#krash rover

[rmhimayathullah]

(via https://soundcloud.com/krashrover/cant-keep-living-this-way?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=tumblr)

[themusicenthusiast]

Saturday, August 9th, 2014 – Krash Rover Returns to the Curtain Club for a Birthday Bash

[themusicenthusiast]

Saturday, June 15th, 2013 – Krash Rover

[themusicenthusiast]

Friday, July 6th, 2012 – Dallas Rocks!

This was the best Krash Rover show I’ve seen yet. Each individual member owned it, and did a great job of roaming about the stage, making sure that there was no wasted space. There’s no doubt about it, they are fantastic at what they do, and they just continue to get better. They have no shows on tap at the moment, but you can purchase their self-titled record on iTunes.

Next up was Fantasma, who got their 44 minute long set started with one of five new songs they had prepared… Yes, five. Once again, the stage was dark, as vocalist, DJ, plugged as mic stand, and all the little LED lights that adorn it began to glow. Bassist, Daniel Castaneda, played his bass in a rather interesting way for most of this song (and then periodically throughout the night), and as he worked his way to the front of the stage, he occasionally bent down on one knee, resting the bass on said knee, and slapped out the beats. I know that can’t be purely original, but still, I’ve never seen someone play a bass in that manner, and it looked pretty cool. The song was very good, to boot. Something to the effect of, “…Why does God not believe in me, or is it because I don’t believe in Him?...” It was at least along those lines, but the way DJ sang it, it sounded a little more profound than what I put. “This next song’s called Dancers and White Lines” he announced, as the sample track for the song started, and Michael Kudlicki began to beat away at his drum kit. That song is one of the best examples of their “space rock” sound, and it seemed to get the vast majority of the crowd intrigued in what they were doing. Things were taking down just a hair with “Panda”, but quickly picked back up as the desolate ending of that songs sample track soon gave way to the next one, “My Little Centerfold”. Guitarist, Duston Daulton, stood at the ready, as the track played out, featuring a pre-recording of the first line, which is something like, “At least one would make his day, when I asked her to stay. That town was miles away…” and was soft enough it sounded pretty distant. As soon as that ended, he started shredding away on his guitar, as the song officially got underway. They next went into a block of new material, first with still fairly new, “Fire and Blood”. The intro for that one is great, as I’ve said before, it has almost a tropical feel to it, due largely in part to the shaker that is used, before it turns into a full-blown rock song. The next one was new as well, though wasn’t one of theirs. “Some of you might know this one.” said DJ, as the song started. “I had a way then losing it all on my own I had a heart then but the queen has been overthrown…” he sang, as I heard a handful of people immediately start talking about how much they love this song, which was “Lights” by Ellie Goulding. Honestly, I’d never even heard of her until Dan informed me they had decided to cover this song for this show, and after listening to it, I must say, I like the original version. However, there’s was just as good, or perhaps even better, since they had put the ol’ Fantasma flare on it, making it into more of a rock song, though still had a heavy electronic vibe to it. Towards the end of it, DJ finally put the extra drums that were assembled in front of the drum riser to use, as he started to play them, in near perfect synch with what Mike was doing. They let loose one more brand new song, which saw DJ again adding a little extra percussion towards the end, and Duston also did a sweet little guitar solo on this one. They had one last newer one left in store for the crowd, and that one was “Frozen Faultlines”. Perhaps the best part of this one was on one of the final choruses, as Dan raised his bass up and held it as if it were a gun, plucking the strings at precisely the same moment as the drumbeats. That was repeated a few times, and looked very badass. They got back to some stuff from their debut album, “Stories of Earth Women”, with “Colors Run Red”, which is the typical closer, and as DJ softly sang the final line, I thought their time was probably up… Turns out, they had one last one left, and out of the handful of times I’ve seen them, it was the song they’ve always opened with, “Ra”. DJ went back to his little drum set, with I believe a snare, a tom and something else, and he and Mike got the song going, which would conclude their set.

I’d say this was the second best show I’ve seen the band do. The stage show was great, with all of them moving around quite a bit, jumping up onto and subsequently off of the drum riser, etc. So, really, performance wise, this was the best show I’ve seen them do. They have a show coming up on August 25th at The Rail Club in Fort Worth, and be sure to check out their album, “Stories of Earth Women”, in iTunes.

Ursa took the stage next. I stood further way from the stage during their set, and as they began, I couldn’t see a thing as the stage was pitch black. In fact, the only way I even knew they had started was from hearing Brian Sumler start lightly playing the drums. The other members gradually joined in, one at a time, as the first song of their set got going. I had seen them not even a month before, and it was a good set, but just moments into this one it was apparent this one had a much different, more impressive feel to it. The lights were best utilized during their set, giving the show a very theatrical element, and as they finished the song, it again went dark. One of the guitarists then started them into the next song, “Aim to Please”. There was a nice vibe to it, once again, due largely to the lighting, with the song culminating at the first chorus, “Over and over again. I’ll break your fall to absorb your pain. I have faith in you. You’ll try over and over again.” They kept things going with another new song, which guitarist, Dave Perez, said was about “making love”. Afterwards, vocalist, Michael Keeney, announced their next tune, “This Is Your Captain Speaking”. As they hit the pause towards the end, the place went dark, staying that way for a few moments before they tore back into the chorus. I’ll be honest, despite having had their album for awhile, I haven’t listened to it a whole lot, so I’m not too familiar with their songs, but I think they next did “Face Down”. They wound it straight into their next song, which I’m fairly certain was “Skin and Bones”. Then ended their 38 minute set with, I believe, “Apogee”.

It was a killer set they did, a watching it from afar, they looked like they were the most professional band of the night. Very put together and well executed. They don’t have any shows at the moment, but you should go check them out when they get something booked. You can also download their self-titled album for free by going HERE.

Each band had been excellent thus far, and had done a good job at upping the ante just a bit from the act before them. And doing the best job of that was the headliner, Serosia. The last time I saw these guys they managed to finally make me into a fan with their intense live show, and that was a little over a year ago now, so I was looking very forward to seeing them again. Guitarist, Derek Troxell, bassist, Joseph Kuban, and drummer, Anthony D'Agata, got on stage and started the first song in their 48 minute long set, “Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars”. Vocalist, Lucas D'Agata, then made his way to the front of the stage from stage left, screaming into the mic before he started singing the song. He was definitely the one to watch, as he ran and leapt around the stage, paying attention to all sections of the crowd, so it never felt like anyone was being neglected. Anthony kept right on going with the drums, bringing them right into one of their heavier songs, “The Room”. This was more along the lines of what they were like five years or so ago when I first heard of them, with Lucas doing almost nothing but screaming, which was why I disliked them at the time. They’ve changed and matured a lot since then, though, and when done in moderation like on this song, I can handle it. And if I remember correctly, that was the song that started the first mosh pit of the night, and a decent size one at that, though it dwindled to a handful of people quickly. When it was over, Lucas talked to the crowd briefly, I believe thanking everyone for coming out, which he did profusely throughout their set, and then said something like, “You all came here to hear some rock, right?!” That was the segue into their next song, one form their current release, “The Vehicle”, “Criminal”, as he began to sing, “I am concealed…”. This was a big show for the band, as it was their first back since they recorded their next album, and now it was time let their fans who were here have a taste of what they have done. If I heard correctly, the first song was titled “Friendly Fire”. It was along the lines of some of their other material, with some heavier parts where there were some brutal screams, though for the most part was some incredible singing. They did another new one, which, as far as I know was the live debut of each one, and then got back into their current material with “Rainstorm”. “Does anyone have our Perspective and Balance EP?” Lucas asked when the previous song was done. Some people shouted out, and he replied, “Cool. Well, we’re going to play a song off of it called Ours Alone.” Anthony started hammering away at his kit, making some thunderous beats, while Joseph and Derek shredded on their respective instruments. They slowed things down a little with another oldie, “Heal Me”, and for this one Derek added the screams to the song, which he did at various times during their set, and on a side note, I must say it sounded very good when both he and Lucas were shouting out the lyrics. They proceeded to crank out “The Eye of Providence”, and upon finishing it, slowed things down once more, this time with “Eleventh Dimension”. “This one’s for you, dad.” Lucas said, as he started to sing, “Situation’s coming over me. Consumed I see no light…” At one point he asked the fans to sing along with him, “…I want him to hear you…” he told everyone. They had one song left, and after again thanking everyone for coming to the show, they capped it off with “Ventriloquist”.

Every band was incredible this night, but there was good reason Serosia was the headliner, and that was because they were the most impressive act of the night. I don’t think anyone who saw this show start to finish could argue that. They are definitely one of the best acts in the area when it comes to a live performances. Lucas is an astounding frontman, putting on enough of a rock show all by himself. At one point he even left the stage and joined the crowd as best he could, seeing as they do have a partition to separate the audience from the band. Derek annihilated it on the guitar, Joseph owned his bass and Anthony was a machine behind the drums. This was really just a rock show in the purest form possible. There are no upcoming dates that I can find, though I’m sure they will be playing around town soon enough, especially after they release this forthcoming record of theirs. In the meantime, you can purchase their albums, “The Vehicle” “Perspective and Balance” and “The Current State of Being” all from their store on their Reverbnation page.

This was one helluva a night, and whoever put it all together needs to be applauded. Also, hopefully things like this can become a little more frequent here at the House of Blues, ‘cause I can tell you right now, there is a slew of talent in the area that they can tap for it. So, here’s to hoping “Dallas Rocks!” becomes a regular event.

[themusicenthusiast]

Thursday, February 2, 2012 – Me Talk Pretty and the Wake Up Tour

I had already planned to be out at Trees this night, because despite not really knowing any of the bands playing, they sounded good. Then, with some last minute line-up changes, a couple of local area acts I either like or have heard of were added to the bill, only giving me more reason to be out there and support. First up was Drater. I’ve heard a lot about these guys recently, and was looking forward to seeing them, but sadly by the time I got there I had missed most of their set. As I walked through the parking lot adjacent to Trees I could hear the song they were doing. “One! Nothing wrong with me. Two! Nothing wrong with me…” before they ripped into the chorus of that iconic Drowning Pool song, “Bodies”, and then got inside for the final minute or so of it. “Come on, I know you can do better than that.” said vocalist, Mira Fountain, when the song was over. Guitarist, Cole Schwartz, said for their final song they were going to do another Metallica cover, before he yelled out, “Seek and Destroy!”, then started the quartet into the song. During it, drummer, Matthew West, left his seat, and made his way to the front of the drum riser, all the while continuing to hit the cymbals. He did this little drum solo of sorts for several seconds, before getting back behind the kit as they brought the song down the home stretch and wrapped up their show. What makes Drater unique isn’t the fact that they are more of a cover band at the moment, it’s the fact that the members are only barely in their teens, with Matthew, Cole, and bassist, Trajan Acquista, all being fourteen, while Mira is but only twelve. I never thought I could be impressed by musicians of that age, but during only that song and a half I caught, I was wowed. Their musicianship is well beyond their years, and they proved to be more entertaining than a lot of bands (including most of the ones on this specific show bill). Doing cover music definitely works for them for now, but one thought quickly came to mind as I watched them, “What will their original music sound like?”. I imagine it will still be awhile before they get to the point to compose their own music, but when they do I’m very intrigued to see how it will sound. So here’s to hoping these four will stick with this band until then. They will be performing at the Boiler Room in Dallas on February 18th, and then the House of Blues on February 19th, so be sure to “Like” their Facebook page to keep tabs on them and find out more info regarding those shows.

Next up was another young band, though not nearly as young as the one who had just played, and the ones I was most looking forward to seeing rock the stage here at Trees, Krash Rover. Singer and guitarist, Kris Newman, got them started with their first song, “She Gets Around”, as bassist, Brandon Goforth, and lead guitarist, Ashton Quincey, began to get more active and bounce back and forth in perfect synch to the music once Zach Fuentes came in on the drums.  It was a great way to start things off, and seemed to me to be a good way to immerse anyone who wasn’t aware of who they were into the Krash Rover experience. After the song Kris gave the band a formal introduction, then stated they were going to play a song that was featured on 97.1 The Eagle’s Loud and Local show the previous Monday night. He started them into the fast paced, “SAS”, and afterwards announced they were going to slow things down a bit as he turned his guitar around to his back. Ashton began lightly playing the guitar as Kris started singing “Nobody Knows”. “The pain that you’ve caused me has cut me so deep, and left so many scars where no eyes can see…”, he crooned as the rhythm section soon entered into the tune. I’d say this is my second favorite KR song, and I like how it begins slow while setting up the story, then just takes off as it goes into more of a poppy rock sound. Also, both Brandon and Ashton added some nice backing vocals to the song, as they aided Kris on the final line of the chorus, “…I’d say that my hearts fixed.” A new song followed, which I believe was titled “Feel Good on the Inside”, and it was amazing. It stands out as being the strongest rock they have, and in some ways it even feels and sounds like an homage to the classic rock era. “This one seems to be a fan favorite…” said Kris, which led them to “Russian Roulette (Part II)”. They had saved the best for last, as their fans knew what the final song of their 32 minute long set had to be. Zach kicked it off with some beats, as those who knew the song began to repeatedly chant, “TEXAS!”, before they launched into “I'm From Texas”. Towards the end of it the band handed things off to Zach, who did a sweet little drum solo, before they rejoined and brought it to a close. It was a great set they did, I just wish they had been able to play longer. It is also well worth noting that in the little over two months since Brandon did his first live show with the band, they have only gotten much tighter together. He was great when I saw them back in November, but tonight his performance was even better, and you could really feel the chemistry between all of them. Hands down, Krash Rover was the best band of this show… And I wish I could say I was being biased about that, because most of the remaining bands were a total letdown. Also, if you’d like to see Krash Rover, they have a few shows coming up throughout the metroplex. On February 25th they’ll be at the Aardvark in Fort Worth. March 17th will find them rocking The Ranch in Arlington, while on March 31st you can see them up in Denton at Hailey’s. Next, all the way from Provo, Utah, was The Young Electric. The song they opened with seemed pretty simplistic, but I thought it might get better… It did not. They rolled it right into their second song, and then that one into their third, and at the start of it bassist, Drew Hamnett, moved further over to stage left, out of my line of sight, then came rolling right to the center of the stage. Riley Hamnett’s voice hadn’t sounded good since they started, but it during that song it just fell flat on its ass and never really recovered. They played a few other songs which included “Chemical” and “Hospital”, while “Veins” concluded their very short 23 minute show.

The member who gave the best performance was easily Mat Deason, who shredded on his guitar, but aside from him… Well, I haven’t given away a “worst band of the night” award in any of my posts in quite some time, but these guys are well deserving of one. The show was just atrocious. Riley couldn’t sing, he appeared as if he was drunk or high, which is not an appealing look on stage, and his “move” was slinging the microphone around. Now, I do think it’s cool when a singer will do that, sling it in the air and then catch it, but he did it constantly throughout the show which totally ruins the appeal of it, and then you had his stunt of holding the mic upside down while singing into it. It was just a pathetic display all the way around, especially after seeing what  Krash Rover had done. As for their music, I viewed it as the cookie-cutter crap that gives all music a bad name. The only good thing about them was how little time they took up. Easily the most well known band of the tour, Hawthorne Heights was next. I’ve heard of the band, but have never heard one of their songs, so I didn’t really know what to expect. On one hand they had the strongest showing of any band this night which should mean they’re good, but then my taste in music tends to differ from that of the masses, so I wasn’t sure. My doubt quickly washed away though as they began their 34 minute long set with “This is Who We Are”. I found the chorus infectious and was instantly hooked, and vocalist and guitarist, JT Woodruff, lead guitarist, Micah Carli, and bassist, Matt Ridenour, were putting on a hell of a performance. They kept up the intensity with “Pens and Needles”, which finds Micah doing a good bit of screaming. If you are new to my blogs, I loathe screaming in music, and in listening to the bands stuff online, I don’t like some of the recordings because of it. The funny thing is, though, that live it was incredible and added a wonderful texture to the music. They followed it with another older tune, “Blue Burns Orange”, before JT announced they were going to play some new songs that had never been played live in Dallas. The material came from their latest record, the “Hate” EP, with the first song they did being “Stay Awake/Stay Alive”. Okay, at this point I had liked their older stuff, but these new songs blew all of that out of the water, and it proceeded to get better. “I hate my job and I hate my life. I hate every fucking thing in this world. I swear to God if I had a knife I’d cut my heart out and give it to her…” sang JT as they began the title track, “Hate”, which perfectly achieves a feeling of utter hatred. “Saying Sorry” came next, and then another new one, “Oceans”, before they started what appeared to be a fan favorite, and one I really liked as well, “Ohio is for Lovers”. While “Niki FM” brought the show to a close.

I know I praised Krash Rover earlier, but Hawthorne Heights came awfully close beating them out. I guess in some ways they even did, because I love that feeling of when you first see a band, having no idea what to expect from them, and then you are totally blown away. That was what Hawthorne Heights did to me. I may have neglected to buy their records at the show, but only because I wanted to give a listen to the recorded versions of the songs to see if I still liked them. So, at the very least I would highly suggest the “Hate” EP. The band has dates up thru February 13th, so check out their TOUR PAGE to see if they are coming near you. Me Talk Pretty was headlining and closed out the show. The instrumentalists began with a percussion piece, as drummer, Guerin Blask, rocked his full kit, while guitarist, Leon Lyazidi , and bassist, Kevin Coffrin, each beat on a tom. It went on for a couple of minutes before front woman, Uliana Preotu, bounded on stage with some spunky energy as they began their first song. “We are Me Talk Pretty all the way from New York City!” exclaimed Uliana after the song, as Guerin wound it into their next one, “Hello Hello”. Sure, they were only two songs in, but I was none too impressed. The whole thing was just lacking that one element that grabs you and makes you captivated. They kept rolling right along as Kevin played some bass notes solo as Uliana softly sang a few lines of “Survive” before the song roared to life. This was one of only a few songs where I would say her voice actually shined. That’s not to say it was necessarily bad, more just that this was only one of the songs where I heard what was maybe some slight touch of star quality, as she really knocked that one out of the park. They followed it with another tune from their “We Are Strangers” record, “Love is in the Air”, and then “Close Your Eyes”, during which they left Guerin on stage alone to rock out a drum solo. Another song came next, and then Leon removed his guitar and handed it off to Kevin, who took his spot on stage right. Leon then pulled a piano to where it was more visible on stage, and as he did so Uliana talked somewhat of the bands history. “How many of you are wondering why this girl all of a sudden has an accent?” she asked, as it was noticeable when she spoke plainly, but completely disappeared as she sang. The story she told was being in her home country of Romania some six years ago, watching MTV thinking she would like to be in a band, and then her mother decided to move to America, so Uliana could have a chance at a better life. “…But my mother is no longer with us…” she said. She told a heartbreaking story of her mother not having health insurance, and subsequently could not get treatment when she got sick, which eventually led to hear death. She spoke of wanting to make a difference, “…Because I don’t think people should die just because they can’t afford insurance.”, and then pointed to the piano, which had hand prints all over it. They had been getting one person in each city to leave their mark on the piano, with the goal being to auction it off once their tour ends. It was a very neat thing, and it led them into a slowed down version of “Say You Will”. They returned to the electric goodness with another song, and ended with their single, which Uliana said would “…Always and forever be dedicated to my mother.”, “Wake Up”, which capped off their 51 minute set.

I just never felt engaged by their performance; it was like it just never really spoke to me. I don’t know. I just never saw any sign of standout talent, but regardless, you could tell the four of them were giving it their all on stage, and they at least deserve props for that. They’ll be on tour thru February 13th, so check out their TOUR PAGE to see where they’ll be. Still, the show at least had more better moments than it didn’t, and was a good way to start my two night stand at the Trees.

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NOTE: To hear music from these and many other independent artists from Texas, the U.S., and even the world, listen to me weekly "The Music Enthusiast Podcast", which is part of the WhiskeyBoy Radio Network. If you are in a band and would like me to play your music on the show (assuming I don't already have it), or perhaps you want an outlet to debut new material, email me at: [email protected]

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A note to whom it may interest: I'm wanting to get advertisers on my blog. If you are a band, music venue, or have any type of product or business whatsoever you want to promote, e-mail me at: [email protected] for full info. I will tell you now though, I get good traffic on my site and my prices will be VERY, VERY affordable to even the most broke bands/people. So please, allow me to help promote YOUR product constantly, and not just when I do a show review. Venues, I can list all your upcoming shows as I do for the Granada Theater. Bands, I can put up an image of your album cover and link that to iTunes, etc. Let me know if you would be interested in getting in on this exciting opportunity!

[seraphoid]

[themusicenthusiast]

January 8, 2011 - The New, New Magnetic North

I'd seen my first show of the new year a few nights ago, but tonight was my first club show of 2011. And what better club to catch some rock bands than the Curtain Club. Right?

There was one final band for the night. For Every Day. But I'd seen them before, and the rock they play is more along the lines of the rock that is everything wrong with the music industry as it currently is. You know, like Nickelback. So we didn't stick around for them, and left right after NMN finished up.

The first band, Krash Rover, was already performing as we waiting to pay to get in. But I don't believe we'd missed much of their set, as we saw at least 20 minutes of it. They sounded great, especially all being younger guys, each one looking around 18 to 19 years old. The downside to them was that they were 18 to 19 years old. Their music had a rock / pop / punk sound to it, definitely nothing new, but they excelled at it. And I really did enjoy it. But their songs, lyrically, did showcase their age, most of them sounding to be about teenage angst, and even if they weren't they didn't come across as being very complex. They do have something going though. So I say just give them time, let them mature and grow as musicians, and these guys should have a great spot in the local music community. And maybe even beyond.

Second up was Big Slang. A group of, umm... Seasoned musicians. I'm not the best at estimating age, but I think it ranged from the mid-forty's to around early sixties. Yeah, not your typical idea of a band you're going to see playing a club like this. Some of the stuff, their first song for instance, had a little 80's vibe going on. I've heard only clips of songs by Flock of Seagulls, but that's the band they reminded me of at first. And I'm not sure if they were primarily a cover band or what. Cause they covered a Beatles song, as well as Pink Floyd. And they even did an instrumental track titled "Debauchery". They were a different act, especially since the band name sounded like it belonged to a heavy metal band, or possible even a hip-hop artist. They weren't bad, but I'd certainly never go to show with the sole intention of seeing them.

Chris Osborne and his band were up next. From listening to them online they sounded excellent, and I figured would be the second best band of the night. But just as some bands can sound crappy on their recordings and be great live, so too can it work the opposite way. And that was how it was with these guys. The first few songs I really liked, just modern rock, but Chris had a killer voice that helped the music along. But before long all the songs started sounding more or less the same. And by the time they finally said they had two songs left, I was glad. But I would've been more glad had they cut those two songs out all together and just finished up much sooner.

Finally, it was time for the New Magnetic North. It'd had been a long 15 months since they'd graced the stage of the Curtain Club last. Or any club for that matter. And in that 15 months they'd undergone some huge changes. Most notably (and obviously) was the expansion from a four piece band to a five piece, with the addition of Bryan Ziegler on guitar. And secondly, Jacob Aaron, who was the drummer for their first three shows in 2009, has left his drum kit to rock out on a guitar. So really, this was set up to be an entirely new band. At 11:59 their intro track began. The song "Sycamore Trees" from the film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. It was an interesting opener, and set an intriguing mood for their set. It played for a minute or two before the curtain opened on NMN, who were greeted with quite a bit of applause. They allowed for a brief pause, as if to let the intro to sink in, then Jacob let loose on their first song, "The Owls Are Not What They Seem". I'm sure I've heard this song, and most of the others before, but it'd been so long ago I had no clue whatsoever as to what I should expect. And I was bit surprised when Tim began screaming out the first verse. I'll admit, it was a little intense for me at first, but the chorus was sung, so it worked pretty good. But really, that's one thing I've always liked about Tim's voice, he can be screaming in a Hardcore Rock fashion one second, and the next he's singing in a semi high register. As the song wound down Tim walked over to the drum riser, where a couple of toms where set up beside the drummers kit. And while the band was rocking out the last bit of "Owls...", Tim joined in on the percussion, hitting away the toms. That was a pretty great way to get the show going, as the song is a definite attention grabber, but the show only got better from here. They rocked out "Which Some Can Say", "Perfect Piece of Truth", "Feed the Pig", and "Eleven", which used to be the show closer, next. And after each one I thought "That's my favorite song of theirs." Ultimately making it a tough decision, and I guess, for now, I like those four songs equally. Their 36 minute long set was nearing it's end now, as they played "Minus the Fall" before concluding with "View of the Seconds". Wow! What transpired in those 36 minutes was pretty incredible. First off, while Jacob was a good drummer, he is by far a better guitarist. And I'd say he exuded the most presence of anyone in the band. Whether it was just him shredding, or in the final song when he ran to the center of the stage, somewhat colliding with Bob, he was pretty badass. And the backing vocals he provided helped out the songs quite a bit, and I really liked it on either "...Truth" or "Feed the Pig" (I think it's one of those, though I can't remember for sure now) where he and Tim almost co-sang for parts of it, and even harmonized a little. And speaking of Bob, he seemed to put forth more energy than what I remember him doing in the past. As for Bryan, well the second guitar adds to the complexity of some already complex music. And it's good seeing him perform again, since it's been a couple of years when Darby did their final show. And tonight, he kinda reminded me of The FEDS guitarist Matt Wright. He didn't do anything real flashy or attention grabbing to look badass, just stood there and played his part. And in that he succeeded at being the most badass person on stage. And in regards to their songs, they sound different than anything I've personally ever heard. And they tend to keep the listener guessing. The best song example would be "View of Seconds". Just a few minutes into it started tapering off, and I really thought the song might be coming to an end, before they ramped it back up. And at another point of the song the guitars and drums pretty much dropped out, allowing Bob to do a little bass solo. It's nice to hear music like that, that keeps you on your toes. Because, and this may be because I listen to a lot of music, but it seems that if you figure the drum pattern out you can predict an entire song, even if you've never heard it before. But not these songs. While the New Magnetic North debuted back in May of '09 and played three shows that year, if you ask me, this was their first REAL New Magnetic North show. As it blew the others totally out of the water. They're currently working on a debut full-length record due out sometime this year, which based on this show, it should be pretty killer. So check 'em out and be sure to keep tabs on them, as this band is only going to get better. And on a final note, I want to give a HUGE thank you to Tim, who made me my own little set list so I'd know the names of these songs. So, thank you good sir! You're freakin' awesome!