(As published by the Fairfield Weekly, September 13, 2007)
If you've got bloody elbows and you love hairy men with guitars, you have an obligation to hit this year's Thurst Music Slamfest. Vendors, food, live music, skater demos, the Sound and free admission—that's what's going on. It doesn't matter your age, just strap on some elbow pads and hop in the minivan. Mom, we're going to Slamfest, ya dig? Here's a rundown of some of the featured bands:
Crash Romeo has basically been on tour since January, and after just getting back from Warped Tour they're writing a new album. They're a pop-punk band from Jersey, they're unexpectedly on a hardcore label (Trustkill) and they have some catchy lyrics, lively riffs and a lot of energy.
Jacobi Wichita is one of the more seasoned bands of the bunch, with a new album on the way and an energetic, original sound that's almost psychedelic. They're a little bit Linkin Park and little bit Mars Volta, but not as epic. They're proud to be their own blues-funk-hip-hop entity.
Vampire for Hire toured with Crash Romeo this year and they're a new pop-punk band from Jersey, too. I expected blood-thrashing metal, but they're more Hot Topic than blood-thirsty. The local teenage girls on MySpace love them and can't wait for the show.
Swallow the Ocean is part soothing guitar, part murderous scream. A perfect example of what can only be explained as a nightmare is "Dancing Upon a Skunk." But that's exactly what their genre is going for. This is not your father's rock, this is serious scary shit.
Saving Echo sounds like a hardcore Lenny Kravitz, with some Guns N Roses attempts thrown in to balance the whole thing out. A melodic high energy show with strong vocals from Kris Keyes is what you get with these guys.
Lost in Ashford is a hardcore band from Ashford, CT and while they don't scream all their lyrics, it's mostly screams. A tight, loud and thick sound. If the skate park doesn't fuck you up, these guys will.
No Less Than Everything is chaotic hardcore meets melodious metal with some intricate and almost tribal drum beats tying it all together. The mix of influences includes Latin jazz—not what you'd expected from hardcore but they tie it together in a loud, distorted package.
No comments:
Post a Comment