1. Tell us a little about the band; the origins, the sound, previous bands…
We’re a spirit-filled hardcore band from dallas, we play hardcore with a little thrash, a heavy dark sound with a hopeful message.
2. what do you guys represent?
Spirt-filled hardcore. We have a lot to say, whether it’s how Christians are treated or what political issues bother us.
3. is there a responsibility that comes with being a “Christian band”?
Definitely. You never know who is watching (everyone). We try as hard as possible to be Christ-like.
4. the kids these days seem to be down with dance-beats and auto-tune, is there a scene/market for thrash hardcore?
Oh yeah, for sure. It’s one of the few styles of music that is real, so much music is just superficial. People like real music.
5. seems like there are more and more bands out there trying to make it these days with the digital age and DIY recording/touring, how do you guys plan to stand out from the crowd?
Well, as hard as it is to do right now all we can do is try to be real and hope that someone notices. It helps to be a part of Strike First, though.
6. how is the scene in Texas? seems like a ton of bands coming out of there, does that help or hinder you guys?
Help! The scene in Texas is thriving again and we are glad to be able to see it grow and possibly be a part of that. We have a tough scene a lot of good heavy music.
7. do you guys try to stay with the same characters on Mario Party, or do you like to switch it up?
SAME, I (chad) am always Wario. haha
8. there are a lot of preconceived notions about hardcore music and the scene, notions about drinking and partying, anger, violence. how do you guys deal with the dark side of hardcore?
Well, we are super accepting and loving, but we stay away from [the dark side]. We are very passionate about the issues we speak of and it might come off as angry but I have had it with a lot of issues and the Bible says the violent will take it by force, so we don’t sit and watch injustice we are going to stand up for issues and maybe even change hearts, God willing.
9. what song are you guys playing for your closer?
“Anthems”. But there might be a couple of surprising songs as a finisher, too. Come to a show and find out!
10. tell me a little about the lyrical themes and ideas behind the Anthems EP?
Anthems is really a bunch of themes tied into one album. “Creation” is about the birth of my son. ”Palerose” is a bash on politics song. ”Anthems” is about having something to say but also being willing to listen to others. ”Weight” is about not going through life all alone and relying on Christ.
11. tell us about the artwork for your EP, who created it? what’s the meaning?
The artwork was done by the Quiggle mastermind (Dave Quiggle). Actually we just gave him our lyrics and the name of the album and just let him have at it.
12. Do you guys have some tours planned for 2011?
Yes, we plan on a couple of small seasonal tours and a long summer tour.
13. what is the best way for fans to get a hold of you guys and chat you up? twitter? email? facebook?
All the social networks. We check them all. We’re on twitter but the members don’t run that, Rob does. haha
Once it was time for Underoath to take the stage, Tahoe and I found good seats in the upper balcony. Yes haters, I’m old and I am fragile, so I prefer to sit during shows if possible, and watch the young kids beat each other up. The Boulder Theater has a great balcony that isn’t too far from the stage and you’re able to capture the essence of the entire performance with good sound. Anyway, Underoath has quite the live show, with multiple light setups on the stage facing the crowd, and a huge projection screen the projects movie clips and slides throughout the show.
Underoath opened with “Returning Empty Handed” and I was instantly reminded of a Norma Jean show with the onslaught on my senses. My only complaint was that the stage was very dark for most of the show; it was very hard to see the guys in the bands throughout the evening. Earlier in the evening Blessthefall pointed out that there was no barrier and that kids should be stage-diving and sure enough, kids started running all over the stage with no problems from security. However when the kids started getting on the stage for Underoath, stage-hands were quick to discourage it, and for good reason since it was so dark on the stage that on misstep could be disaster.
It didn’t take long to see that Spencer would be handling most of the clean vocals. I was surprised at how well he did them too, they sounded great and a new fan of Underoath probably wouldn’t have noticed the difference between Aaron and Spencer. A few times throughout the set guitarist Tim Tague also added some clean vocals, but not nearly as often as Spencer. As for the drums, Daniel was excellent on his smallish 4-piece kit. The kit was noticeably smaller than the previous band’s, Between the Buried and Me, drumkit which featured two kick-drums and a gong. Daniel was thrashing away with a ton of energy and he was sporting what looked like an epic mustache.
The set was very organized with a break between each song. Some songs like “Casting Such a Thin Shadow” has specific video clips whereas other songs featured the same loop of clips shown throughout most of the show. Underoath play two new songs from their upcoming album coming out in October, and I was less than impressed with both of the songs. The music was alright, but the clean vocals by Spencer were terrible. There could be a lot that played into that so I’ll wait until the record comes out to really have an opinion. The band played a set heavy on Define the Great Line with 5 songs, with only one songs from Chasing Safety; “Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door” which was the encore song. “Writings on the Walls” had probably the loudest crowd response of the night besides the encore.
Near the end of the set Spencer took a minute to talk about his faith, saying that they did this music for Jesus Christ. He went on to say they didn’t want to put their beliefs on anyone, that everyone “should find what makes them happy and stick with it.” I’m not sure i’m totally on board with that statement but it seems to be a common statement from Christian bands that don’t consider themselves so much a ministry as a band of Christians, singing about their lives (which very much revolves around their faith when talking about Underoath). It was an impressive show, much better than the last time i saw them in Denver.
Setlist (as best as i could remember it): Returning Empty Handed Breathing In a New Mentality Desperate Times, Desperate Measures new song Anyone Can Dig a Hole But it Takes a Real Man to Call It a Home Casting Such Thin Shadows Writing on the Walls new song In Regards to Myself Everyone Looks So Good From Here Moving For the Sake of Motion slower song w/Spencer on guitar ??
encore: It’s Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door
Blood in the Gears is the fourth album from Tennessee’s The Showdown, and their best work yet. So far the band has released four albums, the first two on Mono vs Stereo, then the last two on Solid State Records and all four have a distinct sound. The bands first record on Solid State , Backbreaker, was pretty good, almost a complete turnaround from their previous albumTemptation Come My Way, which featured more singing and almost no harsh vocals at all. Backbreaker was a much bigger and heavier sound, fitting in nicely with the rest of the roster on Solid State, but not making a huge impact.
Blood in the Gears is easily the bands most creative and dynamic work. AlthoughBackbreaker was heavy, not many of the songs were memorable and tended to drone on longer than they needed to be. Besides a few of the popular tracks, Backbreakerfailed to make a lasting impression. Blood in the Gears changes all of that. Each of the 10 tracks on this album have memorable parts, and the speed varies throughout the record from fast, thrash-style metal/punk to some slower rock/metal tracks to the closer which is an acoustic ballad that will make Bon Jovi fans proud.
There were a few member changes for this record, but original members David (vocals) and Josh (lead guitar) were still intact, and they added longtime friend/produce Jeremiah Scotts to play bass. The other half of the band came from Demon Hunter; Patrick Judge on guitar and Yogi Watts on drums. These changes played into the fresh creativity of this record, but i would credit the drummer, Yogi, with having the biggest impact. The drums throughout are solid, and Yogi’s already southern rock feel blends great with the direction that The Showdown have always been going. While there is plenty of fast-paced double-kick drums to make heavy metal fans happy, i think contrasting those fast songs against slower, rock songs like “Take Me Home” which has a late Metallica feel to it, helps the faster songs standout on their own. ”No Escape” is my personal favorite with it’s driving beat and 80’s guitar leads. The choruses throughout the album just seem so much better than previous albums, featuring crowd-friendly back-and-forth’s (“Blood in the Gears”) or slower breakdown choruses like “Bring it Down”.
OVERALL this is a really good album by The Showdown. Blood in the Gears showcases the creativity and energy the band is able to channel. Songs like “Heavy Lies the Crown” and “Bring it Down” will certainly be favorites of the fans, while “Diggin’ My Own Grave” and “Take Me Home” show us that The Showdown aren’t worried about being just another metalcore band, they’re southern roots really come out on this record. Blood in the Gears is a blast, The Showdown continue to give their fans a great time!
Band:Trip Lee Title: Between Two Worlds Label: Reach Records Release Date: June 22, 2010 Reviewer: BMer
Tracklisting:
Real Life Music (2:54)
Snitch (4:06)
Invade ft. J. Paul (4:00)
Prognosis (4:21)
No Worries (4:05)
Covenant Eyes ft. PRo (3:56)
Life 101 ft. Chris Lee (4:05)
I Love Music ft. Sho Baraka (4:11)
Limitations ft. Leah Smith (4:22)
Yours To Own ft. Jimmy Needham (4:04)
Apathy (Interlude) (0:51)
Twisted ft. Lecrae, PRo, Thi’sl (4:52)
Bear With You ft. Tedashii (4:37)
Show’s Over ft. Mitch Parks (4:25)
The Invasion (Hero) ft. Jai (5:37)
My Lord (Bonus Track) (4:01)
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Well I had to dust off the 12’s for this one. Trip Lee, of the 116 Clique, releases his third full-length album titled Between Two Worlds on Reach Records. This record is the kind of record that goes against the common belief that Christians make bad art;Between Two Worlds is solid throughout! Trip Lee’s vocal style is reminiscent of fellow southern rapper T.I., but that’s where the comparison ends; T.I. spent last year in prison while Trip Lee spent last year touring and spreading the Good News.
There are 16 tracks on the album, only one of which is an interlude. The rest are full-length hip-hop songs featuring guest work from Pro, Sho Baraka, Lecrae, Tedashii, Thi’sl, and even Jimmy Needham. The opening track, “Real Life Music”, is awesome! No need for an intro track the listener is greeted with some violins before the beat kicks in and Trip Lee’s smooth southern delivery lets us know that he’s “…back for the third time, you know where to find me; Hanging on the coattails of Christ who designed me.” Throughout the album Trip’s faith is bold and prominent, but it does not make the songs clumsy or gimmicky like some Christian music can be. These songs can slide effortlessly alongside most mainstream rap artists.
It doesn’t take long for Trip Lee to bring a little controversy; his second track is titled “Snitch”. The track features the term snitch throughout, a term that could possibly be the worst label someone can inherit, the label “snitch” is usually related to violience in darker walks of life. However, Trip’s goal in this track is to let people know that he confesses his sins to the Lord, then to his family, he’s snitching on himself. It’s a good track with a clever idea; however I’m not sure if people are comfortable calling themselves a snitch in public.
There are a few standout tracks on Between Two Worlds. “The Invasion” is probably the best track and it’s unfortunate that it’s all the way at the end of the album. The guest vocals by Jai are excellent. “Covenant Eyes” and “I Love Music” are fun songs, the former featuring a really cool sample of someone whistling (like at a girl) throughout that is pretty creative. “Twisted” features a few of my favorite rappers, Lecrae and Thi’sl, but the track lacks a powerful hook needed to make it a standout. “Invade” is another great track featuring strings and chill beat giving it an almost epic feel. The tracks produced by Joseph Prielozny (“Real Life Music”, “Invade”, “I Love Music”, and “The Invasion”) definitely standout as the better tracks on the album.
OVERALL this is another solid album from Trip Lee, Between Two Worlds is one of the best rap albums of the year. Not every track is a winner but as a complete collection there are definitely more highs than lows. Trip Lee continues to mature as a rapper and his career is only starting to take shape (he’s only 22 years old). The production quality on this album is on par with most mainstream productions and Christian rap as a whole continues to improve its street cred with albums like this. Buhlee Dat!
Band:The Suit Title: The Way That We Fall Label: n/a Release Date: 09/2010 Reviewer: BMer
Tracklisting:
1. We’re Not Coming Home 2. Feel My Heart 3. Nobody Makes Me Bleed My Own Blood 4. Look At Me Darlin 5. The Way That We Fall
The Suit release their 3rd studio album titled The Way that We Fall, a five-track EP full of catchy choruses and heavy breakdowns. The Suit, previously known as the Midnight Suit, label themselves as pop-punk/hardcore and this EP covers that well, plus more. Complete with punk-ish lead vocals reminiscent of NOFX, heavy scremo breakdowns, super catchy melody lines, gang vocals, dance beats, synth, and even hand-claps, this EP is sure to make almost anyone bop their head and tap their feet.
The Suit are all about having a good time, playing high-energy shows and writing music that makes the listener want to dance. The overall feel of this EP reminds me of the latest trendy genre being made popular by bands like Attack! Attack! With some electronic beats and synth added to a hardcore style band. It’s almost like party-core or something, but I have to admit that I have a soft-spot for music like this; it makes you want to dance and sing along and then pound the floor with a hardcore breakdown. Some might say it’s gimmicky, or cheap, or trendy, but if it’s done well it doesn’t matter and The Suit do it well.
The lyrical content focuses on struggle and tough times, and the songs are setup in a progression from good times to hitting rock bottom to healing and learning. The opening track “We’re Not Coming Home” is basically a celebration as the gang vocals chant “let this last forever as we stand together, hand in hand we sing”. Later, in the track “Look At Me Darlin’” the lyrics are honest and internal, “Look at me darling, I’m a train wreck and I’ll say that. I know we’re going down to the bottom.” At times the lyrics are pretty aggressive and angry and somewhat tough to swallow, but they’re honest and I’m sure a few listeners will be able to relate to similar feelings while going through tough times.
The last track, and probably the best track; “The Way That We Fall” is everything that the listener is looking for. This is the type of song that you end shows with, great singalong parts, great melody, totally upbeat and fun breakdowns. Even the synth behind the verse is great, reminds me of Reggie & the Full Effect. The lyrics speak of learning from your mistakes and moving on, something that we can all sing along to.
OVERALL this is a great EP, The Suit have successfully combined a few different genres of music to produce an irresistible sound. Each song has that pop-punk goodness with lyrics you can sing along with and relate to, and on top of that each song gives you a chance to throw down with well done heavy breakdowns. The Way That We Fall is not groundbreaking by any means, but it’s a blast, it’s infectious and will be enjoyed by listeners looking for a good time.
Indie Vision Music has put together a compilation of metal/hardcore bands for volume 2 of Songs to Slay the Dragons. Most of these bands are either unsigned, or signed to small labels. My buddy Steve at IVM handled most of this compilation with a little help from me, but i'm currently working on a lighter compilation of indie-rock / pop-punk / alternative bands that should be out mid-October.
Heavenfest had a new home this year, probably due in small part to my blog post last year that got me an email from some of the organizers and a little heated discussion.But in the end I was right, the traffic situation last year was terrible, and herding everyone through the same entrance was also a terrible idea.The organizers took note and moved Heavenfest to Longmont on a bigger piece of land, closer to the freeway, and used multiple entrances.This is only the third year Heavenfest has been around so there’s definitely a learning curve, but I can’t help and think that they should be looking at the other successful music festivals that have been around for years like Cornerstone, Sonshine (29 years), Warped Tour, and many more.
This year went really well, I only had a few issues that I’ll get out of the way first.The doors opened at 10a and Tahoe and I left my place about 11a and made it to the parking lot right about 1130a.We bypassed the huge line of cars waiting to get into the 1st parking lot and drove effortlessly into the second lot, no line at all.Heavenfest probably should have posted signs to let people know about the second lot and avoided a ton of that traffic.After parking we got in line, a long line.This wouldn’t be the last line we got in.I figured that it was 30 minutes before the bands started playing and I was very intent on seeing the opening band for the Heavy Music Stage, Hundredth, one of my favorites.Apparently a 30-minute cushion wasn’t nearly enough time to get through the ridiculous entrance line.Everyone in the line was eventually split into two lines, one for people who needed to buy tickets, and one for people who already had tickets via Will Call or Email confirmation.We needed Will Call so we got in that line, along with hundreds of other people.There were only about 5 computers being used to check-in people, and I know these are run by volunteers, but you’re gonna need more than 5 computers when you expect 30,000+ people to be arriving at roughly the same time.
At the beginning of the line you have a bag search.You were allowed to bring a lot of different items, which was cool, especially water.But on the walk up to the line it was hot and I opened my water, Tahoe did not open his.I was forced to dump out my 95% full large water at the beginning of the line, why? This isn’t the TSA, I’m not flying around, one sniff and you know it’s not Vodka.Very lame, especially at an event so intent on raising awareness for things like clean water in third-world countries, and here I am along with a bunch of other people, pouring out perfectly clean water onto the ground.So then we stand in line in direct sunlight, 90 degrees, no water, for about an hour.Obviously we missed Hundredth and the beginning of the next band In The Midst of Lions.
Not wanting to miss any more bands we took the half-mile walk to the HM Stage right during In The Midst of Lions set.The first couple of bands had a tight schedule, 30 minutes each including setup/sound check.So the fact that ITMOL was halfway through their set meant that we were in line until about 1245p, nonsense.Also, because of the tight schedule bands weren’t doing full sound checks, only making sure their instruments were on and then the sound guy would adjust everything during the first song.Most bands only played 5 songs in 20 minutes so it was a little rough.The other interesting and slightly lame thing at the HM Stage was that there was a barrier right down the middle of the crowd.Basically the sound guy, back about 20 yards, had his own fenced off path going directly to the stage.This was probably so he could get there quickly and fix things.However it made for an awkward crowd dynamic where a majority of the crowd was on one side (the side closest to the rest of the festival).That side had a ton of kids, but the other side was really empty, you could walk right up to the stage for almost any band.Never seen that before, it was weird and there didn’t really seem to be a need for it, maybe to protect the cables running from the soundboard to the stage.
My last complaint was the lack of shade.It was freaking hot and there was no shade anywhere.Not really sure what could have been done about that but it was tough, for everyone.
After ITMOL it was The Great Commission, a “heavy worship” band.They were pretty good, really inciting the crowd with stuff like “when people tell you that this music isn’t worship music, or that it sounds evil, you tell them that God doesn’t hear our guitars or what’s coming out of our amps, He hears what is coming out of our hearts.”Kids were eating that stuff up, and for the most part he made some good points.They ended their set with a cover of Hillsong United which was pretty cool.
After The Great Commission it was one of my other favorite bands I The Breather.They had a lot of problems with their equipment and the guitar player had to switch guitars mid-song.Only maybe the last two songs were full-strength, High Rise and a new song.They had a lot of energy but the crowd just wasn’t into it due to the sound problems.
After I The Breather we decided to get lunch and miss The Crimson Armada.This is where we encountered more lines and made a painfully dumb decision.Tahoe and I stood in the water line (there was free water if you had a water bottle, one of the best things about Heavenfest, a great idea and it worked pretty well).The line took about 20 minutes until we got to fill up our bottles, then we decided to get lunch.We opted for the pizza, which was awesome, huge pieces, I’m talking over and inch thick and probably 6” X 6” and for only $6. Great deal, except the 30-minute line.So if Tahoe and I would have split up, one went for water and the other for food, we would have saved ourselves 30 minutes.But our consolation was getting to catch the entire Petra set from the main stage! Haha, it was pretty entertaining, I thought it was pretty cool.
We ate our food and watched The Color Morale and Sheridan (from Denver).Both bands were pretty good but there was just so much new material for us, neither of us are really listeners of most of the bands on the lineup.After these guys we traveled around to the different merch tables and tents.We didn’t find anything of interest so we finally decided to just stay at the HM Stage.We caught the whole set for A Plea for Purging which I have to admit I really enjoyed.I’ve seen them live probably 5-6 times now and was never interested before but they were good this time, maybe I’m a fan now?
Next up was Blessed by a Broken Heart, and this is where the madness started.The band had some issues getting started; they have some tracks and electric drums so there was a little more stuff to prepare.Once they finally got going you could tell something wasn’t right. BBABH have had some serious troubles on this current tour they’re on (Scream the Prayer Tour) from car troubles, to equipment trouble, to personal issues that one band member had to fly home for.All that and the fact that they don’t have a huge following to begin with.The crowd just wasn’t into it and it was a small crowd to start with since the Supertones were playing on the Rock Stage at the same time.This will probably be the end BBABH, and you could tell they’ve seen the writing on the wall.
Near the end of the set the singer instructed all of the “big people” to gather at the side of the stage.Halfway through “Carry On” the singer climbed up the stack of speakers, grabbed a hold of the tie-downs that were supporting the roof of the stage and climbed all the way up to the top of the roof, with his microphone.From there he said he was going to jump, it was probably 25’ feet high.He sang the rest of the verse and then flipped onto the crowd.It was impressive I must admit, but pretty dangerous.After that song they went into their closer which is a mashup of hip-hop and pop songs, with hardcore drums/guitars.The Great Commission guitarists joined the band on stage, which made the song chaotic and silly.Near the end of the song the singer invited the crowd onto the stage, which meant fans had to climb over the barrier, bypass security and climb up the stage. It was a terrible idea and very disrespectful to the festival as chaos ensued.Quickly the power was cut and things were breaking.Police and backup security showed up and the crowd was dispersed.Things were broken and we were informed that the stage would be down for probably an hour.
Usually that means that the bands just get delayed, but Heavenfest has specific plans at 9p, The Sacred Assembly on the main stage while the other stages are shutdown.This meant that between 6p and 9p the sets from For Today, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, Sleeping Giant, and the headliners The Devil Wears Prada would all have to be shortened as to finish by 9p.This was pretty lame since these were obviously the biggest bands of the day and the ones that most fans came to see.
Fortunately during this time we found some shade from which we could still watch the stage, and hang out with my other buddy Jordan and his family.So we chilled for For Today and Maylene, both played like 30-minute sets plus sound check/breakdown.Mattie from For Today couldn’t resist the chance to preach which ate up another 5-10 minutes even though Chad, the MC of the stage (from Come & Live) tried to get him off the stage.The Devil Wears Prada were going to get their full set no matter what, since they were the headliners, so that meant that Sleeping Giant got pinched into about 20 minutes.They were great though, Sleeping Giant, Tommy really knows how to talk to a crowd and connect with people.He apologized to the security guards for the lack of respect/honor shown by BBABH and really spoke with genuine care.They played 5 songs; “Blame it on the Holy Rollers”, “No One Leaves This Room Sick”, “Pale Horse” and “Gang Signs” were the ones I remember.Tommy couldn’t do his testimony / “Whoremonger” because of time restraints.
Last up was The Devil Wears Prada and they were great as usual.Their setup is solid, no real soundchecks so you don’t even see the band until they’re on stage playing “Danger:Wildman”.Despite the heat they were relentless with Mike roaming back and forth across the stage.They played most of the their typical live set including “Assistant to the Reginal Manager”, “Hey John…”, “Reptar…” “Sassafras” and “HTmL Roolz”.They also played at least one really old song since this is technically part of their Back to the Roots Tour.Also from their upcoming Zombies EP they played “Outnumbered”.Since their set was cut short we didn’t get the normal encore including “Louder Than Thunder”, they just played “Dogs Can Grow Beards All Over.”It was a little sketchy near the end of the set since it was so dark at the stage, there were no lights on the crowd so the pits were pretty dangerous, but we survived.
All in all this was probably my 2nd best Heavenfest experience, the initial Heavenfest was so much fun so that will be tough to beat.A few tweaks here and there and I’m sure next year will be even better than this year, but who can top Petra?
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