With my ears still ringing and the bass creeping through my bones I’ve decided to write about the show I went to see last night. When I first came across the tickets I told myself I wasn’t going to review it. I hate going to shows and feeling like I should be taking notes. It hangs over your head sometimes, it really does. And I would rather drink a few beers and throw myself bodily into the music. But now, the next day, I feel as if I have to share. Sometimes I just hate that urge to write.
The opening line up included Tulsa screamer band Violence to Vegas: (Jack Williams- vocals, Brennan McDonald – bass, James Jestice – guitar, Leif West – guitar, Matt Barrett – drums. One girl on the bar particularly seemed to enjoy them quite a bit. Especially when the singer leaned over the rail and got so close to her she had to squat down or have her ear drums burst by his screaming in her face. For a second it looked as if she might faint from groupie happiness. Though I didn’t enjoy their music so much, I did enjoy all the energy they put into their performance. It’s hard not to have a good time when a band is going all out for you.
Faktion (Aaron Pose - vocals, Marshall Dutton - guitar, Josh Franklin - guitar, Jeremy Coan - bass, Jeremy Moore - drums) was up next. I have to say, for me anyway, the highlight of their set was when they played AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long” because classic rock ’n’ roll never goes out of style.
Course of Nature (Mark Wilkerson – vocals and guitar, Sean Kipe – guitar, Jackson Eppley – bass, Shane Lenzen O’Connell – drums) is touring and promoting their newest release Damaged. It’s only their second album; their first one was released in 2002. That’s a pretty big gap but the lead singer explained it away by saying first they were a band, then they weren’t a band, and now they are a band again. I guess it all works out in the end though.
The opening bands were a bit (ok, I hate to be mean but more than a bit) generic. While the music they played was good it all lacked that original spark, something purely just them or new. It all felt like rehashed scream-o or rock for the 1980s and 1990s. Sure you can move around to it and enjoy it live but when it comes down to buying an album you’re going to pass.
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