Monday, August 31, 2009
AFI in the ROC
AFI is coming to Waterstreet on October 16th with Gallows opening. It's never to early to start celebrating.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Rage Fest 2009
The self-described "homegrown Warped Tour," Rochester's Rage Fest 2009 tore up Waterstreet music hall on Friday with two stages and a list of both well known and emerging bands. Rotating start times kept us running back and forth from the main stage to the club side between acts; but, in the end, we found the bands so similar in sound that to liken the Fest to Warped tour was a huge overstatement- we need a much broader variety for next year. Here were some of the highs and lows of the night:
Drawing Infinity wasn't the first band we saw, so when they kicked off, our first thought was "Here we go, another generic hardcore band." But, as the songs kept coming, some underlying hip hop roots began to show. Though some might say that this hardcore/hip hop blend died with Kid Rock and Limp Bizkit, it was the feature that helped set them apart from the rest of the bands.
Rage Fest was our first opportunity to check out The Young Bloods, a ROC area rock band with quite a buzz following them. Though their upbeat tunes got the crowd of high school scenesters rocking, it quickly became an event worthy of eye rolling when lead singer Joey Arena clearly became more interested in being captured by the media photographers than putting on a show. Luckily he was backed by guitarists who understand showmanship over vanity.
When we tweeted about punk rock aerobics the other day, we had no idea that we would be confronted with them full on when Call Me the Patriot took the club side stage. Just like Drawing Infinity, we were underwhelmed at first, then once was heard the music behind the screaming, paired with enthusiastic crowd participation, we were hooked. Last we saw, the band was doing synchronized calisthenics to their song The Many Faces of A Martyr and the crowd was loving it.
The last act we stayed for (how dare we shame Sirens & Sailors by leaving!) was the reason we came in the first place: Makyo Star. After an evening of predictable rock and unintelligible lyrics, MS's unpretentious pop punk rounded out our evening happily. We love their poppy track Perfect Score. The only downside? They were out of size small tees at the merch table.
Drawing Infinity wasn't the first band we saw, so when they kicked off, our first thought was "Here we go, another generic hardcore band." But, as the songs kept coming, some underlying hip hop roots began to show. Though some might say that this hardcore/hip hop blend died with Kid Rock and Limp Bizkit, it was the feature that helped set them apart from the rest of the bands.
Rage Fest was our first opportunity to check out The Young Bloods, a ROC area rock band with quite a buzz following them. Though their upbeat tunes got the crowd of high school scenesters rocking, it quickly became an event worthy of eye rolling when lead singer Joey Arena clearly became more interested in being captured by the media photographers than putting on a show. Luckily he was backed by guitarists who understand showmanship over vanity.
When we tweeted about punk rock aerobics the other day, we had no idea that we would be confronted with them full on when Call Me the Patriot took the club side stage. Just like Drawing Infinity, we were underwhelmed at first, then once was heard the music behind the screaming, paired with enthusiastic crowd participation, we were hooked. Last we saw, the band was doing synchronized calisthenics to their song The Many Faces of A Martyr and the crowd was loving it.
The last act we stayed for (how dare we shame Sirens & Sailors by leaving!) was the reason we came in the first place: Makyo Star. After an evening of predictable rock and unintelligible lyrics, MS's unpretentious pop punk rounded out our evening happily. We love their poppy track Perfect Score. The only downside? They were out of size small tees at the merch table.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Reckless Abandon
Blending together their trademark adolescent antics, Cali-punk roots and blistering drum solos a la Travis Barker, Blink-182 headlined the stage at Darien Lake last Friday, drawing a crowd of around 18,000 into a frenzy that hasn't graced this region of NY since the mid 2000s.
We arrived in time to catch the bulk of opener Fall Out Boy's set, unfortunately missing out on Chester French, but gladly skipping the watered-down lineup of the new and not so improved Panic! at the Disco.
The stage blared an FOB-lettered set that flooded light behind the band as they shredded such favorites as Thnks fr th Mmrs and Grand Theft Autumn. Their setlist was a predictable blend of old, new and covers; however, they reminded us of how much we've enjoyed their music over the years when they closed with oldie-but-goodie Saturday.
Given that we had been cross-training our ears with Blink's albums for the past few weeks, we were totally prepared for what we anticipated to be the concert of the summer. Yet, despite guitarists Mark Hoppus and Tom Delonge's commitment to hilarious banter and your mom jokes, halfway through their set we were terrified that Enema of the State was as old as we were going to delve into their discography. But, we were calmed by one of our underrated favorites, Man Overboard, which was soon chased by Josie.
At this point, we befriended a pack of dudes from Nova Scotia, because one of their intoxicated cohorts was yelling "Play something old!" And, thankfully, Blink's encore of Carousel and Dammit increased the average age of the songs played.
Now in their 30s, the boys are still bringing the A-game that they did in the mid-late 90s. Whether it was Barker's brush with death or simply the 4 years off, the energy and entertainment factor of the show was exponential. Blink 182 has been on our concert to-do list since our introduction in 8th grade, we just hope that they remember more of the older tunes that got them where they are in the future.
We arrived in time to catch the bulk of opener Fall Out Boy's set, unfortunately missing out on Chester French, but gladly skipping the watered-down lineup of the new and not so improved Panic! at the Disco.
The stage blared an FOB-lettered set that flooded light behind the band as they shredded such favorites as Thnks fr th Mmrs and Grand Theft Autumn. Their setlist was a predictable blend of old, new and covers; however, they reminded us of how much we've enjoyed their music over the years when they closed with oldie-but-goodie Saturday.
Given that we had been cross-training our ears with Blink's albums for the past few weeks, we were totally prepared for what we anticipated to be the concert of the summer. Yet, despite guitarists Mark Hoppus and Tom Delonge's commitment to hilarious banter and your mom jokes, halfway through their set we were terrified that Enema of the State was as old as we were going to delve into their discography. But, we were calmed by one of our underrated favorites, Man Overboard, which was soon chased by Josie.
At this point, we befriended a pack of dudes from Nova Scotia, because one of their intoxicated cohorts was yelling "Play something old!" And, thankfully, Blink's encore of Carousel and Dammit increased the average age of the songs played.
Now in their 30s, the boys are still bringing the A-game that they did in the mid-late 90s. Whether it was Barker's brush with death or simply the 4 years off, the energy and entertainment factor of the show was exponential. Blink 182 has been on our concert to-do list since our introduction in 8th grade, we just hope that they remember more of the older tunes that got them where they are in the future.
Rage Fest 2009
Coming this Friday, August 28th, to Waterstreet Music Hall is the 2nd annual Rage Fest. Clear your throat and wear close toed shoes. Get ready for headliners Sirens and Sailors' hardcore rock.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Celt rock weekend
If you are Irish, Scottish, or just wish you were, this weekend is the best time for you to rock it out.
The Sterling
Celtic Rock Festival is packing this weekend with acts that range from folk to rock. All day, Saturday & Sunday. We love Enter the Haggis and Searson and the serving of tradiational fare and beverages. Hoist a beer, slainte!
The Sterling
Celtic Rock Festival is packing this weekend with acts that range from folk to rock. All day, Saturday & Sunday. We love Enter the Haggis and Searson and the serving of tradiational fare and beverages. Hoist a beer, slainte!
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