Posts filed under 'Event Reviews'
Hey guys,
I have been absolutely swamped at the office, so I apologize for being out of commission for a couple of weeks. This review is a couple of weeks old, but since this was my first opportunity to see Rizir live in concert, I feel compelled to get this out.
First off, let’s get the negatives out of the way, none of them band related. This was my first trip to Jugheads. Located on 52nd Street and McDowell, this club boasts a pretty big rep in regards to hosting metal, hardcore and punk shows. Now, I am dating myself here, but when I think of classic clubs in Phoenix hosting that type of music, Madison Square Gardens, the Sun Club and the Mason Jar immediately come to mind. All three were holes in the wall, dirty, grungy … and possessed a ton of character. Sorry, Jugheads does not even come close to that. Oh well …
It is a little easier to overlook a bad environment when a powerful band takes over the stage, and that is precisely what Rizir did! The vocals and rhythm guitar duties are handled by Zack “The Dragon” Vinyard, Ben “The Threat” Blessington moved over from bass some time ago and is now where he should be, shredding on the guitar, and on the drums is Jesse “The Animal” Taylor. Yes folks, no bass player currently, and it is scary to imagine what this band will be able to do once they secure that critical piece of the puzzle.
Rizir could be classified as metal, but this band is WAY too diverse to be pigeonholed in such a manner. The metal influence is at the forefront, but I detected elements of classic grunge, rock and roll and industrial in the music as well. It is important to realize I like quite a bit of what came out of the early part of the grunge movement, before the media ruined that genre of music and every new band in the world tried to instantly become a part of that movement. Rizir is reminiscient of what is good about grunge: heavy, yet melodic guitars; passioniate vocals; intense music loaded with hooks.
Zack does not like the reference from what I understand, but he has a delivery reminiscient of Cobain himself. Folks, I thoroughly enjoy that style of singing - when done properly. Zack absolutely screams into his mike while singing, but the delivery is not painful to listen to. Instead, it simply adds to the power already on display, and the actual vocals are very discernible. What is the point of screaming if the audience has no opportunity to understand what you are singing? Personally, that characteristic destroys what a lot of “nu-metal” bands are doing today. Zack does not have that problem and his vocals fit this band extremely well. I was really impressed, both with the vocals and his stage presence as a front-man.
Jesse Taylor is a monster on drums. This guy bangs the skins with such power and vigor, it was absolutely impressive to watch. His timing is very, very good. A good drummer keeps the song moving along a steady pace, regardless of the speed of the tune, and Jesse pushes this band extremely well. What an impressive musician!
Ben Blessington is the one member of this band I have seen play before, during his days in a band by the name of Echo 57. I always felt that band stifled his skills a bit, since the music was more of a funk-metal combination. With Rizir, Ben has an opportunity to really display his talent. You are not going to get a guitarist that is heavy into activity onstage. Instead, Ben utilizes his energy to pummel his guitar into submission. Some of the licks he played that night were so fast, it was impossible to keep up as a spectator. A metal band should have a stud like this on guitar. How Metallica gets away with not having one is beyond me, but that’s another story …
Put these three elements together and you have one heck of a powerful unit. Rizir absolutely tore it up on this evening, and the crowd seemed to be pretty appreciative of a great set of music. Metal is not the primary genre I listen to, but when done well I enjoy seeing it played live.
Support this band! I look forward to seeing them again, hopefully with a full line-up. Their MySpace page lists two upcoming shows. They will be performing at Club Red on December 12 and a week later they are back at Jugheads. I guarantee you a great time!
Cheers!
The Dust Devil
November 5th, 2008
Greetings,
All right people, there have been many occasions when it took time for a band to grow on me. Catherine Wheel, Stiff Little Fingers, CAKE, Radiohead (I still don’t like Pablo Honey) … there are many more. Then, there are those bands that I like from the get-go, but it still takes time for the true genius of the music to sink in and really overwhelm me.
I saw Jukebox the Ghost at the Monolith Music Festival just a month ago. They were great, they were fun. I bought their disc Let Live and Let Ghosts after their show that day and have played it numerous times since. Good Day is a great song, the disc is infused with great pop melodies, I like the double lead vocal attack and I am a big fan of the piano used in an indie-pop format. Therefore, going to see Jukebox the Ghost again since they were in town was a no-brainer for me.
Well, I was not ready to be blown away in the manner I was! Folks, once again, I liked this band from the moment I heard them at Monolith, but there were several other bands that had a more immediate impact on me since that weekend in September. The work of Band of Horses, the Pomegranates, Snowden, A Place to Bury Strangers and the Fratellis have become vital components of my music library. The music of Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings isn’t a genre I listen to all that often, but I can guarantee I will make a point of seeing them live any chance I get. Even Cut Copy, a band that only had a minimal impact on me initially, has become a fave.
Jukebox the Ghost does play a very happy, energetic, form of indie-pop. That opinion has not changed. What has changed is the realization there is nothing simple and basic about this band. Quite the contrary, there are some very complex song structures in the music and very insightful lyrics. This band has crafted an extremely well-thought out and designed style of music.
An obvious reason is the piano play of Ben Thornewill. Let’s throw out the Peanuts reference I have used in the past. The sound is reminiscient of that, but it is very obvious when you pay attention the classical piano training he possesses. That fact alone adds to the creativity of the music, but Tommy Siegel is a stellar guitar player and Jesse Krisitin does some very unique things on percussion. Tommy and Ben blend their vocal styles and harmonize together well. All these elements combine to produce some inspiring indie-pop that really does not sound like anything else out there. That is very hard to do today, because how often is a band able to produce something refreshing? And no, they do not sound like Ben Folds, which every review I read seems to focus on that.
Oh yeah, how about the concert review?
Jukebox the Ghost came out and opened with my favorite song, Good Day. The piano rhythm in this tune is one giant hook, what a great way to start off the set! The band never let up from there playing nearly every song from their debut Let Live and Let Ghosts.
Two things really jumped out at me this time compared to when I saw them at Red Rocks. First, there are a lot of quirky little breaks during their songs, and a band that had not put a lot of effort into playing with one another had ample opportunity to screw things up. This trio did no such thing, and every song sounded flawless.
Second, Jukebox the Ghost has a definite “theatrical” edge in what they do. When I am listening to the disc, I forget that many of the songs immediately begin when one ends. This is precisely why I stated earlier this band has written some complex music. I don’t mean complex in a negative way, but in the sense that I felt I was listening to a rock symphony of sorts. The songs act as pieces of music rather than just individual tunes. Miss Templeton’s 7000th Dream features Tommy strumming an acoustic guitar and singing a folk inspired ballad, which leads right into the very powerful Static. My Heart’s the Same is a beautful piano driven ballad, with momentum building and building until the song leaps into Lighting Myself on Fire, a number worthy of filling a dance floor. The trifecta of Fire in the Sky, Where Are All the Scientists Now? and A Matter of Time is extraordinary. Tommy once again commences things on acoustic guitar, singing about Judgement Day. Ben and Jesse charge in, and parts two and three of the trilogy showcase the band harmonizing with constant tempo changes. I love great music, and I love even more watching a BAND play well with one another. This show will easily make my Top Ten for the year, they were that good.
Support Jukebox the Ghost! I have met members of quite a few bands this year. The Pomegranates were great guys, very sincere and it was obvious they just enjoyed having the opportunity to be at Monolith. What more can I say about the Mobius Band, some of the coolest guys I have ever met. Thanks again for the show back in May in Denver! Jukebox the Ghost are great guys as well, I had an opportunity to meet them after the show. A scary thought … Ben told me he was sick during their show at Monolith and was once again at this show. He was sick, and they sounded that good?! Wow!
Cheers,
The Dust Devil
Check out this live video of Hold it In!
October 16th, 2008
Hello folks,
Well, for this Monolith Music Festival attendee, the festivities came to a halt after this set, but what a rousing show this was! TV On the Radio impressed the heck out of me.
There were a number of acts at the festival hailing out of Brooklyn, NY. TV On The Radio is an unusual band, mixing together several different styles of music. There’s rock and roll, funk, soul, punk, shoegaze, hip-hop; this is pretty eclectic stuff. One of many bands that had escaped my attention before the weekend, they interested me enough when I checked them out online that I wanted to see them.
More than anything, I am impressed with their dedication! The bus bringing TV On The Radio to Red Rocks broke down in Salt Lake City. That isn’t exactly a hop, skip and a jump away from Morrison, CO, and a band of lesser character would have said “screw it” and not shown up. Instead, these guys rented vans and still made it in time to jump onstage without the benefit of a soundcheck and still rock out. CHEERS to TV On The Radio, there is still integrity in the music biz! Justice, did you catch that?
The lead singer, Tunde Adebimpe is ball of energy onstage, belting out his vocals and pacing all over, never content with merely hanging on his mike stand. Drummer Jaleel Bunton was the most talented person pounding the skins I saw all weekend, he really brings together the power of this band into a tight unit. David Sitek is a monster guitar player. The wind chime he had hanging from his guitar was a cool little addition.
The band featured many selections from their recently released disc Dear Science, but the highlight of the set had to be a brutal rendering of Wolf Like Me from Return to Cookie Mountain. That is an intense track and showcased the immense talent of this outfit.
I am a fan and respect the heck out of this band, what a great show! Too bad the night went astray after their set. Yes, I have bagged on Justice over and over during these posts, but when spoiled egomaniacs “play” after a talented band with tons of integirty, it is rather difficult to not be upset, even after a period of time to reflect on things. Oh well …
That was fun, hope you enjoyed my meandering down Monolith Memory Lane and if you were there at Red Rocks, please share your opinions! There was a lot of great music I did not get to see, and this year I never even caught a set at the MadeLoud.com Acoustic Stage. I do apologize to those artists because from talking to some of the attendees, it sounds like there were some great sets played there.
See you in 2009! Cheers!
The Dust Devil
September 25th, 2008
Hello!
The crowd was still in a great mood after the Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings set, so when Band of Horses made their way onstage amidst the backdrop of a beautiful evening with a harvest moon in the sky, they were greeted by the crowd in a warm manner. Deservedly so, we were in for one heck of a treat!
Band of Horses began their career in one of the meccas of the music world, Seattle, WA. Now based out of South Carolina, this band takes the prog-rock stylings of Neil Young, some of the elements of classic shoegazer, add in a taste of Southern Rock and weave it together into a classic mix of rock and roll. The singer reminds me a lot of Doug Martsch from Built to Spill and the guitar work at times is even reminiscient of Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins fame. If you like Built to Spill, you will love Band of Horses. If you don’t, in the humble opinion of the Dust Devil you have some serious issues.
I digress. A good friend of mine (yes, Robert Lerma once again) introduced me to this band a couple of years ago, so I had some familarity with them. Why I wasn’t immediately blown away when I had previously heard them is beyond me, but by far this was the best “discovery” for me of the festival.
Three guitars is an unusual and generally a welcome characteristic of a band for this listener, and Band of Horses uses that formula to produce a GIGANTIC sound on record and more important, live! This was the one band of the weekend that has the capabilty of producing a sound big enough to truly utilize what Red Rocks Amphitheatre has to offer in terms of the acoustics. From the moment they launched into The First Song, one of the two tracks of their’s I did know, I was in awe. Yes, AWE. Ben Bridwell’s vocals were crystal clear, the musicianship was the best of the weekend (yes, even over the Dap Kings) and once again, that big sound!
Earlier in the year I wrote a post about the Elbow show back in May at the Bluebird Theatre in Denver. During that show there was a moment when they played Newborn that still resonates with me today. That song was a monumental experience for me in terms of the live concerts I have seen over the years.
Well, Band of Horses had the same affect on me when they played The Funeral from their first disc Everything All The Time. That sound was so huge and so beautful, I was nearly in tears by the time the band launched into the final, climatic instrumentation at the end. That my friends, was the ultimate moment of the 2008 Monolith Music Festival … at least for me. At that moment, I realized I was in the midst of greatness. Call that comment overblown if you want, but there are moments that stick with you during your lifetime. For one brief moment, the world was in perfect balance, and The Funeral from Band of Horses encapsulated that moment.
Band of Horses, thank you for proving once again that great music does still exist in this world. The night was not over, and there was one more great performance still to come, but in retrospect I get more upset that Justice was allowed to close the festival over this great band. Truly, there is no “Justice” in this world …
Cheers!
The Dust Devil
September 25th, 2008
Hello everybody,
The next two reviews are for two shows that have made their way into my Top Ten all-time. No joke, this was the start of a phenomenal two-plus hours of music on the Esurance Main Stage. The opinion of the Dust Devil is this part of the Monolith Music Festival should have been at the very end, since we already know how I felt about Justice as a headliner. By the way, they still suck. That has not changed.
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings are a revitalist soul-revue out of Brooklyn, NY. Their music is a throwback to the late sixties and early seventies style of funk and soul. The Dap Kings are the house band for Daptone Records and have been session musicians for several other artists, including contributing to more than half of the 2006 disc from Amy Winehouse, Back to Black. The Dap Kings can flat out PLAY! I was so impressed with the musicianship of all the members of this band, particularly the three-piece horn section. To me, this is what music is all about, a group of people getting together to form one cohesive unit. It was such a joy to see and hear.
Now, a band that good needs a singer that can belt out the vocals with the same type of professionalism. Sharon Jones began her career singing gospel music as a child and built on that career entering talent contests until her big break came backing soul legend Lee Fields in 1996. This session was done with a band by the name of the Soul Providers, the band that eventually became the Dap Kings.
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings strode out on the Esurance Main Stage and it did not take the audience long at all to realize something special was happening onstage. One of the best characteristics of Monolith is the wide variety of genres represented onstage, and Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings unleashed a set of stellar funk and soul that had everybody in the crowd on their feet, dancing, laughing and having a wonderful time.
Sharon Jones is a dynamic show-woman, delivering her vocals while dancing and strutting around the stage. She had the crowd eating out of the plam of her hand the entire set. Three consecutive songs she invited members of the crowd up to the stage to dance with her, which brought about one of the highlights of the festival. Anyone at Red Rocks that weekend will remember when a young man who referrred to himself as TRL was brought onstage and spent the duration of the song dancing with Sharon Jones, often times in a very seductive manner. Dressed in an extravagant outfit with a cape that said “Maid to Order” (no, I did spell Maid correctly!) on it, TRL brought the house down and Sharon Jones was the perfect complement to his antics, never wavering from her duties as the leader of this incredible band.
Hands down, the best show of the weekend! Combine music played that well by the Dap Kings, the amazing vocal stylings and showmanship of Sharon Jones, and an appreciative and energetic crowd, and you have one memorable show. Thank you and kudos to the Monolith Music Festival for bringing this classy act to the Main Stage where they belonged!
Whew! It has to be time to go back to the hotel by now, right? Nope, the second half of what should have closed this festival is up next!
Cheers,
The Dust Devil
September 25th, 2008
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