Best Music of 2016 (Top 10 Live, Albums in No Order)
I had the opportunity to go to a lot of great shows last year. Actually, as much as I love music, 2016 might have been the first year I actually saw more than ten bands in a year! In somewhat of a top-10 ranking, here they are:
10. Helms Alee - September 24 | Midpoint Music Festival | Cincinnati, OH - Helms Alee was on my list of bands to check out for much of the year, but I didn’t get a chance to before they came to town in September. Their set at Midpoint was my first exposure to them and they blew me away - I love the interwoven vocals from all three members, and I’m already a sucker for trio’s as it is. Stillicide should have been on a lot more “Best Albums of 2016″ lists.
(below photo shot with Nikon D810, Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8)
9. Slayer - March 8 | Express!Live Pavilion | Columbus, OH - My second show of the 2016 I crossed off my 2nd of the Big Four of thrash in Slayer (still need to see Megadeth and Anthrax). Obviously wish I could have seen them when Jeff was still alive, but Gary and Kerry can still shred!
(below photo shot with iPhone 6s)
8. RLYR - June 19 | Northside Yacht Club | Cincinnati OH - A newly debuted band in 2016, RLYR is an instrumental rock band with members from Pelican, Locrian, and Bloodiest. They played two songs from their debut album that just released the prior week, and we were also treated to two new, unrecorded songs - one of which was the first time they played live! Looking forward to hearing more from these guys in the future.
(below photo taken with Nikon D7000, Sigma 30mm f/1.4)
7. Electric Citizen - September 10 | Northside Tavern | Cincinnati, OH - Electric Citizen is a Cincinnati-based rock band that I am very happy to have discovered with the release of their second album, Higher Time, in the spring. I had the opportunity to see them for the first time on my birthday as part of the Northside Rock n Roll fest, and was blown away. So when they played again in September, I knew I had to bring a camera with me.
(below photo taken with Lumix GH4, Lumix GXVario 12-35 f/2.8)
6. If These Trees Could Talk - July 8 | Rumba Cafe | Columbus, OH - The only reason I knew that this was The Trees first live show in a year was because they told us during the show. You would not have known it otherwise, as they played a mixture of old and new songs from The Bones of a Dying World, which had released the month prior. They crushed the packed house, and it was very dark so I only took one photo.
(below photo taken with iPhone 6s)
5. Russian Circles - September 24 | Midpoint Music Festival | Cincinnati, OH - Some prefer early- Russian Circles material, but I am in the camp that believes that they just keep getting better. Guidance was one of the best albums of 2016 and hearing several songs from it live was awesome. Stoked that they are already returning to town in May with Mastodon!
(below photo taken with Nikon D810, Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8)
4. Melvins - April 21 | Agora Ballroom | Cleveland, OH - I love the Melvins. There is very little that the Melvins have done that I do not like, and they have made a LOT of music in their career. This was my first time seeing them, and I got to experience it with my best friend, RT. We had a damn good time.
(below photo taken with iPhone 6s)
3. TOOL - January 26 | Bojangles Coliseum | Charlotte, NC - This was my fourth time seeing my favorite band, TOOL. It was, however, my first time (ever doing anything like it, really) doing the VIP experience. Getting to hear Adam Jones talk for two hours about the start of the band and how they write music, an instrumental version of The Grudge at soundcheck, and being right on the rail in front of Maynard all night was a pretty surreal experience. I took no photos, so here’s the VIP group shot at soundcheck - you can play ‘Where’s Waldo’ and find me, Adam, Justin, and Danny amongst the group.
2. SUMAC - August 11 | Double Happiness | Columbus, OH - SUMAC has put out some of the best and heaviest music the past two years straight, and I was beyond excited to get to catch their return to Columbus in the summer. Aaron Turner and Brian Cook have produced some of my favorite music ever with their past and present groups, and are together making magic with Nick Yachschyn, an unreal beast of a drummer. They absolutely leveled the place, and I drove home thanking myself that I decided to never go to a show again without earplugs, after seeing the #1 group on this list..
(below photo taken with Nikon D7000, Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8)
1. Sleep - June 26 | 930 Club | Washington D.C. - Sleep. I could stop there and say nothing more, and many would understand why this show tops my list. Matt Pike told me it was ‘badass’ that my dad and I drove from Cincy to D.C. for the show, while he puffed his cigarette in front of the venue about 90 minutes before the doors opened, while I was one of 2 people already in line. I was able to plant myself on the rail, right in front of his massive wall of Orange for the show - and boy did I pay for it later! Between Windhand’s opening set, and Al and Matt riffing away for over 90 minutes, my ears rang for the next three days. So no more shows without plugs for me - I’m hoping to attend (and properly hear!) many, many more shows in my lifetime!
(below photo taken with iPhone 6s)
Honerable Mentions, Live Acts of 2016 (in no particular order): Jay Jayle, Mamiffer, Pearl Jam, Ethicist, twenty one pilots, Nordra, Mouth of the Architect, Lemon Sky, Primus, Carcass.
Good 2016 Albums (in no particular order): Dust Moth - Scale, Russian Circles - Guidance, Electric Citizen - Higher Time, Mustard Gas & Roses - Becoming, Neurosis - Fires Within Fires, SUMAC - What One Becomes, MONO - Requiem for Hell, Helms Alee - Stillicide, Darkthrone, Arctic Thunder, Temples - Holy Serpent, Nothing - Tired of Tomorrow, Explosions in the Sky - The Wilderness, Joesph - There Comes The Lord, RLYR - Delayer, If These Trees Could Talk - The Bones of a Dying World, Mouth of the Architect - The Path of Eight, Mamiffer - The World Unseen, Alcest - Kodama, Pelican - Live at Dunk!fest 2016 (vinyl)
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