Archive for the ‘austin’ Category
Lynch Mob Concert Review, Austin, TX, June 12, 2016
I love Dokken. Tooth and Nail, Under Lock and Key and Back for the Attack are great albums. Breaking the Chains is just OK. Lots of folks slag that band but whatever, I’m a fan.
Lynch Mob headlined an early show last night with Roc Holiday and Snake Skin Prison. I missed SSP but caught Roc Holiday’s set. Paul Lidel (Dangerous Toys/Dirty Looks), lead guitarist and backing vocals for Roc Holiday, is simply a badass. He made their set for me.
It was a pretty packed crowd for this venue, Texas Mist. I hung out towards the back for Lynch Mob’s set with a good pal that I hadn’t seen in quite some time. To be honest, I never cared for anything Lynch did after Dokken. Too bluesy. BUT…his band is full of people who are listed in The Book. So going to a show that’s less than 10 minutes from my house was worth the effort.
Lynch’s band sounded absolutely great. Oni Logan’s vocals were stellar to be honest. I had heard that the drummer, Jimmy D’Anda, was not feeling well, but you wouldn’t have known it by his playing. Bassist Sean McNabb held the bottom down perfectly as well. And then there’s George. His performance was not so stellar. He fumbled around his pedal board quite a bit. His solos, especially during the Dokken songs, were awful except for that break in Tooth and Nail, he did that perfectly. He pretty much seemed like he didn’t care to be there at all. It was a bit disappointing, to be honest. Three times as they were counting a song in, everyone started except for George and they had to restart each time. I could speculate on the reason but anyone that was there, especially those of us who met him after the show could pretty much tell what was up. I’ll leave it at that.
After the show George and Sean came out to sign stuff. I got a minute with him and he signed The Book and my Tooth and Nail CD. He saw Pilson’s signature and asked when I got it. I mentioned that I got it during the “Foreigner tribute band” show. He laughed and said, “Well all original Dokken members are doing a Japanese tour. We’re getting paid so much money, it’s the only reason I’m doing it. I’ve got kids and grandkids to support.” He was very nice and so was McNabb who told me he was coming back to Texas later this year playing bass for Joe Lynn Turner(!!!!). He also stated that Oni Logan typically doesn’t come out to sign stuff and that D’Anda was pretty sick so he wasn’t coming out.
I went to the back stage curtain and one of their road crew was walking back there. I stopped and asked if he could get Oni and Jimmy to sign and I showed him where the pages were marked. Understand that this book has only left my sight a few times to get signed. I was able to see them each sign it through the curtain, though. The crew guy brought it back and said that Oni laughed that he was listed in there with Ferrari.
It wasn’t a great show by any means, but still enjoyable to hear some Dokken classics. Oni Logan’s voice was great on those.
Click fotos to enlarge.
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- Jimmy D’Anda
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- George Lynch (in gold)
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- Oni Logan
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- Sean McNabb
The Obsessed & Karma To Burn Concert Review, Austin, TX, June 7, 2016
In general I’m not a big stoner rock/stoner doom fan. I don’t think it’s because I’m not a stoner as I have a lot of friends who love that music but don’t get high. Too much droning and not enough melody for me.
I was on the fence about going last night as I was still tired after the Whitesnake show the night before. The Obsessed’s mgmt offered me a guest list slot so I sucked it up and went downtown.
As I arrived to the venue, Wino and co. were hanging out and I got a chance to speak with him one on one for a few minutes. I showed him The Book and he was surprised by the entry in it. “Where can I get a copy?” I had met him several times before and didn’t realize until yesterday that they were in the book. I should have known that at least based on their inclusion on Metal Massacre VI. Duh. I had him sign his entry and the CD cover. In a rush to leave the house, I had forgotten the first Hidden Hand CD (my favorite Wino project ever) and the last St. Vitus album he was on.
My friends in Crimson Devils opened the show with a solid 30 minute set. Jake and Curtis are fantastic musicians, good dudes and always a pleasure to watch.
There were 2 bands coming up next and I left to go get dinner. By the time I got back, West Virginia’s Karma to Burn was getting ready to start. My memory is a bit hazy but I think I saw them in Virginia in the late 90s, but can’t confirm that. Almost all the way to the end of their first song, the growing crowd was standing at least 5 feet from the stage. I walked right up front to help entice the rest of the crowd to move up and it worked. Their set was solid, heavy and instrumental. Highlight for me was their unrelenting drummer. Although much of their stuff started sounding the same to me after a few songs, that drummer was damn near flawless.
Up next was The Obsessed. Admittedly I’m not familiar with their stuff at all. From what my friend told me, the first 3 songs were all Obsessed songs, then they played a Spirit Caravan song. I’ve seen them before but again, I’m not familiar with the material. After a couple more songs, I went home. I was dog tired. The band was solid and Wino’s guitar playing was good. He looked confident playing it. I will say this, though, and a few others noticed the same thing, Wino looked tentative when he was singing. They’re midway through their tour right now so I don’t know if it’s just my perception or if he’s having some nervousness. The guy is a seasoned veteran so I’m thinking it’s just my perception.
By the time I left, it looked like there were about 70 or so people there, which isn’t bad for a Tuesday night downtown.
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- Crimson Devils
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- Karma to Burn
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- Wino and The Obsessed
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- Wino’s sig in The Book
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- Wino signs Metal Massacre VI
Holy Grail & Savage Master Concert Review, Austin, TX, May 31, 2016
Savage Master began their tour with Holy Grail last night here in Austin at Dirty Dog. They had just come off of a European tour that included playing the Keep It True Festival.
Last night’s show was an early show with Savage Master going on at 930PM and headliners, Holy Grail, going on shortly after 1030PM. Perfect.
I saw a couple of songs from each of the two openers. I didn’t hate either of them nor did I really get into them.
Savage Master hit the stage with a revamped lineup due to an abrupt exit by their former drummer. Brandon, formerly their bassist, is handling drum duties for the tour and they have a fill-in bassist. They opened the show with 6 songs from their latest album, With Whips and Chains. I hadn’t heard anything from the album prior to the show beyond the title track. Everything sounded really good. The final 4 songs were from their 2014 debut, Mask of the Devil. Overall they sounded good and it’s always nice to hang out with them. Good people. As with their last show in Austin, I let them stay at my place. I like being able to help my friends when they’re out on the road.
Holy Grail was up next and the crowd got to maybe 50 total…MAYBE. Other than the first time I saw them at SxSW several years back, I’ve not really been able to get into them. They just leave me bored. All competent musicians, just nothing that catches my ear. I left after about 3 or 4 songs.
It’s funny how divisive this band seems to be, though. Most of my friends either love them or hate them. There’s really no middle ground.
Go see Savage Master on this tour. Buy some stuff.
Chicago Concert Review, Austin, TX, May 27, 2016
Last night was the 4th time I’ve seen Chicago since 1991 and the 3rd time since 2012. I’ve loved this band since I was a kid thanks to their heavy radio play and thanks to my Mom being a big fan.
Last night’s show was “an evening with” type show, meaning no opener which was fine with me. My friend, Kitty, ended up going with me and into the Moody Theater we went.
As soon as they hit the stage, I noticed on huge difference in the band. Jason Scheff, the bassist/vocalist who replaced Peter Cetera, was not there. Instead, Jeff Coffey was handling those duties. Apparently Jason had a family emergency and had to back out of the tour. Coffey auditioned for the band a week or so ago and got the job. Impressive.
The band played the set you’d expect with a song from their latest album thrown in. These “geezers” still deliver and it’s impressive how much energy they have. I’ll say this, though. Jeff Coffey was the highlight for me. For as good as Scheff is, Coffey was nailing Cetera’s vocal and bass parts effortlessly. I was really blown away. I’d be ok if he became a permanent member.
As always, the highlight song for me was Hard to Say I’m Sorry/Get Away. Street Player, Call on Me and Another Rainy Day in New York City were also great to hear again.
Even more impressive is that they played 32 songs. 32!
Voivod Concert Review, Austin, TX, May 21, 2016
The first time I ever saw Voivod live was during SxSW 2010, and there was blood. I was a latecomer to them and really prefer their middle-era of Nothingface, Angel Rat and Outer Limits, Negatron and Phobos over all of their other material. I love seeing them live and last caught them in Denver last year when I was up there for work.
I picked up my ticket yesterday afternoon and they were playing at the newly renovated Barracuda (f. Red 7). What a great job they did inside and out. The place is way more comfortable to see a show.
I missed opening act, Child Bite. King Parrot (King Boring) was up next and while I’m 0.0% a fan of them, their drummer is damned good.
Voivod was on next to a crowd of 100 or so, which was a bit disappointing. Apparently Dying Fetus was packed around the corner. Gross. Voivod was just hanging out with fans prior to their set. No rock stars here, folks. They’re really just laid back dudes and at least every time I have seen them, they’ve made themselves very accessible to their fans.
They opened with Ripping Headaches, Tribal Convictions and Order of the Blackguards. The set included 3 of the 5 songs from their latest EP, Post Society. The songs sounded great, especially We Are Connected. My favorites of the night would have to be The Prow and The Unknown Knows. This tour features new bassist, Dominique LaRoche, who did a great job. The whole band was tight as always and it’s really a pleasure to watch Away’s drumming. He’s a very unconventional.
The only played 13 songs ending the night with Voivod and Pink Floyd’s Astronomy Domine.
Upon exiting the stage, Dan Mongrain came up to me, put his hands on my shoulders and said with a smile, “How’s the head doing?” I said, “Other than a weird occasional twitch, no problems.” We both laughed, I told him it was a great show, he gave me a pick and we moved on. I’m surprised he even remembers that at all.
Can’t wait to see them again!
The Metal Files 
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