The calm before the storm... Photo by Kathryn Farley
For starters, the photo above is the only picture that I took; this was the first time I did not take my phone out during a concert. While it sure is nice to be able to look through photos and videos to help with those post concert blues, being able to take a break from technology for a while and fully immersing yourself in the experience is so much more rewarding.
Standing in line for several hours allotted plenty of time to get those pre concert butterflies, so by the time doors opened I was already very pumped and ready for the show. After a surprisingly quick 30 minutes, the opening band, Knox Hamilton, took the stage. The band is comprised of brothers Boots Copeland (vocals) and Cobo Copeland (drums), as well as Drew Buffington (guitar) and Taylor Flynn (bass). They played all of the songs on their “How’s Your Mind” EP, as well as several new songs off of their full-length album (which is said to be released sometime in 2018). The band gracefully played through some technical difficulties in the beginning, got everything taken care of, and delivered a fantastic performance.
After waiting some more, Grizfolk took the stage. Adam Roth (vocals), Fredrik Eriksson (guitar), Billy Delia (drums), Brendan Willing James (bass) and Sebastian Fritze (keys) walked on stage to a countdown, which built up even more excitement. They started the show just as their debut album, Waking Up the Giants, begins, with their song “Into the Barrens,” which was very fitting. They played their entire album, save “Cosmic Angel,” and even treated the audience to a special performance of “Way Back When.” From audience participation during “Bob Marley,” “The Ripple,” “Vagabonds” and “Way Back When” to a drum solo, there was never a dull moment. Roth and James especially know how to connect with the crowd, but put all of them together on one stage and you’ve got one heck of an unforgettable experience. Anyone can see that these guys love what they do, and their passion definitely shows.
The “Troublemaker Tour” will be wrapping up with a sold out show at The Troubadour, but Grizfolk will be appearing at several music festivals and are sure to be announcing more tour dates soon, so keep an eye out. (You can find their updated tour schedule here.) Here’s the bottom line, you have got to get yourself to a Grizfolk show—you are guaranteed to have a good time.
This Friday, November 13th at 10am, you’ll want to be at your computer/phone grabbing tickets for Grizfolk’s upcoming show at Johnny Brenda’s. You can catch LA-based five piece when they make their way to Philly on February 12th.
