Failure

I'd been waiting almost two decades to hear Failure live. I got the first opportunity this passed February, playing their first show since the late 90's. It. Was. Amazing.
Then they announced a nation wide tour and (GASP) new material. If you don't know their music, you've probably heard a band that cites them as an influence. There are almost no "modern rock" bands that would sound the way they do without having Failure around. Best known for their 1996 hit "Stuck On You", they really defined a genre. Too heavy for pop, too abstract for alternative, too spacy for rock. And live? They do not dissapoint. This show spanned all three records (with a heavy leaning on their middle effort, "Magnified", which was thrilling), along with a new track they have yest to record. The majority of the audience was clearly long time fans, but I brought along two friends whose first exposure to them was this concert. They became immediate fans :) If you haven't heard a lot of their work, just go see them live. If you're already familiar, you were at the show the other night. In any event, you need to check them out.

While touring following their 2012 release Yellow & Green, the band's bus careened off the road and into the woods outside of Bath, England. Suffering severe injuries, two band members made the decision to leave the band. Front man John Baizley chose to continue the band's touring presence after seven months following a letter addressed to his fans stating he would continue, "till the wheels fall off." Brandishing his scars and burns on both arms in triumph, he forever cemented his devotion for Baroness and his fans.
That display of passion is not found often these days, and it is certainly reflected in their performances. Seeing this band live in venue sizes that span the gambit, their shows always provide the same indomitable energy. Even on a Sunday night at the Lexington, VA natives drew a crowd that was dripping with anticipation. Amongst their performances of "Yellow & Green," ranked 6th Top Hard Rock Album in 2013, and past masterpieces, you could sense the deep respect amongst the fans for the band's perseverance in their craft. It adds another element to their shows, a certain deeply rooted belief in the true value of their music.
We were there for a reason. Not only to see Baroness, but to witness a phenomenon. Opening with "Take My Bones Away" and "March To The Sea," their sound almost itched for the luxury of a larger space. They carried us on a sonic journey, guiding us through sweeter melodies with a tang of grit, all the way to a heavier, thumping, and simply powerful encore. This band persists to follow their passion of live performance, and the crowd acknowledged that in the most genuine of ways. It is a truly special experience to see Baroness live when their performance is placed in the context of the bands eventful past.

For the last dozen years or so, there are few better live bands than ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead.

Although once notorious for destroying their instruments at the end of shows, the band have backed off that expensive bit of auto-destruction in recent years, but are no less exciting even so.

Able to draw on nearly 15 years of material now, seeing Trail Of Dead live is a chance to hear how they've evolved over the years. Yes, there's still the punk fury of “It Was There That I Saw You”, and they still rip through material like that from the debut album. That being said, their newer, more ambitious material (like “Isis Unveiled”, from their 2009 album Century Of Self) actually tends to steal the show at Trail Of Dead live gigs.

The constant through the band's evolution from its noisy beginnings to its current arty incarnation is the intensity of drummer, co-vocalist and guitarist Jason Reece. His wide-eyed, sweaty, strutting onstage persona makes it pretty clear that these guys mean ever note they play and every word they sing. The excitement that the entire band exudes, in fact, makes them a group worth road-tripping to see play live. They may not smash up their instruments any more, but they will pin your ears back with some of the most visceral and intense rock and roll on the planet.

Torche’s sound is raw and mighty. Their music has been characterised as stoner metal, but the band have stated that they wouldn’t even consider themselves fully part of the metal genre due to their liberal use of sounds and styles from other musical genres within their work. Regardless of whether Torche fit fully into the metal category or not, they are a band with much talent, which has been demonstrated again and again on their various albums and single releases.

A Torche gig draws a solid set of regulars who have followed them since their 2004 birth and are always pumped to hear them play. That being said, don’t be surprised when you see a host of younger faces in the crowd. The more Torche tours, the more young followers they attract. Hopefully these younger followers will ensure the band’s longevity.

At their recent gig in Florida, Torche opened with “Kicking,” a strong and powerful way to the get the night started. Rather than let this opening energy fade away, the band quickly followed up with “Piraña” which really set the tone for the night. Every person at the show was rocking out hard with the band, and everyone was sure as hell not ready to see them leave when they closed with “Mentor.” I think it’s safe to say that everyone in that room was already planning the next time they could see Torche perform; I’d recommend you get your ticket now before they sell out!

Ringo Deathstarr are an alt. rock outfit hailing from Austin Texas, who showcase a variety of styles and influences in their music with bands such as The Cure and The Velvet Underground being a couple of their main influences. Of course, their band name is a portmanteau of The Beatles drummer’s name, Ringo Starr and the Death Star from Star Wars.
The atmosphere is that of a bohemian and quirky vibe, led by Elliot Frazier, as the audience so contently loose themselves in the fuzz of the guitars from the beginning to the end of their set. The vocals of Alex Gehring, keep you in a happy place too if you allow. One of the fun things about this band is that despite most of their influences being that of a British variety, these guys hail from Austin, Texas, none the less, over the last nine years, they have experienced a great amount of success with their EP’s and their releases, enough to get these audiences dancing from the start to the finish of their sets. The atmosphere this evening has been truly wonderful.