitarist and bassist wore bandanas over their mouths, and they even had pictures of Che Guevara on the stage as well. As far as the band goes, music-wise, they were spot-on. These guys knew the songs by heart and could play probably any song of RATM's that you yelled at them. But that brings me to the singer. I don't have a problem with someone not LOOKING like Zack De La Rocha, but at least try to get someone who SOUNDS like the guy. Granted, I was pretty intoxicated at this point, but it was still noticeable. I also found out their guitarist used to play in a few NC bands that I never saw (like Molecricket). Their setlist was a little more impressive in terms of songs chosen.
Bulls on Parade
Testify
Guerrilla Radio
Sleep Now in the Fire
Bullet in the Head
Bombtrack
Down Rodeo
No Shelter
Fistful of Steel
Ghost of Tom Joad
Know Your Enemy (and yes, the guy from the Tool tribute band came out to do Maynard's verse)
Wake Up
Freedom
Killing in the Name
They had Settle for Nothing, Vietnow, People of the Sun, Renegades of Funk, How I Could Just Kill a Man, and Take the Power Back written on their setlist but they were cut due to what I assume was time restraints. I also have to add that I got my ignorant mosh on at this show, which was mainly fueled by alcohol. So fun to just lose it sometimes.
Guerrilla Radio (Rage Against the Machine tribute band)
Eulogy (Tool tribute band)
@ Luckys Pub 05/08/09
I've never been to a real tribute show, minus the all local one some months ago. This though, was a show comprised of two TOURING tribute acts, to two bands that aren't really deceased (RATM reunited a couple of years ago, but haven't done any more gigs as of late). Nonetheless, I figured it could be fun to check out. The first thing I noticed when I walked inside Luckys was the crowd. This definitely wasn't what I was accustomed to seeing here. It was mainly comprised of fratboys and meathead drunkies. Say what you will about some of the younger generation at shows these days, but they're easily preferable to these kinds of folks.
Eulogy, the tribute to Tool, were up first. I haven't really cared about Tool for a few years now, but I still paid attention for the most part. They were surprisingly faithful in almost every aspect, even going so far as to have a frontman who put on facepaint with white dots going down the back, just like what MJK occasionally does. Their set was mainly a "greatest hits" package.
Parabol
Parabola
Prison Sex
Sober
Stinkfist
46 & 2
Schism
The Pot
Vicarious
Every song was performed exceptionally well, though I thought the drumming could have been a tiny bit better. I also have to ask, how and why do you "rage" to Tool? And by rage, I mean take your shirt off and mosh? I just can't comprehend it.
Guerrilla Radio was on next, and the first thing I noticed was that none of the members really looked the part. The guitarist and bassist wore bandanas over their mouths, and they even had pictures of Che Guevara on the stage as well. As far as the band goes, music-wise, they were spot-on. These guys knew the songs by heart and could play probably any song of RATM's that you yelled at them. But that brings me to the singer. I don't have a problem with someone not LOOKING like Zack De La Rocha, but at least try to get someone who SOUNDS like the guy. Granted, I was pretty intoxicated at this point, but it was still noticeable. I also found out their guitarist used to play in a few NC bands that I never saw (like Molecricket). Their setlist was a little more impressive in terms of songs chosen.
Bulls on Parade
Testify
Guerrilla Radio
Sleep Now in the Fire
Bullet in the Head
Bombtrack
Down Rodeo
No Shelter
Fistful of Steel
Ghost of Tom Joad
Know Your Enemy (and yes, the guy from the Tool tribute band came out to do Maynard's verse)
Wake Up
Freedom
Killing in the Name
They had Settle for Nothing, Vietnow, People of the Sun, Renegades of Funk, How I Could Just Kill a Man, and Take the Power Back written on their setlist but they were cut due to what I assume was time restraints. I also have to add that I got my ignorant mosh on at this show, which was mainly fueled by alcohol. So fun to just lose it sometimes.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
#22-#24
Yet again, I'm slacking on this thing. Might as well knock a few more out of the way though.
#22
Napalm Death
Kataklysm
Toxic Holocaust
Coliseum
Trap Them
@ The Soapbox 04/21/09
One of my most anticipated shows of the year for sure. At this point, it holds the position of being my favorite gig I've attended this year so far. I got down there mega early (at least 4 hours before doors opened), which I haven't done since I was in my 'teens. This time it was mainly for food reasons though, as my friends who were with me were quite hungry. We grabbed some pizza and bullshitted until doors opened up.
Trap Them were on first, and they proved yet again why they're probably one of the best bands in aggressive music right now. Great intensity combined with the best riffs and rhythms from Entombed, Dismember, Cursed, and Converge. It will be great to see them again soon with Victims in Raleigh. Oh and they closed with "Mission Convincers." Score!
It was my third time seeing Coliseum in a month-span, but they brought it like always. Ryan's got great stage presence and is one hell of a guitar player. No real big speeches like last time though, except for one before "Give Up and Drive." Always nice to hear them play "Set it Straight" as well.
Toxic Holocaust brought the thrash. They managed to get the first (and sadly only) circle pit of the night. The crowd seemed to dig it quite a bit and they seemed to dig us. It was a fairly well picked setlist, with an equal amount of old and new. They closed with "Nuke the Cross," which they apparently made a video for recently.
I haven't listened to Kataklysm in quite some time, and I was kind of worried they'd let me down, seeing as how they were actualy the weakest band on the bill. Well, they kind of did, and yet they didn't. I think their stage set up was quite unnecessary, but it was forgivable. It was mainly a "greatest hits" type of setlist. They played most of what I wanted to hear (and getting the mic for a couple of tracks was nice), they had good attitudes, seemed to be enjoying themselves despite the lackluster turnout (LESS THAN 100 PEOPLE. UGH)...and yet somehow I think I was a little disappointed. Maybe it was just that the three previous acts blew them away.
Finally NAPALM FLIPPIN' DEATH came on. I credit these guys as being one of the first bands in the "extreme" genre who helped expand my taste. I was so exicted to see them on a good bill, after what seemed like an endless stream of bad tours (Devildriver, Hatebreed). I felt like I broke my neck headbanging at this. Even with that, I still managed to snap a good amount of pics as well. Their setlist looked like a page out of an old novel, filled with what felt like close to 30 songs. Mind you that's NOT a complaint. Barney Greenway is also one of the most entertaining frontmen I've seen in a LONG time. He never seemed to stop moving, and had some of the most simple, yet greatest speeches I've heard in a while. I took some video footage as well, which is on myspace's video page. Such a good performance. Well worth the $16 price tag.
#23
Kontatto
Stinkbomb
Pavlichenko
@ East Coast Opera House 04/22/09
The day after Napalm Death and the like kicked my ass, this tiny crust/d-beat show occurred. I might be wrong but I believe this was Kontatto's first time in the states. Hope they liked NC enough to want to return one day. It was also my first time witnessing a show at East Coast Opera House, which normally never does shows like these.
Pavlichenko, the first band and partial organizers of this whole show, were on first. I caught their first gig and it was cool, but this was even better. They're getting much tighter and thrashier. Every guy in the band is a good person too. Support em whatever way you can.
Stinkbomb are an older band from Wilmington who decided to return from the dead and I'm glad they did. Just good fun loud 3-piece punk rock. I also noticed Steve Hart was playing guitar for em, which was cool. They did a couple of covers, though I only caught one of them (Motley Crue-Live Wire) due to having to step outside momentarily.
Due to the size of ECOH, Kontatto's singer performed on the floor while the band played on the actual stage. Total DIY I guess you could say. They absolutely ruled. Total crust/d-beat/raw punk in the vein of bands like Tragedy, Wolfbrigade, and Discharge. The crowd at times (at least those who were drunk/imbecilic) caused some problems, like knocking into one of the guitarists and knocking him and his amp over. Those were quickly dealt with though, and the show resumed. Taking pics was fun, but kind of hard at times due to all the lights hanging around. I also gotta add that it's awesome seeing women drummers, as they are a rare sight in the aggressive music scene these days, and even rarer in this specific scene.
#24
Against Me!
Off With Their Heads
@ The Soapbox 04/30/09
I had been sick for a few days before this, and my cold actually forced me to miss Amon Amarth/Goatwhore/Skeletonwitch/Lazarus A.D. the day before this, which I had already bought a ticket to. I think I was still cross walking into this one, but I figured this would be my only chance to see Against Me! play for $10. Well, THESE days at least.
I missed the first band, whose name I can't recall. I caught about 5 songs or so from Off With Their Heads, who were pretty okay, but I don't see the hype behind this band. Just kind of ho-hum.
After an HOUR long wait (seriously, WTF?), Against Me! finally came on and performed to the packed house. I actually stood away from the floor near the merch area, due to not wanting to potentially worsen my cold around a bunch of dirty hipster folks. I'm really glad I came out, because they ruled pretty hard. I still haven't listened to New Wave, their last record, but I recognized enough old material to be alright. The crowd seemed to be having a blast, as did the band. When a girl got knocked out by a stagediver, the band stopped and made everyone clear a path in order for her to be escorted out safely. Very cool of you guys. I'd be more than willing to watch them live again, and hopefully next time I can buy a few drinks and really get into it like everyone else was.
#22
Napalm Death
Kataklysm
Toxic Holocaust
Coliseum
Trap Them
@ The Soapbox 04/21/09
One of my most anticipated shows of the year for sure. At this point, it holds the position of being my favorite gig I've attended this year so far. I got down there mega early (at least 4 hours before doors opened), which I haven't done since I was in my 'teens. This time it was mainly for food reasons though, as my friends who were with me were quite hungry. We grabbed some pizza and bullshitted until doors opened up.
Trap Them were on first, and they proved yet again why they're probably one of the best bands in aggressive music right now. Great intensity combined with the best riffs and rhythms from Entombed, Dismember, Cursed, and Converge. It will be great to see them again soon with Victims in Raleigh. Oh and they closed with "Mission Convincers." Score!
It was my third time seeing Coliseum in a month-span, but they brought it like always. Ryan's got great stage presence and is one hell of a guitar player. No real big speeches like last time though, except for one before "Give Up and Drive." Always nice to hear them play "Set it Straight" as well.
Toxic Holocaust brought the thrash. They managed to get the first (and sadly only) circle pit of the night. The crowd seemed to dig it quite a bit and they seemed to dig us. It was a fairly well picked setlist, with an equal amount of old and new. They closed with "Nuke the Cross," which they apparently made a video for recently.
I haven't listened to Kataklysm in quite some time, and I was kind of worried they'd let me down, seeing as how they were actualy the weakest band on the bill. Well, they kind of did, and yet they didn't. I think their stage set up was quite unnecessary, but it was forgivable. It was mainly a "greatest hits" type of setlist. They played most of what I wanted to hear (and getting the mic for a couple of tracks was nice), they had good attitudes, seemed to be enjoying themselves despite the lackluster turnout (LESS THAN 100 PEOPLE. UGH)...and yet somehow I think I was a little disappointed. Maybe it was just that the three previous acts blew them away.
Finally NAPALM FLIPPIN' DEATH came on. I credit these guys as being one of the first bands in the "extreme" genre who helped expand my taste. I was so exicted to see them on a good bill, after what seemed like an endless stream of bad tours (Devildriver, Hatebreed). I felt like I broke my neck headbanging at this. Even with that, I still managed to snap a good amount of pics as well. Their setlist looked like a page out of an old novel, filled with what felt like close to 30 songs. Mind you that's NOT a complaint. Barney Greenway is also one of the most entertaining frontmen I've seen in a LONG time. He never seemed to stop moving, and had some of the most simple, yet greatest speeches I've heard in a while. I took some video footage as well, which is on myspace's video page. Such a good performance. Well worth the $16 price tag.
#23
Kontatto
Stinkbomb
Pavlichenko
@ East Coast Opera House 04/22/09
The day after Napalm Death and the like kicked my ass, this tiny crust/d-beat show occurred. I might be wrong but I believe this was Kontatto's first time in the states. Hope they liked NC enough to want to return one day. It was also my first time witnessing a show at East Coast Opera House, which normally never does shows like these.
Pavlichenko, the first band and partial organizers of this whole show, were on first. I caught their first gig and it was cool, but this was even better. They're getting much tighter and thrashier. Every guy in the band is a good person too. Support em whatever way you can.
Stinkbomb are an older band from Wilmington who decided to return from the dead and I'm glad they did. Just good fun loud 3-piece punk rock. I also noticed Steve Hart was playing guitar for em, which was cool. They did a couple of covers, though I only caught one of them (Motley Crue-Live Wire) due to having to step outside momentarily.
Due to the size of ECOH, Kontatto's singer performed on the floor while the band played on the actual stage. Total DIY I guess you could say. They absolutely ruled. Total crust/d-beat/raw punk in the vein of bands like Tragedy, Wolfbrigade, and Discharge. The crowd at times (at least those who were drunk/imbecilic) caused some problems, like knocking into one of the guitarists and knocking him and his amp over. Those were quickly dealt with though, and the show resumed. Taking pics was fun, but kind of hard at times due to all the lights hanging around. I also gotta add that it's awesome seeing women drummers, as they are a rare sight in the aggressive music scene these days, and even rarer in this specific scene.
#24
Against Me!
Off With Their Heads
@ The Soapbox 04/30/09
I had been sick for a few days before this, and my cold actually forced me to miss Amon Amarth/Goatwhore/Skeletonwitch/Lazarus A.D. the day before this, which I had already bought a ticket to. I think I was still cross walking into this one, but I figured this would be my only chance to see Against Me! play for $10. Well, THESE days at least.
I missed the first band, whose name I can't recall. I caught about 5 songs or so from Off With Their Heads, who were pretty okay, but I don't see the hype behind this band. Just kind of ho-hum.
After an HOUR long wait (seriously, WTF?), Against Me! finally came on and performed to the packed house. I actually stood away from the floor near the merch area, due to not wanting to potentially worsen my cold around a bunch of dirty hipster folks. I'm really glad I came out, because they ruled pretty hard. I still haven't listened to New Wave, their last record, but I recognized enough old material to be alright. The crowd seemed to be having a blast, as did the band. When a girl got knocked out by a stagediver, the band stopped and made everyone clear a path in order for her to be escorted out safely. Very cool of you guys. I'd be more than willing to watch them live again, and hopefully next time I can buy a few drinks and really get into it like everyone else was.
Monday, May 4, 2009
#19-#21
Figured I'd knock these ones out while I'm sick. Plus I've been putting this off for god knows how long. Forgive me if they aren't as long/detailed as the other reviews.
#19
Coliseum
Young Livers
Torch Runner
Nations
Conquer Me
@ Luckys Pub 03/30/09
Why weren't more people at this one? One of the better punk/hardcore bills we've had in some time, and it was a pretty decent price too considering Coliseum is getting a tad bigger. Oh well.
Conquer Me was up first. Good job like always, guys are still the best hardcore band in this town (if you ask me that is). I shot some new video footage of em too, but that hasn't been put up yet due to myspace taking so damn long with uploading video. Weird to see nobody mosh for them though. It just doesn't, I dunno, feel right?
I fucking love Nations. I wish they'd put out a god damn demo already and give my ears some mp3 candy, not just live candy. Their set was definitely a highlight, partly due to the great Cursed worship and partly due to the smashing of a guitar at the end of their set. Stereotypical as it might be to say this, but it was total rock and roll.
Surprisingly, it was Torch Runner's first time in Wilmington. They've been blowing up over the past few months and it was only time they visited our sketchy (at times) town. I hadn't seen them since they owned at the Trash Talk show in Raleigh and it was just as loud and pissed as always. Bands like these make me proud to be living in this state.
Young Livers were probably the odd band out here, kinda sounding more like traditional post-hardcore/punk rock to me, but they did a good job nonetheless. I assume they've played here before, or at least have some connections, because as soon as they came on, quite a few more people came in to catch them. It was mainly the Reggies Tavern/Thunderlip crowd, but it increased the attendance didn't it?
I had only caught Coliseum a couple of days before this, but this was a headlining gig as opposed to a somewhat misplaced slot on a moshfest. This easily topped the UB performance, even if Ryan gave somewhat of the same speech as before and the setlist was pretty much the same, minus about 7 more songs thrown in. Ryan Patterson is the man. Dude's got such a good presence on stage and churns out some mean riffs. I picked up No Salvation on vinyl, which I should have done at UB but didn't. It's a beautiful piece too. Yellow with red splatter. Almost shines in certain lights. But anyway...
#20
Sourvein
Ol' Scratch
Dead Commuter
Wall
@ Reggies 04/03/09
My friend Lauren convinced me to go to this one. I was still somewhat fatigued from UB and Coliseum, so I mercifully this wouldn't be too active of a show.
Wall opened and again, it's cool to see a grindcore/powerviolence band in this town. And one that's so young too. Set was over in the blink of an eye it seemed.
Dead Commuter was awesome. Two piece all the way from fucking Kansas. It was great post-metal/stoner/noise rock and they were really nice dudes too. If I had more money to blow I would have bought a shirt. They also closed with a Black Sabbath cover, which is always welcome.
Ol' Scratch was the reason I know Lauren wanted to come out, and she insisted they would be up everyone's alleys. First thing I noticed about the band was they were using all Sunn equipment. I'm not a musician by any means but even I knew that meant it would be LOUD. Sure enough, this band actually managed to be louder than Kylesa, who I had only seen a week before. They didn't outvolume (hell if I know if that's a word) Jucifer, who still remains the loudest band I've ever seen. This band was awesome though. Great VA sludge/doom with some insanely catchy riffage. I suppose my only complaint would be that you couldn't hear the singer all that well.
Sourvein were on next, and even though they did good, the amount of cigarette smoke that night actually made me unable to really enjoy their set, and I found myself having to go outside several times just to make my eyes stop hurting. Lame I know, but hey I can't help it.
After the show was over, Lauren and I went to an afterparty at Shep from Weedeater's house. Everyone seemed pretty cool and it was a good time, but I really wanted sleep. :P
#21
The Hottness
Burden of a Day
Sent by Ravens
Of Machines
@ Luckys Pub 04/18/09
This might be the quickest review I'll do of a show in a long time, seeing as how I became very intoxicated and quite high before and during this show. Of Machines were awful. Like if scene kids tried imitating Radiohead + new day screamo. I watched a bit of Sent by Ravens and they were alright, at least in comparison to Of Machines. Watched the first 30 seconds or so of Burden of a Day and decided it wasn't for me. The Hottness did surprisingly well, considering that I'm not a huge fan of their music (I attended this show mainly out of boredom). Mark from Luckys was trying so hard to get me moshing, and I threw down for a little bit, but I was just too out of it to do much of it. It was cool seeing a lot of old faces at this show too, such as Melissa, the old co-owner of Luckys (who is still mega cool, and still looks mighty fine if I can say so myself :P), phZach, who I haven't seen at a show for what feels like at least a year, and Cando, who was in town for a break from school. It was also funny seeing a ton of women get on the bar to dance Coyote Ugly-style towards the end.
#19
Coliseum
Young Livers
Torch Runner
Nations
Conquer Me
@ Luckys Pub 03/30/09
Why weren't more people at this one? One of the better punk/hardcore bills we've had in some time, and it was a pretty decent price too considering Coliseum is getting a tad bigger. Oh well.
Conquer Me was up first. Good job like always, guys are still the best hardcore band in this town (if you ask me that is). I shot some new video footage of em too, but that hasn't been put up yet due to myspace taking so damn long with uploading video. Weird to see nobody mosh for them though. It just doesn't, I dunno, feel right?
I fucking love Nations. I wish they'd put out a god damn demo already and give my ears some mp3 candy, not just live candy. Their set was definitely a highlight, partly due to the great Cursed worship and partly due to the smashing of a guitar at the end of their set. Stereotypical as it might be to say this, but it was total rock and roll.
Surprisingly, it was Torch Runner's first time in Wilmington. They've been blowing up over the past few months and it was only time they visited our sketchy (at times) town. I hadn't seen them since they owned at the Trash Talk show in Raleigh and it was just as loud and pissed as always. Bands like these make me proud to be living in this state.
Young Livers were probably the odd band out here, kinda sounding more like traditional post-hardcore/punk rock to me, but they did a good job nonetheless. I assume they've played here before, or at least have some connections, because as soon as they came on, quite a few more people came in to catch them. It was mainly the Reggies Tavern/Thunderlip crowd, but it increased the attendance didn't it?
I had only caught Coliseum a couple of days before this, but this was a headlining gig as opposed to a somewhat misplaced slot on a moshfest. This easily topped the UB performance, even if Ryan gave somewhat of the same speech as before and the setlist was pretty much the same, minus about 7 more songs thrown in. Ryan Patterson is the man. Dude's got such a good presence on stage and churns out some mean riffs. I picked up No Salvation on vinyl, which I should have done at UB but didn't. It's a beautiful piece too. Yellow with red splatter. Almost shines in certain lights. But anyway...
#20
Sourvein
Ol' Scratch
Dead Commuter
Wall
@ Reggies 04/03/09
My friend Lauren convinced me to go to this one. I was still somewhat fatigued from UB and Coliseum, so I mercifully this wouldn't be too active of a show.
Wall opened and again, it's cool to see a grindcore/powerviolence band in this town. And one that's so young too. Set was over in the blink of an eye it seemed.
Dead Commuter was awesome. Two piece all the way from fucking Kansas. It was great post-metal/stoner/noise rock and they were really nice dudes too. If I had more money to blow I would have bought a shirt. They also closed with a Black Sabbath cover, which is always welcome.
Ol' Scratch was the reason I know Lauren wanted to come out, and she insisted they would be up everyone's alleys. First thing I noticed about the band was they were using all Sunn equipment. I'm not a musician by any means but even I knew that meant it would be LOUD. Sure enough, this band actually managed to be louder than Kylesa, who I had only seen a week before. They didn't outvolume (hell if I know if that's a word) Jucifer, who still remains the loudest band I've ever seen. This band was awesome though. Great VA sludge/doom with some insanely catchy riffage. I suppose my only complaint would be that you couldn't hear the singer all that well.
Sourvein were on next, and even though they did good, the amount of cigarette smoke that night actually made me unable to really enjoy their set, and I found myself having to go outside several times just to make my eyes stop hurting. Lame I know, but hey I can't help it.
After the show was over, Lauren and I went to an afterparty at Shep from Weedeater's house. Everyone seemed pretty cool and it was a good time, but I really wanted sleep. :P
#21
The Hottness
Burden of a Day
Sent by Ravens
Of Machines
@ Luckys Pub 04/18/09
This might be the quickest review I'll do of a show in a long time, seeing as how I became very intoxicated and quite high before and during this show. Of Machines were awful. Like if scene kids tried imitating Radiohead + new day screamo. I watched a bit of Sent by Ravens and they were alright, at least in comparison to Of Machines. Watched the first 30 seconds or so of Burden of a Day and decided it wasn't for me. The Hottness did surprisingly well, considering that I'm not a huge fan of their music (I attended this show mainly out of boredom). Mark from Luckys was trying so hard to get me moshing, and I threw down for a little bit, but I was just too out of it to do much of it. It was cool seeing a lot of old faces at this show too, such as Melissa, the old co-owner of Luckys (who is still mega cool, and still looks mighty fine if I can say so myself :P), phZach, who I haven't seen at a show for what feels like at least a year, and Cando, who was in town for a break from school. It was also funny seeing a ton of women get on the bar to dance Coyote Ugly-style towards the end.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Three Days of Insanity (aka shows #16-18)
#16
Skeletonwitch
Kylesa
Blacktusk
Gollum
Faith Collapsing
@ Luckys Pub 03/26/09
#17
United Blood Day 1:
Have Heart
Cold World
Trapped Under Ice
Bracewar
War Hungry
Cruel Hand
Reign Supreme
Title Fight
Foundation
Mother of Mercy
Heathens
@ Alley Katz 03/27/09
#18
United Blood Day 2:
Cro-Mags
Converge
Ceremony
Blacklisted
Coliseum
Rise and Fall
Bitter End
Pulling Teeth
Strength for a Reason
Alpha and Omega
Colin of Arabia
Convicted
Steel Nation
Bad Seed
Forfeit
Naysayer
@ Alley Katz 03/28/09
By far one of the most exhausting weekends I've had in a long time, and also one of the most memorable.
THURSDAY:
Let's start with the gig at Luckys. For starters, I got way too plastered, and way too quickly. Probably not a great start considering I had a long drive ahead of me the next day and many more bands to watch. Oh well. I ended up actually cutting myself off after Blacktusk were done, which is unusually early for me.
Faith Collapsing were up first, and there were a small handful of parts I liked, but I think they're better off playing covers than their own material. Sorry dudes.
I skipped Gollum for once, choosing to go to an ATM instead. They play constantly and I honestly don't care to watch them again unless, well, I've smoked cannabis. :X
Blacktusk rule. Plain and simple. I've seen them twice before, each time at a different venue in town, and the sludge trio impressed me every time. I suppose my only complaint would be that their merch is rather overpriced for a band that isn't signed to a big label. Guess that's what downloading is for...
My 4th time seeing Kylesa was by far the loudest time I've seen them. I was really worried that Lucky's couldn't handle their sound, and that proved to be partially true. Even with earplugs there were times that I was tempted to cover my ears. That being said, they ruled. Once again, they had a new bassist and he provided the backup "crusty" vocals that their old bassist Corey provided for their last two full-lengths. The new songs were absolutely crushing too. The only merch I ended up purchasing was their new album on vinyl and a limited 7" they had. Seeing em again for the 5th time next month with Mastodon and Intronaut.
Skeletonwitch were their usual awesome selves. Though the crowd for them this time (who were MOSHING for Kylesa. Weird) started to get on my nerves at times, it was often ignored. Their singer said he was slightly sick, but it didn't deter from the performance. I also noticed their all had brand new gear, with Skeletonwitch logos all over them. Somebody is getting big...Their new songs sounded killer too, especially the song "Reduced to Dust." Just come out with that Beyond the Permafrost LP reissue already...
FRIDAY:
I left the house at around 10:15 or so, and picked up a quick bite to eat before I hit the road for Richmond. I got there at around 2 and met up with my friends Mario and David. We walked to Alley Katz and also met up with a couple of other Wilmington folk who were going too. Unfortunately, for reasons that are still confusing to me, we were told by the staff of the venue when we got towards the front, that we'd have to go back to the end of the line because we weren't stamped (despite never even getting the offer, even after retreating to the end like they asked). This mishap made me miss Heathens, who sounded rather good from outside in the rain. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention it rained when we waited in line. Blargh.
We got inside to catch Mother of Mercy, who put on a fine show. My second time seeing them (first was at Luckys with At Half-Mast and The Mongoloids) and they didn't disappoint. New record should destroy.
I know everyone was siked on Foundation, but I just didn't see what all the fuss was about. Yeah it was cool that they had 40 or so friends come up from Atlanta with them, but the music was too generic imo.
Title Fight was my surprise of the whole weekend. Considering that they didn't have a real "frontman," it was amazing to see that many kids go off for them and sing louder than the band at times. Very fun melodic hardcore, kind of like Lifetime or Crime in Stereo at times. Bummed they didn't have more merch though.
I got up front for Reign Supreme, and it was my second time seeing them this month. They delivered yet again, even though they played the same setlist as they did at the Madball gig. Heck Jay even gave the same speech! Nice little shoutout to Advent though. Made me smile.
Cruel Hand had possibly the most insane amount of crowd participation that weekend. I lost count of how many kids were climbing on each other and diving off the stage. It got to be too crazy and I went towards the back. They did well, but I guess being beaten around kinda left me a little disheartened.
Unfortunately, I didn't watch too much of War Hungry, mainly due to being fatigued and needing a breather after Cruel Hand's set. Hopefully I'll see them again in the near future.
I've never really liked Bracewar, so I decided to watch what I did from a distance. They opened with a bit from Helmet's "In the Meantime." That was cool. They closed with an Inside Out cover. That was cool. They definitely had the crowd going crazy, but then again they're from Richmond. I actually ran into the singer at the pizza stand in Alley Katz and talked to him for a bit. Nice guy, even asked if I could message him some info about trying to play Wilmington.
Sadly, I didn't see Trapped Under Ice. Too crowded to move around, especially if you weren't on the floor area. Lame.
Before Cold World went on, the fest organizer told kids to please not dive from the balcony anymore, seeing as how someone did it during Bracewar. As for Cold World, they did a good job, even though I'm not too huge on them on record. No Omega has some great songs, but I still haven't listened to the new one, minus about 3 songs. Oddly they didn't close with the song "Cold World." Singer is looking ridiculously white trash now btw.
Mario, David and I actually skipped out on Have Heart, again due to fatigue. I like them, don't get me wrong, but sleep>hearing probably only 4 songs from TTWC. We found an Econolodge about 12 minutes away (though with my GPS it took me 20+ to get there) and split it for the night. There was also a Waffle House next door, which we took advantage of as well.
SATURDAY:
This was the day I was truly excited about. There were quite a number of bands I had been waiting to see for some time, and I expected to buy quite a lot of merch as well.
We got there at around 11:30 or so, and surprisingly there weren't as many people there at this time. In fact, it was easier to move around this day than it was for day 1. Odd, but mind you that isn't really a complaint. We also found out who were our first (and only) band to drop off was: Trash Talk. Nobody was quite sure as to why, but it was a major bummer nonetheless. We got in there to catch the first act of the day, Naysayer, who had been praised highly (on stage) by Bracewar the day before. I'm not really sure why though, seeing how as I thought they were pretty weak and actually pretty immature (dude sure loved saying "faggot" on stage a lot). Oh well.
I skipped Forfeit in favor of food and merch, and I found both to be quite satisfying. I know they're coming down here sometime soon, so I think I'll catch them then.
Bad Seed had been touted as a potential "breakout" band for this show, and they sure as hell showed the people there it was a justified rumor. Musically, it's in the vein of all the early 90s metallic hardcore "mosh" bands with some good ol' "hate hate hate" lyrics. They shouted at the rowdy crowd to "destroy the normal!," which they gladly obliged to.
It was 2nd time seeing Steel Nation, and they did just as good a job here than they did at the soapbox. Alas, they still didn't have a frontman, so the crowd's participation and love wasn't as strong as it could have been.
Convicted was my second biggest surprise of the weekend, sounding remarkably like Ringworm and Integrity with a little more "mosh" thrown in for good measure. Had I not been watching from the side of the stage, I would have been tempted to get into the pit and throw down, just because of how musically pissed this band was.
Strength for a Reason was everyone's "break" band, and for good reason. They weren't terrible, but just nothing worth talking about. Most of the crowd who moshed for them was from PA, the band's home state. I think during this time I bought more merch.
Colin of Arabia was one of my most anticipated acts of the day, seeing as how they don't come down south a lot. There were quite a few notable things about this set: Colin's gnarly beard, punting a beer can from the stage all the way to the back of Alley Katz, telling the sound guy repeatedly to turn everything up as loud as they could, a somewhat botched dive towards the edge of the stage, and all the pissed as fuck songs. Colin also gave a speech about hope and change, which was more cynical than it was positive. Managed to talk to him afterwards at their merch table about beards and Wilmington. Good guy. You would see him raging in the pit later on for certain bands.
I didn't catch all of Alpha & Omega, but I caught enough that they impressed me more than they did at the Brewery. They opened with "Murdario Stomp" by One Life Crew, which certainly got the "stomp" started. I'll have to give another listen again. They had a shirt for sale which had "O-OMEGA" on the back, which couldn't help but remind me of Conquer Me.
By now, you should know about the pipe incident that occurred during Pulling Teeth's set, and I'm too damn tired of talking about it myself. Performance-wise, they did a bangup job and did the songs I wanted to hear them play most "Stonethrowers" and "Dead is Dead." These guys sure can fucking play. Hopefully there are no errors with their set when they play here in September.
Bitter End was another set I was looking forward to a lot, but the meatheaded crowd for them ruined the set for me. Just too many jockish type of fellas who liked beating on people. Plus getting my hoodie broken during their set put me in a foul mood for a bit. =/
Rise and Fall fucking rules. I wish I could have been up front for them, but the side of the stage was good enough for me. They played nothing but material from Into Oblivion, minus the one new song they had. Their bassist got pissed at the end of their set and threw down his bass after someone ran by and made his pants fall down. Quite funny.
I got up front for Coliseum, seeing as how I knew nobody was gonna mosh for them or cause any problems. They took quite a long time to set up, but it was worth it. They had the best drummer at the fest, even better than Ben Koeller in my humble opinion. Ryan gave a great speech that drew some much deserved applause about not letting really anything stop you from making music and taking your band far.
Blacklisted was my most anticipated set of the weekend. I adore this band, and considering they will probably never come to NC, I figured this would be one of my only opportunities to see them. I watched from the side of the stage for most of their set, but pulled my first (and only) stagedive of the night during "That Ain't Real Much." I guess I just wanted to be up front no matter what the cost. I back up Bannon's statement about them being the best band in hardcore right now. Seeing them live helps seal the deal. Closing with "Wish" was only the icing on the cake. Bravo guys. Hopefully another tour or album is in the works soon.
I moved back towards the side of the stage for Ceremony. I figured if the crowd was that nuts for Blacklisted, it would just get worse for them. They opened with their "Pressure's On" cover and up until they closed with "This is My War," that crowd didn't die down. I decided to play it safe and just sing and headbang (yeah I know) at the side. Stagediving and singing galore. What is up with that guitarist though? Such a strange fella. I also found out up close, Ross, their singer, sounds like my bud Josh Robbins and looks slightly like Bruce Campbell. Lulz, as they say.
I got up front for Converge, who, as stereotypical as it might sound, were my 2nd most anticipated act of the weekend. They took a bit long to set up too, but not as long as I would have thought. They opened with Plagues, which got some folks feeling pretty pumped. The crowd wasn't nearly as rowdy as I would have thought it'd be though. It got pretty zany during "The Saddest Day" and anything played from Jane Doe. Jake gave some pretty good speeches too, though I can't remember them vividly. They also played a new song, which was fucking monstrous. These guys are such underrated musicians, its scary. Closed with Concubine. Probably my favorite set of the weekend.
I was pretty exhausted at that point, so I decided to watch Cro-Mags from a distance and get some rest. They sure as hell had that crowd in the palm of their hand though. They mostly played material from "The Aqe of Quarrel" plus a couple of quick covers (Bad Brains and Leeway). John Joseph is the only original member in this lineup, but its forgivable I suppose. He gave a little speech about vegetarianism, which got on my nerves a little. Don't get me wrong, I don't give a shit what you put into your body, since its your body after all, but this came across as a little preachy. It was amusing seeing assorted band members mosh at their merch tables for them. I've heard there's a small chance of them coming down here soon, and if that happens, I'd definitely go see them again.
After the show was over, I walked outside to quite a scene. If you don't know about the whole "Street Justice" incident as I'll call it, ask me about it in person, seeing as how I'm too tired to talk about it here.
And thats it. I drove back (giving Tyler from A Shot Below the Belt a ride as well) and got back after 6 to my house. Sleep never felt so good.
My pickups from this were:
Bad Seed 7"
Extreme Noise Terror/Trap Them split
Convicted 7" and demo
Coliseum-Godddamage double 7"
COA/Pressure LP split (copy 8/30)
Ceremony-Still Nothing Moves You LP
Cursed-Hegoat shirt
Converge-Sinner Queen shirt (new design)
Skeletonwitch
Kylesa
Blacktusk
Gollum
Faith Collapsing
@ Luckys Pub 03/26/09
#17
United Blood Day 1:
Have Heart
Cold World
Trapped Under Ice
Bracewar
War Hungry
Cruel Hand
Reign Supreme
Title Fight
Foundation
Mother of Mercy
Heathens
@ Alley Katz 03/27/09
#18
United Blood Day 2:
Cro-Mags
Converge
Ceremony
Blacklisted
Coliseum
Rise and Fall
Bitter End
Pulling Teeth
Strength for a Reason
Alpha and Omega
Colin of Arabia
Convicted
Steel Nation
Bad Seed
Forfeit
Naysayer
@ Alley Katz 03/28/09
By far one of the most exhausting weekends I've had in a long time, and also one of the most memorable.
THURSDAY:
Let's start with the gig at Luckys. For starters, I got way too plastered, and way too quickly. Probably not a great start considering I had a long drive ahead of me the next day and many more bands to watch. Oh well. I ended up actually cutting myself off after Blacktusk were done, which is unusually early for me.
Faith Collapsing were up first, and there were a small handful of parts I liked, but I think they're better off playing covers than their own material. Sorry dudes.
I skipped Gollum for once, choosing to go to an ATM instead. They play constantly and I honestly don't care to watch them again unless, well, I've smoked cannabis. :X
Blacktusk rule. Plain and simple. I've seen them twice before, each time at a different venue in town, and the sludge trio impressed me every time. I suppose my only complaint would be that their merch is rather overpriced for a band that isn't signed to a big label. Guess that's what downloading is for...
My 4th time seeing Kylesa was by far the loudest time I've seen them. I was really worried that Lucky's couldn't handle their sound, and that proved to be partially true. Even with earplugs there were times that I was tempted to cover my ears. That being said, they ruled. Once again, they had a new bassist and he provided the backup "crusty" vocals that their old bassist Corey provided for their last two full-lengths. The new songs were absolutely crushing too. The only merch I ended up purchasing was their new album on vinyl and a limited 7" they had. Seeing em again for the 5th time next month with Mastodon and Intronaut.
Skeletonwitch were their usual awesome selves. Though the crowd for them this time (who were MOSHING for Kylesa. Weird) started to get on my nerves at times, it was often ignored. Their singer said he was slightly sick, but it didn't deter from the performance. I also noticed their all had brand new gear, with Skeletonwitch logos all over them. Somebody is getting big...Their new songs sounded killer too, especially the song "Reduced to Dust." Just come out with that Beyond the Permafrost LP reissue already...
FRIDAY:
I left the house at around 10:15 or so, and picked up a quick bite to eat before I hit the road for Richmond. I got there at around 2 and met up with my friends Mario and David. We walked to Alley Katz and also met up with a couple of other Wilmington folk who were going too. Unfortunately, for reasons that are still confusing to me, we were told by the staff of the venue when we got towards the front, that we'd have to go back to the end of the line because we weren't stamped (despite never even getting the offer, even after retreating to the end like they asked). This mishap made me miss Heathens, who sounded rather good from outside in the rain. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention it rained when we waited in line. Blargh.
We got inside to catch Mother of Mercy, who put on a fine show. My second time seeing them (first was at Luckys with At Half-Mast and The Mongoloids) and they didn't disappoint. New record should destroy.
I know everyone was siked on Foundation, but I just didn't see what all the fuss was about. Yeah it was cool that they had 40 or so friends come up from Atlanta with them, but the music was too generic imo.
Title Fight was my surprise of the whole weekend. Considering that they didn't have a real "frontman," it was amazing to see that many kids go off for them and sing louder than the band at times. Very fun melodic hardcore, kind of like Lifetime or Crime in Stereo at times. Bummed they didn't have more merch though.
I got up front for Reign Supreme, and it was my second time seeing them this month. They delivered yet again, even though they played the same setlist as they did at the Madball gig. Heck Jay even gave the same speech! Nice little shoutout to Advent though. Made me smile.
Cruel Hand had possibly the most insane amount of crowd participation that weekend. I lost count of how many kids were climbing on each other and diving off the stage. It got to be too crazy and I went towards the back. They did well, but I guess being beaten around kinda left me a little disheartened.
Unfortunately, I didn't watch too much of War Hungry, mainly due to being fatigued and needing a breather after Cruel Hand's set. Hopefully I'll see them again in the near future.
I've never really liked Bracewar, so I decided to watch what I did from a distance. They opened with a bit from Helmet's "In the Meantime." That was cool. They closed with an Inside Out cover. That was cool. They definitely had the crowd going crazy, but then again they're from Richmond. I actually ran into the singer at the pizza stand in Alley Katz and talked to him for a bit. Nice guy, even asked if I could message him some info about trying to play Wilmington.
Sadly, I didn't see Trapped Under Ice. Too crowded to move around, especially if you weren't on the floor area. Lame.
Before Cold World went on, the fest organizer told kids to please not dive from the balcony anymore, seeing as how someone did it during Bracewar. As for Cold World, they did a good job, even though I'm not too huge on them on record. No Omega has some great songs, but I still haven't listened to the new one, minus about 3 songs. Oddly they didn't close with the song "Cold World." Singer is looking ridiculously white trash now btw.
Mario, David and I actually skipped out on Have Heart, again due to fatigue. I like them, don't get me wrong, but sleep>hearing probably only 4 songs from TTWC. We found an Econolodge about 12 minutes away (though with my GPS it took me 20+ to get there) and split it for the night. There was also a Waffle House next door, which we took advantage of as well.
SATURDAY:
This was the day I was truly excited about. There were quite a number of bands I had been waiting to see for some time, and I expected to buy quite a lot of merch as well.
We got there at around 11:30 or so, and surprisingly there weren't as many people there at this time. In fact, it was easier to move around this day than it was for day 1. Odd, but mind you that isn't really a complaint. We also found out who were our first (and only) band to drop off was: Trash Talk. Nobody was quite sure as to why, but it was a major bummer nonetheless. We got in there to catch the first act of the day, Naysayer, who had been praised highly (on stage) by Bracewar the day before. I'm not really sure why though, seeing how as I thought they were pretty weak and actually pretty immature (dude sure loved saying "faggot" on stage a lot). Oh well.
I skipped Forfeit in favor of food and merch, and I found both to be quite satisfying. I know they're coming down here sometime soon, so I think I'll catch them then.
Bad Seed had been touted as a potential "breakout" band for this show, and they sure as hell showed the people there it was a justified rumor. Musically, it's in the vein of all the early 90s metallic hardcore "mosh" bands with some good ol' "hate hate hate" lyrics. They shouted at the rowdy crowd to "destroy the normal!," which they gladly obliged to.
It was 2nd time seeing Steel Nation, and they did just as good a job here than they did at the soapbox. Alas, they still didn't have a frontman, so the crowd's participation and love wasn't as strong as it could have been.
Convicted was my second biggest surprise of the weekend, sounding remarkably like Ringworm and Integrity with a little more "mosh" thrown in for good measure. Had I not been watching from the side of the stage, I would have been tempted to get into the pit and throw down, just because of how musically pissed this band was.
Strength for a Reason was everyone's "break" band, and for good reason. They weren't terrible, but just nothing worth talking about. Most of the crowd who moshed for them was from PA, the band's home state. I think during this time I bought more merch.
Colin of Arabia was one of my most anticipated acts of the day, seeing as how they don't come down south a lot. There were quite a few notable things about this set: Colin's gnarly beard, punting a beer can from the stage all the way to the back of Alley Katz, telling the sound guy repeatedly to turn everything up as loud as they could, a somewhat botched dive towards the edge of the stage, and all the pissed as fuck songs. Colin also gave a speech about hope and change, which was more cynical than it was positive. Managed to talk to him afterwards at their merch table about beards and Wilmington. Good guy. You would see him raging in the pit later on for certain bands.
I didn't catch all of Alpha & Omega, but I caught enough that they impressed me more than they did at the Brewery. They opened with "Murdario Stomp" by One Life Crew, which certainly got the "stomp" started. I'll have to give another listen again. They had a shirt for sale which had "O-OMEGA" on the back, which couldn't help but remind me of Conquer Me.
By now, you should know about the pipe incident that occurred during Pulling Teeth's set, and I'm too damn tired of talking about it myself. Performance-wise, they did a bangup job and did the songs I wanted to hear them play most "Stonethrowers" and "Dead is Dead." These guys sure can fucking play. Hopefully there are no errors with their set when they play here in September.
Bitter End was another set I was looking forward to a lot, but the meatheaded crowd for them ruined the set for me. Just too many jockish type of fellas who liked beating on people. Plus getting my hoodie broken during their set put me in a foul mood for a bit. =/
Rise and Fall fucking rules. I wish I could have been up front for them, but the side of the stage was good enough for me. They played nothing but material from Into Oblivion, minus the one new song they had. Their bassist got pissed at the end of their set and threw down his bass after someone ran by and made his pants fall down. Quite funny.
I got up front for Coliseum, seeing as how I knew nobody was gonna mosh for them or cause any problems. They took quite a long time to set up, but it was worth it. They had the best drummer at the fest, even better than Ben Koeller in my humble opinion. Ryan gave a great speech that drew some much deserved applause about not letting really anything stop you from making music and taking your band far.
Blacklisted was my most anticipated set of the weekend. I adore this band, and considering they will probably never come to NC, I figured this would be one of my only opportunities to see them. I watched from the side of the stage for most of their set, but pulled my first (and only) stagedive of the night during "That Ain't Real Much." I guess I just wanted to be up front no matter what the cost. I back up Bannon's statement about them being the best band in hardcore right now. Seeing them live helps seal the deal. Closing with "Wish" was only the icing on the cake. Bravo guys. Hopefully another tour or album is in the works soon.
I moved back towards the side of the stage for Ceremony. I figured if the crowd was that nuts for Blacklisted, it would just get worse for them. They opened with their "Pressure's On" cover and up until they closed with "This is My War," that crowd didn't die down. I decided to play it safe and just sing and headbang (yeah I know) at the side. Stagediving and singing galore. What is up with that guitarist though? Such a strange fella. I also found out up close, Ross, their singer, sounds like my bud Josh Robbins and looks slightly like Bruce Campbell. Lulz, as they say.
I got up front for Converge, who, as stereotypical as it might sound, were my 2nd most anticipated act of the weekend. They took a bit long to set up too, but not as long as I would have thought. They opened with Plagues, which got some folks feeling pretty pumped. The crowd wasn't nearly as rowdy as I would have thought it'd be though. It got pretty zany during "The Saddest Day" and anything played from Jane Doe. Jake gave some pretty good speeches too, though I can't remember them vividly. They also played a new song, which was fucking monstrous. These guys are such underrated musicians, its scary. Closed with Concubine. Probably my favorite set of the weekend.
I was pretty exhausted at that point, so I decided to watch Cro-Mags from a distance and get some rest. They sure as hell had that crowd in the palm of their hand though. They mostly played material from "The Aqe of Quarrel" plus a couple of quick covers (Bad Brains and Leeway). John Joseph is the only original member in this lineup, but its forgivable I suppose. He gave a little speech about vegetarianism, which got on my nerves a little. Don't get me wrong, I don't give a shit what you put into your body, since its your body after all, but this came across as a little preachy. It was amusing seeing assorted band members mosh at their merch tables for them. I've heard there's a small chance of them coming down here soon, and if that happens, I'd definitely go see them again.
After the show was over, I walked outside to quite a scene. If you don't know about the whole "Street Justice" incident as I'll call it, ask me about it in person, seeing as how I'm too tired to talk about it here.
And thats it. I drove back (giving Tyler from A Shot Below the Belt a ride as well) and got back after 6 to my house. Sleep never felt so good.
My pickups from this were:
Bad Seed 7"
Extreme Noise Terror/Trap Them split
Convicted 7" and demo
Coliseum-Godddamage double 7"
COA/Pressure LP split (copy 8/30)
Ceremony-Still Nothing Moves You LP
Cursed-Hegoat shirt
Converge-Sinner Queen shirt (new design)
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
#15
#15
Energy
Defeater
Bad Habit
Above this Fire
2613
Belle Epoque
@ The Soapbox (upstairs) 03/22/09
Another one I was able to get into for free. Many thanks go to Ian, former bass player of Indifference, and current bass player of...well for this show, Bad Habit. Otherwise, I suppose he's just bouncing from band to band.
The first thing I noticed getting down there was how small the turnout was. I know Energy has a pretty large fanbase around the Carolinas, but I was just amazed at such a low turnout. Oh well.
Belle Epoque (whose name I still can't pronounce) was an interesting way to kick off the show. Kind of scene, kind of not, post-hardcore/light metalcore. Music-wise, it wasn't that bad, but nothing I'd care to listen to again. Oddly enough, I guess just because I took pictures of them, they threw out a song to me (after asking what my name was on stage). Nice of em thats for sure.
2613 is part of a small wave of hardcore that's coming from Fayettville, which is usually the laughing stock of North Carolina. I wasn't too fond of them the first time I saw them open for Outbreak, and after learning that the band consists of members of a deathcore band, who broke up almost immediately BEFORE this band formed, it made me question their validity behind doing this. It's not awful or anything, but it just seems like they're trying too hard. And those vocals....ugh...
I really can't remember much about Above This Fire, but I remember their bass player having an awesome moustache, and them covering At The Drive-In. Thats really it.
Bad Habit took the stage, and they said their set would over in the blink of an eye. Well, they were kind of right. Fast hardcore punk from MD, and pretty damn good too. Ian told me afterwards that they usually cover The Suicide File, but they didn't do it this time. I would have lost my mind (among the 30 people there) if they did do it.
Defeater was the main reason I wanted to hit this up. I like their record, and wanted to see if they could pull off their songs live. I wasn't disappointed. After their first or second song (sorry my memory is fuzzy), they made a request that made the show truly memorable: everyone get on stage. They mentioned that they had just played a basement show, so this wouldn't feel that much different to have every surrounding them. Oddly enough, the soapbox staff was fine with this and everyone surrounded the band as they continued their set. They did every track I wanted them to play, including the excellent "The City By Dawn" and the MLIW-ish "Cowardice."
Energy started off their set by saying "Defeater had a good idea, everyone get up here again!" So yet again, everyone got up on stage to surround the band. I remember this band being the bright spot on the Mongoloids/Kids Like Us show back from August and they shined here again. Great melodies, great singalongs, great covers (Misfits and Operation Ivy). Singer is a deadringer for Davey Havok though. I can only hope that the next time they come through, they play either at Luckys or book through another booker, since they seemed to be upset at the size and turnout not being appropriate for one another.
Energy
Defeater
Bad Habit
Above this Fire
2613
Belle Epoque
@ The Soapbox (upstairs) 03/22/09
Another one I was able to get into for free. Many thanks go to Ian, former bass player of Indifference, and current bass player of...well for this show, Bad Habit. Otherwise, I suppose he's just bouncing from band to band.
The first thing I noticed getting down there was how small the turnout was. I know Energy has a pretty large fanbase around the Carolinas, but I was just amazed at such a low turnout. Oh well.
Belle Epoque (whose name I still can't pronounce) was an interesting way to kick off the show. Kind of scene, kind of not, post-hardcore/light metalcore. Music-wise, it wasn't that bad, but nothing I'd care to listen to again. Oddly enough, I guess just because I took pictures of them, they threw out a song to me (after asking what my name was on stage). Nice of em thats for sure.
2613 is part of a small wave of hardcore that's coming from Fayettville, which is usually the laughing stock of North Carolina. I wasn't too fond of them the first time I saw them open for Outbreak, and after learning that the band consists of members of a deathcore band, who broke up almost immediately BEFORE this band formed, it made me question their validity behind doing this. It's not awful or anything, but it just seems like they're trying too hard. And those vocals....ugh...
I really can't remember much about Above This Fire, but I remember their bass player having an awesome moustache, and them covering At The Drive-In. Thats really it.
Bad Habit took the stage, and they said their set would over in the blink of an eye. Well, they were kind of right. Fast hardcore punk from MD, and pretty damn good too. Ian told me afterwards that they usually cover The Suicide File, but they didn't do it this time. I would have lost my mind (among the 30 people there) if they did do it.
Defeater was the main reason I wanted to hit this up. I like their record, and wanted to see if they could pull off their songs live. I wasn't disappointed. After their first or second song (sorry my memory is fuzzy), they made a request that made the show truly memorable: everyone get on stage. They mentioned that they had just played a basement show, so this wouldn't feel that much different to have every surrounding them. Oddly enough, the soapbox staff was fine with this and everyone surrounded the band as they continued their set. They did every track I wanted them to play, including the excellent "The City By Dawn" and the MLIW-ish "Cowardice."
Energy started off their set by saying "Defeater had a good idea, everyone get up here again!" So yet again, everyone got up on stage to surround the band. I remember this band being the bright spot on the Mongoloids/Kids Like Us show back from August and they shined here again. Great melodies, great singalongs, great covers (Misfits and Operation Ivy). Singer is a deadringer for Davey Havok though. I can only hope that the next time they come through, they play either at Luckys or book through another booker, since they seemed to be upset at the size and turnout not being appropriate for one another.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
#14
#14
The Carrier
The Bonus Army
Ripper
A Shot Below the Belt
@ Luckys Pub 03/19/09
Another show that due to money issues, I was unsure of being able to attend. I ended up going around town to various record stores in order to make at least $10 for a ticket. Thankfully CD Alley gave me $20 for 6 cds (I had more, but they couldn't take the rest apparently). Not a GREAT deal, but a good deal compared to the other places' offers. Yellow Dog told me they'd give me $21 for about 15. Yeah, uh no. Your place still sucks.
The turnout was pretty decent, but could have been better considering how much hype the Carrier has. Having a few bands drop off (Indifference, for obvious reasons, The Hundredth and Digression for other reasons) didn't help either .
A Shot Below the Belt did well, their set seemed pretty quick though. Come to think of it, the show as a whole went by pretty fast. They had yet another new bassist this time (sup Sean?) but he did a good job.
I can't honestly remember much about Ripper, other than they had a LOT of college-age friends come out for them. Weird hearing mainly girls hoot and scream for a hardcore band. Not a complaint, just something you don't see every day. Music-wise, they almost reminded me of Nora at times actually, but less metallic.
The Bonus Army was solid as shit. Heavy, pissed, not straight-edge like I thought they were either. I remember they also being thrashier on their recordings, but that wasn't the case live. I was kind of a punching bag for some of their set, but I've come to expect these type of things.
I wasn't a fan of the Carrier's full-length, though I think the first half of that record gets better with repeated listens. I loved their 7" though. Thankfully, they stuck to mostly all of the previously mentioned material. Kids in the crowd seemed to know every single word and went apeshit for em. Maybe, just maybe, they might be worth all the hype after all. They shined brightly in the pub and I would gladly pay to see them again.
The Carrier
The Bonus Army
Ripper
A Shot Below the Belt
@ Luckys Pub 03/19/09
Another show that due to money issues, I was unsure of being able to attend. I ended up going around town to various record stores in order to make at least $10 for a ticket. Thankfully CD Alley gave me $20 for 6 cds (I had more, but they couldn't take the rest apparently). Not a GREAT deal, but a good deal compared to the other places' offers. Yellow Dog told me they'd give me $21 for about 15. Yeah, uh no. Your place still sucks.
The turnout was pretty decent, but could have been better considering how much hype the Carrier has. Having a few bands drop off (Indifference, for obvious reasons, The Hundredth and Digression for other reasons) didn't help either .
A Shot Below the Belt did well, their set seemed pretty quick though. Come to think of it, the show as a whole went by pretty fast. They had yet another new bassist this time (sup Sean?) but he did a good job.
I can't honestly remember much about Ripper, other than they had a LOT of college-age friends come out for them. Weird hearing mainly girls hoot and scream for a hardcore band. Not a complaint, just something you don't see every day. Music-wise, they almost reminded me of Nora at times actually, but less metallic.
The Bonus Army was solid as shit. Heavy, pissed, not straight-edge like I thought they were either. I remember they also being thrashier on their recordings, but that wasn't the case live. I was kind of a punching bag for some of their set, but I've come to expect these type of things.
I wasn't a fan of the Carrier's full-length, though I think the first half of that record gets better with repeated listens. I loved their 7" though. Thankfully, they stuck to mostly all of the previously mentioned material. Kids in the crowd seemed to know every single word and went apeshit for em. Maybe, just maybe, they might be worth all the hype after all. They shined brightly in the pub and I would gladly pay to see them again.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
#13
Suffocation
Whitechapel
Decrepit Birth
Veil of Maya
King
Morose Vitality
Acirema
@ The Soapbox 03/16/09
My buddy Aaron was gracious enough to buy my ticket to this one, seeing as how I was pretty broke and didn't feel like spending my own money for this one. I still withdrew $20 out of the bank just in case I spotted some cool merch. Suffocation's shirts were $25. Fuck that. I've made it a rule that I will spend no more than $15 on a band shirt. Decrepit Birth had shirts for $10-15, which I considered but decided its better to save it for something more useful.
We got there a little after 6:30 just in time for Acirema to start. Just like last time, they're still lacking a frontman and a bassist, but it still sounded pretty good. It's kind of hard to even talk about this band anymore seeing as how I've seen them far too many times to count.
Morose Vitality wasn't too bad, though I think their first two songs were the highlights of their set. Their sound mix was pretty bad, to the point where you could travel to whatever side of the stage to hear the instrument of your choosing. Not as bad as I've heard they are, but nothing I'd go out of my way to see. BTW, "Vomiting Cunt" is a terrrrrrible name for a song.
I skipped King, even though I could hear them from the back room of the soapbox. It sounded like Emmure with even worse vocals. Anything involving Chiodos is not likely to be good.
I skipped a good portion of Veil of Maya's set as well. I've seen them before and thought they were boring as hell, and this time it wasn't any different. Just dumbed down tech with more of an emphasis on breakdowns rather than on skill. I did find it funny that so many kids were dancing to them this time, seeing as how back in August when they came through, they couldn't get a single person on the floor to do ANYTHING. I feel this time kids were more or less doing it to piss off the metal fans who were there. Whatever.
There were two bands on this bill who I actually wanted to see: Suffocation and the tech death band Decrepit Birth. The latter was on next, and they certainly didn't disappoint. I had listened to them sparsely on record, but after seeing them live, I want to listen to them even more. It was like Death on steroids. Or like Necrophagist if they weren't boring as fuck. The singer was one hell of an entertaining fella too. Great banter, not just the whole "rahhh metal fuck yeah" stuff. Those solos were fucking great too. Bravo guys. Be happy to see you again whenever the chance comes up.
Just like the bands I HAD to see, there were two I was planning on avoiding like a crust kid avoids a shower: King, which I did good with, and Whitechapel, who I wasn't so lucky with. I caught the beginning of their set and it wasn't any better than they usually are. The main difference this time however, was the audience. My god I have never (and I repeat NEVER) seen a bigger bunch of douchebag fans in my entire life. Kids who didn't even give a shit about the music, but were just looking for excuses to fight or try to provoke some metalheads. It was lame, immature, and just made you wonder why they blew $15-18 just to come in and try this. The soapbox even flipped on their lights for a quick minute, threatening to shut the show down, if the fights didn't cease. Thankfully, the band themselves even threatened that they would never come back if it didn't stop. At this point on though, I had had enough of that collection of fans and went to sit down.
Thankfully it seemed like it was over quickly, and Suffocation was going to come on next. As expected, a good portion of the crowd left, seeing as how it isn't cool to like old death metal anymore. Pfffft. I didn't let that ruin my feelings of excitement though. Lemme tell ya, for a band thats been playing death metal for 20 years straight (minus that period where they broke up), they were on fucking fire! Sooooooo heavy. This is how live death metal needs to sound. Frank, their singer, also had something most DM vocalists lack: a personality. He was having fun talking/bullshitting with and riling up the crowd. Their sound was also on par as well. For once, a really heavy band sounded like you wanted them to sound at the soapbox. I really didn't have a strong preference for what they played that night, but hearing "Infecting the Crypts" made me bang my head like I was 19 again.
Managed to snag a pic with Frank and talk with him briefly afterwards. Couldn't be a nicer guy. Was trying to talk with Mike Smith as well but didn't get the chance. Dude damn near invented the blastbeat. Gotta give him some props.
Overall, I had a really fun time minus a few stupid moments with the crowd that almost made me regret being a regular concertgoer in this town. Suffocation cemented themselves as probably the best death metal band I've seen live.
Whitechapel
Decrepit Birth
Veil of Maya
King
Morose Vitality
Acirema
@ The Soapbox 03/16/09
My buddy Aaron was gracious enough to buy my ticket to this one, seeing as how I was pretty broke and didn't feel like spending my own money for this one. I still withdrew $20 out of the bank just in case I spotted some cool merch. Suffocation's shirts were $25. Fuck that. I've made it a rule that I will spend no more than $15 on a band shirt. Decrepit Birth had shirts for $10-15, which I considered but decided its better to save it for something more useful.
We got there a little after 6:30 just in time for Acirema to start. Just like last time, they're still lacking a frontman and a bassist, but it still sounded pretty good. It's kind of hard to even talk about this band anymore seeing as how I've seen them far too many times to count.
Morose Vitality wasn't too bad, though I think their first two songs were the highlights of their set. Their sound mix was pretty bad, to the point where you could travel to whatever side of the stage to hear the instrument of your choosing. Not as bad as I've heard they are, but nothing I'd go out of my way to see. BTW, "Vomiting Cunt" is a terrrrrrible name for a song.
I skipped King, even though I could hear them from the back room of the soapbox. It sounded like Emmure with even worse vocals. Anything involving Chiodos is not likely to be good.
I skipped a good portion of Veil of Maya's set as well. I've seen them before and thought they were boring as hell, and this time it wasn't any different. Just dumbed down tech with more of an emphasis on breakdowns rather than on skill. I did find it funny that so many kids were dancing to them this time, seeing as how back in August when they came through, they couldn't get a single person on the floor to do ANYTHING. I feel this time kids were more or less doing it to piss off the metal fans who were there. Whatever.
There were two bands on this bill who I actually wanted to see: Suffocation and the tech death band Decrepit Birth. The latter was on next, and they certainly didn't disappoint. I had listened to them sparsely on record, but after seeing them live, I want to listen to them even more. It was like Death on steroids. Or like Necrophagist if they weren't boring as fuck. The singer was one hell of an entertaining fella too. Great banter, not just the whole "rahhh metal fuck yeah" stuff. Those solos were fucking great too. Bravo guys. Be happy to see you again whenever the chance comes up.
Just like the bands I HAD to see, there were two I was planning on avoiding like a crust kid avoids a shower: King, which I did good with, and Whitechapel, who I wasn't so lucky with. I caught the beginning of their set and it wasn't any better than they usually are. The main difference this time however, was the audience. My god I have never (and I repeat NEVER) seen a bigger bunch of douchebag fans in my entire life. Kids who didn't even give a shit about the music, but were just looking for excuses to fight or try to provoke some metalheads. It was lame, immature, and just made you wonder why they blew $15-18 just to come in and try this. The soapbox even flipped on their lights for a quick minute, threatening to shut the show down, if the fights didn't cease. Thankfully, the band themselves even threatened that they would never come back if it didn't stop. At this point on though, I had had enough of that collection of fans and went to sit down.
Thankfully it seemed like it was over quickly, and Suffocation was going to come on next. As expected, a good portion of the crowd left, seeing as how it isn't cool to like old death metal anymore. Pfffft. I didn't let that ruin my feelings of excitement though. Lemme tell ya, for a band thats been playing death metal for 20 years straight (minus that period where they broke up), they were on fucking fire! Sooooooo heavy. This is how live death metal needs to sound. Frank, their singer, also had something most DM vocalists lack: a personality. He was having fun talking/bullshitting with and riling up the crowd. Their sound was also on par as well. For once, a really heavy band sounded like you wanted them to sound at the soapbox. I really didn't have a strong preference for what they played that night, but hearing "Infecting the Crypts" made me bang my head like I was 19 again.
Managed to snag a pic with Frank and talk with him briefly afterwards. Couldn't be a nicer guy. Was trying to talk with Mike Smith as well but didn't get the chance. Dude damn near invented the blastbeat. Gotta give him some props.
Overall, I had a really fun time minus a few stupid moments with the crowd that almost made me regret being a regular concertgoer in this town. Suffocation cemented themselves as probably the best death metal band I've seen live.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
#11 & #12
#11
Madball
Reign Supreme
Call to Preserve
Patriot
xDie Alonex
@ The Soapbox 03/12/09
Another gig I was a little hesitant to go to, due to not wanting to deal with a majority of the crowd and once again, I was low on cash. Not broke, but just lacking sufficient money to spend on anything but the ticket and maybe a few beers. Oh well. I got there at about 6:15 or so, and immediately saw that this crowd wouldn't look like most hardcore crowds around here have looked like. Lots of bigger guys, most PCM and skins, but it wasn't a problem.
Die Alone went on first, and I found out it was their first gig. I don't think they were bad, but there wasn't really anything that stood out to me. Some guy got on stage during I believe either their second or third song and helped contribute vocals to a Nourish the Flame cover.
Patriot went on next and man did they play for a loooooong time. They were really good though. Nice to have some good ol' street punk on a bill like this. Eddie, their guitarist and singer, is a great guy. Heck he even tattooed my mom.
I didn't like Call to Preserve. Just too much mosh. I had some hope when I saw that their guitarist was rocking a Tragedy shirt. Alas, that turned out to be the only thing about their set I didn't hate. I also noticed they were selling a shirt that said "JASON VOORHEES IS STRAIGHT-EDGE." I think that's open to debate, seeing as how in the most recent film, he apparently kills anybody who dares venture towards a weed batch near Crystal Lake. I'm not for debating right now though.
Reign Supreme did a damn good job. I haven't seen them for about a year or so, and even then it was in the back of a crowded dive bar in Baltimore, so you couldn't get a great view. Not this time. I don't think I left the front, and I was screaming every word I knew as loud as I could. They did a good mix of material, 3 from the EP, 2 from the demo, and about 3-4 new ones. Jay gave a pretty amusing/demoralizing speech about how the people who told you in your younger years lied to you about having potential to be the next president. I didn't like that their guitarist had a Winds of Plague shirt on though. Blechhhh.
Msot of the younger moshers moved towards the back for Madball, probably out of fear. I can't say I blame them. I moved to the sides of the room occasionally if I started to feel uncomfortable. That aside, Madball were awesome. Opening with "Set it Off" couldn't have been a better decision. The floor was pretty ridiculous for them. I can't give an exact setlist, but they did a prettty good mix of old and new. I remember hearing For My Enemies, Demonstrating my Style, and Down by Law. Unfortunately, towards the end of the set is when we started seeing our first fights of the evening. I'm not sure exactly who got beat up and I'm not sure over what either, but regardless it brought down the vibe of the room. Madball stopped playing a couple of times because of it, and Freddy had to tell folks to chill out. It eventually all got settled, and they finished up. Wish I had gotten the chance to talk to Freddy or Hoya afterwards, but they kind of vanished. Maybe next time.
After the show, out of the kindness/stupidity of my heart, I gave a ride to some lady at the Hardee's drivethrough, since she said her car was nearby and it would take a minute. Once in, she told me her car was actually on I-40, and she also asked that I give her $10 extra for AAA or some bullshit. I told her no, and she then even asked if I wanted any sexual favors (I told her I was abstinent, which I'm not. This chick looked kinda like Janice from the Muppets, so noooo thanks). Some small talk happened here and there, which resulted in me just driving her across the street to Travel Inn and basically just ditching her there. Then I went to Waffle House afterwards and just ended up bullshitting with the dudes from Patriot for a while.
#12
Faith Collapsing (performing "Master of Puppets")
God of Lambs (as Lamb of God)
Champion of the Sun (as Iron Maiden)
Temple Destroyer (as Slayer)
@ Lucky's Pub 03/13/09
My first "tribute/cover" show was one of the most fun times I've had at Luckys in ages. First off, for a metal gig, people actually showed up. For the first time ever at Luckys, I actually couldn't move towards the front due to the amount of people blocking my way. Irritating, but still kind of cool. The amount of people I recognized, by face, by name or by both, was staggering. How come touring bands don't get a crowd like this?
Temple Destroyer was on first, playing as Slayer. They opened with Seasons in the Abyss and the crowd went pretty ballistic. Kids were stagediving, moshing, and circle pitting, all within the first two minutes. I couldn't help but smile. They went into Ghosts of War next, followed by Disciple, then the last three tracks from Reign in Blood (Epidemic, Postmortem, and Raining Blood). I couldn't hear the vocals all that well, but then again I didn't have a great view as it was. I also gave up trying to get pictures, due to not being able to navigate around people and someone spilling some of their beer on my camera. I'm sure its fine, but it still ticked me off. The set was pretty cool though.
Champion of the Sun went on next. I didn't even realize they took their name from "Dayman" until recently. Oh how I am slow. They went on as Iron Maiden. Heck of a band to cover. I hoped they had the vocal chords to pull that off, and they did a pretty commendable job. They played: Number of the Beast, Wrathchild, The Trooper, Dio's "Holy Diver," The Wicker Man, and Run to the Hills. It was awesome. I was standing near my buddy Daniel the whole time and we were just screaming our lungs out the whole time. I felt like shit after their set was over, but oh it was worth it. I might have to actually agree with my friends who said they stole the show.
To my surprise, Faith Collapsing were on next, whereas I thought they were going to close the show. After all, Mark from Luckys put THEIR name and their tribute front and center on the flyer for the show.
I suppose Mark didn't want to feel tired his set and still have to run sound, which is understandable. As you can see above, Faith Collapsing were doing Master of Puppets in its entirety. That was my main reason for coming, seeing as how MOP was one of the first real metal albums I ever got into, and it still stands as my favorite Metallica record. For the most part, they nailed every song. The vocal timing was somewhat off for the first two or three songs, but that was fixed pretty quickly. The tuning was also different, but again, its forgivable. I do have to say, I couldn't help but crack a smile when I saw some "holier than thou" hardcore kids sing to some classic Metallica (specifically the title track). I wished more kids had tried to start another circle pit, but I think most were beat from the Slayer set. It was heck of sight to see something like this, even though I know Metallica still plays their old stuff live.
About a good half of the crowd left afterwards, probably due to fatique or lack of interest in seeing a cover band do Lamb of God. I stood around, since I knew this was Mark from Luckys and the kids from Death Machine Weapons, who I always liked. Mark did a pretty damn good job as a frontman, and the kids seemed to be having fun (one of their guitarists also helped out with FC's set the same night). Robby Gill and I also seemed to have the same idea for this set: Mosh for Mark! So some kids got their chance to dance to Lamb of God, which is something that is nearly impossible to do these days. They played the first 5 songs from Ashes of the Wake, and closed with Vigil. Pretty good job guys.
Overall, I had a hell of a fun time at this gig. It always makes me happy to see Luckys packed, even though it means navigating and grabbing a good parking space is a pain.
Unfortunately, I'm not sure about the gigs I planned to attend this week. I'm trying to make Suffocation/Decrepit Birth on Monday, and the Carrier/The Bonus Army on Thursday, but due to lack of money at the moment, its looking highly unlikely for both.
Madball
Reign Supreme
Call to Preserve
Patriot
xDie Alonex
@ The Soapbox 03/12/09
Another gig I was a little hesitant to go to, due to not wanting to deal with a majority of the crowd and once again, I was low on cash. Not broke, but just lacking sufficient money to spend on anything but the ticket and maybe a few beers. Oh well. I got there at about 6:15 or so, and immediately saw that this crowd wouldn't look like most hardcore crowds around here have looked like. Lots of bigger guys, most PCM and skins, but it wasn't a problem.
Die Alone went on first, and I found out it was their first gig. I don't think they were bad, but there wasn't really anything that stood out to me. Some guy got on stage during I believe either their second or third song and helped contribute vocals to a Nourish the Flame cover.
Patriot went on next and man did they play for a loooooong time. They were really good though. Nice to have some good ol' street punk on a bill like this. Eddie, their guitarist and singer, is a great guy. Heck he even tattooed my mom.
I didn't like Call to Preserve. Just too much mosh. I had some hope when I saw that their guitarist was rocking a Tragedy shirt. Alas, that turned out to be the only thing about their set I didn't hate. I also noticed they were selling a shirt that said "JASON VOORHEES IS STRAIGHT-EDGE." I think that's open to debate, seeing as how in the most recent film, he apparently kills anybody who dares venture towards a weed batch near Crystal Lake. I'm not for debating right now though.
Reign Supreme did a damn good job. I haven't seen them for about a year or so, and even then it was in the back of a crowded dive bar in Baltimore, so you couldn't get a great view. Not this time. I don't think I left the front, and I was screaming every word I knew as loud as I could. They did a good mix of material, 3 from the EP, 2 from the demo, and about 3-4 new ones. Jay gave a pretty amusing/demoralizing speech about how the people who told you in your younger years lied to you about having potential to be the next president. I didn't like that their guitarist had a Winds of Plague shirt on though. Blechhhh.
Msot of the younger moshers moved towards the back for Madball, probably out of fear. I can't say I blame them. I moved to the sides of the room occasionally if I started to feel uncomfortable. That aside, Madball were awesome. Opening with "Set it Off" couldn't have been a better decision. The floor was pretty ridiculous for them. I can't give an exact setlist, but they did a prettty good mix of old and new. I remember hearing For My Enemies, Demonstrating my Style, and Down by Law. Unfortunately, towards the end of the set is when we started seeing our first fights of the evening. I'm not sure exactly who got beat up and I'm not sure over what either, but regardless it brought down the vibe of the room. Madball stopped playing a couple of times because of it, and Freddy had to tell folks to chill out. It eventually all got settled, and they finished up. Wish I had gotten the chance to talk to Freddy or Hoya afterwards, but they kind of vanished. Maybe next time.
After the show, out of the kindness/stupidity of my heart, I gave a ride to some lady at the Hardee's drivethrough, since she said her car was nearby and it would take a minute. Once in, she told me her car was actually on I-40, and she also asked that I give her $10 extra for AAA or some bullshit. I told her no, and she then even asked if I wanted any sexual favors (I told her I was abstinent, which I'm not. This chick looked kinda like Janice from the Muppets, so noooo thanks). Some small talk happened here and there, which resulted in me just driving her across the street to Travel Inn and basically just ditching her there. Then I went to Waffle House afterwards and just ended up bullshitting with the dudes from Patriot for a while.
#12
Faith Collapsing (performing "Master of Puppets")
God of Lambs (as Lamb of God)
Champion of the Sun (as Iron Maiden)
Temple Destroyer (as Slayer)
@ Lucky's Pub 03/13/09
My first "tribute/cover" show was one of the most fun times I've had at Luckys in ages. First off, for a metal gig, people actually showed up. For the first time ever at Luckys, I actually couldn't move towards the front due to the amount of people blocking my way. Irritating, but still kind of cool. The amount of people I recognized, by face, by name or by both, was staggering. How come touring bands don't get a crowd like this?
Temple Destroyer was on first, playing as Slayer. They opened with Seasons in the Abyss and the crowd went pretty ballistic. Kids were stagediving, moshing, and circle pitting, all within the first two minutes. I couldn't help but smile. They went into Ghosts of War next, followed by Disciple, then the last three tracks from Reign in Blood (Epidemic, Postmortem, and Raining Blood). I couldn't hear the vocals all that well, but then again I didn't have a great view as it was. I also gave up trying to get pictures, due to not being able to navigate around people and someone spilling some of their beer on my camera. I'm sure its fine, but it still ticked me off. The set was pretty cool though.
Champion of the Sun went on next. I didn't even realize they took their name from "Dayman" until recently. Oh how I am slow. They went on as Iron Maiden. Heck of a band to cover. I hoped they had the vocal chords to pull that off, and they did a pretty commendable job. They played: Number of the Beast, Wrathchild, The Trooper, Dio's "Holy Diver," The Wicker Man, and Run to the Hills. It was awesome. I was standing near my buddy Daniel the whole time and we were just screaming our lungs out the whole time. I felt like shit after their set was over, but oh it was worth it. I might have to actually agree with my friends who said they stole the show.
To my surprise, Faith Collapsing were on next, whereas I thought they were going to close the show. After all, Mark from Luckys put THEIR name and their tribute front and center on the flyer for the show.
I suppose Mark didn't want to feel tired his set and still have to run sound, which is understandable. As you can see above, Faith Collapsing were doing Master of Puppets in its entirety. That was my main reason for coming, seeing as how MOP was one of the first real metal albums I ever got into, and it still stands as my favorite Metallica record. For the most part, they nailed every song. The vocal timing was somewhat off for the first two or three songs, but that was fixed pretty quickly. The tuning was also different, but again, its forgivable. I do have to say, I couldn't help but crack a smile when I saw some "holier than thou" hardcore kids sing to some classic Metallica (specifically the title track). I wished more kids had tried to start another circle pit, but I think most were beat from the Slayer set. It was heck of sight to see something like this, even though I know Metallica still plays their old stuff live.
About a good half of the crowd left afterwards, probably due to fatique or lack of interest in seeing a cover band do Lamb of God. I stood around, since I knew this was Mark from Luckys and the kids from Death Machine Weapons, who I always liked. Mark did a pretty damn good job as a frontman, and the kids seemed to be having fun (one of their guitarists also helped out with FC's set the same night). Robby Gill and I also seemed to have the same idea for this set: Mosh for Mark! So some kids got their chance to dance to Lamb of God, which is something that is nearly impossible to do these days. They played the first 5 songs from Ashes of the Wake, and closed with Vigil. Pretty good job guys.
Overall, I had a hell of a fun time at this gig. It always makes me happy to see Luckys packed, even though it means navigating and grabbing a good parking space is a pain.
Unfortunately, I'm not sure about the gigs I planned to attend this week. I'm trying to make Suffocation/Decrepit Birth on Monday, and the Carrier/The Bonus Army on Thursday, but due to lack of money at the moment, its looking highly unlikely for both.
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