Wednesday, October 31. 2007
No Conviction
Invitro
Otep
Static X
The Rave
 One of the coolest things about this job is watching the progression of bands. The first time we met No Conviction, it was at the Side Bar of The Rave for a smaller local show. This time around, they invited us to see them on the big stage. Opening for several larger acts, No Conviction had some big shoes to fill. Locally based, they needed to reach out to people who may have never heard of them. Also they were under pressure from shooting a video of the evening.
They filled the big boots well. This time they sounded much better. For some reason they lucked on the mix lotto. There was a more thrash feel rather than the totally insane hard core of last show giving them an almost softer sound. With a limited set (a mere 6 songs) they tore through their 20 minute set at full steam ahead. Playing highlights for me were the songs "Sin is In" and "No Control." They closed with perennial favorite, the Superjoint cover, "Fuck Your Enemy."
 Invitro was up next and for some reason I had a problem concentrating on their first song. These boys are creative, I'll give them that! What can I say about a band that comes on stage with lab coats and aluminum foil helmets with laser beams coming from their heads? They did put on a decent show, once I was able to focus more on the music and the head pieces came off. A combination of light industrial with a pop/punk feel and a fast set. There were some great guitar riffs that were extremely catchy. Overall what I would term a "bouncy" set.
 Otep was up next and with this being the set I was looking forward to, I was somewhat disappointed. There were no vocals for the first two songs, and when they finally were able to be heard, they were not that great. Since the show was at The Rave, I'll blame it on the mix. Otep Shamaya is one of the few kick ass women vocalists out there, and I was really disappointed that her vocals didn't come across as great live as they do on CD. But she was pretty damn hot on stage. More than just a pretty face, she gave her views on politics and life, which at times excited the crowd and other times brought them down. I do give her credit for her beliefs and even more credit for sharing them openly. Although personally, when watching a concert, my mind isn't in the mood for politics. I just want to have a good time and not have to think. But did I mention she still looked damn good?
Finally was Static X. This is a band I swore I didn't like and wasn't familiar with. Apparently I was wrong on both accounts. I was shocked at the number of songs I knew, but even more I was shocked at how much I not only liked the show, but their music. Opening with their new song "Cannibal," they tore through their almost 2 hour set. I won't even attempt to give them a genre beyond their self described "Evil Disco." This band had amazing energy and sounded almost flawless. For those in the Milwaukee area, you know what this means for The Rave. I was incredibly impressed with their energy level. For a band that ain't really spring chickens anymore to tear through that many songs and stay on stage for as long as they did really is truly impressive. Crowd faves were "Push It" and "I'm with Stupid" although they also played "Destroy," "Dirthouse," and "The Enemy." And I still want to know what Wayne puts in his hair.
The true bonus to this show was the fact that we were allowed to photograph for the ENTIRE set. We learned exactly how many pics it takes to fill a 4 gig memory card. It was an amazing show, and we would like to thank No Conviction for the invitation!
Tuesday, October 30. 2007
 Bad Brains
Hometown: New York City, NY / Washington D.C.
http://www.badbrains.com/index.html
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
House of Blues (Anaheim, CA)
Opening acts: Whole Wheat Bread, Ignite
I looked forward to this show more than I can remember any other in the recent past. And why wouldn’t I? It’s the freakin’ Bad Brains! For those not familiar, the Bad Brains are long considered one of the founding bands of hardcore punk. Originally hailing from Washington D.C. and finally settling in New York City, this eccentric reggae punk outfit went on to influence many of top bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Beastie Boys (Adam Yauch produced the Brains’ current release).
The opening band was a very interesting three piece band from Florida named Whole Wheat Bread. I was given heads up from a friend up in San Francisco to make sure I saw them play. My buddy Mike could only describe them as “ghetto punk.� I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect. WWB hit the stage and entertainingly moved thru a variety of music types, from a very Blink 182-esque type song straight into a hardcore rap back over to a country type rock song and so on. It sounds all over the place, but they pulled it off very well. They were a very fitting band to open for a pioneer hardcore punk band that somehow knew a fusion of reggae and punk would work.
Following Whole Wheat Bread was a local Orange County band called Ignite. Ignite was added to the bill at the last minute as they literally flew in from a European tour earlier in the day. Ignite is a super masculine driving hardcore band with a sound much like a few other similar type bands from the area a la 90s straight-edge hardcore band No For An Answer. There was a good amount of support in the house and the set was enjoyable.
 The Brains were up next and the bottom floor of the House of Blues was packed. This tour is in support of recently released CD, Build a Nation. HR, Dr. Know, Darryl and Earl came out and just killed it starting the set with a classic called “House of Suffering� from the I Against I record. I was bouncing around towards the front of the stage and realized I was suddenly been shot back ten years. The crowd reminded me of some of the old Fender’s Ballroom punk shows. Bodies were flying. The pit was harsh. And I had slight whiplash at the end of the night from the myriad of boots to the head from all the crowd swimmers. Ahh, the old days! The Brains went on to play a great set of songs from Build a Nation to I Against I to Rock for Light. The only negative thing I can say is that HR sang from one spot on the stage. I was looking forward to seeing one of the most energetic front men in the history of punk. I’ve seen old clips of HR doing back flips from six foot high speaker set ups. I can only guess age (HR is 51) has finally taken its toll, but who am I to judge a legend. Highlights of the set were, “Sailin On,� “Banned in D.C.,� “Pat to Cum,� and “Re-Ignition.�
Monday, October 29. 2007
Martin Johnson of Boys Like Girls - more photos...
photo by jeff barringer - staff photographer |
by jeff barringer
club kingsnake staff
Boys Like Girls
Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts
http://www.boyslikegirls.com
The Boys Like Girls Concert Photos
Sunday October 14th, 2007
La Zona Rosa (Austin, Texas)
Also: All Time Low, The Audition, We The Kings
It was a mean crowd that packed, and I mean packed, La Zona Rosa for emo hearthrobs Boys Like Girls in Austin on Sunday. One of the security guards took a knee to the groin from a crowd surfer in the pit and I found myself dodging shoes thrown by the audience. At one point I cowered in the corner of the pit like a little girl after my three songs, not wanting to force my way through the mob comprised almost entirely of -- little girls! Maybe young women might be a more appropriate term, but only barely, as the mean age of the concert goers seemed to be about 14.
Look, I'm no slouch; I've done many foolhardy things in my life, barehanding venomous snakes, chasing large gators through swamps, playing flashlight tag with mountain lions in the desert at night in shorts and flip-flops, flying Delta Airlines, and even working third shift at a convenience store. I've even been hit by a hurricane and a tornado! None of them invoked a fear response like that overheated pack of high school girls.
Continue reading "Concert Review: Boys Like Girls at La Zona Rosa, Austin Texas"
Friday, October 19. 2007
 Against Me! at the Guvernment, Toronto
October 1, 2007
Support: The Cancer Bats, The Dirty Tricks
I’d been listening to Against Me! since 2002 and went to see them every time they came to Toronto, but was terribly turned off of them after their 2005 release Searching for a Former Clarity, as well as their Opera House performance, which I believe was in early 2006. I swore off ever going to one of their shows again and didn’t plan on keeping an eye out for any news from the band in years to come (which at the time I didn’t think was even going to happen), but when I saw New Wave hit the shelves earlier this year, I couldn’t help but buy a copy.
Fortunately my AM! disdain was only temporary, and New Wave really grew on me after a few listens. Front man Tom Gabel still had that deep, forced sounding growl on some songs that only came about on Former Clarity but it worked a little better on this album, with a much more upbeat sound shadowing melancholy lyrics about junkies and war.
This album made a lot of older fans permanently disregard the band as “sellouts� which had been the ridiculous phrase being tossed at these guys for the last couple years. To me, AM! putting out a record like New Wave was them flipping off all those pretentious wannabe music connoisseurs, and letting them know (as they had been in interview after interview) that they don’t give a fuck what those kids think. It may seem ostentatious and slightly unintelligent to blatantly tell your fans you really don’t care what they think, but maybe it was just to show everyone they weren’t trying to fit into a niche to be the next NOFX. It’s not cool to be into a band that’s anti-establishment when they are on MTV. To a degree, this does make sense, but there’s a point where you need to look at music for what it is and not how the band is dressing and what venues their shows are at.
Continue reading "Against Me! at the Guvernment, Toronto"
Thursday, October 18. 2007
 Wrath
El Diablo
2-West
Heartbreakers Gentlemen's Club, West Allis, WI
June 23, 2007
Wrath is a good old fashioned thrash band. You might remember I reviewed them last fall. I go a long way back in life with these guys, and I still rate them as one of the premier thrash bands in the Midwest. Some of their hair is shorter. They have a few years on them, but they still sound amazing. The new vocalist (well it's been almost a year; I spose I can stop calling him new) John is really finding his spot in the band. The nerves are gone. His vocals merge the newer metal sounds with the glorious old skool thrash I grew up on and still adore to this day. Oh yeah, and another slappy bass boy. Love it. There is just something so very different in the sound between the fingers and the pick. The sound is so much more pure with the fingers. From the clean solo work on “Closed Doors� and “Nothing Yet� to the blast beat on classic song “Panic Control,� this is a band that still to this day stays true to their roots and their sound. They shot a live video of show and you can expect to see it on their myspace page. Plus ya just gotta love when the bands give us props from the stage. Thankfully, John did remember ALL the words this time to “Ace of Spades.� It is good being the queen.
El Diablo is a Chicago 5 piece band that turns samples and keyboards into a slightly hardcore sound. A little angrier than the other bands, with a slight hard core edge. OHHH guess what, another bassist who eschews the picks. LOVE IT! They have a very evil disco feel. The segues between songs are smooth, and flawless transitions make the show move at an insane pace. I really liked the angry vocals much more than the soft ones. N, their vocalist, was a trooper; with a freshly broken arm and a pocket full of vics, he hung in there for the full set. Their set was insanely short, even though they had a full set of songs. Short sweet and to the point. And their Journey cover of “Small Town Girl� made the song far cooler than the Sopranos did. “Idiot,� with its warning to men to watch for the gold-diggers, and “Evil American� were highlights.
With a slightly abbreviated set due to the entire night being slightly behind schedule because of the late arrival of the sound guy, 2-west still had a fabulous outing. Eric, the vocalist, was in prime form to lead the way with their personal salute to sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. Tonight “Decay� is dedicated to Dime. They debuted the new song “Scorned.� And all was fun and games until someone left the back door to the club open. 2-West is apparently just WAY too heavy for the sleepy city of West Allis. The show had to shut down early, much to the dismay of the crowd and 2-West. But the West Allis Police cannot be swayed.
Tuesday, October 16. 2007
Chris Isaak at The Backyard - more photos...
photo by jeff barringer - staff photographer |
by jeff barringer
club kingsnake staff
Chris Isaak
Hometown: Stockton, California
http://chrisisaak.com
Chris Isaak Concert Photos
Saturday October 13th, 2007
The Backyard (Austin, Texas)
Also: Patrice Pike
It's probably impossible to write about Chris Isaak without making at least one Elvis Presley reference, but based on his show at The Backyard on Saturday he doesn't do anything to discourage them either. I mean, look at the guy. He looks like Elvis, he sounds like Elvis, and he works his audience like Elvis. An accomplished performer in his own right, it must be both a curse and a blessing.
I've liked Chris Isaak since seeing his breakout video for "Wicked Game" on MTV. That was back when MTV could make or break an artist's career and was still a real force to be reckoned with in the music world. Almost 18 years later' Chris doesn't seem to have aged a bit, and his music still sounds as fresh as when I first heard it.
A little bit rock and roll, a little bit country, Chris can whip out a high energy rock song and effortlessly follow it with that slow smoldering balladeering he is famous for. Wireless mic in hand, he had no qualms about jumping into the audience to wander about serenading various women and inviting them, loudly, with a wink and sly grin' back to the tour bus. At one point he switched places with his drummer and did a decent job on the kit while the drummer covered the vocals.
With a set comprising all his hits plus some, and totaling 20 songs at just over an hour and a half, this was a great show. My favorites were the songs form Heart Shaped World, but he and the band did lots of songs from his whole career. To check out the Austin set list click here.
Opening for Chris was Austin's own Patrice Pike. I wish I had gotten there early enough to shoot her set. Unfortunately, I was late, and only got to see half of her last song, and then only from a vantage point marginally better than peeking over the back fence. I did bump into her after her set, but not long enough to introduce myself. I look forward to a chance to see her do a full set.
Thanks to Emily and Trevin for hooking me up with another great Direct Events show!
Monday, October 15. 2007
Issa at Showplace. Peterborough, Ontario.
photo by clint gilders- staff photographer |
by clint gilders - club kingsnake staff
Issa
www.issalight.com
Thursday October 4th, 2007.
Showplace Centre For The Performing Arts (Peterborough, Ontario)
About a year ago Jane Siberry made some major changes in her life. Along with changing her name to Issa (pronounced “eee sah�) she has sold almost all her possessions and simplified her life to traveling with little more than a backpack. As of late she has been working on the recording of 33 songs funded solely by the generosity of "patrons", and selling her back catalog in digital only format using Self Determined Pricing. In a nutshell, pay what you think the music is worth to you either before or after you hear it. Also of note is that fact that, on sheeba.ca, Issa makes a handful of free tickets available for each of her shows.
Continue reading "Concert Review: Issa (Jane Siberry) at the Showplace Centre for the Performing Arts, Peterborough, Ontario"
Friday, October 5. 2007
It’s been quite a few years since I’ve seen Megadeth perform live, so I was pretty excited to be covering the show for Club Kingsnake. I arrived about 45 minutes early, got my pass for photographing the show, and went over to check with security to get the scoop on what the rules for the night would be. Then I headed off to the side bar to check out some local bands on the smaller stage.
I came back and got into the backstage area about 10 minutes before show time -- just enough time to get my gear out and have a look at the stage and pit area before the first band came on.
 First up was The Confession, a band out of Orange County California. The bands' members Taylor Holland Armstrong (vocals), Kevin Fyfe (guitars), Justin Norman (guitars), Matt Pauling (bass), and Jeff Veta (drums) combine to make a great sounding melodic metal mix with heavy dual guitar harmonies and great solos, which is refreshing these days. Even though the set was short, the band performed with a lot of energy and got the crowd pumped into a head banging frenzy. Two songs really stood out for me, “Burn the Virgin� and “Requiem,� both with great vocals and blistering guitars with a hard driving bass and kick drum behind them. Check out their debut album, Requiem, out now.
 Next up was another newcomer to the metal scene. In This Moment just released their debut album in February ‘07 and have just come off a huge summer tour on the Ozzfest Bill. The band -- Marie (vocals), Chris (lead guitar), Blake (guitar), Jesse (bass), and Jeff (drums) -- put on a high set. Maria has a great voice that can be sweet and melodic and turn into a great throaty and almost tiger-like growl. The dual guitars are heavy, and the solos hit you like a brink in the face, backed by blazing blast beats, heart pounding double bass, and heavy bass. The set was short but sweet. The second song was “Prayer,� which seemed to be the favorite with the crowd. They all were screaming along word for word throughout the whole song. Also performed were “Beautiful Tragedy� and “Daddy’s Falling Angel." All on their album Beautiful Tragedy, which would be a great addition to any metal fan's collection.
 Next up, the headliners, Megadeth. About 20 minutes before they took the stage, all the others had filtered in from the other stages throughout the club and packed the floor and upper deck to beyond full capacity.
The lights dimmed and the crowd broke into a frenzied roar as Dave took the stage followed by the rest. The band has gone through some lineup changes over the years, but the sound's still the same (fucking amazing) .
They put on a great 90 minute set mixed with new and old. “Sleepwalker� was the opening song, and got the crowd going mad with head banging, fist pumping and of course plenty of crowd surfing. The third song in was “Wake Up Dead,� and I can still remember listening to this in my basement as a teen at 10 on the volume dial (if only there was an 11). Some of the older songs were “Peace Sells,� �Holy Wars,� “Darkest Hour,� and “Symphony Of Destruction.� There were some new, like “Gears Of War� and the remake of “A Tout Le Monde,� which the whole place belted out word for word with the band. At one point, all I could hear was the crowd overpowering the sound from the stage; it almost gave me goose bumps.
All in all it was a great show, the crowd and bands were amped up, and at one point I think I saw a smile on Dave’s face. Check out their new album out United Abominations, and catch them on tour where you can.
Wednesday, October 3. 2007
 The Dirty Cherubs
MySpace
The Maze – Nottingham UK
September 10, 2007
The night started early as Ms TR and I rolled into The Maze in Nottingham to see one of her workmates play. Apparently it was a rock band and apparently they were pretty good, by her estimations anyway. I’m always wary of going to see mates' bands as you usually see them before they actually get to be any good. Don’t get me started on the amount of time and money I’ve spent watching god awful bands in god awful hell holes, just cos a friend has been on stage.
So it is my relief and pleasure to announce that I had a really great evening, and for more reasons than one. First, I was really impressed with the venue. I’d never even heard of the Maze before, and found it to be a great little venue. It markets itself well as a small local venue, and their list of shows included some great bands such as 90s favourites RDF. For a venue to actively invite bookings from local bands is a rarity, given how difficult it is in the UK for bands to get decent gigs in a venue of this quality. The sound there is pretty good given the rig they have and it’s well set out with seating and dance floor space, plus a mezzanine to ensure everyone gets a great view. Decent bar and friendly staff makes the package pretty much complete, the only drawback being able to find decent parking.
The second cool thing of the night was the support band, Left of the Dealer I’m arranging to review and photograph this band at a gig in the near future, so watch this space. I’d like to see this urban funk outfit and give them my full attention as they have the potential to become one of my favourite bands ever! I’ve not stopped playing the mp3s their singer Tommy sent to me. Check out their myspace for a taste.
 But on to the main attraction. I really did enjoy the Dirty Cherubs. Having met lead singer Dave Capel at the bar before he hit the stage, I was a little concerned that his vocals would be shite. With a thick Scottish accent and half a bottle of whisky inside him, I couldn’t understand a bloody word he said. However, as he took the stage the pissed up porriger turned into some kind of rock god as he belted out the vocals and hit all of the high notes with some style. In barefeet and shades he makes a great front man and poster boy, and has just the kind of image every rock band should have. His guitarist is archetypal rock axe-man type who looks like he’s gonna knock you out, drink your beer and shag your girlfriend. Dropping off stage into the crowd during his solos was just what I expected and he didn’t let me down. The drummer looks like he robs people for fun.
Describing their sound is easy. Think Aerosmith, ACDC and the RHCP. Cool as fuck and totally rock and roll. Screaming air guitar hairbrush classics and sexy smooth rock ballads are the order of the day and the Dirty Cherubs deliver exactly what is says on the tin. Their style is very formulaic, but that’s far from being any kind of criticism at all when you look at the brand. I love their style and they deliver the genre right on the button. Say what you like about your typical Rock God act, pretend that you really prefer cleverly produced musical geniuses, but you all know it’s like comparing a Charles Dickens novel to Hustler magazine. You’d never admit it, but one is a whole lot more satisfying than the other.
Their single recently got to No 1 in the UK indie charts. To be perfectly honest I can’t wait for an album, because they have several tracks which are as good, if not better than this first release. I need to seriously think about growing my hair again, I’m gonna need it for their next gig.
A vid clip under the jump.
Continue reading "Concert Review: Dirty Cherubs, Live at The Maze – Nottingham UK"
Monday, October 1. 2007
 Girl Talk with Dan Deacon and White Williams
Phoenix Concert Theatre
September 12, 2007
Toronto, ON
I had high expectations going into the show of Girl Talk, aka Greg Gillis, the infamous party mix producer who has made a name for himself in a fairly controversial vein of music. Like precedent artist Dangermouse, Girl Talk takes the work of a plethora of artists before him, from genres all over the map, and creates complexly layered party anthems, that are about as much fun to dance to as they are to listen and try and pick out each artist he has used. I’ve been listening to his second album ‘Night Ripper’ for over a year now and still haven’t named them all. But like I said, I went into this show expecting one hell of a dance party, especially with Gillis bringing fellow DJ Dan Deacon and indie rockers White Williams alongside, and my hopes for a great show were blown away. Far, far away, to the point where I think this show can be placed in a category on its own. Let me try to explain…
Continue reading "Concert Review: Girl Talk, Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto"
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