It was Rigged

Right from the start I knew this was a Rigged event. I have been hearing about this guy for a year. "You gotta go! He puts on a great show. He even blew the power at the venue where I saw him last."

So on a warm spring night me and my buddy head out to The Old Coupland Inn & Dancehall. Let me tell you something...it is the OLD Coupland Dancehall for a reason. Not Kidding. Walking around the place with the creaking plywood floors and the dangling insulation from the ceiling it is old and rustic. The bartenders were great, no lines for the bathroom, and plenty of room to scoot around the dance floor. On this night, with this artist performing the dance floor was cut in about half with all the screaming girls down in front....It looked like an old video clip of the Beatles arriving in the U.S.

WHO IS THIS? You say out loud to the little screen in your hands as you read this. WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!

Sam Riggs (https://www.samriggsmusic.com). Yeah! it was a pretty spectacular performance. I will say between the enthusiasm of his fans...no joking it was pretty intense down in front... and his light show, Sam Riggs made it worth every dollar at the door. From his first song lighting up the stage with the whole band, to his last moment on stage with just him and his guitar, it was a great and fun performance.

If you know who Sam Riggs is and you haven't seen a performance you are doing yourself wrong.

If you don't know who Sam Riggs is, do your self a favor. Take a listen to 'When the lights go out'. My personal favorite. If you don't dig Country music, Outlaw Country music, or better yet, if you don't dig Texas Country music...just move on. But I dare you to take a listen.








It is great music performed well, with amazing enthusiasm, and a light show to make the stadiums jealous. Look up Sam Riggs and go enjoy Another Great Performance!

Laters

The Greatest land of all...BEERLAND!

On one of my many trips through downtown Austin I have never stopped in to check out Beerland (http://www.beerlandtexas.com/), this time i did.  Although there have been plenty of shows there and I have seen many friends attend events there, I simply had not stopped in.

Beerland is located in the entertainment district of down town Austin, TX. On the corner of Red River and 7th St, surrounded by a tiny little, black, wrought iron fence, Beerland is very unassuming outside. A small patio area for smokers and those wanting to step out of the club in between bands. You enter the door and immediately head down to what feels and looks like a basement level club. The bar is to your left as you enter and to the back left corner are the bathrooms. Dead ahead of you is the small stage with the giant BEERLAND logo on the back wall. This is the epitome of that garage/basement style club. That dark, low slung ceilinged club adds to the vibe and style of music.

Pulling up a quick seat at the bar My wife, her friend, and myself take in the scene. Apparently this evenings entry got you into Beerland and the club next door for two stages of fun and constant music. 

While the ladies started on some adult beverages I hopped next door to quickly catch Lions and Tigers (https://www.facebook.com/LionsTigersTX/) onstage. What a great band and surprise. Lions and Tigers are from Austin, TX so you will be able to catch them around town after reading this post. It was a very good set of music. Currently promoting their new EP, Lions and Tigers had an energy filled set with great vocals and guitar work. I believe this evening included a loan in guitarist doing lead while the lead singer did rhythm and some solo work. Although it was an energy filled set it was not an overly energetic type of sound that made the crowd go nuts. Easy enough to move around and see all of the upturned faces watching the band and absorbing their vibe and brand of pop/punk music. Lions and Tigers are definitely on my list to share with you again and hopefully run into again around town to get a bigger, better feel for what they can do.

Back to Beerland, although this was not the band I was there to see and shoot, Forever Starts Today (https://www.foreverstartstoday.net/home) was taking the stage. My shock, thrill, and excitement just couldn't be contained. I saw this group a year or so ago at another venue and here is a shining example of my love for the Austin music scene. I was thoroughly impressed when I saw them the first time realizing they were packed full of potential. With the lead vocals and charisma of Christina Murphy, to the amazing guitar work and enthusiastic bass player, Forever Starts Today is positioning themselves, in Austin, to make that leap into the national spotlight. This performance didn't let down either. Having to throw some elbows to keep my spot down in front of the stage and snapping photos, was only intensified with leaving the font of the stage, stepping back and taking in their performance with the rest of the crowd screaming and singing along.  Enjoying it to the extent of making sure I got a CD prior to the bands departure at the urging of my wife. (now to just get a signed tour poster for the wall at Tom-Cruz Studios would be very cool!) Leaving that performance with my wife exclaiming how much she loved Forever Starts Today and enjoyed Christina's voice, pretty much sealed the deal to take my wife to another performance next chance we get. You should too!

If that wasn't enough for the couple of performances I just took in, then how about Thieves (http://thievestx.com/) coming in to steal the rest of the night - SORRY, I had to do it!



At the urging (and ultimately the arrangement) to take in this evenings performance, a neighbor to Tom-Cruz Studios bragged about this band as his cousin was the bass player. Well... he didn't need to brag. The performance of Thieves stood on its own. Had I been lucky enough to purposefully see my friends in the previous band and hang out to see Thieves would have been an epic coup. Instead it was wonderful coincidence to catch my friends opening for Thieves.  The performance was polished and searing. With their VERY familiar brand of Pop/punk alternative rock, Thieves is on par with, and better than, many you hear on the radio today. As for the performance, getting to the stage and stealing the few shots I got from Thieves before being pummeled by an enthusiastic crowd is one thing. The proof of how much these guys are loved was in their performance and was enjoyed more when I couldn't even make it to my seat. The crowd was jumping and screaming through the entire set.



Meeting the bass player after the show was nice. Telling him how much I enjoyed the show and like their sound was great. Even better was to tell him my daughter will be thrilled to see them the next time Thieves does another show here in Austin. He grinned, and as I took a disc he told me "You should give that to your daughter!" uhhm...NO! Daddy's keeping this one for himself. She can get her own when I take her to see Thieves live for herself. See you there!






 Laters

fresh refresh

Probably won't be the last post of the year, but pretty damn close.

This will be a review of some sort. I am going to diverge from my normal chatter about how much fun the audience had and how the band interacted with them. I am just gonna touch on two bands that I have reviewed before, but you will just have to read on.

I didn't do a review of The Warhorses (http://thewarhorsesmusic.com/) when the played recently in Austin at The Rattle Inn. Simply put, it was their last performance in Austin with Guitarist Sonny Bihl. Sad day, but spectacular performance. They just let Sonny call out the songs he wanted to do. It was fun and spontaneous. For now that really doesn't matter. In the (near) future I can hope we will get to see them again with a new line up and maybe some new tunes. I will try to keep up with them and let you know when Austin, Texas will get a first look at the new Warhorses. 'Til then here are some photos from that night. I'll post more to FB.

The other band I recently saw which I have previously spoken about at length is the Cody Bryan Band (http://www.codybryanmusic.com/).

It was another fun night with these guys. They were just coming off of a high note playing for a larger size arena with several other acts. This night was just a small intimate crowd. What was exciting and spectacular is hopefully a lesson for all. They changed up their set! It was fantastic and fun. Just like seeing them for the first time. There were many new songs they did. There were a couple of mainstay's they keep for the fun of it, BUT they threw in and mixed it up with many older tracks we hadn't heard in a while. Once again, made to be very proud of the local boys done good!

As a fan of the local music scene and many different bands, it was just a great feeling to have something new and fresh thrown at me (the crowd). I don't know how hard it is to do a different set list regularly, but as a paying (and sometimes not) member of the crowd (and usually a fan of someone I am going out to see)...I DON'T CARE. The best bands in Austin become lame as shit when it is the same damn set list each time you see them.

For the crowd and and fans of the Cody Bryan Band it was inspiring and refreshing to enjoy a performance for what it was...Live Music! I appreciate and loved the performance for what seemed like a whole new band. I hope some of my other friends and members of bands around town might read this and take heed. We, the crowd and audience, will ONLY love you more for it!


Laters

on the Cusp

So as I am temporarily relocated to the quaint little hamlet of Pflugerville, Texas i shall make the best of it. Pflugerville (the p is silent) is on the north side of Austin. So, where as I am not legitimately in the live music capital of the world, I am still surrounded by places to go and bands to see!

I have been to Hanovers (http://hanoversaustin.com/) before and taken you on the descriptive tour, but I will do it again for consistency. Located in what would affectionately be called downtown, Hanover's is just a block off of the main street. With plenty of parking,there is not much fear of having to walk to far and loss your way at 1 a.m. 

As you walk in the front door you see the building is a rectangle shape with yourself entering on the short side of the rectangle. The bar is immediately to your right and runs down the entire length, ending at the doors to go to their massive backyard area. As you stand and continue to survey, the stage is opposite the bar on your left and is of a very modest size. Easily accommodating most bands. From the small 3 piece to the funktified band with a full horn section, rhythm section, and everyone in between. There is a small dance area in front of the stage, seating at some hi top tables and along the bar. 

There is seating immediately to your left as you stand at the door and seating with pool tables farther back, past the stag on the far left back corner. All in all it is a very nice set up and great if you want to get down in front with your favorite local band or something new. 

This particular evening it was something new FOR SURE. 

I caught the last 5 songs from White Label Analog (http://www.whitelabelanalog.com/). Fresh off their new CD release, White Label Analog had the house P A C K E D! It was energetic and sharp. Even walking in on the tail end of their set had me a little sad. I wanted to be out of breath and jumping around like the rest of the crowd. It is know doubt these guys are not only a crowd pleaser, but their polished looks to keep them busy her in the Austin area and have them traveling to farther cities and pass the good jams on. It is never a bad ticket if you get to see this band, doesn't matter who's on the bill....worth it!

Speaking of worth it, thanks to my friend Dave Prewitt! He warned me about the sheer awesomeness of this next band more than a year or two ago. I have followed them on FB and even made plans to go to previous shows. My own lame ass self for not seeing them sooner and experiencing the wonderousness of SCORPIO RISING (http://scorpiorisingmusic.com/)!

What the hell was wrong with me and what the hell is wrong with you. Follow the bands link NOW and find out where they are playing next that is near and dear or far and funky, GO!!!!!!!!

Scorpio Rising is fronted by Madame Scorpio...of course! With their worker jumpsuits on, this 3 piece is so beyond comparison of most anything I have seen in Austin yet. Funky, rocking, fun, energetic, and surprising all do little justice to Scorpio Rising with what is their own brand and style of danceable rock! It was like watching a funky ass aerobics video to very, VERY good music. Madame Scorpio is the epitome of a charismatic lead singer and entertainer. It was kind of sexy, but in a naughty, is-she-really-doing-that-oh-my-god-this-is-so-cool kind of way!



I believe the bass players name is "Wonderbread", if I am to believe the back of his jumpsuit. This guy was on the stage all of less than 5 minutes for the entire performance. Moving through the crowd like a hellion robot, moving non stop, and yelling for the crowd to constantly cheer and make more noise. It was IMPOSSIBLE not to smile and scream for more with Madame Scorpio on stage and the Wonderbread peering into the crowd and moving amongst us. Just a fantastic performance.

To top it off, they even called for a dance contest among the patrons for prizes from their merch table. Yes, people danced, people won, and we all yelled for more. Although I have never been a tremendous fan of bands or people playing to looped or pre recorded tracks. Doing it right is way beyond the level of what Scorpio Rising did. It doesn't matter because it was ridiculously thrilling and fun!

Laters

Like water

When it's that near perfect mixture of music, crowd, and booze...it flows like water. The music is just right for the crowd. The mixture of rock, country, Americana, and originals just come together perfectly...and the crowd loves it. The drinks flow like water. The social lubricant of our adult lives keeps the good times rolling. Time. The time just moves on with a seamless performance so the next thing you know...3 hours have gone by in a blink. It all flows like water.

 The unexpected Friday night performance is always fun. I wanted to stop by, but didn't know if it would really happen. It did! The stop was in the pouring rain in Pflugerville, Texas. The place was Uncle Gary's Bar. The band was American Gypsy Band.

Uncle Gary's Bar (http://www.unclegarysbar.com) is on the side of the highway at the far back end of a parking lot. I was looking for it while I was in the parking lot and still didn't see it until we walked right up to it...then it was 'Oh! This is it.' Understand it was 8:30 at night and raining like Hell so the description of the outside is definitely tainted. A modest porch out front was crowded as Hell, all the smokers were doing their thing and trying to stay dry.

As you walk in, the venue is the size of a small house. The bar is immediately to your left, the stage is at the back in the right corner. Bathrooms are past the bar on the left and next to the stage. There are some stairs that lead up to a small balcony and seating area above the floor. Apparently there is an area out back too, but it was to wet to go out there and I didn't care 'cause I don't smoke.

The house was jam packed this evening and everyone was having a great time with the American Gypsy Band (http://americangypsyband.com) doing their thing on stage. My title paragraph should really bring home the sentiment and crowd loving fun of this band. A four piece with the lead singer doing some acoustic work occasionally. Their mixture of cover tunes spanned a huge swath of musical genres to the delight of the crowd. There was no dance floor and it was packed with girls and couples dancing to almost every song. The crowd was singing along (appropriately, not annoyingly) and there were not to many moments where folks were just sitting. American Gypsy Band spectacularly wove their originals in with the covers to the point that you couldn't tell and didn't care.

As far as a performance goes and for a crowd pleasing time. You can't go wrong with a night of American Gypsy Band. Check them out, look then up, and plan on it. BTW..here is a cool ass video of them performing some Bob Marley (https://youtu.be/CPDEWBOpLVo).

Laters

FFF Fest Day 2 pt. II

Return of the King!
Here is the second part of the FFF Fest 2014 from guest writer Jay Longoria!

After Fred Armisen's set was done, I still had quite a while before the next band on my list, Sick of it All, was playing. So I wandered around for a bit, checking out some bands I'd never heard of on the Orange and Black stages. 

On the Orange stage was a band called 

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (http://thepainsofbeingpureatheart.com). All the guys in this band looked like various clones of myself at age 15 [HA!], especially the bass player. They played a style of indie garage rock that sounded reminiscent of Nineties alternative music, like Superchunk or Toad the Wet Sprocket. It wasn't really my thing, but they played well enough and seemed very earnest about their music.

I soon found myself back over by the Black stage passing the time by watching a band called Black Lips (http://black-lips.com) Despite the goth-sounding name, these guys played hard garage rock that had more bluster to it than what was going on over at the Orange stage. That said, they never played anything that quite drew too much of my attention. I'll be honest and say that by this point in the day, I was starting to feel like I'd seen and heard enough indie rock and was really wanting to hasten the evening forward to the main event.

Of course, there was still one group yet to play before that and I was actually semi-curious to see them. This would be Sick of it All, (http://www.sickofitall.com) the quintessential stalwart NYC hardcore punk band.

Apparently, they'd been asked by the organizers of FFF Fest to play a set exclusively sticking to material off two specific albums, Blood, Sweat, and No Tears and Scratch the Surface. Though they seemed semi-disappointed at not being able to play their newer material, Sick of it All still went at it full throttle!  They played with an energy that belied their age, and gave the crowd a lesson in truly old school hardcore punk flavored with a distinctly New York City attitude.  Even though I was really only familiar with one of their songs, "Step Down", (off Scratch the Surface) I enjoyed their set. It was a nice warm up to the moment that many in the crowd, myself included, had been waiting for all evening!!!

(Sick of it All. Unfortunately, I couldn't quite get a quality pic of these guys.)

What could it possibly be??

(King Diamond unleashes a live show like no other.)

Yes, after a long hiatus, King Diamond (http://www.kingdiamondcoven.com/site/) had returned for a full U.S. tour with the last stop being tonight at Fun Fun Fun Fest.  And, as promised, King had a rare treat for us: his full, no-holds-barred, stage show. Normally reserved for large European music festivals, but as you can see from the pictures, it was enormous stage props, custom lighting, and interchanging backdrops for the revelers this night.  The initial set up made it appear as if the band was performing at the rusty iron gates of a dilapidated haunted mansion.  It was, to put it frankly, BAD-FUCKING-ASS!! 

King Diamond opened the set with "The Candle" off the first album, Fatal Portrait, and the crowd went absolutely nuts. King, of course, made a dramatic entrance at the top of the catwalk above the drums and coolly glided down the staircase, with his human bone microphone in hand. I have to say, his voice sounded better than ever, as he effortlessly pulled off verse after verse in his signature high falsetto. 

     

The set included a variety of selections off of the band's extensive discography. Highlights included "Welcome Home", complete with an actor dressed as King's evil, decrepit Grandma. "Nightime in Budapest", with an actress costumed as a living doll. "The Eye", "The Family Ghost", and the crowd-pleaser, "Halloween".  My only wish was that they'd played "Mansion In the Darkness" from Abigail, but I couldn't really complain [and it seemed the crowd didn't mind either].

Theatricality was always a King Diamond specia

lty, and he did not disappoint. Going so far as to include a genuine magic trick in the show. It involved placing his Grandma inside a coffin, wheeled onstage by a surgeon and a priest. King then dropped a glowing cinder into the coffin and commanded the sides to drop, revealing the incinerated skeleton of Grandma within. For comedic effect, the surgeon checked the skeleton with his stethoscope and shook his head, while the priest made the sign of the cross over it. 

  The band was on point, rolling through each song flawlessly. King's lead guitarist and songwriting collaborator, Andy Laroque showed why he is one of the best in the biz, throwing smooth phrases and machine gun-picked lead lines, as required.

    

All good (or evil as it were) things must come to an end, and after two encores, the King Diamond finally signed off. King was a class act, staying onstage to graciously thank each section of the crowd for their praise and enthusiasm.  I had read in several pre-tour interviews that King had promised this tour and show would be something fans would never forget, I can say he definitely delivered on that! This was a truly fantastic concert. It will go down as one of the most memorable live performances by any band that I've ever seen and a was one hell of finishing touch on Fun Fun Fun Fest!

Written by:

Jay Longoria

Edited by:

William Tompkins

Laters

Mayhem Festival wrap up

The main stage wrap up for the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival (http://rockstarmayhemfest.com) 2014, Dallas, Texas.

Trivuim, Asking Alexandria, KORN, and Avenged Sevenfold were the featured bands to round out a long day in the Texas sunshine. I have to say sorry to Trivium. As much as I wanted to see this performance, after hearing and seeing them for the first time on a Sony PSP game (Infected - check it out with a killer soundtrack for a video game), I missed out. Sucks to be me.

Asking Alexandria (http://askingalexandria.com) followed up with a very cool set. No question that some of the younger fans (teens) were thrilled for this one. I recognized a few songs from my daughter's music collection, but the performance was energetic. No doubt AA was playing it up for the Dallas crowd. It was a very satisfying set musically and performance wise. Being able to compare this set to a previous set they did at a smaller, indoor venue in Austin, I will say this... The next time Asking Alexandria is in your town playing a club or similar indoor venue GO! Outdoor festival stage, not so much. They can definitely be a band to continue to watch and follow as they continue to kill these live performances.

KoRn (http://www.korn.com). Are you effing kidding me? Celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut album, it was kick ass. I am very happy to say THIS IS the way a live performance should be! KoRn opened with one of their big hits, and just continued to roll through their set like champs! They made it exciting to watch them onstage with the lights, the different stage levels, and the guys in the band constantly moving around. The mixture was just right for a live music performance. Best of all, the set list didn't leave you asking "what about 'that' song?" Running on all cylinders, KoRn's live performance experience was in its full glory. The new upcoming tour should be pretty amazing, and even more glorious with KoRn doing a full set and being able to pull out all the stops.

Avenged Sevenfold (http://avengedsevenfold.com/news) wrapped up the night with their hot set, like they were on fire. Literally! Flames shooting up from the back of the stage, the fire constantly burning, the fog and smoke engulfing the stage. Images of Hell, death, skeletons, and prisons, what more could any metal fan want. Oh yes, music! A7X rose to the challenge and blew up the night for a performance that was worthy of a headline spot. They played for the crowd and seemed to have fun doing it. This is all so very important as that will always translate into a good time for everyone in attendance. 

Once again, I thank the folks from Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival for the good time, great music, and exhausting day. Another one on the books and I look forward to next year.

For all you reading, look for the announcement of who is going to be on the tour. If there are 3 or 4 bands that you want to see together in one place, the ticket to ride is well worth it. With all of the excitement, energy, and music music that is a festival experience, go!  The hella good thing is you will probably find someone new to listen to, become a fan of, and rock out to!

Laters