Fine Line Music Cafe Tuesday August 5th

Minneapolis,MN - Well, the wife and I did something we normally don't do, we went to a bar and a concert on a school night. All I can say is WOW, were we rewarded. This particular night the venue was the Fine Line on 1st Ave in downtown MPLS. Excellent location and venue for concerts but that night was a terrible turn out. I felt bad for the guys from Strange Daze, Artifas and Surrender the Fall. When Strange Daze took to the stage 8 of us were their witness a hellacious rock show.

Eric, Scott, Chad and Mike got up on stage undaunted by the poor turnout. They played like that room was packed and was standing room only.  This was our first exposure to these regional powerhouse rockers who lived up to the hype. Half way into song two of their set I made my way over to the merch table and picked up Shine Through, their recent cd. After finishing listening straight through the entire cd today, I can report not a bad tune on the entire effort. I was never tempted to skip a track and jump ahead. Do yourself a favor and download this cd today and discover one of the best bands Minnesota bands on the scene. 

Artifas followed up after Strange Daze finished up and cleared their gear. By this time the crowd had swelled to, okay the crowd hadn't changed. Again the lack of crowd size and noise did nothing to deter this Memphis based band from coming out and hitting you right in your ear hole. Prior to Tuesday night I had heard a couple of Artifas tunes. My wife is the one that screens emerging bands for me and finds these hidden gems. The energy and precision that I witnessed made me an instant fan. Scottie and Cody and the rest of the guys left nothing behind they gave it all up on stage and met the expectation set by Strange Daze. 

After their set I was complementing the guys on how they approached playing to a handful of people and Cody Criswell had a highly developed outlook on the situation, "You never know who you are playing to, the President of the biggest label in the country could be one of those 8 people, so we go out and play with that thought." I thought this was a profound and highly professional way of approaching what could have easily been a "call it night". Those guys did anything but "call it in".

Now with two bands down and high bar set with their balls to the walls performances it was time to witness the spectacle that is Surrender the Fall. Once again, I was shocked that they could take it up a further notch and leave me thoroughly impressed yet again. During the beginning of their set I stepped out front and the people walking by were all commenting and wanting to know who was playing that night. STF came out and these guys were tight with their sound and their stage show. A desire to be master of their craft was evident by the quality of the show and the attention to detail. Secretly, I think these guys played even harder because of the light crowd.

No matter who was there I was there and I now three bands to add to my list of favorites and you should at a minimum buy their cd's and merch and see them at the next tour stop near you. Supporting guys who work as hard and take their craft this seriously is a pleasure

Just MN Joe

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)