So I think this last week may have been the greatest week in terms of music in my life. Scratch the think part. I know for a fact. I saw so many fantastic shows the past few days that I cannot even begin to explain how excited I am to blogz about it all. I got to hang with friends and see some awesome live music. What more could I ask for?
On Monday, I ventured over to Austin, TX to see the Bridge 9 Tour. The show started off with Ruiner playing. I really have started to like this band a whole lot. The first time I heard them, I almost immediately was turned off. His voice was too gritty and strained and the music was really heavy for the most part. Over the last year or so, things have drastically changed. This band exemplifies everything you could ask for from music in my opinion. The melody is there, you just have to find it. The vocalist, Rob, belts out heartfelt and emotion driven lyrics that make me shiver everytime I hear them. Unreal. They also have a lot of sing-a-long parts which is awesome. After they played, Crime In Stereo played. They always put on an awesome show. Each time they play live, they are able to perfectly recreate the numerous effects they use on their records. This is usally hard for bands that use experimental sounds in their music. However, Crime In Stereo has mastered it well. They played a good mix of older and newer songs. Next up was Polar Bear Club. Sadly, almost no one at the show was into them. It's a shame because this band is really quite good. They play some really interesting music. Its a mix of punk with some cool post hardcore-esque parts. They also put on really good live show. Either way, they put on an awesome show and the people who appreciate their music probably really enjoyed it. Finally, the band we had all been waiting to see came on. Strike Anywhere has been around for a while and had just put out a new album called Iron Front. This album is arguably the best punk/melodic hardcore album of the year. So fast and to the point. Their set was unelievable. They played a few new songs which sounded awesome along with some of their classics. People really got into them which was fun to see and experience. Thomas, the vocalist, is a really smart and nice dude and his talking between songs was also really informative and entertaining. Strike Anywhere's songs are just so relevant to everything.
On Tuesday, I decided to spend money unecessarily again and see the show again in Houston. I debated the decision back and forth but it was totally worth it in the end. Everyone in Houston was so much more into all the bands than were the people in Austin. Walter's is also a smaller venue and that made things feel more intimate. Each band played almost the exact same set give or take a few songs. All in all, awesome show again.
Here's the fun stuff. On Thursday afternoon, Joe, Sabrina, and myself began our 14 and a half hour journey to Gainesville, FL for FEST 8. Fest is an epic three days of punk music and partying. It started on Friday and ended Sunday night. The drive is NO joke. We passed through Louisiana, Mississppi, Alabama, and various parts of Florida before finally getting to Gainesville. From the moment we got there, the excitement had set in. We waited around a bit and decided to get something to eat. We ate at Boca Fiesta! Boca Fiesta is owned by Warren Oakes (former drummer of Against Me!). He was hanging out at his restaurant and was really nice and welcoming. I had some sweet tempeh tacos that were delicious! Afterwards, we headed over to registration which involved a long line and lots of waiting. Once we were all done with that, it was time for a long awaited nap. 14 hours of driving sucked and we all needed rest. After a power nap, we headed to the first round of shows. I saw Ruiner again and also saw Defeater. I had been dying to see Defeater and they surely didn't dissapoint. We saw some other shows here and there including Small Brown Bike and A Wilhelm Scream (who were unreal). We ended the night at Living With Lions followed by Crime In Stereo. Both of those bands were phenomonal live. We got back to the hotel after that and crashed pretty hard.
On Saturday, we started the day off with some more cool shows. We saw Rehasher, Algernon Cadwallader, Bridge and Tunnel, Andrew Jackson Jihad, The Arteries, Drag the River, and more. All of those shows were so energetic and filled with some super fans. I think out of the Saturday shows I enjoyed Algernon and Bridge and Tunnel the most. We ended the night with We Are the Union and the Swellers. Both put on a fantastic show. WATU was especially fun to watch. People really got into their set. After the Saturday shows, we all heard of an awesome house show that was going to feature Bomb The Music Industry along with some other bands. A bumch of people had been talking about it, so we decided we might check it out. We get to the house and it is jam packed inside and has about 200 people or so gathered along the street outside of the house. It looks like it's going to get busted soon, but we stuck around just in case BTMI was actually going to play. A few minutes after we got there a cop car rolls through slowly trying to get people out of the streets and make room for cars and such. The cop car rolls by and just leaves afterwards. We all figure it was nothing more than a fair warning to kep calm and quiet. We were wrong. About 5 or so minutes later, about 8 more cop cars roll up. Here's a sidenote. We are at a party with a bunch of drunk PUNX. If there is any place on the planet that cops are the least welcome, it was here. One drunk guy starts to dance around in his silver spandex underwear while blocking the police car off and not letting him move. Of course the cops get mad and begin to get out of the car and pat this kid down. They pin him up against the car and go walk around to see whats going on here. Now we all know that one kid who has a jean jacket vest with patches and large boots and smells like he hasn't showered in nearly a week. Well that guy somehow starts to egg the cops on and starts acting really immature and begans cursing at them and maybe even getting physical with the cops. The cops decide that enough is a enough and taze the punx kid. As soon as he hits the floor, the kid's friends come and rush the cop and start beating him on the ground. PUNX. Apparently the cop was hurt bad. Soon after the cops began spraying tear gas and used rubber bulets on uncooperative people. This was a complete and total riot. I had seen no such thing before. It was actually quite entertaining.Sunday was a bit quiter. We some cool shows. Some of the highlights were Samiam, Chris Wollard and the Ship Thieves, and Strikeforce Diablo. After the last show, we headed back on the road for the long journey back. It seemed a bit shorter, but I'm sure it wasn't.
Fest made me realize a few things. One: I have nothing to look forward to once I get back home. Over the last few days, I've had something fun to look forward to. After Fest, ther isn't much left until Thanksgiving. That' going to suck a bit, but eh. Two: It also made me realize that next time it may be better to have someone to go with. I saw that Joe and Sabrina had a great time together and so did the other people who brought someone along. I had a great time regardless, but it could have been fun to have someone to share that experience with. It also made me realize how much I want to be in a band that tours. bands have so much fun on route to Fest. That would rule.
Anyways, sorry if that wasn't very interesting. I hadn't made a post in a while and I told myslef that no matter what happened I would post something after Fest was over. Oh, I almost forgot! We made a bit of a detour to Nawlins today. We had stopped at Cafe Du Monde for a morning snack. That was fun. Till next time, bye!
