ALMOST KINGS

ATLANTA,GA

Having lived in Hotlanta for several years, and living in close proximity otherwise, I can claim Atlanta as a second home. Atlanta is one of those places in America that is special for reasons that are too numerous to list in the space of this post. Suffice it to say, if you have never been GO!

This post got its start from a Twitter follow and my wife's Facebook account. What do the two have in common? Well, I got "Followed" ( @justmnjoe ) by @AlmostKings and my wife follows them on Facebook. She is not really in on Twitter, yet. Anyway I started researching these "Kings" and here is what I found.

I liked this group of guys from Atlanta almost immediately, why? Lots of reasons so I will narrow it down. I am a fan of music and musicians; the genre is not as important as the music I like stuff all over the map and I dislike stuff all over that same map. What I was initially struck by when I watched the first video was they sound like a hip hop act, but that couldn't be the case, there were actual instruments and musicians playing those instruments on the stage. It wasn't three or four guys rapping over top of each other around a drum machine and turntable, it was guitars, a drum kit, a bass, it was a band!

As I dug deeper into band I found that they were unsigned and were out there working to promote themselves and make their name not the name the record company wanted them to make. I am not saying that being signed to a label would be a bad thing; What I am saying is that in spite of not having a label contract these guys are out there touring and playing as though they do, and in time they will i that is their choice. 

As for the music, if you are like me and were around to see the birth of the fusion of hip hop and rock you will like what the Almost Kings have to offer. For me this brought back memories of that first Anthrax record I bought. After Anthrax it was okay to be a metal kid and listen to hip hop and now the rest is history because that fusion has come full circle and a new genre has matured.

Listening to the Almost Kings I hear Beastie Boys influences along with the distinct Atlanta / Dirty South hip hop flavor. These guys meld seamlessly from rap/rock to rock and vice versus. Their passion for their craft can be seen in the fun they appear to be having on stage. Do yourself a favor and download anything you can from the Almost Kings.

http://www.almostkings.com/

BAND: We Are the Blog
EP: Decadence


This band is one of the reasons that I am huge fan of Twitter. I hear people, a lot, saying I'm not on Twitter I don't get Twitter. Blah, Blah, Blah. Well I get Twitter I get connected with bands that other people have never heard of, yet.

Flipping through my Twitter I got a new Follower that I didn't recognize. It was Collin Toner one of the vocalists of We Are The Blog. Intrigued I went out and did a little Internet searching and came upon "Decadence", the latest 5 song EP from this Minneapolis metal-core sextet. I was blown away from the first notes. Corruptcake intros with an echoy, wispy, haunting build into growling vocals that punch you in the ears.

As the drums, guitars and bass hit their first notes they drive you into wanting to ball up your fist and start pounding it on something. Every song on this EP brings an unbelievable balance of the screaming and growling, that is a mark of metal-core, and crystal clear vocals. This band utilizes the growling to punctuate the emotion of each song and drive the listener forward.

 For me I listened to this several times over, during a grueling workout, and was able to draw motivation from the ebb and flow of each song. As Velocirapture faded out on the last time through I walked out of the gym feeling energized and with a big smile on my face. This EP left me wanting for a live We Are the Blog show.

Band: Throw The Fight

Venue: Wicked Moose

If you showed up late on Saturday night to the show at the Wicked Moose, you missed one of the best sets of the night. That set would have been the opening band, Minneapolis based. Throw The Fight. Originally, these guys were not on the bill but a band switch occurred and in my opinion was a better move.

This is the first time I had seen TTF live and I was immediately blown away. When James, Ryan, Kyle, Jeff, and Jonathan hit the stage they set the bar for the rest of the bands to hurdle over. The energy and vibe infected the entire room and by the end the crowd was buzzing. When TTF took to the stage people were still in line to get in and you could visually see the restlessness that was building as they waited their turn to come in.

Not only did TTF deliver on energy but they delivered on sound. These guys whipped out an entire set of music that was crisp and clean and on point. Unlike, a lot of bands I've seen live, who have a muddy sound, TTF put on a show with a quality worthy of a live album. I would highly recommend seeing these guys any chance you get. Look for TTF to be making big moves in 2013.

Venue: Wicked Moose
Band:   Digital Summer

It was a frigid sub-zero January night in Rochester Minnesota; However, it was well worth the two-hour drive from Minneapolis to see Digital Summer perform. This was the second time in as many months that Kriss and I had the opportunity to see this Phoenix based band put on a show, and we were not going to miss it.

Digital Summer was the second band of the evening to take the stage and wasted no time in taking the intensity up a notch. Kyle, Jon, Ian, Justin, and Tony hit the stage looking like they were ready to explode, and they did. It took all of about 2 seconds to get the crowd fired up and DS never let up.

These guys put their foot on the gas through the entire set. Having seen them once before I did notice that their set was shorter than normal. Not only did we miss "Broken Halo" but the crowd also missed 12-year-old Austin Rios sitting in on drums. I know your saying to yourself a 12-year-old sitting in on drums? YES, a 12-year-old sitting in on drums. Check him out on YouTube and Facebook and you will see what I mean. (The Austin Rios)

All in all, DS again put on an excellent show and were more than willing to hang out with their fans afterward. To give you an idea about their work ethic, of  the four bands that were performing last night only Digital Summer had plastered the entire venue with promotional material. Every place imaginable in the venue had DS flyers, business cards, etc.

These guys are well worth spending your money with. Buying their CD or downloading it on iTunes you will not be disappointed and you will be supporting a hardworking group of humble musicians who appreciate their fans at every show.

Coming up: Reviews of the remaining bands from the Wicked Moose show on Jan 19th. (Throw The Fight, Candlelight Red, and Nonpoint)