Post by Dr Demented on Nov 11, 2006 9:56:26 GMT -5
EMERGENZA FESTIVAL DAY TWO AT BIRDY'S
Saturday, January 29, 2005
Well, before I start on a rant let me talk about the bands that played this very cool show at Birdy's last night.
The first band that played was 650 North. They were what I would call emo whiner rock. I'm not sure why Emergenza listed them as Metal because they definitely weren't. I don't wanna put these guys down too much because they played well musically...but it was worse than country music to my ears.
Echoes went next. These guys played mostly instrumentals....very nice jam-band.
Next at 9:30 was my friends, A Failed Escape. These guys brought out their best set, although they confessed that they hadn't been feeling too well, probably because of our wonderful Indiana weather. I've been trying to get the chance to see another show of theirs, and was NOT disappointed. If you haven't seen these freaks yet, what are you waiting for?
Frankfort's Wasted Days then took the stage. This three-piece has a great sound. If you get the chance, check them out at www.wasteddaysrocks.com
Habitual took the stage promptly at 10:30. I had heard their first demo album, and was not prepared for the onslaught that roared from the stage. These guys have made an awesome change for the better. Their sound can only be described as Black Death Metal, because they alternately reminded me of Death, Nile and Cradle of Filth without the keyboards. They owned the crowd, and moshing was in order, as well as an excellent stage-dive by Adam from A Failed Escape. Habitual was the best band that hit the stage the whole night with probably the tightest set and the most powerful performance.
I didn't really pay much attention to the last two bands...they were more mainstream punk...and I was having a hell of a good time meeting new people and talking with old friends. Pig-Pen closed the night out...but was pretty unimpressive. The coolest part was watching their guys yell at the Emergenza rep at the end of the night.
Now for the rant...there are some things that kinda rubbed me the wrong way.
The first thing is that damn "show of hands" shit. I think it's fucking tacky. If you're going to have a world-class battle of the bands, at least put some effort into bringing some industry reps or producers to the show so that they can properly judge the bands based on their MUSIC, not whether they can give good head or buy the right person drinks.
The second thing, which goes along with sucking cock, is the fact that Habitual didn't win. They got 5th place, but you can guess who won first....yup, it was the whiny 650 North. Nobody in the room was impressed, and the guys from Pigpen got into a screaming match with the Emergenza rep. I was happy to see that A Failed Escape advanced, but what about Habitual? They should have easily defeated 650 North. I thought the crowd reaction alone should have handily defeated 650 North, and the show of hands was widespread.
The Benchmark Battle of The Bands is just about the smartest one that I know of...and I kept thinking that maybe Emergenza should have taken some notes from them. I mean, you pay $40 to play the local BOTB...and $70 to play the international one. The local one has a voting system that appears to work and uses actual "judges" from the music community. The other pisses people off. You make the decision.
Other than that...I had a great time and the Birdy's Staff were all cool as hell...I'll be back when AFE plays the finals or semi-finals...whatever.
Saturday, January 29, 2005
Well, before I start on a rant let me talk about the bands that played this very cool show at Birdy's last night.
The first band that played was 650 North. They were what I would call emo whiner rock. I'm not sure why Emergenza listed them as Metal because they definitely weren't. I don't wanna put these guys down too much because they played well musically...but it was worse than country music to my ears.
Echoes went next. These guys played mostly instrumentals....very nice jam-band.
Next at 9:30 was my friends, A Failed Escape. These guys brought out their best set, although they confessed that they hadn't been feeling too well, probably because of our wonderful Indiana weather. I've been trying to get the chance to see another show of theirs, and was NOT disappointed. If you haven't seen these freaks yet, what are you waiting for?
Frankfort's Wasted Days then took the stage. This three-piece has a great sound. If you get the chance, check them out at www.wasteddaysrocks.com
Habitual took the stage promptly at 10:30. I had heard their first demo album, and was not prepared for the onslaught that roared from the stage. These guys have made an awesome change for the better. Their sound can only be described as Black Death Metal, because they alternately reminded me of Death, Nile and Cradle of Filth without the keyboards. They owned the crowd, and moshing was in order, as well as an excellent stage-dive by Adam from A Failed Escape. Habitual was the best band that hit the stage the whole night with probably the tightest set and the most powerful performance.
I didn't really pay much attention to the last two bands...they were more mainstream punk...and I was having a hell of a good time meeting new people and talking with old friends. Pig-Pen closed the night out...but was pretty unimpressive. The coolest part was watching their guys yell at the Emergenza rep at the end of the night.
Now for the rant...there are some things that kinda rubbed me the wrong way.
The first thing is that damn "show of hands" shit. I think it's fucking tacky. If you're going to have a world-class battle of the bands, at least put some effort into bringing some industry reps or producers to the show so that they can properly judge the bands based on their MUSIC, not whether they can give good head or buy the right person drinks.
The second thing, which goes along with sucking cock, is the fact that Habitual didn't win. They got 5th place, but you can guess who won first....yup, it was the whiny 650 North. Nobody in the room was impressed, and the guys from Pigpen got into a screaming match with the Emergenza rep. I was happy to see that A Failed Escape advanced, but what about Habitual? They should have easily defeated 650 North. I thought the crowd reaction alone should have handily defeated 650 North, and the show of hands was widespread.
The Benchmark Battle of The Bands is just about the smartest one that I know of...and I kept thinking that maybe Emergenza should have taken some notes from them. I mean, you pay $40 to play the local BOTB...and $70 to play the international one. The local one has a voting system that appears to work and uses actual "judges" from the music community. The other pisses people off. You make the decision.
Other than that...I had a great time and the Birdy's Staff were all cool as hell...I'll be back when AFE plays the finals or semi-finals...whatever.