Posts Tagged ‘texas’
Motorhead – Concert Review 092009
Motorhead! I’m always excited when they come to town. Last night was my 6th time seeing them since 1993. They 
never let me down with the live show.
Until last night.
So let’s backtrack and put some story along with this. If you don’t know this already, I have the Another Perfect Day album cover tattooed on my back…my whole back. 88 hours worth of tattoo work. No regrets! I’ve met Lemmy a few times but not since getting my backpiece done. I was hoping last night would be the night. Just wanted a picture of him with my tattoo. Didn’t happen. No big deal, I can live with that. Like I said, met him a few times and always a good experience.
So my guitar player, Doug Morrison, (Turbin, Waysted) and the drummer of Reverend Horton Heat have been close friends since the late 70s and with the Rev on this tour, we got the hookup. Doug and I get there early and have dinner with Paul Simmons (drummer for the Rev) and some of the roadcrew guys from Rev Heat and Motorhead. The guy sitting next to me was pretty special though. It was Hobbs! Hobbs has been with the band for almost 30 years and is mentioned in the song Going to Brazil. I think he may even be the one who screams on We Are The Roadcrew from No Sleep Till Hammersmith. Not important. Hobbs! Talk about a weathered old British soul. He was extremely polite in a typical British sort of way yet as foul mouthed as an old Greek sea captain. He was awesome! Hobbs!
After dinner we headed backstage. Nashville Pussy was setting up their gear and there it was…Lemmy’s bass rack. From a distance I snap a picture and Paul says, “Come on, man. Step over here and get a real look at them.” His beautiful Rickenbacker 4004LK and one of his old Rics with the original hand-carved oak leaves. I got to hold history in my hands! And I couldn’t believe how high the action was on those. Seemingly about 3/8″ off of the fretboard.
So after hyperventilating over that a bit, we all just hung out backstage while Nashville Pussy played. I’ve never been a fan so I had no interest in seeing them. Paul was telling the Motorhead roadcrew guys about my backpiece and they flipped out over it. “Lemmy needs to see this!” Yes sir, I agree!
NP finishes their set and Paul had to get prepared for the Reverend Horton Heat set. Doug and I stayed backstage a little longer. Matt Sorum, (GnR, The Cult, Velvet Revolver) came in and said hi. I mentioned that I had just seen his episode of the Dog Whisperer. “Did Ace and I look like total idiots?” No man, you guys were fine, no worries. Apparently he hadn’t seen it yet. The dude is a class act even if I never cared for his other bands.
So after that, Doug and I just went out in to the crowd to watch the Rev’s set. As always, they were tight. The Rev works the crowd very well. I opened for them back in like 93 or 94 and he’s still the same old cool laid back guy.
The gig was at Stubb’s in Austin, TX. It’s an amphitheater type set up. I’ve never really cared for it all that much. Too narrow and when it gets packed it’s difficult to get around. So we hung out towards the back. Run into several friends, of course. Ran into my other guitarist, Jason McMaster (Broken Teeth, Watchtower, Dangerous Toys) and he says, “Hey man! You need to meet an old friend of mine, Craig Behrhorst.” I said, “From Ruffians?” Craig said, “How did you know that?” Sir, I am an 80s metal nerd. Plain and simple. Turned out that Doug knew him as well. I guess Craig’s sister used to hang out with Doug and his friends back in the old Sunset Strip days. I also ran into Art Villareal and Bob Catlin, both of SA SLayer/Juggernaut fame. They are both in Martyhead, a Motorhead tribute from San Antonio. Of course I have a Motorhead tribute here in town called Capricorn USA. That’s the band with Doug and Jason.
Whatever, you don’t care. You want to know about the Motorhead show!
Light’s go down and they open with Iron Fist. Sweet! I love that song. But I swear it sounded a little slower than album speed. Stay Clean was next. Same thing. The band was tight. Sorum held his own pretty well for the whole night but they really seemed lifeless to me. Everything seemed slow. To be honest I was bored until mid-set when they played a few tracks from Another Perfect Day. Matt’s drumming on everything was pretty good. Who knew the guy could play double bass? But then, they played Ace of Spades. Of course everyone knows that songs and the drunks in the crowd and the kids who only know it from Guitar Hero were freaking out. Matt’s drumming killed it. His bass drum pattern was all wrong. It put the song in a weird dynamic. I recently saw a vid from one of the shows a few weeks ago with him and it was the same thing. I hate to say it (again), but I was so bored for most of their show. They were missing a key element to their modern sound…MIKKEY DEE.
Mikkey’s a phenomenal drummer. I’ve known it since I first heard King Diamond’s Abigail and got to experience his playing live on the Them tour. Mikkey was the main reason why I ever went to see Motorhead the very first time in 1993. I wasn’t into them at all at that point and oddly enough I don’t like but a handful of songs from his era. But the live show with him is intense. If you’ve seen him play, you get it. He’s a monster. And with Motorhead, he certainly tightened them up. They were always fast, vicious. “We may not be the best band in the world, but we’re certainly the fastest” Lemmy said years and years ago on their famous No Sleep TIll Hammersmith album.
Last night they weren’t fast. There was just no electricity. Sometimes I think I am just getting old and crotchety. I do tend to get hyper-critical when it comes to live shows, but I’ve always been that way. I can never just sit back and enjoy it, I always have to dissect it. Oh well. My problem, not yours, eh?
The setlist was pretty good overall, it was just the feel and the pace of the songs that got to me. Most people I know loved it and I am glad they had a good time. I did too, actually. I got to see some people I hadn’t seen in a while and got to meet a few new folks.
Setlist:
Iron Fist
Stay Clean
Be My Baby
Rock Out
Metropolis
Over the Top
One Night Stand
I Got Mine
The Thousand Names of God
Another Perfect Day
In the Name of Tragedy
Just ‘Cos You Got the Power
Going to Brazil
Killed by Death
Bomber
Whorehouse Blues
Ace of Spades
Overkill
Sure Lem’s in his 60s now and not everyone can do it like they used to. No matter the performance from last night, I’ll always go see them. It’s Motorhead!
He said something last night that I heard him say the previous 2 times I saw them, “Don’t forget us.”
That line saddens me.
After all, who ever could?
Concert Review – Hirax – Austin, TX – 08/29/09
It was 1986 and Metal Blade Records was practically the greatest metal label on the scene. They consistently released 
great compilations like the Metal Massacre and Best of Metal Blade series. Best of Metal Blade Volume 1 (1986) included Call Of The Gods by Hirax. I always loved that song but for no logical reason whatsoever did I never check them out any further. I also liked Bombs of Death from Metal Massacre 6. There’s really no explanation as to why I didn’t follow through on these guys, and after last night I feel like I missed out on some additional great metal in the last 23 years.
So about a month or so ago I read in the local show listings that Hirax was coming to Red 7. Even though I was not even remotely familiar with any of their material beyond the 2 aforementioned songs, I definitely wanted to see this show. Through the years I’ve always seen Hirax playing the Euro festivals and have read interviews with Katon W. DePena and have always respected his attitude about music. The guys has proudly been flying the flag of metal since day 1.
So I get to the club a little early to get MM6 and Best of Metal Blade 1 signed as well as my copy of “Headbangers: Worldwide Megabook of Heavy Metal” (Mark Hale, 1993). I know the club owner pretty well and he let me go in to the green room to meet Katon and the band. I was looking forward to this for a few reasons. One to meet Katon, who really is a true metal legend. The other reason was to meet Glenn Rogers, former guitar player of Deliverance. I dug those guys back in the day. When I went into the room, Katon was in there with his lovely wife, his bassist and guitarist Lance and Steve Harrison and some other guy that I didn’t know. Glenn was out and about with a friend so I would catch up with him later.
Katon invited me over and we talked for a bit just about music and such and Katon asked about my book. As he’s flipping through it reading about his band and tons of other obscure bands that are listed in the book. He signed it and my 2 CD covers and said, “Is DRI in here? The guy beside me if Felix from DRI.” Felix thought they wouldn’t be in there but I knew they were. Much to everyone’s pleasure, there was even a picture of band during the era that Felix was in it (85-90). I hung out for a bit and asked Katon if he ever had any interactions with Billy Milano, which he had. So I asked if he wanted to walk over to the club that Billy works in to say hello. We popped over there for a bit and they shook hands and caught up for a few minutes then I took them over to another club so Katon could catch up with an old friend who unfortunately wasn’t there at the time. Back to Red 7. It was great seeing the respect this guy was getting from people in the club, some of who came from Houston and I think a few from Mexico to see this show.
I really expected a much larger crowd, especially with this being on a Saturday. Typically the San Antonio crew would come up for a show like this but I only saw a few folks from that crowd there. The Sword was playing up the street for the 2nd night in a row and I can’t imagine they stole much of the crowd from this show. The club booked 4 grindcore bands to open up which I thought was a bad pairing. I didn’t go in to check out the other bands as I’m not really a fan of the grind stuff in general. While the grind bands were playing I got to talk to Glenn Rogers who let me know that Deliverance was going to do one more album with the original lineup sans the drummer.
But then it was time for Hirax. It was already around 1 or 1:10 AM but the crowd had increased. I’m guessing there were about 90 people in there. Cover charge was $15. Well worth it for me. Hirax kicked in and just kicked ass. Katon is a great frontman, reminds me a lot of Jason McMaster. Knows to to work a crowd and keep them interested during guitar tunings and such.
I have to say that I was truly blown away and really felt a bit guilty about not having checked them out deeper. But there’s no time like the present, right? Their set was cut short due to time restraints and I must say I was a little let down that Call of the Gods wasn’t on the set at all. But it didn’t matter, they were great and I hope they make their way back to Austin again.
Setlist as I remember it:
- El Dia De Los Muertos
- 100,000 Strong
- Blind Faith
- New Age of Terror
- Chaos and Brutality
- Hate, Fear and Power
- Broken Neck
- Bombs of Death
- El Diablo Negro
- Walk With Death
- Mouth Sewn Shut?
I am not so sure about the ones after El Diablo Negro.
Katon W. De Pena (Hirax), fat dude (me), Felix Griffin (DRI)
Goodbye Room 710
I’ll never forget the very first time I walked in there. Jasmine was behind the bar and Mercyful Fate was playing on the jukebox. I repeat…MERCYFUL FATE WAS PLAYING ON THE JUKEBOX! I knew that I had found a home. I had just moved to Austin from Virginia and was checking out some of the places on Red River St. It was early in the evening so there really wasn’t anyone else in there. So I had a few beers, talked with Jasmine and commandeered the jukebox with 2 or 3 dollars. Iron Maiden, Motorhead, Celtic Frost, Thin Lizzy. Judas Priest, Mercyful Fate etc etc.
I love that place. They staff was always the best in town. No matter if a band was playing there that I liked or not, if I was downtown, I would always stop in for a drink.
They had some great shows there from all of the local rockers (including both of my bands) to some national and international acts. I got to see Vicious Rumors and Witchcraft there. Both great shows for me.
The new owner apparently owns One Eyed Jacks in New Orleans. I’ve heard good things about that place. I’ve also heard that they will remodel Room 710. Probably not a bad idea but I hope that they can retain the Red River vibe and even more importantly I hope they can retain some of the staff.
That place is special…to me anyways. So thanks to Room 710. I have a lot of great memories and even some fuzzy ones.
This is from the first show I played there:
Tyton – Mind Over Metal
So back in the day there was this great music store at Military Circle Mall called The Music Man. That’s pretty much 
where we spent our allowances and paychecks in the 80s as thy typically had the coolest selection of metal. The Music Man was pretty cool and had a really cool staff. They also offered a replacement guarantee on their cassettes and CDs if they became defective. We knew the staff there pretty well and if we bought something we didn’t like, they would typically let us trade it in for something else. I was fortunate to work there for a year or so, an experience that I will never forget.
One of the cassettes I bought in 1987 was Tyton’s Mind Over Metal. I didn’t know anything about them but they were on an Enigma sub-label which usually meant you had a pretty good chance of buying something listenable. I played this cassette quite a bit. They weren’t over the top awesome but this album had some pretty good songs on it like Destiny Calls, Will You Follow Me (wimpy ballad but not too bad), and the title track. They were sort of mid-paced swords and shields style metal. I listen to it about once or twice a year still. It takes me back to some fun times with some former friends riding around Churchland trying to find a party or someone to buy us beer. Those were fun days and I am amazed that the 3 of us are even still alive. Come to find out years later that they hailed from Houston, TX and some people I know here in Austin knew those guys and even did a show or 2 with them. Living here in Austin and getting to spend time with guys that are metal legends (to me) is pretty incredible. Our metal round table discussions are pretty amazing.
I’ve attached the download to the album. It was never officially released on CD but some Euro label bootlegged it a few years back and I ripped the tracks from the CD.
Pentagram Concert Review – Emo’s, Austin, TX – 070609
Pentagram, Outlaw Order, Nachtmystium, Wolves in the Throne Room, Minsk, The Roller – Emo’s, Austin, TX 070609
I’m pretty sure it was Daniel who turned me on to Pentagram In 1987 when he bought Day of Reckoning on cassette. It had a cool cover of a mausoleum. I had seen it advertised in the ‘zines but never bothered with it. As stated a zillion times before, my parents weren’t so keen on the whole metal thing and this one would have surely gotten mom’s attention just by the name of the band. I had Daniel dub it for me and I just had it titled “Day of Reckoning” on the cassette with no song titles or anything else. Hey, we had to play it safe. I simply adore this album. Very Sabbathy without some of the heaviness of Iommi’s tone. Although Victor Griffin really lifted a lot from Iommi, he took that style to another level. They only other comparable band from that era that was pulling this off was Trouble.
I wanted to see Pentagram live and tried a few times in the mid-to-late 90’s but it seemed that every time I wanted to go up to the Baltimore/DC area to see them, they cancelled. Typically because of Liebling’s drug and alcohol abuse coupled with his frail mental and physical states. Sad but I have no sympathy.
In 2000 I went to Jaxx in Springfield, VA to see Raven/UDO. Joe Hasselvander was drumming for Raven and we talked Pentagram for a while. He told me some trippy stories about playing with Bobby.
Flash forward to about 2 months ago. I heard Pentagram was doing a handful of shows in the US and that the final one was in Austin. Seriously? Pentagram? Here? I got my ticket the day they went on sale as I expected it to sell out. My friend Jasmine had seen them a few months prior in NYC and she said they were great so I was really excited to finally see them. In recent years they have used the drummer from Spirit Caravan, Gary Isom and a good guitar player named Russ Strahan. Not sure who he and the player may have played with before but they sounded fine.
So for the last 6 weeks or so I have been super excited. I finally (hopefully) get to see a band I have wanted to see for 22 years!
I head downtown around 730 or so and go to the Jackalope for a burger (the best!) and a few beers. Gary from Mala Suerte and Noah stop in and hang out for a bit. After we finish, we head over to Emo’s for the show. I go in and check out the Pentagram merch booth. Talking to the girl who works it, Nancy, we had a few friends in common from the east coast. I end up buying both styles of the Pentagram shirts as they don’t sell the XXL versions on the website. Yea! Just what I needed, more black t-shirts!
Local doom/sludge band The Roller opens the show on the outside stage. I’ve seen them several times and they do their thing well. Halfway through their set I go inside to get a beer and some A/C and check out Minsk from Chicago. Not really my thing but I guess they are alright. I liked that sound better when Tiamat was doing it 15 years ago. Haha. Just kidding guys…sorta. Now let’s take into account that I have been up since 530AM and it’s around 10PM. I’m a little tired. So I go outside and sit for a while and see some friends, shoot the shit, check out some nice asses…you know, the usual. Outlaw Order (EYEHATEGOD) were setting up and I found a place in the back of the venue and sat down for their set. It wasn’t too bad, a little better than their EYEHATEGOD stuff. I was comfortable on the bench and didn’t go back in to check out Wolves In The Throne Room. Noah said they were good and he bought the 12” of their latest. Shortly after Wolves finished inside, Nachtmystium took the stage outside. Death metal, upbeat, double bass, fist pounding type stuff. Not bad, nothing groundbreaking.
Then Pentagram sets up. Pretty decent crowd. I estimated about 400 or so but definitely not a sellout. I expected more. So Pentagram hits the stage. Bobby looks old. Well, Bobby is old. His voice sounded like shit in the first song. Absolutely awful. I wonder how it was for the other shows? It got a little better towards the middle of the set but he was obviously hurting. I understand it. Singers can’t always be 100% and with Bobby Liebling I imagine you never know what you’ll get. He looked really frail but was very mobile. He seemed to get all the words right. When he spoke between songs, though, he sounded like Keith Richards. Couldn’t understand much of what he was saying except when he said “I fucking love you guys!” He said that about 10 times. Right on, Bobby. The band was tight and Russ’ guitar playing was good. Nice tone, good licks…a fitting guitarist for Pentagram.
But I do have to say I was a little disappointed overall. I guess maybe because of the setlist. Having never seen them live, I don’t know what they would usually play, but I expected more stuff from Day of Reckoning. As previously stated, I love that album. At minimum I wanted to hear Burning Savior. The only thing we got from that one was When The Screams Come. Great song, sure, but it’s no Burning Savior. They played 3 from Relentless: All Your Sins, Sign of the Wolf (Pentagram) and 20 Buck Spin. I never cared for 20 Buck Spin but love the other 2 tracks. They also played Petrified from Be Forewarned. There were a few new songs from an upcoming album called Last Rites but I can’t say they were very memorable. There were a few others in the set that I didn’t recognize as well. But where was “Living In a Ram’s Head”? I think in total we only got about 10 or 11 songs. It seemed as if they wanted to play more during their encore but he stated “They said this has to be our last song of the night.” The crowd near the front seemed pretty into it. A lot of people singing along and such. When I didn’t like was seeing all of the beer cans being thrown around. I’ve been hit while playing and it sucks. Also, WTF was with the crowd surfing? Stupid kids.
The merch girl told me that Bobby usually comes out to sign stuff after the show and as always, I came armed and ready with CD covers…but at the end of the show, I just wanted to go home. I was tired, hot, sweaty, disappointed and deflated. One guy I know said “You should be happy that you got to see a legend. What did you expect?” I guess I expected a better setlist, but that is my fault, not Pentagram’s. The sound in there was pretty shitty too which didn’t help much. Bobby complained several times at the beginning of the set to turn his monitors up. Like I said, his vocals got a little better as the show progressed but he just sounded beat and tired. Decades of self-abuse with drugs etc have taken their toll. In a way I sort of wish I would have stuck around to see if Bobby was signing stuff as I’ll likely not get that chance again. Oh well.
I was going to write this review last night when I got home but my emotions were still high. I think I gave a better and more level-headed review by waiting. I am glad I got to see them even if my expectations weren’t met.
I have attached a setlist from one of the Chicago shows. I assume this is what we got last night with the encore songs being reversed.
Enjoy the vids too!
The Metal Files 
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