the Well - 08/24/06

I did not expect things to end up the way they did tonight, but all the same- it proved to be one hell of a barely attended show (thanks in no part to the hard-working, ever-entertaining A Javelin Reign, thanks boys for rocking what dozen people there were at The Well, and for dedicating a track to a drunken boy who bought you three a pitcher. Thanks also to Children of Flies and Severed Serenity for making this drunken chain-smokers night all the more magical.

And though I don't think it needs to be said, Kyle looks like a fucking badass white-trash dude in that sleeveless with the cowboy hat on.

Peace and Evol.

-Christian

Darkest Hour w/ Versus the Mirror, From a Second Story Window, and Misery Signals at The Habitat

It's 7:00 p.m. I'm in line to see Darkest Hour and an unholy host of metal-ish bands at the Habitat in downtown Kelowna, but it just doesn't seem like the right time for metal. Don't get me wrong, in my books it is always a good time for metal- but standing in line, half-drunk and coming down from a mid-afternoon high, happy rays of sunshine beaming down on a crowd of gaunt, scenester ragamuffins- the whole thing just didn't seem very metal. Then again, I seriously needed to use the bathroom, and what's more metal than bowel cramps and an excess of excrement?

A lack of communication with the promoters left me with a lack of a ticket, and the show was sold out so I had to wait until the opening act Versus the Mirror finished their set before I could file on in and find a good place to thrash about like a sweaty epileptic. The only thing I can remember about Versus the Mirror is thinking, "this is so meh-talcore", and then thinking how that wasn't clever at all, and probably shouldn't go in the review. Well, fuck you- metal isn't about being clever, it's about bowel-shuddering bass, Satan, long hair, and growling like the Cookie Monster.

From A Second Story Window knew what metal was all about, even if lead vocalist William Jackson looked like Anthony Kiedis in a Polo shirt. Their shotgun blast-beats and grinding guitar assualt left many a jaw dropped, but their sharp turns in time signatures kept the casual onlookers from really movin'. After a short break and a quick trip outside to get some air, Misery Signals were set to take the stage. I’m not going to deny that Misery Signals have a large, growing fan-base, and they certainly threw the crowd into a frenzy, but I couldn't help but think how thunderously bland they were. I couldn't have cared less though, as no more than a half-hour later they were moving their gear and making room for Darkest Hour. Darkest Hour left my body destroyed. I remember very little of their set other than the total euphoric feeling one gets while being utterly floored by a wall of pummelling drums, guitars, bass, and vocals- oh, and they came back for an encore as their drummer danced in his underwear. I also remember shouting "DRUM SOLO!" I woke up the next morning a total wreck; feedback ringing in my ears, and the worst bangover I've ever had in my life.

Thank you Darkest Hour.

Wasting's! A Time

Freedom is nearly mine. In less than two weeks time I'll be boarding a series of planes, headed for home. It's been a while since my last post, but in the meantime I've been drafting reviews for the first two issues of The Phoenix. The first issue will be sent to the printers on August 28th, to hit newstands on September 5th, 2006. In that issue I'll be reviewing Danielson's Ships, the self-titled debut from Be Your Own Pet, and Gnarl's Barkley's St. Elsewhere. Darkest Hour, From a Second Story Window, Misery Signals, and some other metalcoresque band will be playing The Habitat in Kelowna on August 22nd, and my review of their show will also appear in the first issue- if I'm lucky, I'll get an interview too.

On Friday, September 1st, Rob, Mona, myself, and potentially Dorian will be hitting the road to see Of Montreal play The Plaza Club in Vancouver. M. Ward will be playing the following night at the same club, and you can bet if Rob's schedule will allow for it, I'll be covering it.

I've ordered a lot of shit online recently and I'm keeping my fingers crossed hoping that my stuff will actually make it to my new address. In case you were wondering what I'm waiting for, here's the list below. Which, I'm sure you don't, but here it is anyways- sucka!


Kaki King, Until We Felt Red
Acid Mothers Temple & The Cosmic Inferno, Starless & Bible Black Sabbath
Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paradiso U.F.O., Have You Seen the Other Side of the Sky?
Oneida, Happy New Year
Aloha, Some Echoes
Excepter, Alternation
Genghis Tron, Dead Mountain Mouth
Liars, Drums Not Dead
Gorillaz: Demon Days, Live in Manchester (DVD)
Hella, Concentration Face (DVD) / Homeboy (cdep)
Tetsuo: The Iron Man (Tartan Asia Extreme DVD)
Ichi the Killer (Tartan Asia Extreme, Uncut Special Edition DVD)
The Doom Generation (Full Screen DVD)
&
Seaguy, by Grant Morrison, in trade paperback.

Well, that's all for now.
Adios Amigos!
-Christian