Saturday, June 30, 2012

Facedown Records, More Than Sound Tour review

I was more than surprised to see the Facedown Records, More Than Sound Tour hitting my hometown, Peterborough, Ontario for a tour stop. I had thought that they would be stopping in Toronto or some other major center for a tour of this caliber.  No complaints on my part, it was only a twenty minute drive from home to the venue.

Headlining the tour is War of Ages, with support from Onward to Olympas, Leaders, and Letter to the Exiles. the Overseer was also on the slate, but didn't make the Peterborough date. Unfortunately the bands had a poor turn out with only 20 people in attendance.  Those who made the trouble to come out to the show we're treated to an amazing night.

Be forewarned, this is going to be a very short review. I just got in the door from seeing Newworldson who played in the Peterborough area, and in only a few hours I head off to the Cornerstone festival in Illinois.  Sleep is going to take precedence over this post tonight.

Letter to the Exiles was first up on stage at the White House in Peterborough.  This hardcore band from Long Island has been around for a few years is starting to make some waves with fans. Chris King, vocalist of Letter to the Exiles did a great job setting up the evening of hard music. The band still has some maturing to do with developing a more pronounced stage presence. This is a solid band, but I don't feel that their excellent recorded tracks translate well into their live performance.

Leaders followed Letter to the Exiles. They have had some changes in both band membership and going through a name change from ALLORNOTHING. The band had a tough start to their set. Lazarus Rios mic was dead from the start of their first song. After two mic changes, finally a cordless mic brought Lazarus' vocals back into the audible range. This trial never seemed to phase the band who put out a solid set. The band describes their live shows as “powerful, intimate, and real. With enough character and groove to the rhythm that it makes you want to move.” A more than apt description of Leaders performance.

A local Peterborough band  (non-Christian) band The Sons of Apparatus took over the spot vacated by The Overseer.

Onward to Olympas followed the local band. I had to ask lead vocalist, Kramer Lowe, about the spelling of the name. A few of the tracks that I have from the label have the band's name spelled "Olympus". Olympas is the correct spelling. Kramer explained that "Olympas" is a biblical term meaning "heaven" or "heavenly", thus rendering the band's name to mean "Onward to Heaven". Kramer doesn't look the part of being the lead vocalist of a hardcore band. Clean cut, lacking tattoo sleeves, and he smiles. Constantly smiles. It really seems as though the Lord's presence shines through the entire band.

Perhaps the small audience allowed the various bands a little more freedom to have some fun with the crowd, and themselves. The bands who weren't on stage, were down in front, kidding around with the band currently on stage. Kramer spent part of one song roaming around the venue with his cordless mic. On stage the drummer of War of Ages, Alex Hamp, was behind the mic, mouthing the lyrics that Kramer was singing elsewhere in the venue. Later in the set he was carted around the mosh area "piggyback" while doing his vocals.

When War of Ages made it onto the stage, the same fun continued. Members of the opening bands, kidded with the War of Ages band members. Slapping the stage, making a grab for their legs, jumping on stage to add their vocals to the War of Ages songs. Leroy Hamp, vocalist of War of Ages, also went for a tour of the venue with mic in hand, serenading (can that term be used when speaking of hardcore music?) billiard players near the stage.

This concert will go into my memory banks as one of the most entertaining nights I've had. The smiles, kidding, and laughter from all the bands made it a truly special experience.

Check out all of these bands on the Facedown Record artist roster.


The Antidote - Show 38 - Extreme Road Trip


Summer road trips is the topic once again on The Antidote. Listen in to Extreme Road Trip music on this week's show. If you like it loud, you're going to love this show.


Listen to or download this week's show Extreme Road Trip


Next week I'll be at the Cornerstone festival in southern Illinois. I realize that not everyone can get away to these events, so, next week, you can do the armchair athlete version and hear a multitude of bands on The Antidote that will be performing at this years event. Listen in, it should be an eye opener as to the diversity of the bands that will be at the very last Cornerstone. 


Live stream The Antidote Wednesday's from 9 - 10  EST here.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

The Antidote - Show 37 - Mellow Road Trip


Summer is officially here and the heat and humidity were in the studio this past Wednesday. No air conditioning (because of the noise) makes Trent Radio a sweltering spot.  Summer road trips was the topic for the evening. Listen in to Mellow Road Trip music on this week's show.


Listen to or download this week's show Mellow Road Trip


Next week I'll  again be discussing what makes a road trip great and what is the greatest music to play when you're travelling.  This week included mellow tracks, next week turn the volume up so that your speakers explode with some edgy and LOUD songs.


Live stream The Antidote Wednesday's from 9 - 10  EST here.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Newworldson: Awesome video!

I'm meeting up with the pop/soul band Newworldson next week for an interview.  I was on Google and  happened to stumble across this excellent video.  It was filmed before a crowd of 35,000 in Holland last year for EO Youth Day. Watch for a great solo by Newworldson drummer, Mark Rogers.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

The Antidote - Show 36 - Eclectic Mix Part 2


Show 36 of The Antidote featured another eclectic mix of music, hence the title of this show, Eclectic Mix Part 2.  Of special interest is a cover of the August Burns Red song "Redemption" by the indie folk band Lauren Mann and the Fairly Odd Folk. Lauren was able to spend a moment talking with me about her reasoning for covering "Redemtption"  Listen in to hear her version, it's awesome!


Listen to or download this weeks show Eclectic Mix Part 2


Next week I'm hoping to have my co-host Josiah join me at the station to present our Road Trip Playlist.  We'll be discussing what makes a road trip great and what is the greatest music to play when you're travelling.  Tune in, it'll be fun.


Live stream The Antidote Wednesday's from 9 - 10  EST here.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Thrice, O'Brother concert review

I've been negligent lately about keeping up with regular posts. My full-time job (he one that pays the bills) and my fun job at Trent Radio with The Antidote (the job that pays $0) seem to take up all of my time.  Hence the reason for this very late post about the Thrice and O'Brother concert that took place at the Kool Haus in Toronto, ON on May 30th. Animals as Leaders was also slated to play, but for some unexplained reason they were a no-show.

I had been hoping that my interview request for Dustin Kensrue of Thrice would have been granted, but it was not to be. As Christians we can't bear grudges, so I was off to see Thrice and O'Brother play anyway. I did have some apprehensions as to how it would go.  I last saw Thrice perform back in 2007 when they performed with mewithoutYou and Brand New at Arrow Hall. I must admit that I wasn't all that impressed by that show, too laid back for my taste. Perhaps it was simply a bad night for the band.

Merrit Tanner
Anton Dang


















O'Brother started up the night with a longer than normal set.  They were compensating for Animals as Leaders not being able to perform.. I've always liked O'Brother. I first heard the band when I picked up a copy of their Death of Day EP back in 2009. They have an unusual style that is so definitely their own. Indie rock, at times post-hardcore, with a typically breathy and on rare occasion snarling, vocal delivery by Tanner Merrit. O'Brother released their first full-length back in November 2011, so I was curious to see what they would bring to the stage. More of what the EP had delivered, plus much more.O'Brother has progressed and broadened their range with the anew album, Garden Window and that has translated on to the stage. It was interesting to see Anton Dang adopting the use of a bow to play his bass, creating a rich tone. Overall, quite a dynamic performance.

Here's a partial O'Brother set list:


Lo
Sputnik
Machines Part I
Machines Part II
Poison!
Lay Down



Teppei Teranishi
Dustin Kensrue



 















The Farewell Tour with Thrice had no comparison to their '07 show. A huge, one hour and 40 minute set covered almost everything that even a dedicated fan base could have demanded from Thrice. There was a capacity crowd on hand to say goodbye to this influential and astonishingly talented band.

My apprehensions were banished the moment Thrice come on stage.  Confident, able, active, and talented beyond all means. All the negatives I had seen in '07 were replaced by this incredible ability to the hold the crowd hostage to the music. The crowd roared their approval after each and every track.

Dustin Kensrue has always been a brilliant lyricist and vocalist.  Those combined abilities are often lacking in their contemporaries. Kensrue carries his faith equally to Christians and non-Christians alike.  Where so many Christian bands are shunned by mainstream audiences, Kensrue's song-writing talents and performances have held fans close to Thrice since the band's inception back in 1998. Thrice has also maintained the same band members over their entire career, which is a very rare thing in the music industry.
While the focus of the fans is typically on Kensrue, Teppei Teranishi is simply amazing on both guitar and back up vocals.  As I was standing only a few feet from Teppei, I was astounded at the amount of energy he can project from the stage.

I must admit that I was a bit of a late-comer to Thrice, not picking up any of their music until the release of The Alchemy Index in 2007 and 2008.  Since then I've gone on to collect '05's Vheissu, Beggars from 2009, and their current (and perhaps last) release Major/Minor.

Thrice will be sorely missed by their dedicated fan base and those bands who have been influenced by Thrice over the years. Who will step up to the plate to take their place?  Only the future will tell.

Check out the huge set list for Thrice:


Yellow Belly
Image of the Invisible
The Artist in the Ambulance
Kill Me Quickly
Under a Killing Moon
Silhouette
In Exile
Promises
Daedalus
Words in the Water
Of Dust and Nations
Broken Lungs
The Weight
Helter Skelter  (The Beatles cover)
The Earth Will Shake
The Messenger
Stare at the Sun
Deadbolt
To Awake and Avenge the Dead
Beggars

Encore:
Phoenix Ignition
T & C 


Thursday, June 7, 2012

The Antidote - Show 35 - Facedown Records


I had a difficult time deciding what to play on show 35 of The Antidote. I had too many ideas floating around, but the final decision was reached, a feature on the Facedown Record label. I've always been impressed with Facedown for a number of reasons. The overt stance of most bands to their faith in Christ is clearly evident on most songs. The key ingredient of  Facedown Records is that the breadth of talent found on the label is enormous.  




For those poor souls who don't care for metal, this show may not be for you. For the rest of us, who love hearing a great breakdown, you're going to really enjoy episode.

Listen to or download this weeks show featuring Facedown Records

Follow this link to check out Facedown Records.


On June 13th, The Antidote will host a short interview with Lauren Mann And The Fairly Odd Folk as they explain why they decided to to do an indie folk cover of the metalcore song "Redemption" by August Burns Red. Plus, we will have a multitude of new songs by bands from many different genres. Tune in, it will be great!


Live stream The Antidote Wednesday's from 9 - 10  EST here.

Friday, June 1, 2012

The Antidote - Show 34 - Eclectic Mix


This episode of The Antidote was prerecorded. There were too many concerts happening in Toronto on my typical night at the radio station. I had to make the difficult decision of going to see Creed or to check out Thrice performing along with O'Brother. Thrice was the winner. They are on their farewell tour as the band is going on hiatus for an indefinite time frame.


I included an number of awesome new songs by various artist. Listen in, this show is definitely worth checking out!

Listen to or download this weeks show with an Eclectic Mix


I haven't come to firm decision for next weeks version of The Antidote.  Dial in Trent Radio 92.7 Peterborough or stream online to be surprised!


Live stream The Antidote Wednesday's from 9 - 10  EST here.