North Carolina’s rock fans got an early Christmas present when 106.5 The End, a radio station based in Charlotte, had their 18th annual Not So Acoustic Christmas on Friday. This year played host to openers Churchill and Breaking Laces followed by the Sick Puppies as the headliners.
First up were Denver, CO natives, Churchill. The five-piece brought something new and different to the rock stage, incorporating a ukulele and keyboard in most of their songs. The main role of the vocalist switched back and forth between lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist, Tim Bruns, and vocalist/keyboardist, Bethany Kelly, adding even more variety to their sound. Bruns made sure to keep things interesting by climbing onto the speakers and onto the pit railing, keeping the crowd on their toes wondering what he would do next. Even though they had more of a softer sound, the crowd was very responsive to them and they kicked the show off to a good start. If you are interested in hearing their sound you can check out their EP “Change.”
Next up were acoustic rockers Breaking Laces. This Brooklyn-based trio continued to keep up the crowd’s energy with their many quips and anecdotes. Before almost every song, lead singer and guitarist Willem Hartong would share little stories about his inspiration for the songs, including the time he was a Boy Scout (“I Used to be a Boy Scout”) and how a friend of his had a second family that his wife didn’t know about, which is a big “no-no.” Breaking Laces kept the crowd in tune to the music and set them up perfectly for the headliners coming up soon after.
Finally Sick Puppies take the stage. From the moment drummer, Mark Goodwin took his seat behind his drums the crowd was screaming and cheering with excitement. Vocalist and guitarist Shim Moore and Bassist Emma Anzai then joined Mark on the stage and they opened with their song “Wars” which got the entire audience jumping and rocking out. They continued through their set playing hits like “My World,” “Riptide,” “Odd One,” and “Maybe.” Moore made sure to keep the crowd involved, asking how they were feeling and having them sing lyrics back to him. He started out the hit song “All The Same” by having the audience raise both hands in the air and then dropping them down slowly to the side, resulting in them having their arms around the people next to them. He did the same for another song, but instead of having the audience drop their arms to the side, he had them drop them in front and they ended up using the person in front of them to push off when Moore had everyone jump up and down. Needless to say, everyone seemed to get pretty comfortable with the people around them after that. The Sick Puppies also treated the audience to their rendition of Destiny Child’s “Say My Name” as well breaking out into the musical riffs of Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name” and “Bulls On Parade.” They did not play any new songs from their upcoming album but Shim did talk about the writing process, mentioning that the album was supposed to be released this year but they decided to hold off on releasing it until next year to make it the best they could for their fans. The night ended with an encore of “You’re Going Down” and after their set, the Sick Puppies made their way to the merch table to meet their fans and sign autographs.
Based on the excitement of the audience after the show, it's safe to say that it was a success. Be sure to stay on the lookout for SIck Puppies' new album dropping sometime next year.
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