Uproar Festival a Smash Hit in Mansfield

The 2013 edition of Rockstar Energy Drink’s Uproar Festival has been a much debated one. Some people love the line-up, some people hate it. Given that this year’s line-up isn’t quite as heavy as years passed, a lot of people were reluctant to buy tickets, and those people missed out big time. With the focus more on the alternative rock side, this year’s festival was a bit different, but not at all in a bad way.

The day kicked off with a bang, featuring an outstanding performance by Canadian rockers Danko Jones. The band, named after frontman Danko Jones, plays a loud brand of rock n' roll that would make an awesome soundtrack to any party. Jones interacted spectacularly with the crowd as he and his band rolled through a set of songs that had people jumping, dancing, and singing along.

Not long after came a band with a much different sound, but a similar partying attitude. Alt rockers New Politics took the stage led by vocalist David Boyd, who put on quite the interesting display. Boyd spent the entire set either jumping around on speakers or break dancing on stage, pulling off several back flips, handstands, and even a headstand. The band played their hot new single “Harlem” which you may or may not have heard yet, but chances are if you haven’t, you will soon.

Up next were blues rockers Beware of Darkness. The band created a buzz with their odd stage behavior and vocals, but it really seemed to work for them. They belted out several hard rocking tunes, including “Howl” which may be in the running for best outright rock and roll song of 2013.

Middle Class Rut was the next band to take the stage, and gave arguably the best performance of the side stage bands. A duo in the studio, their live sound is expanded quite a bit, including a percussionist that plays a beer keg as a drum on stage. Middle Class Rut even got a pretty good mosh pit going during their set. Highlights included the rocking songs “Busy Being Born” and “New Low”.

The side stages closed out with a couple of up and coming super groups. First up were the Dead Daisies featuring former INXS and Noiseworks vocalist Jon Stevens, 

current Guns N’ Roses members Richard Fortus and Dizzy Reed, and rounded out by Marco Mendoza and Alex Carapetis. The band’s years of rock experience were felt throughout their set, showcasing a sound that blends classic rock and modern rock into a finely tuned output.

Finally on the side stage was Seattle super group Walking Papers. The line-up consists of former Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan, Screaming Trees and Mad Season drummer Barrett Martin, and Seattle music titans Jeff Angell and Ben Anderson. Walking Papers’ strength is in their lyrical content and songwriting. With plenty of experience for them as well, the music translated very well onstage and served as the perfect precursor to what was coming on the main stage.

Progressive Rockers Circa Survive kicked things off on the main stage. Their ambient and experimental sound caught several people off guard and left many in the crowd wanting to know more about this band.

Next up were concept rockers Coheed and Cambria, currently touring in support of their two albums released this year. Vocalist/guitarist Claudio Sanchez is one of the more interesting personalities in modern rock with his trademark hairstyle and high vocals. To close their set, Sanchez brought out a gorgeous double neck guitar to play one of the best guitar riffs of the 21st century in “Welcome Home”.

Things got strange, as they always do, when Jane’s Addiction took the stage. The duo of Perry Farrell and Dave Navarro is one of the best vocalist/guitarist duo’s of this era. Their stage show is always interesting, including flying women in dresses, topless mannequins, and a spectacular light show. The band rolled through a set of 90’s classics before Perry Farrell teased the crowd about leaving, only to return for the classic “Jane Says” which was greatly appreciated by the crowd.

Finally it was time for the headline act to hit the stage--grunge legends Alice In Chains. The re-invented rockers who came storming back onto

the scene in 2009 with the hit album Black Gives Way to Blue are supporting their latest release The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here. Kicking the set off with the current single from that album, “Stone”, AIC showed that they are not just another 90’s nostalgia act, they are here and here to stay. Throughout the 13 song set Alice in Chains rattled off classic hit after classic hit, such as “Them Bones”, “Man in the Box”, “We Die Youg” “Down in a Hole” “Would?”, and “Rooster”. Also included were new AIC classics like “Check My Brain” and “Last of My Kind”. Many bands whose initial success came in the 1990’s fail to live up to their past days. Alice In Chains is not one of those bands. The new era AIC material stacks up just as well, sometimes even better, than the classics. Their set had the crowd in awe of the sheer talent the four members of this band have. Alice In Chains wrapped up a great day of music with a spectacular performance that was indeed worthy of the headlining slot.

Uproar Festival as a whole was a major success in my eyes. Sure it didn’t have the punch packing hard rock and metal of years past, but if that’s what you’re looking for, there’s always Mayhem Festival. Uproar Festival showcased some wonderfully talented acts on its side stage; don’t be surprised to hear a lot more from several of those bands very soon.

Wilson, American Fangs Take Cambridge on a Wild Ride

Something I have always believed is that the thing that separates great bands from good bands is live performance. If that’s true then Michigan rock outfit Wilson is destined to be a great band. Wilson was in Cambridge, MA for a late afternoon show at the Middle East Rock Club on Thursday and put on an amazing live spectacle.

The band’s debut album – which was just released – is entitled “Full Blast Fuckery”, and honestly that’s a perfect description of Wilson. These guys go full blast and then some. With some killer riffs, and a bearded madman by the name of Chad Nicefield on vocals the recipe for a high energy rock show was perfect. Nicefield jumped all around the stage and even off of it a few times.

Wilson showed off their latest single “College Gangbang” as well as other stellar material from their debut album such as “If You Ever Leave Me, I Will Find You” and the raucous tune “Snake Eyes”. Wilson’s set closing performance of “Snake Eyes” included Nicefield storming into the crowd, bass drum strapped to his chest with the word “Fuckery” written on it. As Nicefield pounded the drum the song, which is already great on the album, took on a whole new energy level.

That’s part of what makes a band like Wilson so special, their live show significantly expands on the songs found on their album. That’s what live shows are for, bringing a new energy to your songs. If you wanted to hear an exact note for note rendition of your favorite song you can

go see a cover band or listen on iTunes. But for a barn burning live performance you want something fresh, and that’s exactly what Michigan’s bearded rockers Wilson bring to you.

Prior to Wilson’s set another exceptional live band hit the stage, American Fangs. The Houston based band carries a unique sound that blends punk, blues and hard rock. With music that makes you want to move, that’s exactly what vocalist Gabriel Cavazos does. Dancing all over the stage, adding a fun atmosphere to their set, the Cambridge crowd ate it up.

Many in attendance weren’t familiar with American Fangs prior to the show, but several were spotted leaving with the band’s album in hand. The high energy single “Pomona” gave fans a chance to dance while rocking out. With plenty of other cuts from their album such as “Le Kick” and “Gimme, Gimme” fans had good reason for picking up the album to see what else this talented young band has in store for them.

Both bands showcased what is good about modern music, that while the stuff on the radio and in the arenas might be getting stale and overdone, there is spectacular, loud, fun, ballsy rock n roll being played in small clubs all across the country. To see these great bands, along with the others on the tour package, check the dates below for a venue near you. If you’re a fan of true rock n roll like me you won’t regret spending the small money for a ticket to this tour.

8/16 – Stanhope, NJ – Stanhope House

8/18 – Casbah @ Tremont – Charlotte, NC

8/20 – New Brookland Tavern – Columbia, SC

8/21 – The Venue – Douglasville, GA

8/22 – The End – Nashville, TN

8/23 – Kobe Live – Columbus, OH

8/24 – Penny Road Pub – Barrington, IL

8/25 – Mojoe’s – Joliet, IL

8/26 – The Warehouse – LaCrosse, WI

8/27 – Nether Bar – Mill City Lights, MN

8/28 – Fubuar – St. Louis, MO

8/30 – Black Sheep – Colorado Springs, CO

8/31 – Marquis Theatre – Denver, CO

9/1 – Burt’s Tiki Lounge – Salt Lake City, UT

9/2 – The Shredder – Boise, ID

9/4 – The Alley – Sparks, KY*

9/6 – The Boardwalk – Orangevale, CA*

9/7 – Backstage Bar – Las Vegas, NV*

9/8 – Chain Reaction – Anaheim, CA*

* - No American Fangs

Avenged Sevenfold Close out Pennsylvania's Musik Fest with a Bang

Avenged Sevenfold made their highly anticipated return recently with a brand new single, the title track off of their upcoming album Hail to the King. The California metal giants are back out on the road in support of the August 23rd release, and we were there to check out the band when they stopped at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania's Musik Fest to close out the week long festival alongside Fight or Flight and Mindset Evolution.

Mindset Evolution kicked off the evening early with a short but sweet set filled with tracks off of their upcoming debut Brave, Bold, and Broken. Having seen these guys quite a bit recently, it was no surprise that they

did a killer job of warming the crowd up for the band's to follow. "Sing" and "Burn It Down" had everyone moving along with the band's blend of aggressive and melodic sound.

Fight or Flight were up next to give Musik Fest their first taste of the band's live show, featuring members of Disturbed and Evans Blue. Playing through most of their debut release A Life By Design?. Powerful vocals from Dan Chandler and energetic riffs from Dan Donegan on their first single "First of the Last" had transformed the entire audience into fans of the new band by the time they left the stage to let Avenged Sevenfold close out the night.

The instant the lights dimmed and the intro music started blasting the eager Bethlehem crowd erupted. Anticipation rose as we waited for the band to take the stage, with new drummer Arin Llejay taking the stage first, followed by guitarists Zacky Vengeance and Synyster Gates, bassist Johnny Christ, and front man M. Shadows.

Backed by an enormous deathbat and scorching pyro, they wasted no time jumping right into things, kicking off their set with "Critical Acclaim," "Beast and the Harlot," and "Welcome to the Family". Flames and fireballs shot out from the wings of the deathbat while the band delivered crushing riffs and intense vocals. M. Shadows didn't let fans off the hook at the entirely seated pavilion, asking the crowd if they still thought they were at the previous night's Ke$ha show and making sure everyone figured out a way to mosh and crowd surf despite the chairs.

Fans sang along to "Almost Easy" and "Nightmare," their loud voices audible no matter how loud the metal got. Hauntingly beautiful switched up the tone of the night for a few minutes as Avenged began "Fiction," drawing out massively loud chants of "Jimmy! Jimmy!" in memory of the band's late drummer Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan. Backed by The Rev's vocals, the lighter track sent a chill down my spine.

Things kicked into full power once again for "Nightmare". Fans truly lost it on this one, shouting along on the aggressive verses and of course head-banging along to Synyster Gates' mind blowing guitar solo. Next up came new song "Hail to the King", which sounded even better live than recorded. "Chapter Four" marked the end of the band's set, who returned a few moments later to finish the night with a band on their two song encore. I thought the night was over when they finished up "Bat Country", but they closed up with older track "Unholy Confessions", an unexpected and welcome surprise. 

Fireworks shot into the air at the end of their awesomely theatrical set, and at just 10pm, it was time to say goodbye to Musik Fest until next year with the festival's own amazing fireworks display.

Havok Bring the Thrash to Boston

Denver thrash metallers Havok brought their “Unnatural Selection” tour to Church of Boston on Thursday night. Typically a thrash metal band playing in a church would be a dream come true for heavy metal fans. Although Church of Boston isn’t an actual church, but instead a cleverly named nightclub, the show still played out like any metal fan’s dream.

While seeing veteran metal bands in big venues and stadiums is an exhilarating feeling, there is still something to be said about the feeling you get from a hard hitting thrash metal show in a small nightclub that runs late into the night. That’s exactly what Havok gave Boston on Thursday.

The mosh pits were going all night through local openers such as Wrathsputin and the heavily talented Black Mass. Things kicked into high gear when Lich King took the stage to play Boston for the first time in two years. By the time Havok took the stage, it was an all out metalhead’s paradise.

Havok balanced their setlist well, playing tracks off of all three of their full length albums. Songs like “Scumbag in Disguise,” “I am the State," and “D.O.A” had the crowd moving throughout the night. The band’s set was a perfect display of how much fun small venue metal shows can be.

Their live show brings to mind those of classic thrash bands and legends such as Anthrax. Drummer Pete Webber was a force on his large double-bass drum kit that took up a good portion of the stage, while vocalist David Sanchez was playing to the crowd throughout the set and getting them going for the duration of Havok’s time on stage.

Ted Nugent Turns it Up in Boston

Controversial rocker Ted Nugent makes a lot of noise wherever he goes, both literally and figuratively. After dealing with protestors in New Haven, CT the night before, Nugent’s “Black Power” tour rolled into Boston’s House of Blues for a hard rocking show. This time there were no protestors, just fans of the classic rock icon. The always outspoken Nugent voiced his opinion on many subjects throughout the night, including the NSA, hunting, and President Obama.

Aside from social commentary from Uncle Ted, he also provided some pretty radical rock n’ roll. With barn burners like “Gonzo” and “Wango Tango” early in the set, the show was in high gear almost immediately. Nugent also paid tribute to his blues heroes as he played parts of Willie Dixon’s “I Can’t Quit You Baby” and “Red House,” originally by Jimi Hendrix. A new addition to the set on this year’s tour was “Queen of the Forest,” a song the Nugent hasn’t played live in decades.

Nugent’s tribute to the late legendary outdoorsman “Fred Bear” brought out the vocalists in the crowd who were elated to hear the fan favorite. Nugent closed his set with perhaps the best one-two setlist punch being played today. First came “Cat Scratch Fever,” immediately followed by “Stranglehold” for about 13 minutes of blistering, nasty, rock n’ roll.

Nugent’s setlist came in at only 15 songs, but the set time lasted over an hour and half. Nugent and his band bring their songs to life by delivering new, extended jam versions of nearly every song on the set. That type of live performance is a rarity today when many acts just go out and regurgitate their recordings.

Nugent’s guitar tone throughout the night was flawless, as were the smooth vocals provide by Derek St. Holmes, who continues to prove why he is one of the most underrated vocalists of the past 40 years. The band’s sound was tight and loud--everything you’d want from a rock n’ roll show. Nugent’s political views kept a lot of people away in a state like Massachusetts, but for those who either agree with him, or were willing to put them aside for the music, Wednesday’s show was a true treat, a night of solid, loud rock n’ roll that would leave no fan disappointed.

Opening the show was Aussie rocker Laura Wilde, whose blues influenced rock n’ roll served as a spectacular precursor to Nugent’s set. Her energy and vocals combined with killer guitar skills wowed the crowd. Wilde played some great original material and even rocked out an awesome cover of AC/DC’s “Jailbreak." Her stage presence and stunning good looks didn’t hurt at all either.

95 X-Fest Rocks Syracuse with Adam Gontier, Trapt, Otherwise, & More

Upstate New York has had no shortage of rock over the past few weeks, with Krockathon, Bonzai, and of course, 95X-Fest. With over 20 bands for $20, this show boasted an incredible lineup at a steal.

Devour The Day were on early in the afternoon, one of many bands to have a shortened set time due to technical issues earlier in the day. The former Egypt Central members are fresh off of their tour with the incredible Sevendust. Their set included some grinding, heavy riffs and unstoppable energy as they rolled through "Good Man" and "Get Out of My Way."

Up next was Mindset Evolution to prove why they came out victorious in Uproar Fest's Battle of the Band's competition last year. Drummer Joey Gibbs was absolutely insane behind his kit, providing the chest pounding beats on anthemic tracks "We Are Stars" and "Sing." The set was far too short with only five songs, closing out with their hit "Burn It Down." Frontman Rob Ulrich blew me away with his raspy screams on the chorus and melodic vocals on the verses.

Consisting of members of Disturbed and Evans Blue, Fight Or Flight debuted their live show merely one week ago. They showed no signs of being a 'new' band. The members all have amazing live chemistry already. The heavy hitting set was a mix of tracks from their debut album A Life By Design?, closing out with their single "First of the Last." It was pretty evident that 95X has been spinning the song constantly since its release, with the entire audience singing along to each and every word. The songs are even better live than recorded; If you can catch a show on their current tour alongside Mindset Evolution, I would HIGHLY recommend it.

It seems like Vegas boys Otherwise are on every imaginable tour lately, currently out with Nonpoint, and out with Sevendust a few weeks back. Their live show is getting anything but boring despite the many times I've seen it. The last minute addition of the band to X-Fest was welcomed very warmly by fans, who knew every word to every song on their (also unfortunately shortened) set. Bassist V leapt into the crowd to join fans in the pit in the middle of their set, getting the crowd even further amped up. They finished things up with "Soldiers," treating fans to a duet with Girl On Fire frontman Austin Held. To make things even better, the band also brought soldiers out on stage to join them. The combination of everything made for an unbelievably memorable performance.

Continuing the nonstop rock was Trapt. With a countless number of hits under their sleeves the band had everyone going crazy for "Who's Going Home With You Tonight?" and "Bring It." Things really took off when the band played older tracks "Echo" and "Headstrong," during which not a single person was standing still.

Adam Gontier was up next, ready to bring it with a brand new band. Opinions on what to expect from Gontier's set were varied before he took the stage, unsure of what to expect from the frontman following his departure from Three Days Grace in January. Within seconds everyone was hooked. Included in the hit filled set was a medley of Three Days Grace tracks, with the rarely heard live "Bitter Taste" and "Take Me Under."

 

The newly formed band were one hundred percent in sync with one another, and as a diehard Three Days Grace fan, I have to admit that I was very impressed. As well as energetic performances of fan favourites "Animal I Have Become" and "Never Too Late," Gontier also took a few minutes to make a name for himself as a solo artist, giving fans a taste of what to expect from his new material with "Try to Catch Up With the World." To those doubtful of whether his show is worth checking out, I can assure you that his distinctive, raspy vocals and energetic stage presence make it a performance you won't want to miss.

As far as festivals go, this was one of the best of the Summer. With an unbeatable price, great venue, and amazing lineup, X-Fest made for a perfect end to the summer.