Charlotte’s Identity Crisis Show Brings New Formats and New Fans

Originally Published Here: http://shutter16.com/wp/2011/10/30/show-review-charlottes-identity-crisis-show-brings-new-formats-and-new-fans/ Published Sunday, October 30, 2011 By amanda_caines. Under Editor : Amanda Caines, Photographer: Dianna Augustine, Salvador Deli, Show Review, Writer: Amanda Caines Tags: Amanda Caines, Charlotte Identity Crisis, Evelynn Rose, Grown Up Avenger Stuff, Hello Handshake, musical chairs, The Between, The Chelsea Daggers, The Jupiter Tide, The Spiveys To a veteran of the local music scene, there is little more exciting than hearing a local band you love covering another local band you love—and that’s exactly what happened Friday night at NoDa’s Salvador Deli. The event was the “Charlotte Identity Crisis,” which featured the bands of Charlotte in an ADHD-style lineup playing a little of their own music spiked with covers of other Charlotte local bands’ songs. The good news is there is a wealth of talent in the city to choose from. Grown Up Avenger Stuff Kicking off the night was Evelynn Rose, whose style brought listeners back to the mid-to-late nineties with their mellow-but-heavy rhythms with strong, melodic vocals. While they didn’t play any Charlotte-based covers, their music was genuine and even exciting at times. They were more of a last-minute addition to the bill to cover the departure of another band, however, and spent their time onstage promoting their “real” gig the following night. Regardless, their all-too-short set was very enjoyable. Grown Up Avenger Stuff From there on out, the short, 5-song set that Evelynn Rose performed seemed like Schindler’s List in comparison—length-wise, not content-wise, that is. Each band that followed got a grand total of two songs to rock out before the next band replaced them onstage. At first, it seemed like just a colossal cluster-fuck in stage transitions, but the increased crowd retention that resulted from catering to shrinking attention spans made all the trouble seem worth it. Having each band take the stage at least a couple times helped give fans an incentive to stick around and hear other bands when they might have otherwise been on their merry ways. Being a free show in the pedestrian-friendly NoDa district as well, the Identity Crisis was sure to bring in a bunch of passersby who, because of this format, heard more music than they might have with the traditional gig landscape. The ingenious use of a projector screen with the name of the current band on stage brought even better recognition for each band among intentional attendees and lucky drop-ins. The bands were not all completely thrilled at the musical-chairs-esque use of the stage, but the bustling crowd still around toward the end of the show was a fine reward. The six bands in this rockin’ revolver consisted of Grown Up Avenger Stuff, The Spiveys, The Jupiter Tide, The Chelsea Daggers, The Between, and Hello Handshake. For me, the highlight of the night was The Spiveys’ mostly straightforward take on Grown Up Avenger Stuff’s “As Mary Said,” a song that GUAS rarely plays anymore. I found myself almost giddy with excitement and purchased a download card of The Spivey’s “Let’s Panic” album immediately after their first set. The next best of the night was The Jupiter Tide’s rendition of The Chelsea Daggers’ tune. Evelynn Rose pleasantly surprised me by how much heavier their tunes sound in a live setting, too. I will refrain from my usual technical ticks and suffice it to say this was a groundbreaking, great idea, and I had an excellent time.

Evanescence Didn’t “Disappear Like a Vapor” After All … “Evanescence” album drops October 11, 2011

Originally Published Here: http://shutter16.com/wp/2011/09/27/evanescence-didn%E2%80%99t-%E2%80%9Cdisappear-like-a-vapor%E2%80%9D-after-all-%E2%80%A6-%E2%80%9Cevanescence%E2%80%9D-album-drops-october-11-2011/

Published Tuesday, September 27, 2011 By amanda_caines. Under CD Releases, Editor : Amanda Caines, News, Uncategorized, Writer: Amanda Caines Tags: Amanda Caines, Amy Lee, Evanescence, evanescence new cd, female-fronted rock, new cds, new music, Nick Raskulinecz, Previews, rock, Steve Lillywhite, Tattermask, Wind-Up Records

With a name that means “disappearing like a vapor,” Evanescence, it seems, almost begged to enact its name and fade into the night, especially after the heavy, consistent dosage of drama that plagued the band from almost day one. Five years have passed since the last Evanescence record came out, which gave fans, media, and critics plenty of time to create a cloud of rumors about break-ups and solo projects, but the band is more “truly a band now than ever before,” frontwoman Amy Lee proclaims. The band’s new album, simply self-titled, “Evanescence,” will hit stores in the U.S. October 11, 2011.

Evanescence Boots Steve Lillywhite

This new body of work comes only after a long, personal journey for the band, especially Amy Lee. She told SPIN back in 2008 that she was trying to break into movie scoring and that she was writing new music on her own that was “nothing [she] would categorize as Evanescence.” As of March 2010, Lee remarked that she had realized that “Evanescence is who I am,” and the band was supposedly headed in an “electro-pop” direction with producer Steve Lillywhite (U2, Dave Matthews, Rolling Stones) for the new record—a pretty risky change for a band that built global fame with gothic hard rock. Some rumors assert that Wind-Up Records, the band’s label, rejected the Lillywhite recordings with a request for the band to produce music more akin to their signature sound, while other rumors attribute the split with Lillywhite to financial issues for Wind-Up and the producer’s inability to pull the record together in a timely fashion.

An article from Billboard magazine indicated that going back to square one in recording this record was Lee’s decision, though the remarks the magazine quotes from the label’s president are a bit more ambiguous: “One thing we do at Wind-up is, we’re patient. It [sic] it’s not right, it’s not coming out,” Wind-Up Records president Ed Vetri states. “If it takes a year or four years, [we're] going to take the time it needs to write the right record.” (http://www.billboard.com/#/news/amy-lee-new-evanescence-album-is-much-more-1005230332.story)

Lee commented officially to Rolling Stone: “I’ve come to realize now I was making like a solo record, and if it was going to be an Evanescence record, we needed to come together and make it like a band.” Even though interviews back in March of 2010 indicated she had really found herself in the sessions with Lillywhite and with producer/programmer Will “Science” Hunt—not the same Will Hunt as is currently the drummer, by the way—Lee says things are panning out in a more cohesive way now: “That was a hard time for me. I thought I knew what I wanted and it sort of didn’t happen like I wanted it to…But I have to say I feel so strong about what we’re doing now…We still have some of the same songs from those sessions but we’ve made them about the band.”

Evanescence: It’s not just about Amy Lee anymore

Regardless of the reasons behind the sudden about-face in the making of the new record, the band has come away from their trials stronger as a whole, according to Lee. Despite overwhelming assertions that the band is more “about the band” than it is about Amy Lee, the press still seems pretty focused on Lee and nobody else. All of the interviews, photos, and videos related to the new album feature her prominently, if not exclusively. In the few moments the band has to speak in interviews, they do seem excited about their new album, which they’ve been pushing hardcore ever since they were sure it was going to get finished this year. They made a video this summer to promote the new single, “What You Want,” that is meant to tell the history of Evanescence, emulating the gritty rock club scene that birthed the band many years ago during the full-band scenes. I’m not sure the video screams “club scene” or conveys anything about the band’s history like they want it to, but making the video about the history of a band of which Lee is the only remaining founding member and featuring her almost exclusively in the non-performance scenes doesn’t seem very “about the band” to me, anyway. In her defense, though, Lee is a pioneer in female-fronted hard rock and her fronting the band sets it apart from many others in the rock genres, but having a fully collaborative writing style for this record promises to make it even more dynamic than previous records that were written just by Lee and one other writing partner. That was the reason given for making the album self-titled and using artwork for the cover of the CD that didn’t feature a picture of just the singer, as was done for the other two albums.

So… Wasn’t this a story about Evanescence’s new album?

I’m getting to that—like Evanescence, I had to get through the past first. During their recording sessions in Nashville’s Blackbird Studios with accomplished hard rock producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Deftones, Alice in Chains), the band recorded a total of 16 songs—a good number—that can’t all be included on the final record… unless you pre-order the “deluxe version” on iTunes for $3 more, that is. Elements of the final product sound similar in some ways to the previous body of work from Evanescence, but some differences shine through as well. The new songs still have that dark, epic, full sound that defines Evanescence, yet there’s a new, raw edge to the guitar sound in some places—no doubt a product of the increase in writing influence from her metal-based bandmates: guitarists Terry Balsamo (Cold) and Troy McLawhorn (Seether, Dark New Day), bassist Tim McCord (Revolution Smile), and drummer Will Hunt (Dark New Day, Crossfade, Black Label Society). The track “Made of Stone,” available in full for listening at Evanescence.com, sounds a bit like “Pieces” by Troy’s former band, Dark New Day. Not all the songs are super-heavy, though: “Lost in Paradise,” a soft-but-powerful piano ballad that blossoms into a full-band creation, has a feel to it that’s not unlike their famous “My Immortal” from the “Daredevil” movie soundtrack. The last previewed track, “The Other Side,” has some R&B-style vocals over heavy guitars with an odd-but-nifty result. Vocally, it sounds like Amy Lee is pushing herself further than in previous records, and the band is displaying a level of writing maturity that makes the band’s debut record sound like nursery tunes. From the limited available previews of the new songs, it sounds like the rhythms of the songs are leaning towards a heavier metal sound while the vocals and some stylistic elements are going in a more 80’s-pop/R&B direction—resulting in some sort of hybrid “pop-metal.”

All that being said, I am a long-time Evanescence fan—anyone who’s heard my band, Tattermask, is not surprised to hear that, I’m sure—and, after hearing the previews of the tracks during the massive amounts of research I’ve done for this article, I’m insanely excited about this new album. I’m going to go pre-order the deluxe version right now.

Top 16 Songs I Like By Bands I Don’t Like

Originally Published Here: http://shutter16.com/wp/2011/09/24/top-16-songs-i-like-by-bands-i-dont-like/ Published Saturday, September 24, 2011 By amanda_caines. Under Editor : Amanda Caines, Top 16, Writer: Amanda Caines Tags: Amanda Caines, Fallout Boy, Five Finger Death Punch, Godsmack, Kings of Leon, Korn, MCR, metal, Mudvayne, My Chemical Romance, Nickelback, Nine Inch Nails, Papa Roach, Paramore, Puddle of Mudd, Rage Against The Machine, rock, Skillet, Theory of a Deadman, Three Doors Down, Top 16 All of these songs on this list represent the sole reasons I don’t wish these bands’ music to be stricken from the Earth. For some of these songs, I can tell exactly why I like them, while others just have an inexplicable pull. Maybe it’s subliminal messaging. 1. “Far from Home” by Five Finger Death Punch – After they butchered their cover of “Bad Company,” I thought I had lost all possible respect for this band, but then they put out this song. While I’m still not a fan of the auto-tuned vocals that sound like they’re just trying to be creepy, the music and the vocal melody are beautiful. Now, if only they can find a singer that doesn’t suck. 2. “Love, Hate, Sex, Pain” by Godsmack – Speaking of bands that need a new singer, Godsmack surprised me with its somewhat polyrhythmic approach in this song. It’s a sharp contrast to their in-the-pocket, mediocre-local-band sound that they’re usually putting forth. 3. “By the Way” by Theory of a Deadman – …And speaking of bands with major label deals that sound like some sort of mediocre garage band, Theory of a Deadman really pulled a great song out of its ass with this one. It’s beautiful. Too bad the radio never picked this one up, because it’s much better than anything they do play. 4. “Do What You Do” by Mudvayne – In addition to having a stupid name, this band’s songs have at best not impressed me, and at worst made me roll my eyes and change the channel. I’m not sure what it is about this song that I like. It’s mostly just the chorus, really, but this is one song I will actually turn up and sing along with… when no one’s looking. 5. “Got the Life” by Korn – This is a band that thrives on shocking people with disturbing lyrics, and from that agenda has developed a cult following of die-hard goth kids. I’m not one of them, but I can appreciate the energy and underlying positive message in this song. 6. “Burn It to the Ground” by Nickelback – I used to like Nickelback, but I feel like lately they’ve been all about exploiting the same formula for attracting the low-lifes and propagated music like that through other clone bands that follow in their slime trail. This song, though, just makes me laugh, and I like the heavy guitar riffage paired with a hi-energy driving beat. 7. “Decode” by Paramore – Don’t get me wrong; I think Hayley Williams is a highly talented female vocalist, but I really just don’t dig their music enough to buy a CD. This song, however, even though it’s trapped in the “Twilight” movie soundtrack, has a darker tone to it than the rest of their too-poppy-for-me songs and allows me to appreciate her voice a little more. 8. “Psycho” by Puddle of Mudd – I liked a couple of their other songs until the local radio stations wore them out like an old pair of undies, but this is one I never truly got sick of hearing. I think I like the abnormal rhythmic interplay between the vocals and the guitar on the verses. Not to mention, I love having a song available where I can sing an accusation of schizophrenic psychosis. They sucked at Carnival of Madness last summer, though. I was unimpressed. 9. “Sex on Fire” by Kings of Leon – After hearing this as their first single, I had high hopes for Kings of Leon, but everything they’ve put out since this fantastically energetic tune has been overdone, radio crap. The title does kind of remind you of STDs for some reason, though. 10. “Kryptonite” by Three Doors Down – Here’s another band that puts out songs I like at first and then get sick of hearing. This song, though, their first single, is still awesome after more than a decade. 11. “Awake and Alive” by Skillet – I think everyone I know who likes Skillet is sick of this song, but I still turn it up when it comes on. I kind of like other Skillet songs, but this is the only one I would actually pay to listen to. 12. “I’m Not Okay” by My Chemical Romance – MCR’s singer says they’re not an “emo” band, but many fans beg to differ. I’m not sure if they are or not, but with a song that shouts “I’m not o-fuckin’-kay!” … sounds like they might be. Regardless, this is a good one to crank up and sing along with when everything’s falling apart. 13. “Dance, Dance” by Fallout Boy – As much as I like the misheard lyrics version of “This Ain’t A Scene,” there’s really only one Fallout Boy song I like, and it’s “Dance, Dance.” It’s fast, it’s catchy, and has a little falsetto note in the chorus. You can almost tell what he’s saying in this one, for once. 14. “Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails – Another band I used to really like when I was an angsty teenager was NIN, but I’ve grown out of that. The only song of theirs that stuck with me was “Hurt;” Johnny Cash liked it, too, so it must be a good one. 15. “Killing in the Name” by Rage Against the Machine – It depends which day you ask me, but I think I actually like this song. Other than that, RATM just sort of annoys me, as rap metal really isn’t my thing, especially when laced with political whining. 16. “Burn” by Papa Roach – So many of my buddies like Papa Roach, and my band has even worked on covering a Papa Roach song, but, honestly, I could do without this band… until their recent single. I like it, but I don’t know why. Maybe because we wrote one with the same title at about the same time and I feel a weird kinship with Papa Roach.

A Perfect Circle at Uptown Amphitheater 7-19-2011

I still think that A Perfect Circle's "Mer de Noms" album was one of the best hard rock albums ever written, but despite the band's putting on a good show in Charlotte, I still left disappointed. Understanding that A Perfect Circle's most recent album "eMotive" centered on cover songs with a political theme, I was not surprised that much of their set consisted of these re-made familiar songs, but I was a bit disappointed in the overall energy of the performance.

The first band, Red Bacteria Vacuum offered a bunch of screaming punk and a lesson in Japanese. All girl Japanese punk band, eh? Interesting choice for an opener, APC. I found it kind of weird; the members were all these cute little short chicks, but with veins full of raging angst--kind of like Hello Kitty with PMS. The drummer's kit looked like a disassembled Mickey D's play land, with bright yellow pipes supplanting normal drum shells. The ladies jumped around and thrashed a lot to their overly simple riffs and beats, but seemed to be having a ton of fun--but who wouldn't be, opening for an awesome American band?

Since jumping into the local scene myself, I have come to expect that major label bands will lack in stage antics in comparison to local and regional independent bands, but normally the major label artists still have some energy in the music, itself. Maynard James Keenan is one of the most talented singers in today's rock world, but Tuesday night he seemed a bit detached from the emotion of his lyrics and didn't seem to get into it very much. I even detected a bit of off-centeredness from a strong pitch in his voice for the first couple of songs--an indicator that he may not have warmed up his voice sufficiently. There was a song or two where he shone through with emotion, such as "Magdalena" from the best CD ever, but some of the rest of the songs just came across as flat from his hiding platform in the back corner of the stage.

I can't say that I was thrilled about all the cover songs; if I had wanted to see a cover band, I could have done that much cheaper and seen a lot more energy. The worst cover they did, though, was of their own song "3 Libras," also from the best CD ever, but it was so far removed from the song I know that I literally did not even recognize it anymore--I had to look up the song on YouTube to hear what I should've been listening for. The soul of the song was gone, replaced with weird samples and repetitions of lyrics of the song taken out of context in a way that made me uncomfortable, similar to how some of Maynard's other band Tool makes me feel. I'm glad I didn't recognize it when they played it, because it probably would have made me mad. I recognize that artists have a right to alter their own songs, but they must recognize that fans have an equal right not to like it. I didn't.

What I did like was their performance of "Counting Bodies Like Sheep To The Rhythm Of The War Drums;" this one actually had feeling in its performance. The thunderous war drums evoked a feeling of oppressive, martial control, and the heavier guitars displayed the underbelly of angst from the oppressed. I will have to go back and give "13th Step" another listen to find this one.

The bad thing about loving a band's work and being ultra-excited to see them in concert is that expectation are high. Few bands could live up to the build-up I gave this concert. I am still glad I went so I can add another notch in my concert belt, but I'm not sure I would go see them again if they are this lethargic onstage every time.

Top 16 Rock Vocalists Who Inspire Me

Originally published here: http://shutter16.com/wp/2011/07/20/top-16-rock-vocalists-who-inspire-me/ 1. Brent Smith (Shinedown) – While I’m not too keen on the over-produced sound on their newest album, I can’t deny that Brent Smith is a fantastic singer. He’s just as great live, too, which is pretty rare these days. I just wish the band would go back to a more raw, rock-oriented sound rather than the fuzzy, homogenous radio mix. 2. Chris Cornell (Soundgarden, Audioslave) – I’m not sure I can think of a vocalist with versatility like that in the hard rock genre who can top this guy. He has a bag of tricks for vocal effects from smooth to raspy and everything in between, great control, and a killer range. I’ve heard he’s not so good live, but not having seen him myself, I will maintain my illusions for now. 3. Phil Collins (Genesis, solo) – … So he’s on the lighter side of rock. So sue me. Some people may judge me for this choice, but YOU try to sing “Against All Odds” with that kind of flexibility and control that’s still drenched in emotion. If you can do it better than Phil, then judge me. 4. Glen Phillips/Todd Nichols (Toad the Wet Sprocket, Solo/Lapdog) – Since we’re talking about the lighter side of things, I’ve got to admit that I still think Toad the Wet Sprocket’s album “Dulcinea” might be my favorite album ever recorded. I have to put both of them on here instead of just Glen, the lead vocalist, because the harmonies are one of the things that makes this band’s vocals as amazing as they are. However, Glen and Todd both have some wildly large vocal ranges and write some of the most well-thought-out vocal lines and lyrics with which I’ve ever had the pleasure of singing along. 5. Maynard James Keenan (A Perfect Circle, Tool, Puscifer) – When most people think of Maynard James Keenan, they think of Tool. I like Tool, don’t get me wrong, but the melodies in A Perfect Circle are what really get to me about him: the power, the range, the beauty of controlled dissonance. That, and the fact that he can write lyrics in Tool that are so hateful and disgusting and turn right around and write something as beautiful as “3 Libras” just baffles me. 6. Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots, Velvet Revolver) – I don’t want to be one of those drug pushers, but I must confess that I thought his work with STP was better before Scott went to rehab. “Core” was one of the first albums I ever bought that I listened to from start to finish just about every time, singing along to every word. “Purple” was like that, too, and some of Velvet Revolver’s songs kicked a lot of ass as well, but it’s been pretty hit or miss for STP since “Purple.” Still, he put on one of the best live shows of any major label band I’ve seen in the past 10 years of concert-going. 7. Aaron Lewis (Staind) – If you listened to Staind’s first album “Tormented,” you would probably wonder how the hell they got a record deal with that assault on the ears, but Aaron Lewis has come a long way since then. Finally shedding his self-flagellating, angry shell for some more muted melodic rock, the “Break the Cycle” album has some of the most breathtaking vocal lines I’ve ever heard. Compare “Epiphany” off that record to “Self Destruct” from their first record, and you’ll see what I mean. 8. Amy Lee (Evanescence) – No surprises there, I’m sure, if you’ve ever heard my band tattermask. Amy Lee finally grabbed the idea that Lacuna Coil had made underground headway with and brought female-fronted melodic metal into the mainstream. Of all the vocalists here, she inspired me the most, personally. She proved that female singers can succeed at metal without screaming like banshees. 9. Brad Delp (Boston) – Back before the days of Autotune and digital pitch correction, Brad Delp was squealing out high notes and sounding awesome doing so. It’s hard to respect modern day vocalists who rely on digital effects to make their high notes pop when people in the ’70s and ’80s could do it organically. Not only was his high range impressive, his lyrics were insightful and his melodies fun to sing. 10. Steve Perry (Journey) – Another throwback artist with an impressive upper range, Steve Perry wrote some of the biggest ’80s power ballads of all time that are still all over the classic rock radio–and Family Guy’s karaoke episode. 11. Raine Maida (Our Lady Peace) – Unlike other artists, Raine Maida fearlessly did something different with his voice that no one else was doing–super-high, nasal falsetto. Maybe not everyone digs the sound, but his voice is definitely distinguishable from the rest of the pack. He has a lot of control, bending his voice all over the place and trying a lot of unconventional things with odd pitch intervals and controlled dissonance. His lyrics, too, are intelligent, cryptic, and make a lot of cultural and literary references that not everyone would catch, which I love. He also helped write write and produce some pop songs for two of my favorite female vocalists: Avril Lavigne and Kelly Clarkson. Not only do I respect his choices as a vocalist, I can appreciate his choices as a producer as well. 12. Chris Daughtry (Daughtry) – Remember when American Idol was still American Idol, a competition to become a singer as opposed to a sideshow of fame-rabid freaks? That’s when Chris Daughtry was on the show, and I actually watched. He lost, but I don’t even remember who actually won that season, yet I own Daughtry’s CD. Getting fame and fortune without all of the red tape… I think that’s a “win.” 13. Alanis Morrisette (Solo) – Whether or not she knows what irony actually is, it’s Alanis’s “You Oughta Know” that let the rocker inside her come out to play. Such an angry song with one hell of a power-wailing chorus, that’s the one that impressed me. Even after belting it out a thousand times, I still love that song. I think some of her other work, including her hilariously melodramatic cover of Black Eyed Peas’ “My Humps” was pretty good, too. 14. Brandon Boyd (Incubus) – I like how distinctive Brandon Boyd’s voice is and how those fifths harmonies he does are so classic for that band, yet never get over-used. I’ve also found myself connecting very deeply with his lyrics, especially to “Drive.,” what a great song. 15. Layne Staley/Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains) – This is another duo where the harmonies between two equally awesome voices are what really make the band. It hasn’t been the same since Layne passed on, but that’s what CDs are for. I’ve always admired the duet in the song “No Excuses” as a standout piece for having extraordinarily different melodies working together to create a bad-ass vocal line, and I love the three-part harmonies for which Alice in Chains is famous. 16. Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters) – Last, but not least, on my list is one of the most talented musicians in mainstream rock today: I admire so much about Dave Grohl and his holistic approach to music. On Foo Fighters’ first CD, Dave played all the main instruments himself. Despite somewhat simple beginnings as a singer/songwriter with the verse-chorus-verse debut album, Dave Grohl has blossomed into a singer who goes beyond conventional rhythm and song layout patterns and seeks to weave together all the parts of the song instead of just embroidering vocals on top of everything else. I’m definitely going to be seeing them on their tour this fall. They’ve changed astronomically since I saw them in 1995, I’m sure.

Manamana — It’s Kinda Like Rob Zombie As A Muppet

Originally Published Here: http://shutter16.com/wp/2011/07/06/show-review-manamana-%E2%80%94-its-kinda-like-rob-zombie-as-a-muppet/

Published Wednesday, July 6, 2011 By amanda_caines. Under Editor : Amanda Caines, Photographer: Rebecca Ruddy, Show Review, The Milestone Club, Writer: Amanda Caines Tags: Amanda Caines, Death Proof, heavy metal, Luna's Lament, Manamana, muppets, The Milestone

With mic stands decked in American flags and band members bearing patriotic colors, Manamana kicked off a great Fourth of July weekend at The Milestone. As is customary at the infamous Ghetto Fortress, there was a lot of music, drunken partying, and partial nakedness, all led by the aggressive rock of the three bands on the bill. For those into heavy metal & nakedness—you missed a great show if you weren’t already there.

Starting off the night was the oft-mentioned Death Proof from Greensboro. This is one of several times they’ve made their way onto a bill in Charlotte in the last couple of months, and they had as big a crowd at the bar as the two Charlotte-based bands with whom they shared the stage. While I won’t go into a great deal of detail since we’ve recently included them in a previous article, I will testify that they are every bit as powerful and rambunctious on stage as previously described, and their style, akin to that of Disturbed or Godsmack, had me wanting to mosh—and I don’t mosh.

Following Death Proof came the illustrious Luna’s Lament, with two lady rockers in the band, bringing the female rocker total for the night to three—Death Proof’s drummer is also a woman. Compared to the first time I saw Luna’s Lament last July, they all have come a long way. Guitarist “Kimniption” and drummer “Digi” always had a good stage presence and technical precision at the same time, but bassist “Moose” loosened up a lot since then and continues to be more active on stage. The most drastic change was that vocalist Morgan Riley is suddenly on fire on stage—the bright red hair just feeds the flames. She attributes her newfound stage energy to having watched Jaycee Clark from Greensboro band A Light Divided: “I saw [her] on stage and was like ‘Wow—I’ve really got to step it up.’”

Morgan and Kim started the evening’s trend of stripping down to bra/bikini tops in the sauna-like venue, and by the end of their set, the gaggle of girls in bikini tops both on and off stage certainly made it an interesting evening. Music-wise, Luna’s Lament has some engaging guitar parts and creative layouts, but Morgan, despite having a lovely upper range, sings well below her natural voice most of the time. It makes sense on the older material written for a man’s voice, but the new song they unveiled tonight was not noticeably different. I look forward to hearing what they can pull out when Morgan gets a little more comfortable breaking out of the low zones of former singer Ziggy’s material and writing vocal lines in her power range.

Even with some killer supporting bands, Manamana still rocked the headliner spot of the night with an upbeat set played to a great group of adoring—and half-naked—fans. After announcing that they hoped we all brought earplugs, the guys opened their set with a heavy cover of CCR’s “Fortunate Son,” but these guys are not your typical Southern rock cover band. Like Lynyrd Skynyd—and this is about the only characteristic the two bands share— three of the guys play guitar, offering a lot of awesome options for guitar harmonies and a sonic wall of distortion for the heavy parts, both of which they explored quite a bit. Not being well-versed in death metal vocals, I’m not sure you can call the three guitarists’ simultaneous-but-different screaming “harmony,” but paired with some fresh grooves and layered guitars, it’s an effective communication of the complexities of a dark and angry mood and perfect for this breed of metal.

It’s so refreshing to hear a metal band doing something different from the run-of-the-mill, three-chord guitar parts in 4/4 time signature, with a bunch of screaming that doesn’t change registers or quality. Manamana hits a variety of time signatures, multi-faceted riffage, and boasts a playful chorus of screamers who smile on stage more than any local metal band I’ve ever seen. They cut up with each other on stage and simply exuded the joy of metal during their set—and the fans ate it up. There were sequined-bra-wearing dancers, moshers, and head-bobbers all enjoying the different aspects as Manamana changed gears from death metal to bluesy rock and back again. Guitarist/vocalist Carmen Piro even joined in the strip show and took off his Captain America shirt, revealing an even more patriotic “Freedom” shirt to match the garden of little American flags all over the stage—and some of the guys in the crowed followed suit.

Seeing the aftermath of gleeful, drunken nakedness that followed Manamana’s set, I wanted to go high-five everyone in the band for putting on such a blatantly fun show. This is one heavy metal party band that can deliver a good time that inspires people to get drunk and take their tops off while maintaining enough substance to entertain even the most sober of designated drivers. Every metal head who likes to party should check out Manamana at least once, if not once weekly.

AACK! It’s The Zombie Apocalypse In Epicentre!! Oh, Wait, No…

Published Friday, July 8, 2011 By amanda_caines. Under Editor : Amanda Caines, Festival Coverage, Show Review, Writer: Amanda Caines Tags: Autumn's Blood, cops, Dead White & Blue, death metal, metal, Nephilim, Rusted Radio Dial, Zombie March, zombies

It’s the Dead White and Blue Zombie March!

What started on July 2 as an afternoon of frightful fun for those eager to donate blood or canned goods in exchange for gruesome zombie makeup ended up getting severed prematurely—like a victim’s head—but not before some good-natured mayhem occurred. The event over a thousand canned food items for Metrolina Food Bank and 47 pints of blood for the Red Cross, but still the cops shut the bands down just before 6pm, right in the middle of Nephilim’s set—only the third band of the day.

When I arrived with my crew at the scheduled beginning time of the event, the Epicentre was teeming with zombies, and the pile of bags of canned goods was monstrous. Three makeup artists worked hard to accommodate the large number of people who took advantage of their “bring ten cans and get free zombie makeup” advertisement. Next to them were a tarp and a table with gallons of red liquid labeled “Gallon of Blood” so everyone could get good and bloody before leaving the makeup station—but without bloodying the pavement beneath.

People’s reactions to the undead and the death metal in the family-friendly Epicenter were rather mixed. The old folks got more than they bargained for in their Uptown walk and thought the prophesied Zombie Apocalypse was upon us. Some parents complained to security about zombies menacing their children, but from my observation, the zombies only bothered the kids who were actively bothering them in the first place. Admittedly, there was little forewarning about the presence of monsters in morbid makeup. There might have been signage to that effect had planning for the event not gone a bit awry. The event was originally planned to take place in the somewhat sequestered beer garden in Epicentre, but due to some miscommunications between event staff and Epicentre staff, the bands had to play in a hollow near the 4th Street entrance stairwell. The beer garden is upstairs and has limited access, and children aren’t supposed to be up there, anyway, so that would have been a more appropriate spot for the monstrosities this event brought out. The stage up there would have been much nicer, too.

The sound system that was used was okay, though the vocals seemed a little quiet, which, I’m not going to lie, I didn’t mind because I really don’t dig hardcore. The first band, Autumn’s Blood really had the crowd moving at an early hour for the event. Being a young band, they still have a lot to learn about consistency of stage presence—e.g. you don’t get to move around until you play a solo and then stand stick-still— but they played in tune and time together pretty well, nonetheless. The next band, Rusted Radio Dial tried to pass off a two-piece punk band as something legitimate, but one guitar and a singing drummer playing overly-simple music just doesn’t impress me. Others in our clan liked it, though. Nephilim sounded pretty good, but by the time their licks started to impress me, the cops shut them down. They egged on the cheers of “Fuck the Cops”—at least that’s what it sounded like— with an accompaniment of bass drum kicks in time, further angering security.

Despite the derailment of the concert aspect of the event, the frightful festivities such as “Tha Blood Chug” and the “Brain Eating Contest” continued—and they proved to be some of the grossest stunts I’ve ever seen—so people could win the variety of excellent prizes donated by the event sponsors. Shortly after the festival-sponsored musical entertainment got the big, black boot, some middle-aged guy with tired cover songs and an acoustic guitar came out to play in place of the molten metal bands. No one was out there to see him, but he was preferable to the metal bands, apparently—that’s Charlotte for you! The zombies danced mockingly to his set, and at one point they all lay down together in the middle of the Epicentre right in front of him.

All-in-all, I think this event was a great idea, and I’m sure the benefitting charities would agree. The organizers did a great job of soliciting sponsorships for prizes, and obviously the event was marketed well considering the mobs that showed up. Even as we were leaving, three hours before the scheduled end to the festival, people in tattered, bloody clothing were headed toward the dying party we’d just left. It’s unclear exactly how or why somebody dropped the ball, but the real victims of the debacle were the charities, who could have collected even more goods for their good causes had the event continued through its scheduled ending time.

The highlight of the evening, though, was watching the huge crowd of zombies dancing to the acoustic guy’s cover of “It’s the End of the World as We Know It.”

More Photos Here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shutter16mag/sets/72157627023804927/
And Here:http://www.flickr.com/photos/shutter16mag/sets/72157627148413862/