Posted in Whathaveyou on September 6th, 2017 by JJ Koczan
Later this month, Boston singer-songwriter Jim Healey will issue his latest EP, Just a Minute More, in DIY digital fashion. Known for his work in heavy rock/metal acts like We’re all Gonna Die, Black Thai, Shatner and Set Fire, Healey‘s solo output — which, on this outing as it often does, features a full band behind him — resides in a soulful and emotional context all of its own, and the same voice so capable of channeling aggression into his heavier work once again proves itself capable of expressing a broader range of wistfulness and regret on songs like the new track “Faced” that’s streaming below as a first sampling of the upcoming release.
If you make your way over to Healey‘s Bandcamp, you’ll find plenty more to dig into as well, including his 2015 full-length, This is What the End Looked Like (review here), which continues to resonate as well. Healey‘s something of a well-kept secret of the Boston area, or at very least of greater New England, but his work translates regardless of region or other factors with the honesty of his performance and quality of his songcraft.
Here’s info on the release and the “Faced” stream, courtesy of Healey via the PR wire:
NEW SOLO EP BY JIM HEALEY – “Just A Minute More”
RELEASE DATE: Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Jim Healey will release his third solo release entitled JUST A MINUTE MORE Tuesday, September 26, 2017.
JUST A MINUTE MORE is the follow-up to Healey’s second solo album, THIS IS WHAT THE END LOOKED LIKE, released in 2015.
The five song EP was recorded and mixed between February and June of this year at New Alliance studio in Cambridge by Jon Taft. The album was mastered by Nick Zampiello at New Alliance East Audio in Cambridge.
The album features performances by Jim Healey (vocals, electric and acoustic guitar), Joe McMahon (electric bass, keyboards, backing vocals), Kyle Rasmussen (drums, keyboards), Glenn Smith (electric guitar, e-bow guitars), and Jess Collins (backing vocals)
JUST A MINUTE MORE tracklisting (all songs written by Jim Healey) 1. The Road 2. You and I 3. Swamp Thing 4. Faced 5. Burn Up
Posted in Whathaveyou on April 17th, 2015 by JJ Koczan
Guitarist/vocalist Jim Healey, known for his work in Boston acts We’re all Gonna Die, Black Thai and most recently Shatner — whose debut recordings are eagerly anticipated — is set to issue a new solo album on May 5. Its coming heralded by a month-long residency at O’Brien’s in Allston comprised of four shows each Wednesday night of the month with a different supporting cast for Healey and his band, the full-length This is What the End Looked Like is Healey‘s second behind 2010’s Dreams of Odessa, and will boast cuts like “World War Eight” and “Some of Me,” which have been staples in live shows for the past few years.
The PR wire brings album details and the residency lineups:
NEW SOLO ALBUM BY JIM HEALEY THIS IS WHAT THE END LOOKED LIKE RELEASE DATE: TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015
PLUS MONTH-LONG RESIDENCY WITH THE JIM HEALEY BAND AT O’BRIEN’S PUB, ALLSTON WEDNESDAYS IN MAY: 6, 13, 20, 27
The Jim Healey Band will release its second album, entitled THIS IS WHAT THE END LOOKED LIKE, Tuesday, May 5, 2015. To celebrate, the band will host and play a month-long residency at O’Brien’s Pub in Allston (3 Harvard Avenue), Wednesdays in May, 2015. The new album will be available for $9 on CD in person at the residency, and onlinehere. The residency live shows are 21+, doors open at 8pm, and tickets are $8 at the door or onlinehere.
THIS IS WHAT THE END LOOKS LIKE is the follow-up to Healey’s first solo album, DREAMS OF ODESSA, released in 2010. “This new album’s main theme,” Healey says, “is the ‘endings’ in life. Whether a relationship, or the loss of loved ones–and moving on from them. It’s something that everyone has to deal with.”
The nine-song collection was recorded and mixed over the past year at Amps VS Ohms studio in Cambridge by Glenn Smith. According to Healey, “I worked with Glenn for over a year on this record, and it really was the most productive, fun, and fulfilling set of recordings I’ve ever done.” The album was mastered by Nick Zampiello at New Alliance East Audio in Cambridge.
The album features performances by Jim Healey (vocals, electric and acoustic guitar), Joe McMahon (electric and acoustic bass, baritone and electric guitar, organ, keyboard, backing vocals), Kyle Rasmussen (drums, percussion), Dana Fisher (cello, backing vocals), and Bridget Nault (accordion, backing vocals). “Having a wealth of talented friends,” Healey says, “is really what brought these songs to the elevated state they became on the record. I can’t say enough about everyone that contributed — but special thanks goes to Joe McMahon, because these songs wouldn’t be the same without him.”
THIS IS WHAT THE END LOOKED LIKE, Track-listing (all songs written by Jim Healey) 1. Downtime 2. On and On 3. A Whole Lot of Nothing 4. Powerless 5. Still Warm 6. Some of Me 7. Radio 8. Tomorrow’s Gone 9. World War Eight
Residency Performance #1, Wednesday, May 6, 2015 Jim Healey Band Gold Blood and The Associates Crooked Horse
Residency Performance #2, Wednesday, May 13, 2015 Jim Healey Band Floodwatch Mill Pond Falls
Residency Performance #3, Wednesday, May 20, 2015 Jim Healey Band Aaron Shadwell Chrissy V
Residency Performance #4, Wednesday, May 27, 2015 Jim Healey Band Matt Charette Doug Wartman Jeremiah Tall
In addition to fronting his solo project The Jim Healey Band, he is also singer/guitarist for heavy bands Shatner, Black Thai, and We’re All Gonna Die. As an actor he has appeared in the films Fat and It’s Not Funny Anymore. He is originally from and currently lives in Dorchester.
Posted in Features on January 2nd, 2014 by JJ Koczan
I’ve been trying to get this one on the page for a couple weeks now — really since last year if you want to go back that far — and I finally just decided to do it. Granted, it’s already 2014, but I’m pretty used to being behind the times, so I hope you’ll indulge me on this one.
The thing is, of course we already did the Top 20 Albums of 2013, but that leaves an awful lot out in terms of quality shorter releases. Demos, singles, EPs, splits — whatever it might be — there’s a lot more to the story of a year in music than who’s putting out what full-length. That might be true now more than ever, with digital releases and artists having the ability to more or less give a song-by-song feed of new material should they so choose. Since this is the first time I’ve done this list, I’ve kept the presentation pretty basic, but there’s a lot to dig into here anyway in terms of the quality of the music and what people were able to accomplish in, in some cases, just one or two tracks.
My basis for judgment here is basically the same as with the full-albums list, and by that I mean how much I listened to something played a huge role, and it’s not just how important I think an EP or a split or a demo was that got it included on this list — though of course that stuff matters as well. Like spelling, repeat listens count. And it goes without saying these are my picks and have nothing to do with the Readers Poll, the results of which are here.
Okay, let’s do this:
The Top 20 Short Releases of 2013
1. The Machine/Sungrazer, Split
2. Dozer, Vultures
3. Mars Red Sky, Be My Guide
4. Black Thai, Seasons of Might
5. Wo Fat/Egypt, Cyclopean Riffs Split 12″
6. Young Hunter, Embers at the Foot of Dark Mountain
7. Shroud Eater, Dead Ends
8. Steak, Corned Beef Colossus
9. Geezer, Gage
10. The Golden Grass, One More Time b/w Tornado 7″
11. Trippy Wicked and the Cosmic Children of the Knight, Underground
12. King Buffalo, Demo
13. Groan, Ride the Snake
14. Crypt Sermon, Demo MMXIII
15. Stubb, Under a Spell b/w Bullets Rain 7″
16. Salem’s Pot, Watch Me Kill You Tape
17. Undersmile/Coma Wall, Wood and Wire Split
18. Second Grave, Antithesis
19. Sinister Haze, Demo
20. Olde Growth, Owl
—
Honorable mention has to go to the Fatso Jetson/Yawning Man split, C.O.C.‘s MegalodonEP, which was right on but which I didn’t really hear enough to include. The Gates of Slumber‘s Stormcrow as well.
Just a couple notes: In the case of Olde Growth, putting them last was actually more about not being sure when the official release date of Owlwas than anything else. I actually listened to that quite a bit, and “Tears of Blood” remains my favorite work of the duo’s to date. In terms of demos, it was a good year for doom debuts, with Crypt Sermon and Sinister Haze both showing some malevolent classicism, and King Buffalo‘s demo grew on me almost immediately upon hearing it and right away made me look forward to whatever might come next from them.
I was a little hesitant to put a split in the number one spot, but The Machine‘s riff for “Awe” alone made it necessary. I’ve kept this disc on my person for almost the entire year and continue to have no regrets in doing so. For Dozer, yeah, it was a collection of older material, but I still enjoyed the crap out of it. Both Mars Red Sky and Black Thai signaled considerable creative growth in four-song EPs, and the Wo Fat and Egypt split more than lived up to its mission. The riff lives in bands like that, and as we get further into stylistic nuance and subgenre development, it’s those groups who are holding on to the Heavy.
Young Hunter are one of the most promising bands I’ve heard in the last three years. Flat out. Killer release. Ditto that in a much different context for Shroud Eater, whose take on heavy only got more sinister and more effective with Dead Ends. Steak emerge as tops among the five British bands — a quarter of the list! — here. Their Corned Beef Colossus also had the best title I heard all year, and though Trippy Wicked, Groan, Stubb, and Undersmile/Coma Wall (the latter earning bonus points for putting out a split with themselves) all thrilled, Steak‘s potential got them that spot. Time for a full-length, guys.
Not to leave out New York — though the geographical alignment is a coincidence — Geezer‘s Gagetapped into a jammier feel that I thought suited the band remarkably well, and The Golden Grass‘ debut single offered one of the most charming irony-free good times I’ve heard in a long while. The Salem’s Pot cassette was one of my most-listened-to tapes this year, last mentioned but not at all least, Second Grave‘s Antithesisprobably would’ve clocked in higher if I’d had more time with it, but was definitely one I wanted to put in here anyway.
As I said, a lot of really astounding shorter outings, and worthy of attention in their own right. If I missed anything, I hope you’ll let me know in the comments.
The end of any year always brings a barrage of best-ofs. Lists, radio shows, award ceremonies, and even podcasts. What no one tells you about any of them is there’s no fucking way they can ever be comprehensive. My Top 20 list? It was damn good and I worked really hard putting it together, but was I toiling under the delusion that it was going to be an accurate and complete representation of everything 2013 had on offer? Hell no. That’s why we have the Readers Poll, the Albums Unheard list (still to come) and all the rest of the wrap-up stuff.
So as you check out this happens-to-be-the-last-of-2013 podcast, please keep in mind that though it does feature a sampling of some of 2013’s most killer songs from some of its most killer albums, it’s not at all intended to be a total roundup of this year. It’s a part of it, and I’m cool with that if you are.
It’s Xmas Eve as I put this together, and it’s looking like this’ll be my only post for today, so I’ll take another opportunity to wish you a happy holiday if you’re celebrating. Please be safe and enjoy time with family, gift-giving, and of course, good music. I don’t know if grandma would really get down to some Phantom Glue, but seems like it’s worth a shot.
First Hour:
Clutch, “D.C. Sound Attack” from Earth Rocker (2013)
Monster Magnet, “Last Patrol,” from Last Patrol (2013)
Church of Misery, “Cranley Gardens (Dennis Andrew Nilsen)” from Thy Kingdom Scum (2013)
Phantom Glue, “Bow in the Dust” from A War of Light Cones (2013)
Pelican, “The Tundra” from Forever Becoming (2013)
Young Hunter, “Trail of Tears” from Embers at the Foot of Dark Mountain (2013)
All Them Witches, “The Death of Coyote Woman” from Lightning at the Door (2013)
Black Thai, “Doors to Nowhere” from Season of Might (2013)
Gozu, “Charles Bronson Pinchot” from The Fury of a Patient Man (2013)
Geezer, “Ancient Song” from Gage EP (2013)
T.G. Olson, “Unsung Everyone” from Hell’s Half Acre (2013)
Second Hour:
Fuzz, “One” from Fuzz (2013)
Wooden Shjips, “Servants” from Back to Land (2013)
Fever Dog, “Lady Snowblood/Child of the Netherworlds,” from Lady Snowblood (2013)
Samsara Blues Experiment, “Brahmin’s Lament” from Waiting for the Flood (2013)
Vista Chino, “Planets 1 & 2” from Peace (2013)
Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats, “Valley of the Dolls” from Mind Control (2013)
The Golden Grass, “One More Time” from One More Time b/w Tornado (2013)
Beelzefuzz, “Lonely Creatures” from Beelzefuzz (2013)
Posted in Reviews on December 5th, 2013 by JJ Koczan
Three years on from their debut EP, Blood from on High (review here), Boston-based four-piece Black Thai return with Seasons of Might, which ups their presentation on every level. A 45rpm multicolor 12″ vinyl platter with four songs — “Blood Dust,” “Start a War,” “Doors to Nowhere” and “Reasons to Burn” — it still check in as a 22-minute EP, but the growth in the songwriting is responds in kind to the seasonal-representation in the Alexander von Wieding artwork, which of course depicts the four seasons played out in alternately gorgeous and cruel fashion across a single face, from the birth of life in spring to the decay of autumn. Whether or not Seasons of Mightitself, which was recorded by Joe Saliba and mixed by Benny Grotto at Mad Oak Studios, was intended to mirror these ideas musically, I don’t know, but it’s easy enough to read a different personality into each track and I’d suspect it’s from there that the title derives. Be it the rolling riff-heavy groove of “Blood Dust” or the heads-down intensity of “Doors to Nowhere” — introduced with a frantic fill by drummer and recently-converted stair safety expert Jeremy Hemond — Black Thai are able to elicit a varied personality through consistent songwriting quality and weighted production and the result is a brief collection that more than ably serves notice that, yes, they’re still at work and that Blood from on High, which came across as a somewhat surprisingly metallic turn after their initial two-song demo (review here) showcased an initial base of stoner doom push, was more of a beginning point for a developing aesthetic than a be-all-end-all of the band’s scope. Black Thai are tighter on Seasons of Mightas one might expect with three more years of shows under their collective belt with the lineup of guitarist/vocalist Jim Healey (ex-We’re all Gonna Die), guitarist Scott O’Dowd (also Cortez), bassist Cory Cocomazzi and Hemond (also Cortez and Roadsaw) — these are experienced players who know what their project is — but even taking that into account, the EP manages to land a striking blow with each of its components, whatever its thematic may or may not be.
It doesn’t seem unfair to say Seasons of Mightshould probably be a full-length album, three years on from their first outing, but if there would’ve been a sacrifice in quality to add even another 10 or 15 minutes to the release, then Black Thai made the wiser choice to keep it brief. With Healey‘s soulful vocals at the fore along with O’Dowd‘s tear-right-in lead work and the groove and stomp that Cocomazzi and Hemond seem to wield at will, all four members are working together within the songs to maximize the impact of each both emotionally and tonally, and with a professional production behind them — which they also had their last time out — they at times carefully and at times bombastically leave a footprint on the borderline where heavy rock meets heavy metal. To wit, the call and response chorus of “Start a War,” which follows the opener, finds Healey with a throaty delivery that still holds its melody but carries plenty of aggression as well. This is a far cry from the more patient, atmospheric approach on the eight-minute “Reasons to Burn,” which doesn’t even begin its first verse until after two minutes in and follows the riff in doomier fashion as the title-line of the EP is delivered in the chorus in a more solitary, straightforward fashion. All four of the songs hold plenty of weight in their tones — they’re all heavy, in other words — it’s just a question of how Black Thai choose to tip the balance of their influences. That it’s a choice they’re making at all speaks to where they are in their craft, and actually says a lot about it. This is a band in control of what they do, who is aware of what they’re accomplishing in this material, which itself is refined despite what particularly on “Doors to Nowhere” is a fresh and switched on feel, not lifeless or sterile. It is professional, but not standoffish or disengaged.
We continue the “10 Days of Stoner Hands of Doom XIII” special with a brand new track from Boston four-piece Black Thai, who will release their brand new 12″ EP, Seasons of Might, on mystery-colored 45rpm vinyl in time to tour their way south to SHoD and then make a leisurely loop through the Midwest en route back north. The four-song, 22-minute collection arrives with golly-that’s-pretty artwork from Alexander von Wieding, and in a limited edition of 300 as the Black Thai’s first release since 2010’s Blood from on HighEP (review here) gave a more metallic edge to the heavy rock styling of their initial 2010 demo (review here), guitarist/vocalist Jim Healey bringing an aggressive but still accessible vibe to the tracks.
Seasons of Mightworks in a similar vein, but sets a more accomplished balance within each song itself. The band — Healey (formerly of We’re all Gonna Die), guitarist Scott O’Dowd (also Cortez), bassist Cory Cocomazzi and drummer Jeremy Hemond (also Cortez and Roadsaw) — make a decision to ignore that balance and go full-on metal with the near-blasting third track, “Doors to Nowhere,” but on opening duo “Blood Dust” and “Start a War” especially, they’ve found a sonic niche for themselves that isn’t quite as angry as modern metal but neither is it entirely indebted to doom or heavy rock. Most of all, it sounds like Black Thai, which after three years since their last EP is a welcome way for it to turn out.
They round out with the eight-minute “Reasons to Burn,” which tips more toward the doomed, albeit while holding firm to the melodic sensibility shown on the earlier cuts. Seasons of Mightwas recorded at Mad Oak with Joe Saliba and mixed by Benny Grotto, and the production is as crisp and professional as the songs are engaging, whether it’s O’Dowd tearing into a mournful lead late into “Reasons to Burn” or the full band locking into the thrust of the still-catchy “Start a War,” the burly call-and-response hook of which winds up being one of the highlight moments of the whole release as Healey‘s shouts echo amid the quick turns that almost dare you to keep up.
Black Thai play Stoner Hands of Doom on Sunday, Nov. 10, with Wizard Eye, Kin of Ettins, Lord and many more at Strange Matter in Richmond, Virginia. Their tour dates, a quote from the band about the EP, and links can be found under “Start a War” on the player below.
We recorded with Joe Saliba at Mad Oak Studios and he did an absolutely amazing job tracking. Benny Grotto mixed the session and it sounds absolutely pummeling. We couldn’t be happier with the results.
Black Thai on Tour: 11/6 Middle East Upstairs – Cambridge, MA with: Cocked N’ Loaded, Goddamn Draculas, Second Grave (Release show / tour kickoff) 11/7 St. Vitus Bar – Brooklyn, NY with: Gozu, Kings Destroy, Second Grave 11/8 JR’s Bar – South Philadelphia. PA with: Backwoods Payback, Hang-Up to Flat, Skeleton Hands 11/9 The Pinch – Washington DC with: Iron Man, Gozu, Freedom Hawk 11/10 Strange Matter – Richmond, VA Stoner Hands Of Doom 11/11 The Maywood – Raleigh, NC with: Bedowyn, Devil To Pay 11/12 The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA with: Volume IV 11/13 TN (TBA) 11/14 Cusumano’s Pizza – St. Louis, MO with: Rowsdower, Heavy Horse, White Fire 11/15 The Melody Inn – Indianapolis, IN with: So Sayeth, Devils Of Belgrade 11/16 The Tree Bar – Columbus, OH with Old City, +2 TBA 11/17 Duke’s Bohemian Grove Bar – Buffalo, NY with: Second Trip 11/18 Nectar’s – Burlington, VT (Metal Monday) with: Toxic Holocaust, Ramming Speed, In Defence
It was going to start early and I knew that, so I split out of the office a couple minutes after 5:30PM to get to The Grand Victory in time to catch openers Tarpit Boogie kick off the evening’s lineup, which also featured Infernal Overdrive, Black Thai and Mighty High. Even so, I was late. I rolled in around 8:15 for an 8PM start and managed to catch most of the NJ-based instrumental trio’s set for what I later confirmed was their first show.
Their tones and general ethic was pretty familiar to me, seeing as how bassist John Eager and guitarist George Pierro and I used to be in a band together, and though I thought it might be strange to watch them on stage playing different songs as Tarpit Boogie, actually, it was a reminder of what a fan I always was of their playing in the first place. Rounded out by drummer Chris Hawkins and reportedly in the process of hammering out material with a new vocalist, Tarpit Boogie set right to skirting the line between funkified stoner riffing and sludged-out slowdowns.
Of course, it being their first show, they were obviously getting a feel for their approach, but songs like “AmanaplanacanalpanamA” and “Hackman Caine Theory” showed the two sides at work in their sound, and the unpretentious heavy riffing went over well with those early assembled at The Grand Victory, myself included. All the bands on this bill were acts I’m pretty friendly with on a personal level, but getting to see the first Tarpit Boogie gig made the night even more special, and I was glad I made it in time to catch them. To hear them tell it later, it was a close call on their making it for the start of their set as well.
The whole night was slated to end early — I think The Grand Victory had a DJ coming in or something like that (which I don’t begrudge a club that puts on good shows; gotta make your money) — but as I had a drive to Massachusetts to make the next day, that was only a convenience from my angle. Infernal Overdrive, who’d also trekked in from Jersey, or Black Thai, come down from Boston, might have felt otherwise, but if they did, they didn’t show it. The two bands with very different takes on heavy rock were doing a weekender together, playing in Northumberland, Pennsylvania, the next night with Wasted Theory, and they both featured new material from forthcoming releases.
In the case of Infernal Overdrive, most of what they played was new, and while I recognized “Viking” for the several times I’ve seen it live now and “Duel” from their Last Rays of the Dying Sundebut (review here), a lot of the set was unfamiliar and moodier, taking some of the brazenness of the first record and making it more melodically complex and pulling back on some of the tempo. A four-piece on a small stage, they were tight in more than just how solid they sounded, but still made good use of their time in belting out tunes that they’ve obviously been busting their collective ass writing, and even though their set seemed short, they showed that the time since their first batch of songs made their way to the public hasn’t been misspent. Before they were through two songs, I was reminded of how much I’m looking forward to their next album.
Like their touring partners, Black Thai have only grown more stylistically diverse. The double-guitar foursome made their debut in 2010 with the Blood from on HighEP (review here), a potential-loaded five-songer from which only two of the total five songs played came, and while elsewhere the band — guitarist/vocalist Jim Healey (known for both his solo work and formerly of We’re all Gonna Die), guitarist Scott O’Dowd (also of Cortez), bassist Cory Cocomazzi and drummer Jeremy Hemond (also of Cortez and Roadsaw) — dug deep into riffy grooves and bluesy solos, it was the ultra-dark centerpiece of their setlist that stood out. Centered around what might easily have been a black metal progression if not for Healey‘s delivery, which, even at his shoutiest, retains a sense of melody, it was an immediate shift from everything I’ve heard to date from Black Thai and a genuine surprise.
The good news? It worked. They not only were able to execute the more extreme feel crisply and emphatically, but they tied it together with the rest of their material as well, which might have been even more impressive. Returning to the EP, they finished with “333,” which also closed Blood from on High, and went from a brooding tension to maddening swirl with an efficiency that betrayed the song’s actual tempo. For the unexpected elements at work, Black Thai were a thrill, but what made it even more enjoyable was to see how well they’ve come to work together in the last few years. Save for Hemond — who brought his Vistalites for the occasion, where both Tarpit Boogie and Infernal Overdrive had used the house kit — their stage persona is pretty subdued, nobody thrashing around not that there’s much room for it at The Grand Victory anyway, but they’ve only gotten tighter in the now handful of times I’ve seen them and this was no exception.
It was left to Brooklyn’s own Mighty High to round out the evening, and the stonerly punkers did not at all disappoint. Fronted by Chris “Woody” MacDermott, who contributes the Spine of Overkill column to this site, Mighty High released their Legalize Tre Bags(review here) full-length through Ripple Music last year, and they continue to blaze out short, speedy blasts of Motörhead riffs in a public service reminder to the world that it takes itself way too seriously and should probably just get over it. “Chemical Warpigs” showed up early in the set, shouted out to the recently departed Jeff Hanneman of Slayer, and familiar cuts like “Breakin’ Shit,” “Cable TV Eye” and “High on the Cross” were delivered on time and in style, guitarist Kevin Overdose taking the lead vocal for the beginning of the latter, which Woody shouted out to “any Blackfoot fans out there.”
By then, people had started to make their way into The Grand Victory, but Woody, Overdose, bassist Labatts Santoro and drummer Jesse D’Stills didn’t come on quietly and they wouldn’t go that way either. “I Don’t Wanna Listen to Yes” continues to be high on my list of favorites, and the brand new “Two-Hour Lunchbreak” hit pretty close to home, in overall attitude if not chemical consumption. “Kick out the Jams” ended the set, as ever for Mighty High, and with their painted leather jackets hung up behind them, they treated the MC5 classic like the manifesto it has become, throwing it in the face of, well, everything and everyone there. I didn’t see it to be sure, but it’s almost certain that, whoever the DJ was coming in, he promptly went home to rethink his life and meditate on Stooges albums. One would have to expect, anyway.
Between a new band, two acts working the kinks out of new songs ahead of recording and Mighty frickin’ High topping it off with some recent creations of their own — not to mention the chance to see good friends kicking ass — I left The Grand Victory feeling refreshed and reminded of just why it is I continue to go to shows in the first place. It wasn’t about being seen, or about some buzz act who’ll disappear in six months or a year, it was about unbridled, unfettered enjoyment of the process and about four different takes on the single idea of “heavy.” Even after four bands one into the next into the next into the next, I got in my car and put on a CD for the ride home.
Five bands, five states. Well, NYC has never been anything if it hasn’t been a melting pot, so when Black Thai (from Massachusetts), Infernal Overdrive (New Jersey), When the Deadbolt Breaks (Connecticut), John Wilkes Booth (Long Island, NY) and Wasted Theory (Delaware) converge on Tobacco Road in Manhattan on April 6, at least it’ll be in the borough’s long-standing tradition. If you’re on Thee Facebooks, the event page is here, and I thought I’d share the poster for the show, since it’s awesome.
Behold:
Five bands for $7 is a pretty heavy deal, if you’re into bargain-hunting.
