13 Day Mission, Sorry No Ferrari, Ahleuchatistas @ Drunken Unicorn - 03-27-08
Friday, March 28, 2008
13 Day Mission
Ahleuchatistas
Sorry no Ferrari
To start, this is by far the best show I have attended as well as my band has performed so far this year. It will definitely be high on the list of 'most excellent shows 2008' throughout the year as well.
As I said, 13 Day Mission dominated. So far this year we have had technical difficulties almost every show, and while the audience probably had no idea, our set suffered because of it. This time, no technical difficulties, no bad stage sound, just straight up awesomeness. The sound guy Chad at Drunken Unicorn always does a great job and we were definitely happy about the outcome. The crowd response was excellent and I think people were actually 'getting it'.
13DM
The last time we saw Sorry No Ferrari was actually the last time we performed with them, we were a two piece at the time and did another Stickfigure show at the Eyedrum in Atlanta. That show they set up on stage with another band and they would rotate playing after every song. This time SNF were able to play their set in its entirety. These guys dropped a few songs on us and then announced they would play their last song after having been on stage only about 15 minutes...I knew what was going to happen based on their promo's earlier...THE PROG ROCK EPIC! SNF bobbed and weaved their way through 17 minutes of post rock mathy tapping looping craziness with great precision. It was great to see them perform again and they did so with confidence and excellence.
SNF
Now for my personal favorite part, Ahleuchatistas. I have been listening to them for a little over two years now and have been waiting on them to hit up Atlanta so I could catch the performance. Little did I know that when that time came we would also be performing with them, something I could only dream of. These guys bent and warped my brain for almost an hour. The guitar riffs are all over the place, the bass lines are huge, and the drums are so fast and clean. Watching them start every song was like watching them all fall into line every time, no counting, just magic synchronization. What I really enjoy about this band is the sounds they are able to create individually and as a whole without using any effects outside of a volume pedal and reverb built into their amplifiers. The songs swell from quiet to overwhelming with the quickness, then right back to some off time signature flawlessly. The bands performance was very solid and I am happy that I was finally able to witness it in live action.
Ahleuchatistas
Overall an incredible evening of instrumental rock, anyone who was there will agree with me and anyone who missed it, missed something special happen in the universe for the few hours that we spent together inside the venue.
-bp
Labels: ShowReviews
posted by Conqueror @ 7:15 AM,
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Fag Static, We Verses The Shark @ I Can Fly House - 03-18-08
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
http://www.myspace.com/weversustheshark
http://www.myspace.com/quakerguns
Last night I went out to the I Can Fly House for the first time. This is just a house in Atlanta where the tenants throw house shows occasionally. I was going to see this band from Brazil that I have been talking to called Debate, unfortunately they had some family things to tend to back in Brazil and have gone back ending their tour.
Starting things off was Fag Static. I was pretty excited to get some video footage, but the venue is just so loud(being that the band is just set up in the dining room), my camera kept shutting off because it was shaking from so much bass. Fag Static is four guys dominating some heavy indie rock. The bass and guitar played off each other with harmonics and such keeping my ears peaked. The sound of the bass was incredible, I was really impressed with the tones he was getting from his setup. The drummer beat the hell out of his kit for the entire set, definitely surprised me as I am used to having to tolerate less than par drummers just holding a beat down. A really good performance from these guys and I would definitely like to see them again if not play a show with them.
I have been listening to We Verses the Shark for a few months now via myspace, I heard about them through Cinemechanica. Their recordings are definitely good jams but the live show is a whole other level of awesomeness. Again the bass players tone for this group was really good. He also had a keyboard that he rock a few times and it sounded pretty awesome in the mix. There were three guitarist switching in and out the whole set, one of which apparently was just on tour with them recently subbing for one of the regulars. On drums was a crazy dude that just pounded away the whole set. He actually took a break for one song and was on vocals. He ended up outside on the front porch screaming his brains out while the band rocked out inside, very cool.
After they finished I left, not that I did not want to see the next two bands, but it was already pretty late and I was spent. I met a couple of cool people and other members of bands that I had seen perform before which was a nice networking level up, and overall the event was a success.
- Bret Phillips
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posted by Conqueror @ 8:29 AM,
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13 Day Mission, Beatrix Kiddo, Goodbye Donovan, Miles from Pangaea @ The Warehouse - 03-15-08
Monday, March 17, 2008
HIJACKING MUSIC PRESENTS:
13 Day Mission
Beatrix Kiddo
Goodbye Donovan
Miles from Pangaea
In route to The Warehouse, Chris, the drummer for Beatrix Kiddo, was in a car accident. He is OK, his car is trashed, and he was unable to make it to the show. Leaving three bands on the bill.
Up first was Goodbye Donovan. This four piece, with Wes from Beatrix on bass, played some indie, poppy, rock for us. They brought it to another level though. All of the musicians are very talented and the song writing, though familiar, was very strong and the players of it very tight. Wes beats up the bass all the time, it was cool to see him rocking a different flavor of bass lines. The guitarist held it down with the basics until the band would let him have at it. At that point he ripped it up with some blues solo licks only to fade back into the music shortly after. The front man, or woman I should say, did a great job leading. Her voice sounds smooth and fresh over the music, and she sings on key while also playing some guitar. The drummer beat it down the whole set, between songs letting himself go, then holding down the ones and twos with the whole band. Excellent showing from Goodbye Donovan this night.
Goodbye Donovan
We(13 Day Mission) took the stage next. Since Wes borrowed my gear I had nothing to set up and was ready to rock. As well, because Beatrix was unable to perform, we had Taylor(guitarist from Beatrix) jam on stage with us for two songs before we started our set, and it was good. Our set was smooth, NO technical difficulties for the first time this year. The sound was ok on stage, I could barely hear the drums if I was not facing them, but overall not too bad. No idea how it sounded in the crowd, but if it was anything like the other bands, it was not too bad. I can not understand these places with huge 18's all over the floors that have NO kick drum pumping through...come on dudes, fire those bad boys up! Lennys is the same way.
13 Day Mission - Fear Dims the Sunlight(minus about 20 seconds of the begining)
Headlining was an old favorite Miles from Pangaea. These guys are getting better and better with each performance. Dave picked up a new amp(fender hotrod deluxe...in all white...VERY sexy) and a new pedal. His tone definitely was different than when he played through the marshal head, but it was still very under control and spaced out like he does. Frank on bass seems to be better now that his finger has healed from slamming it in a door post Athens show, and his sound was coming through strong. Jared played very well and having Jack(drummer from Ship to Shore) on stage for the final song as some extra percussion was awesome.
Miles from Pangaea - Cosmic Shores
- Bret Phillips
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posted by Conqueror @ 5:24 AM,
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The Human Abstract, August Burns Red @ Masquerade 03-13-08
Friday, March 14, 2008
http://www.myspace.com/thehumanabstract
http://www.myspace.com/augustburnsred
There were more bands on the bill for this evening, but I went to see The Human Abstract, and stayed for the next band August Burns Red.
The Human Abstract ripped it up as the opening band. This is the second stellar metal group that has come to the MASQ this year and played first. Protest the Hero being the other, unfortunately I missed that show :(. I was sad to see them perform post A.J. Minette, but this new Tapley guy is a pretty big guitar badass as well. He and Dean did a very solid job of harmonies and solos, Brett on drums destroyed the whole time, I was very happy to see him perform. He thinks outside the box and manages to keep the metal drumming on point. Nordeen on bass was a pretty big presence, most of the time I could not hear anything he was doing though, same for the keyboardist that was with them. The vocalist did a great job the whole time, it has to be a bitch to actually try and sing in tune after screaming your head off, but he went back and forth through both really well. It was great to finally see The Human Abstract live and I look forward to their return, hopefully as a headliner for their own tour.
This was the first time I had heard of and seen August Burns Red. The first thing that comes to mind is BREAKDOWNS. This music was almost entirely breakdowns. Fortunately the musicians were all very talented so they made breakdowns OK. Instead of your typical terrible metal band breakdown, they just let some of the guys hold the breakdown and some of the guys rip up their instruments. I enjoyed their set and they definitely got the crowd moving which was great. Some kids actually were making contact in the pit too, definitely something you do not see at the regular local shows.
- Bret Phillips
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posted by Conqueror @ 8:57 AM,
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Pelican, Black Cobra, Unearthly Trance @ Drunken Unicorn - 03-12-08
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Pelican
Black Cobra
Unearthly Trance
I showed up for this show with lots of promotional material for my own 13 Day Mission show happening at Drunken Unicorn later in the month. Doing so got me into the venue for free, and two big X's on the back of my hands. I missed the first two bands because I was over at Lenny's Bar checking out the HIJACKING MUSIC crew.
The headliner was Pelican, and they were pretty good. Their version of post rock meets metal with some good math in there really got me jamming. The sound was very tight, you can definitely tell they have been playing together for a long time. I was very impressed with their ability to keep the flow of a song extremely slow and somewhat quite, then blast into a massive drone of heavy riffs before I even knew what was going on. They reminded me of Explosions in the Sky but with a more metal and math edge. The show was excellent and I look forward to seeing them again.
- Bret Phillips
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posted by Conqueror @ 9:18 PM,
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Beatrix Kiddo, Miles from Pangaea, Chopper @ Lennys - 03-12-08
Beatrix Kiddo
Chopper
Miles from Pangaea
Back to typical O Team fashion, we arrived late to Lennys and missed Beatrix Kiddo. When I walked up I saw Wes from Beatrix standing outside, I say "whats up!", he says "tired...sigh"...and I knew we missed it :(. So unfortunately nothing to report about these guys. The word on the street is the performance was excellent, the word from the band is they could not hear themselves.
Also upon arrival I realized I had left my wallet at home. No money, NO ID. Fortunately the door guy at Lennys recognizes me now so I do not get ID'd when I go in there(I left my card there at the bar after our last show. When I came to get it the next day he was there and apparently also uses Regions for his banking and we chatted about the cards. The lady at the bar also gave me 2 condoms along with my card). But he only accepts CASH so we had to leave and get some cash from an ATM. When we arrived back Miles was starting to play. The last time I saw them play they were all kind of drunk and the set was good, very live, but sloppy. This time everything was very tight. The sound was great, all the levels were good, and the guys just jammed out their set without any flaws that I could hear. They dropped some new tunes on us as well and I captured a few on video.
Promising Sunshine
We had to leave after their set and were unable to catch Chopper. We left to go to the Black Cobras/Pelican show at the Drunken Unicorn and pass out some flyers for the 13 Day Mission show coming up at the Drunken Unicorn. Sorry chopper, but we will catch you soon!
Bret
Labels: ShowReviews
posted by Conqueror @ 8:56 AM,
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Sia @ Variety Playhouse - 03-10-08
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
http://www.myspace.com/siamusic
I have been listening to a group by the name of Zero 7 for many years now, and one of the vocalists they feature on their albums is Sia. I have always been a huge fan of her sound and was very excited to get to see her perform as her with her solo project.
We arrived to the show after the opening, Har Mar Superstar, so not much to say about them unfortunately. We picked up some drinks and made our way down. For starters, a family with a new baby was at the show...with the baby...strapped to the mothers back. I did mention that I would bring my baby, if I had one, and I would stick that sucker on the front so they could see the performance with lights all all. The baby did okay but eventually started crying and had to leave, I hope that means it did not like the show. Now onto the performance.
Sia and her band came on to the stage dressed in costume as cartoonish characters with smiley faces. They immediately went into the song "Buttons" and all acted extra animated which was great with the costumes.
Not from the Atlanta show..."Buttons"
After that song they removed the costumes and proceeded to play their jams. Sia's voice is incredible to say the least, she has so much control over it and her quirkiness blends into her performance creating a very strong since of her own style. The band was also very talented, they executed very well staying on point the entire night.
They flowed through mostly her own catalog but they did drop three Zero 7, Pageant of the Bizzare, which they learned at sound check that day and is one of my favorite songs of off The Garden, Destiny, one of my favorite songs off of Simple Things, and finished the night with Summersault...another favorite from When it Falls.
The lights and props, the costumes, the music, all of it was great. Sia has a really good tour going on right now and the place was packed out. I am glad to see that she is finally getting recognition and am stoked for the next time she returns, hopefully sometime with Zero 7!
- Bret
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posted by Conqueror @ 8:36 AM,
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Happy 311 Day!!! 3-11-08
In celebration of 311 day, here are some of my favorite 311 songs via youtube. I would really like to have a good version of 8:16 AM but was unable to find one :(
Beautiful Disaster
first song I ever learned on bass ever - Applied Science
Use of Time
All 311 is pretty much my favorite up through the Transistor album, after that their shit gets a little less awesome, but still solid music.
- Bret
Labels: Song of the Week
posted by Conqueror @ 8:20 AM,
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13 Day Mission, Fight Amp, The Blood Vessels, Light Pupil Dilate @ Lennys Bar, Atlanta GA - 03-06-08
Friday, March 7, 2008
13 Day Mission
Fight Amp
The Blood Vessels
Light Pupil Dilate
Last night was a great evening full of live music at Lenny’s Bar in Atlanta. Four bands were on the schedule and every one of them had lots of talent in their own rights. We arrived at the venue right around 7:00pm and said hello to the members of Light Pupil Dilate who also showed up on time for load in. Soon after Fight Amputation pulled into the parking lot and we all chatted for a bit about Fight Amp’s tour beginning while trying to figure out the load in procedure. Last to arrive at the venue was Blood Vessels and it was time for the evening to begin. After everyone loaded in and sound check was complete it was almost time for the music to begin. First on the stage was 13DM.
It never fails that I get nervous prior to every show, although I chalk that up to excitement more so than stage fright. The set started off very smooth with everyone exerting large amounts of energy while letting the music permeate from our souls. There were a few technical difficulties; the guitar amps fading in and out due to a failed wire, and the kick drum moving away from my double kick pedal due to the fact I forgot to tighten the clamp (whoops), and the low end bass coming unplugged for a short time...as Chris stated "if we didn't have technical difficulties we wouldn't be a band". Overall we felt awesome about our performance, everything sounded great on stage and the reviews from the crowd say the same. Hopefully the crowd enjoyed our energy and fed off of it for the rest of the evening.
13 Day Mission - 001(most of it :) )
Next to take the stage was Fight Amputation. These guys, and girl, are a four piece from New Jersey that is making their rounds touring the southern US. Their music was very powerful and in your face for the entire set. Both guitarists and the bass player all took turns on the mic screaming intensely to match the level of the music. I could not hear the lyrics or the separation of the different instruments very well due to the acoustics of Lenny’s. The band still sounded great on stage, but with some tweaking and better acoustics the sound would have been that much more powerful. The band was really into their music and the crowd was jamming. I personally liked the sound theY was create and wish them luck on their future tour dates.
Fight Amp - The camera kept failing so not too much footage from these guys :(
Third in the line up to display their talent as musicians was Blood Vessels. From what I understand these guys have not been playing together very long and only had a limited amount of material to present to the crowd, but what was present was very well done for such a short time together as a band. I could tell there was some uncomfortable moments during their set due to the limited practice time they have had together, but they did a great job on stage. The sound for this band was a bit clearer, and you could hear the different instruments a lot more distinctly. This could be due to the nature of the music being a bit more laid back and less distorted than the other bands playing, or it could be that they are very good at leveling out their gear. The lead singer/guitarist did a decent job as lead man, interacting with the other band members during the jamming parts of the music. The only thing I could have used more of is drumming diversity. The drummer kept the beat well and was never off with his kick and snare hits, but as a drummer, I am always looking for something more than someone just doing their job of keeping time behind the rest of the band. Good set from these guys regardless.
The Blood Vessels - IQ of 71
Finally we have Light Pupil Dilate to take the stage and rip it apart. I had previously met these guys a few weeks ago when they came to see us play at the Star Bar, but this was my first time seeing them perform and I was far from disappointed. The bass guitarist informed us earlier in the evening that he had been sick for the past week or so, but in spite of illness he pushed forward and they all put on a great show. When I talk about more than just doing your job keeping time as a drummer, Light Pupil Dilate’s drummer is the essence of non-boredom. I was very entertained watching him roll all over the kit with well timed and clean fills throughout the set. The guitarist and bass player also sounded great individually as well as how it sounded all together. The band played a total of 7 songs and every single one of them was written to tear your face off. The execution of the ownage was very well done and the stage presence of each member was stellar.
Light Pupil Dilate - Twinkly
Overall the evening was filled with great music and good times with the crowd and other bands attending the show. I look forward to seeing where all of these bands go in the future and possibly playing another show with any of the bands that performed last evening.
- Steven "oriax" Mosley
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posted by oriax @ 8:16 AM,
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RHYMESKI!
Saturday, March 1, 2008
The video below is "Mutescreamer" by Beans, an emcee formerly of the underground rap group Antipop Consortium. The track is featured in DJ Shadow's BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix, released via his website in limited edition as Diminishing Returns.
I saw Beans perform live a few years back when he opened for post-rock gods Tortoise. His performance was raw-- he rapped over DAT beats or a cappella-- but it was memorable. The video only hints at Beans' prowess as an emcee; he is one who is blessed with both wit and flow, a welcome change to the formulaic rhyme-sayers flooding popular radio, which needs more artists like him and less like Soulja Boy.
Labels: Song of the Week
posted by MICHAEL aka MIKEY aka THE O @ 10:28 AM,
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