Brilliant Red Lights
This Is What It Looks Like When I’m Doing What I Want
FRINGE: Let’s talk about influences. I can’t pin any of Brilliant Reds Lights down. And that seems to be something I find with a lot of Sacramento bands, especially the midtown and downtowns ones. Are Sac bands more of an influence on each other than outside sources are?
EVAN: I think our influences are directly tied to the onset of the iTunes culture, which allows anyone to be literally immersed in music. My first year of college was spent downloading 40 gigs of new music, discovering zillions of new bands, then walking over to Aaron’s dorm room to exchange. I can leave my computer on random and not hear a repeated song for 11 days. That’s nuts! Because of this, we’ve been fortunate to be exposed to all kinds of stuff I would’ve never had access to before. And you see that, “Hey, this Bjork song is a lot more similar to this Prince song than I would’ve ever thought.” And when that gets recycled through our brains in songwriting, we have this much bigger pool of stuff to be affected by.
FRINGE: I’ve loved the Sacramento scene since I was a kid. How has the music scene from this one place stayed constantly great for so long when most scenes seem to have way more up’s and downs?
EVAN: I grew up in the South Bay Area, where ska and skate-punk were really prevalent. Coming up here to go to UC Davis five years ago introduced me to this whole new scene I was previously unaware of.
The first show me and Aaron saw together was hella in a basement with 11 other people. It absolutely ruined me because I was in no way prepared to hear music that good. I asked Zach Hill to autograph his bass drum after the show and he looked at me like I was crazy After that, when we had started our band, we started playing locally (where we would later meet Noah via his old band, The Dining Room Romance) and got introduced to all these other great bands like Mister Metaphor and Tera Melos, who weaved this spastic, technical proficiency into an understandable product. I fell in love. The scene will always ebb and flow, but Sacramento is such a bizarre area, that great bands will always pop up out of somewhere.
FRINGE: Your band tours and tours and tours. What has changed for you over the course of the bands career on the road thus far?
EVAN: Touring is a nonstop learning experience, because you’re always trying to improve. You’re constantly looking ahead, playing new songs, going new places, making new connections. After you’ve done it for a while, it’s really exciting to stop for a second and realize you have a social network that extends to places you don’t actually live. You get to meet the friends you’d be hanging out with if you lived in Santa Fe, NM. How crazy is that?
FRINGE: Your shows are great, high energy without the song losing their technical strength. How do you guys keep your passions for your set fresh after so many shows?
EVAN: I think it’s one-half having a clear idea of what your band is all about, and one-half loving the people you are in a band with. If you are happy with your band’s direction and you know that your band mates have your back, it’s just great.
FRINGE: What are some other great bands you guys love that we may not know about?
EVAN: We have helpfully provided a list of them on the side bar of our MySpace page. I love it when I see a band that I’ve never heard of before blow my mind. Nothing is better than seeing your favorite band that you never knew about. Using that criteria, Hella, Anathallo and Tera Melos.
On the web at: www.myspace. com/brilliantredlights
Show Review: Morrissey
VENUE: John Ascuaga’s Nugget
CITY: Reno, NV
DATE: April 29, 2007
Every Day is Like Sunday
It’s not every day that the opportunity arises to see musical / cultural icon in the flesh.
Morrissey, the man famous for finding beauty in the morose and sharing it with countless souls across nations and generations, gave two sold-out performances at the Nugget in the Reno / Sparks area. I was excited to be lucky enough to see a very important part of musical history in person. Looking toward the general direction of the Celebrity Ballroom, I spotted many Morrissey clones and Bettie Paige haircuts, telling me I was in the right place.
Once the lights dimmed, the anticipation grew. After a lengthy intro, the band, all looking like waiters from the 1950s, walked out onto the stage and burst right into The Queen is Dead. The crowd erupted in cheer as their hero made his way to center stage. Morrissey quickly went right into two newer tracks, The Youngest Was the Most Loved and You Have Killed Me, shaking hands with those lucky enough to be in the front of the stage.
Although the years seem to be catching up to him, Morrissey still had his charm and charisma. To those in the audience, he was the same ol’ Morrissey, the one who made them feel okay for being different, the one who made the emptiness feel not so empty, the one who could relate to the weird. Even twenty years later, some of us still need that.
Morrissey, being the charming man that he is, thanked the audience every opportunity he got. The next songs performed were Disappointed, Girlfriend in a Coma, All You Need is Me and Lucky Lisp.
“People ask me if I need to do this for a living. I have two answers for them. First, it ain’t no living. Second, no, I don’t.”
In the Future When All is Well, came up next, giving his fans a glimpse of hope, followed by b-side track, Ganglord.
The crowd went crazy with The Boy with the Thorn in His Side, Every Day is Like Sunday, and I’ve Changed My Plea to Guilty. More tracks from his latest release, “Ringleader of the Tormentors,” I Will See You in Far Off Places, and the ever-so-beautiful Life Is a Pigsty. Two members of his five-piece ensemble (of waiters) were playing a neat variation of God Bless America on keyboard and guitar which went right into How Soon Is Now? - probably the most popular song of the evening. With this, Moz tore off his sweatsoaked shirt and tossed it into the audience, causing a complete frenzy on the floor.
Toward the end of the set, two hopeful fans attempted to get onto the stage to be closer to their champion. Alas, they failed and met a grim demise … being escorted out the door.
Morrissey sang two more songs before bidding the audience farewell, but we all knew he would be back. And of course, we were right. We were graced with one last song, You’re Gonna Need Someone on Your Side, and then one last declaration of gratitude, “thank you so much for listening for all these years. I will see you all in far off places.” With one final bow, he was gone.
So to answer the burning questions… Did he play any Smiths songs? Yes, four of them.
Does he look old now? Yeah, pretty much, but that didn’t seem to bother him any.
Does he have the same presence and appeal he did twenty years ago? Two back-to-back sold out performances. I’m thinking yeah.
Is Morrissey still a cultural icon? Absolutely! The crowd was still screaming when the house lights were raised. Shouts of “We love you, Morrissey!” were still echoing throughout the building. I hope Morrissey heard them. After all, he’s still human and he needs to be loved, just like everybody else does.
Show Review: Mastodon
VENUE: The Warfield
CITY: San Francisco, CA
DATE: May 2, 2007
While a crowd of impatient fans screamed and hollered for the band to appear on stage a black and white polka dotted drum set sat immersed in a cloud of smoke. On Brann Dailor’s bass drum’s front is an homage to late Ozzy guitarist Randy Rhoads.
Now, right here, I could enter this review with a cliché comparison of Mastodon’s heavy primitive music to their band being named after a prehistoric pachyderm. I looked it up and found that Mastodon means “nipple-teeth”, I really don’t think that’s a good description of their music.
As the Atlanta based band took its instruments and stood behind the mics, the crowd exploded with anticipation for the first song.
Like a nuclear blast their sludgy, bone crushingly metal riffs hit the crowd and “it” was on! The booming vocal melodies danced over the technical dual guitars and slamming bass. The energy on stage, and in the crowd, really seeped into my pores and made this show one of the best I’ve been to in a great while.
Mastodon headlined the show with support from Against Me, Cursive, and Planes Mistaken for Stars. A quite confusing line-up that filled the legendary Warfield with a very diverse crowd.
I noticed a majority of males in attendance, but the females who were there seemed to be there for a great show and weren’t shy or timid about being in the mosh pit.
Mastodon’s latest release “Blood Mountain” is a listening adventure and pretty far out there lyrically. Their website describes: “The disc tells the story of a quest to ascend Blood Mountain to find a crystal skull, reach the top and insert the skull inside the band members’ own heads in order to eradicate “reptile brain” and transport them to the next phase of human evolution.
Of course, the trek is far from simple.” Um,…yeah. Anyway, they do rock extremely hard .
Vocalist/Bassist Troy Sanders and Vocalist/Guitarist Brent Hinds took turns pummeling the crowd with their own raspy driving harmonies.
Brent’s flying V shot out heavy chunky rhythms while second guitarist Bill Kelliher played most of the harmonies. The backdrop to this monstrous tech/sludge experience was the intricate, demented, yet beautiful cover art of Blood Mountain. Equally beautiful art adorned the bands merch, which could be seen all over the concert goers.
As a musician I was in awe with the bands ability to perform the songs so perfectly and deliver a stage presence that made the technicality look easy.
Overall it was a FIVE Star performance, and one I definitely won’t miss when they return to town.
Show Review: Cattle Decapitation
VENUE: 924 Gilman
CITY: Berkeley, CA
DATE: March 30, 2007
Cattle Decapitation’s first full length album “Human Jerky” came out in 1999 LP-only by Nevada label Satan’s Pimp.
For the last decade the band has spread it’s wrenching gore-grind vastly into the underground metal scene.
Their 2006 release “Karma.Bloody.Karma” marks their third effort on MetalBlade Records. Right before their upcoming stint in Europe with Dying Fetus, Skinless, & War From A Harlots Mouth the band hit the legendary 924 Gilman Club in Berkeley on March 30th. They were on tour with The Locust and Daughters. I had seen The Locust before and enjoyed the show, but I am a fan of Cattle Decapitation. I’ve seen them four times and know that I can always expect a great show.
It was my first time going to this venue. After standing in a very long line for over an hour, I finally walked in to the club and was amazed at the “gutter-punk” look of the place. The walls were covered with various art and graffiti that captured the culture of the people that visit the venue. The size of the venue was quite comfortable, even though it was swarming with people.
The crowd that attended the concert that night was much different than the crowd I would usually see at a Cattle Decapitation show. While I was standing in line, I noticed many scene kids practicing their hardcore dancing moves; not something you’d normally see at a Cattle Decapitation show.
Cattle Decapitation is a grind/gore metal band. Despite their ironic name, they are well known by their fans as being proanimal rights, provegetarian, and antihuman.
One may not be able to decipher the lyrics by listening to the music. By reading the lyrics, you will see the main focus is to expose the scum of humanity.
The band members, Troy Oftedal (bass), Josh Elmore (guitar), Michael Laughlin (drums), and Travis Ryan (vocals) took to the stage in a frenzy.
They opened their set with “Unintelligent Design/ Success Is… (hanging by the neck)” This instantly got the audience pumped and focused on their performance. The thundering drums and bass teamed up with brutal riffs was the perfect foundation for Travis Ryan’s outbursts. Every time I’ve seen Travis perform on stage, it reminds me how a man would act if he were being tortured and then sewn into the belly of a large, rotting animal for a week. As grotesque as that may sound, it somehow describes his stage presence as he expresses himself through descriptive lyrics about human dysfunction and injustice to animal life forms. His vocals range from deep throaty growls to high pitched squeals. One might say he sounds possessed, but his vocal talent is undeniable.
It was hard for me to see a lot of their performance on stage because, as usual, a tall person would stand in front of me. From what I did get to see, Cattle Decapitation put on an amazing show, which is what I have learned to expect from them. They played a great set, including, “Diarrhea of the Mouth”, “Bereavement”, and another song about a particular type of tsunami. Some of the songs were from their most recent release, “Karma Bloody Karma”. I was quite pleased with their show and am looking forward to attending another when they return to Nor-Cal. For more information on Cattle Decapitation, visit them at www.myspace.com/cattledecapitation, or the bands web site at www.cattledecapitation.com
Sinful Salvation
Down & Dirty With Brand New Sin
Brand New Sin is a dichotomy. On one hand, this group of five tattoo clad, biker-eque burly guys come across as a circle you wouldn’t want to get into a bar brawl against, and on the another hand, they are the kind of guys you would probably end up having a brawl with.
However, their musical abilities are anything but a dichotomy with driving bass, energetic drums, gnarly guitar solos and powerful vocals to wake up the rock and metal devotee within you.
Their newest album Tequila hit hard on October 3rd of last year, produced by JoeyZ at Method Of Groove Studio in Brooklyn, NY.
Their fourth effort is a brutal assault of southern influenced metal. On the album the band covers House of The Rising Sun, a hit for the UK band Animals in the mid ’60’s.
With an 18 month tour planned, they visited San Francisco’s Slim’s, sharing the stage with Type O Negative. I got a chance to meet up with Brand New Sin vocalist Joe Altier at the show.
FRINGE: Thank you for taking the time to meet with Fringe magazine, I can only imagine how hectic your touring schedule is.
ALTIER: Thank you for taking the time to interview me.
FRINGE: Why don’t you tell me a little bit about your background in music.
ALTIER: I started playing piano when I was really young. My mom played piano, so there was always a piano in the house. I just kind of took to it by going up to it and banging on it and teaching myself. I have two older brothers that were really into classic rock of the ’70s and they are ten years older than I am. The first band that changed my whole world was when I heard Metallica and here I be right now.
FRINGE: If you could sing any Metallica song and totally switch it around making it your own, what would it be?
ALTIER: That’s a tough question! To be honest, we’ve covered “Harvester Of Sorrow” and its one of our favorite songs that we’ve done. So I say, “Harvester of Sorrow”, or if anything else “Bleeding Me” from the Load record. It’s probably the most soulful Metallica music I’ve ever heard.
FRINGE: Something I’ve noticed from your band, listening to it, compared to other metal bands, is that you have a lot of blues background in there, you can hear it in your music. Do you think that has any backlash for you in the metal community?
ALTIER: We get a lot of, “We’re too rock for metal and too metal for rock,” and we lie in this little weird category. There are a bunch of bands in that wasteland. But we can grab from both sides, you know, which is kinda cool. But, it’s also been a hindrance to us getting certain things because people don’t really know us.
FRINGE: I agree. Now what was this comment about calling Nickleback, Nicklecrap?
ALTIER: It’s nothing against the guys personally and their success, but it’s just how many times a day can you hear it on the radio. Like, is there not enough from the rock-n-roll pool that you have to play this song seven times a day? I mean, even the people that love the song are sick of it, you know? We have Sirius satellite radio in our van now, we even see them getting caught in like, “Dude I’ve heard the entire Van Halen catalogue in one week.” Or Aerosmith, or stuff like that. There are so many other bands you could pull from, I just wish that everyone else had their opportunity to get that chance
FRINGE: What’s your favorite song by your band?
ALTIER: As of right now, one is, I always loved the song “Arrived”, which is the second song on “Tequila”. “Arrived” is something I wrote personally about myself. It was something I really wanted to say about the band, don’t forget where you came from, you’re achieving your dreams. The other one is “Motormeth”, which is so in your face. I like those two because, as of right now, I want to put my fist up to this industry that seems to be crumbling right before our eyes. Record labels are folding, no one is buying cd’s, everyone is complaining, but at the end of the day, music isn’t going to go away. The Roman Empire, I guess you could say, is about to fall and I think it’s just going to be restructured. They aren’t going to stop people from making music.”
Volcom = Art Show & Comic Book
The snowboard/skateboarding clothing line Volcom has become a common name rolled- off - the - tongues of twenty-somethings for the past five years or so.
Started by Richard Woolcott and Tucker Hall in their Newport Beach bedrooms in 1991, the company’s motto has been Youth Against Establishment.
It’s first year’s clothing sales at only $2600, the company is now seen in skate and snowboard shops throughout the world.
Volcom has enforced their manifesto through art, music, films, athletes and clothing, and is now about to tackle art shows and comic books.
Volcom is about to launch a worldwide art show tour and 60-page comic book in support of the biggest Volcom Featured Artist Series line ever. The project was born from Volcom VP Creative Director Ethan Anderson’s love of the underground comic movement and looked to capture its raw energy and low-fi means by creating a comic book that is authentic down to the paper stock and page count.
The comic book is over two years in the making and features legendary skateboard artists Jim Phillips and VCJ as well as some of the biggest creative contributors to skateboarding today - Michael Sieben, Todd Bratrud and Travis Millard. In addition to skate-art heavyweights the book features artists/athletes from the worlds of surfing, snowboarding and skateboarding such as Mark Appleyard, Ozzie Wright, and Jamie Lynn. There will be artists in attendance and a limited number of t-shirts and books to be given away for free at each opening reception. Volcom will be producing 15,000 copies of the comic for free, with worldwide distribution.
The art show series will begin May 19th in New York City and will continue through the summer with stops in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Tokyo and London.
It Hits San Francisco - Saturday, July 14th@Space Gallery SF, 8pm1141 Polk St. San Francisco, CA 94109 415-377-3325 The openings will include drawings by all Holiday 2007 Volcom Featured Artists, as well as scribblings by all 28 artists who contributed to the book.
The book and shows are an Art Loft release being curated by Volcom Senior Graphic Artist Mike Aho.
WWW: www.volcom.com
Milking The Lie
Have you ever noticed that humans are the only mammals that continue to drink milk well into their adult lives? Why? What made this a common dietary practice? Milk is primarily known to provide calcium to aid in the strengthening of bones.
What most people are unaware of is that you can obtain all necessary calcium requirements for your body through a vegan diet. In addition, some might not realize that dairy is actually bad for our bodies, animals, and the environment.
If you really think about it, milk is actually a mucous-like substance from a cow udder. It contains blood, pus, and any other chemicals that the cow had been treated with prior to milking. Dairy also has a huge amount of cholesterol which can lead to heart disease and obesity. Since vegans exclude dairy from their diets, they have a significantly lower risk of developing many of the heath problems associated with its consumption.
Humans aren’t the only ones who are affected by the dairy industry. Of course, you must take the animals into consideration, since billions are being tortured and slaughtered annually. Yes, mother cows do naturally make milk to feed their babies, but like human mothers, they must be pregnant to lactate. Cows in the dairy industry are artificially inseminated in order to provide their “product”.
Upon birth, the majority of the calves are torn away from their mothers and placed into a small, dark box that allows for little to no movement.
The calves will never again see the light of day.
Their muscles will atrophy and they will be killed to make veal. The milk that rightfully belongs to these calves is being ingested by humans.
With the billions of animals being born and raised by the dairy industry, it has a very negative effect on the environment. They feed cows an expensive and enormous amount of grain that can be used to feed many humans. All of these billions of animals create a dangerous amount of untreated waste and methane, leading to contaminated air and water supplies. A person can’t possibly consider themself an environmentalist without becoming vegan, because veganism has been proven to be much safer for the environment.
A person who is considering veganism might be intimidated at the thought of giving up milk and cheese. Once we became vegan, we started to experiment with different brands of soy milk and vegan cheese. Although we weren’t satisfied with the quality of some brands, we discovered some dairy-free alternatives that can easily replace the majority of bovine-produced foods. Many of these items can be found at any health food store or grocery co-op. In addition, dark leafy green vegetables, oranges, and some soy milk can provide all the calcium you need in your diet.
For more in-depth reading about the negative impact of dairy and info on dairy alternatives, you can visit: milksucks.com
Please send all correspondence to: herecomesthevegans@yahoo.com
Until next time, take care, and VEG OUT!
5 Bands To Know … According to Fringe
1. THE LOCUST - www.thelocust.com
For Fans of Mr. Bungle and synth-heavy progressive noise hardcore.
The Locust’s music is complex and fastpaced, featuring abrupt and inconsistent time-signature changes. They have a crazy stage presence, costumed in skin-tight, full body nylon suits with bug-like, mesh eye and mouth coverings. Unlike most bands, which normally have the drums set up behind the other members, the four members of The Locust are all positioned in a line at the front of the stage.
Their videos are like a crazy drug trip, with stop animated bugs and fast paced action. They’re currently on tour to support their new album “New Erections.”
2. THE FALL OF TROY - www.thefalloftroy.com
On Equal Vision Records, this experi-metal hardcore threesome from Washington is lucky enough to be supporting the Deftones on a US tour right now.
They’re new album “Manipulator” came out May 1st. It was produced by Matt Bayles (Botch, Mastodon, Isis).
This group of three boys who wrote and recorded their self-titled debut before they could legally vote and were signed to Equal Vision before they could legally drink.
In the bands bio, guitarist/vocalist Thomas Erak says ” We’re not going to conform…We’re going to play whatever kind of music we want and we don’t care what anybody says about it. I want people to take this record and I want them to manipulate it to what they think it is and make it their own.” A tad bit cliche with the whole “I do what I want and don’t care if anyone likes it” attitude, but they’re on tour with the freaking Deftones, so they must be good!
The match point is how the soothing singing voice of Thomas Erak abruptly shifts to a harsh, shrill scream throughout their songs.
3. FLYLEAF - www.flyleafmusic.com
Female fronted poppy-emotive-rock. This Texas based quintet had a radio hit with ‘All Around Me” off their debut self-titled album in 2005.
The breathy vocals, catchy hooks and moody guitars really make their songs worth listening to. For a young band (only 5 or so years old) they’ve become a decent. guilty pleasure . Past tours with Alternative heavyweights Breaking Benjamin, Staind and 3 Doors Down brought the development of a steady fan base.
Their uber radio friendly sound should keep this band from being one-hit-wonders, but without a new record since their debut in 2005 the jury is still out.
They’re currently on their “Justice & Mercy Tour”, hitting Sacramento in June.
4. HEAD AUTOMATICA - www.headautomatica.com
Ever wonder what happened to the awesome singer from GlassJAw? Well, he went soft with Head Automatica.
The band is supposedly stemmed from singer Daryl Palumbo’s interests in the hip hop and Britpop genres. Palumbo felt that the material that was inspired by these genres did not fit into Glassjaw’s spectrum and so he uses Head Automatica to feed that desire. The bands new album “Popaganda” is a very emopoppy- rocktype- thing, definitely not what you would have expected from Palumbo.
The catchy hooks, simple guitars, and very British Ska like sound aren’t really my cup of tea, but Daryl’s diverse vocals and personal lyrics are what make this band one you should definitely know about.
5. MATT AND KIM - www.mattandkimmusic.com
As Monty Pytho would say “And now for something completely different.” This quirky punk pop duo is anything but cookie cutter. Their happyup beat tunes are perfect for road tripping or an early morning wake-up dance in the shower. They’re UBER-INDIE (if you can’t tell, UBER is my favorite word right now) and I hope they stay that way.
With simple drums and synth’s reminiscent of my old pastel colored Casio, I can’t help but shake my hips. The influence of 80’s new wave and techno seeps through in the sound, but with less hairspray and happier tones.
Matt & Kim are from Brooklyn of course, ’cause New York produces some pretty amazing/unique indie bands.
Their website seems to be the main source of their material featuring cool indie videos and homemade slideshows to their music from friends.
They’re on a tour right now, but don’t seem to be visiting Northern California any time soon.
Forward Thinking From A Backwards Mind
As of lately I’ve been thoroughly disgusted with the amount of closings throughout the country of rock, metal, and punk venues. The two biggest probably being ‘The Pound’ down on the pier in San Francisco, and the closing of CBGB’s in New York. The longevity of these clubs in certain communities really does show that the people cared and wanted more. The only problem is the cities don’t want it. They say it promotes violence, and drugs.
Do the same people closing these clubs realize that dance clubs promote more violence and drugs than any rock/metal club ever has or would? The majority of metal heads may drink and like to fight, but do they consider that closing these clubs (especially the all ages clubs) means that you put more kids out on the streets on weekend nights to do more drugs, and to commit more acts of violence? The kids that are under 21, don’t have much else to do. Trust me I remember being 16 and 17.
My friend and I were walking down J Street last Friday night coming back from Concerts in the Park, and realized that there was another dance club newly opened on J Street between 16th and 17th. The club will make money, because the dance crowd is large. The dance crowd tends to be mostly women. With women come guys fighting over the women then drugs get thrown into the mix.
I can remember going into Club Empire once and felt out of place, being a metal head. I swear I could feel eyes burning into the back of my skull.
So now all of us metal heads and punks have resorted to going to dive bars and drinking, when we could be doing something much more productive with our time-like going to a show to support local music Don’t get me wrong, I love going out and talking to hot women dressed up with their little tattoo’s and belly buttons pierced just as much as the next guy, I’m just tired of seeing venues that bring good music to the masses get closed.
Anyone that’s over 21 is stuck with either driving their happy asses all the way to Orangevale to the Boardwalk (not exactly known for its wonderful sound) or staying downtown hoping and praying a good show pops up somewhere like Wilimenias in old Sac, or the Blue Lamp.
Recently there has been a string of halfway decent shows popping up downtown, including one on May 12th at the Blue Lamp. If you like good Rock & Roll, that’s the place to be if you’re 21 or older. Last weekend at The Town House (a relic of sorts), was Will Haven, The Radio Life (Shortie re-incarnated with a bit of a different sound), and The Snobs. The crowd didn’t get there until almost 11:30. By the time Will Haven came on, I was pretty well sloshed, but still rocked my arse off. I don’t know when the next chance to rock my arse off will be.
Speaking of the Boardwalk though, has anyone seen the line-ups for their summer gigs, holy bejesus, I haven’t seen so much Death Metal since the Anal Cunt/ Six Feet Under days when they were nice and popular.
My roots stem originally from Motley Crue, Ozzy, Aerosmith, and Guns ‘N Roses for the most part, and I’m getting to the point again where I feel that good old fashioned dirty-ass Rock & Roll is a whole lot more fun. As much as I love metal, I would still like to see a more eclectic range of bands this summer out of the Boardwalk. Maybe I can just hope and pray that my words reach the few powerful bookers out there and we get some good rock shows downtown so I don’t have to worry about driving all the way to Orangevale.
I sit downtown at bars, and I talk to people, and I realize that I’m not the only one out there has these sentiments and our pain needs to be heard. We need to storm these cities and burn crosses to get our point across (well maybe not burn crosses, but you get my point.)
Well until next time kids where you can expect a nice large article, hear my prayers to the Metal God’s, and never let metal die.
Eightfourseven: Silent Raid
This third independent release from the Sacramento homeboys actually came out in April of 2006.
It was produced by Eric Stenmen (Will Haven, Revolution Smile, Death Valley High). Strong melodies and haunting vocals, dance over the beautifully technical guitars. With hints of keyboards, symphonies, , and some static noise, the cd is very eclectic without taking you too far off path.
Musically and vocally it’s without fault. Radio friendly, but without the radio cookie cutter-ness. Very ethereal and moody. After listening to the entire collection of songs four times I find myself singing along (even if I am singingthe wrong words). The song Quaalude, starts out with some distorted screaming, a drum machine-esque beat, and some funky sounds.
