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Mario Perotti -
May 10, 2002Concord Vets Hall --
The Concord Veterans Hall (located right next door to the Concord Depot in the heart of the downtown area) has seen some pretty large shows in the past few years since the venue starting host live events. While simply a hall, when stage and sound equipment is imported, it transforms into a legitimate venue and while the sound is a little loud in terms of the highs, this place can really be the place to play with a large crowd on hand. The show on May 10th, 2002, for at least one of the bands performing, was the place to be on this night in the East Bay area as G2K celebrated the release of their brand new disc to a large and rowdy crowd (during their set) capping a three year journey towards releasing a high quality major recording and drawing the large crowds this band has been shown to do over the past year. Also included on this bill were five other bands (with the Reno, NV based Mnemonic added at the very last second and stuck at the last spot, performing to an empty hall) including the aforementioned Mnemonic, 40 Grit, Agonistic Resemblance, Domeshots and Starch.
This show held plenty of sideline highlights, so to speak, including checking in with the talented Domeshots, hearing a good portion of 40 Grit's newest material slated to appear on their next disc, checking in with the ever progressing Agonistic Resemblance, and catching a early slot set from the perennial humor act Starch. However, all of these simply paled in comparison to the monster of a set G2K put together, simply slamming through a sharp edged, to-the-point set that was simply ballistic and way over-the-top. G2K was the main draw and while they performed the floor erupted, literally, pumping an extremely energetic vibe into the place.
Starch guitarist Steve Brumbaugh (left) and bassist / vocalist Paul Cowan live at the Concord Vets Hall |
The first band to hit the Vets Hall stage was the Livermore-based thrash-turned-hook laden sound of Starch who performed to a respectable, still arriving and still warming crowd. Featuring bassist / vocalist Paul Cowan, guitarist / vocalist Kimo Sanborn, guitarist Steve Brumbaugh, and drummer A.J. Curtis, Starch opened this show well, even if their overall act was somewhat subdued while their music was solid and dead on the spot.
On stage, the band performed selections off their recently released new disc "Children and Women First" as well as other selected tunes including "Double Fisted" which includes a quickened flourish of a finish, "Whore" which opens with a Curtis led drum accent which led into a heavy groove, the tongue in cheek parody "Sellin' Out and Cashin' In" which includes some rapped lyrics to make the song's point, and "Vengeance" which is one of the band's newer tunes and sees them turning to the old school for inspiration.
This was a peculiar spot for Starch, basically working the "other" side of their personality, the one that comes out in front of a foreign crowd in a different city other than their hometown. So what the band basically did was waste little time between songs talking (as is usually the case in other "hometown" gigs) and slam straight into their brand of thrash induced, dare-say catchy (at times) songs and just flat out played some metal. Starch as an opening act does well musically as they are typically tighter, more concise and hammer out their sound much better without the trials and tribulations of the entire night to wear down their performance. These guys are simply a veteran act out to play music for no other reason than to entertain and for this show, they entertained the rather stagnant crowd, but in a very different way than is the norm for these guys. Musically they were in fine form for sure.
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Agonistic Resemblance live at the Concord Vets Hall |
The second band of the show was the continually progressing act Agonistic Resemblance (or AR for short) who, after their relatively recent resurfacing, have been out on the scene pumping their modified sound and this show provided a milestone for the band, with a strong crowd and well put together set. Featuring guitarist Jeremiah Baldwin, guitarist Joe Lane, bassist Matt Howell, drummer Robert Canchola, and vocalist Nino DeLaRosa, AR come off very well and, in a tribute to G2K, hit the stage each wearing a white t-shirt with a member of G2K on their chest. A humorous opening moment that translated to a loose, well received overall set.
On stage, AR jammed right through each tune, pumping the next one seconds after the initial was over making for a quick well strung together set of music. The band also performed a cover of Helmet's "Like I Care" which come off very well.
AR, after having reappeared on these reviewed pages last March with their newer sound, have really started to show their progression, acting as a coherent band on stage, showing a lot more confidence in what these were after collectively. Their sound ranges in style, moving from the high ranging strum heavy style to belting into the accessible heavy style, marking DeLaRosa's vocals and giving the entire flavor some life. What is continually the point to note here is DeLaRosa's vocals who, combined with the heavy streamlined sound behind him, have really starting coming forward and establishing the sound. He moves from a straight melody sing to a bark-sing approach with a whole lot of hook melody involved, making their music both heavy and yet, memorable in way. These guys are going to be a top flight, cream of the crop band one day, for sure. They just need time to continue falling into their comfortable groove.
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Domeshots guitarist Jim Seishas and vocalist Danner live at the Concord Vets Hall |
The third band to the stage was the always impressive Domeshots who brought their heavy accessible, wild vocal style to the stage and put together a solid set, priming the audience for the next band and the highlight of the night. Featuring drummer Mike Reed, guitarist Jim Seishas, bassist Alex Nunes, and vocalist Danner, Domeshots have both a presence and sound that has mass appeal with heavy as hell guitar driven sections turning into melody, hook laden material.
On stage, the band performed new and older tunes alike, including "Michelle" which included a high range guitar wing to open with a cool bass line underneath, "The Suit" which opens with a single guitar roll flavor and moves into a heavy groove, and "Test Tube Maybe" which included a huge sounding stepped feel with a swing guitar feel to the top layer.
This band, on the whole, has so many different options to focus on during a show that they continually entertain whether it is Danner who basically stalks the stage with his built physique and rugged good looks and a voice that can do just about anything from the growl / bark to a sing type speak, making each track dynamic. Musically, the band has the ability to draw out their riffing into a smooth drawn guitar roll with occasional bunching into some heavier chunking, but never losing sight of their focused approach, hooking the ear with a memorable, slam it in the head tangible grasp. What it comes down to is this bands unique ability to draw in the ear with something so totally different at times that by the time the song walks into total confusion, these guys have hooked the guitar / lyrics into a well structured weave. Always well done is the Domeshots as they have a seriously bright future ahead of them.
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G2K live during their CD Release show at the Concord Vets Hall |
The fourth band of the night was easily the biggest highlight of this show and possibly most of the recent shows to hit these reviewed pages as G2K, a quartet of younger guys who have been hitting the scene with their brand of somewhat chaotic, increasingly well structured, high octane metal blend since mid-1999, slammed through a set that had all of the excitable elements making one of those sets that simply gives up the goose bumps because of the sheer electricity inside the venue at that exact moment in time. Featuring vocalist Chris Peterson, guitarist Dustin Smith, bassist Jimbo Anderson, and drummer John Riggs, G2K had it all in their grasp for this show, pushing the crowd into fierce floor mosh activity and jumping through their set with precision and clarity but, more importantly, with a pumped flair that basically took them another step forward in their short thirty minutes on stage.
For this CD Release set as they celebrated their disc "Hands Nailed Shut" (a disc that was long in coming), the band pumped through selected tunes from the disc as well as other songs including "Locust" which has been altered in the very recent past, making the main verse more streamlined and, ultimately, heavier in mood, "Unagi" which works with an aggro tempo and fierce main riff, "Access to Poison" which has an added Peterson vocal punch that gives this song its edge, newer track "Topanga" which had a guitar wing to open and smoothed out rhythm, and the band's popular track "Down on the Water" which alternates between whisper lyric and straight aggressive, excited chorus lines.
G2K just simply owned the entire venue at this exact moment, drawing the entire crowd to the front and exploding the Vets Hall with massive energy and a show that crushed. The band had the audience singing along to just about every one of their songs, even breaking the music for a split second, allowing the very full audience to bark out the words directly in time, marking the sign of a increasingly popular act with the ability to draw more fans over time. Their music ranges from a straight up, go-for-the-throat metal style with huge sounding riffs and drum beats to a smoother approach which presents their mood and ability to draw the more streamlined accessible style. This is basically a band that has grown up in the scene, going from the early teenage / high school band to a full force, powerhouse East Bay act with a loyal core audience and a sound that just might have the knack to break into mass appeal. What makes this band most appealing is their age and sound, fully grasping the young, extremely angry approach well and translating that into a full on, give it up metal blend that, especially for this ballistic night, can absolutely crush through to the point and leave a big nasty mark. These guys are now playing with the big names in the NorCal Underground, without even a shred of a doubt.
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40 Grit guitarist Chris Anderson and guitarist / vocalist James Santiago live at the Concord Vets Hall |
The fifth band of the night was the East Bay heavyweight act and Metal Blade Recording Artists 40 Grit who brought their increasingly melody driven heavy style to the depleted yet still respectable crowd and pumped through a concise set of tunes that will undoubtedly appear on their sophomore effort slated for release later this year. Featuring guitarist Chris Anderson, bassist Kevin Young, drummer Andy Green and guitarist / vocalist James Santiago, 40 Grit came off very well, basically giving a preview of what is to come for this veteran act.
On stage, the band performed "Human" which works with a melody chorus and pumps towards the verse well, "Pieces" which has a cool message and drawn old cold feeling riff, old favorite "Sneaky Glass Face" which has a massive slide riff leading to the main section, and "Nothing to Remember" which breaks with a heavy strum riff underneath with some cleaner guitar notes on the top layer.
40 Grit is pushing straight toward a brand new disc as they are slated to hit the studio in June 2002 to begin work on their anticipated follow up to the popular "Heads" released back in August 2000. Their sound has taken some different approaches in rhythm since that initial disc, working with a healthy bit of melody (more so than their past), keeping their distinct metal personality but adding this whole new face to the body, giving their tunes a directed (yet sometimes subtle) hook line that pumps at the song structure. These guys always perform a solid set, never really missing a beat and coming off as a highly polished live show and, with these newer tunes driving their focus now, should provide them with a wider appeal come disc release time. Definitely would like to see this band on the major stage to see how they would come off with their sound and presence. Always recommended is The Grit for sure.
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Mnemonic (from Reno, NV) live at the Concord Vets Hall |
The final band of the night and, really, and after thought considering the venue emptied entirely after 40 Grit finished, the Reno, NV based act Mnemonic took to the stage and performed a short set of their brand of heavy music which included high ranging guitar work with a dual vocalist approach that barked and bit at the lyrics. Mnemonic features drummer Brian Walden, bassist / vocalist Chris Finley, and guitarist / vocalist Brian Stoudt.
On stage, the band pretty much whipped through their time, wasting little time between songs and, for good reason, stepped through a shorter set to wrap the entire night.
Actually, in retrospect, it was quite unfortunate these guys were added at the last second (and not promoted as being on this show) and relegated to the last spot because Mnemonic has a solid to sometimes impressive style that ranges from straight up aggressive / heavy to a more accessible style with some streetwise driven lyrics to drive the entire presence. Stoudt's guitar work is the ultimate driving force here, pumping to the forefront with his quick strum rhythm that bunches itself at times creating this heavy wall of dare-say straight up metal tendencies. Mnemonic could easily have drawn a strong reaction had their appearance on this show been known ahead of time because they do the live thing very well, even if the Vets Hall had literally emptied with a limited handful of people remaining to watch.
Bottom Line: This show was all G2K with their heavy as hell pumped showing on stage. The rest of the night held plenty of highlights but nothing compared to the massive G2K set.
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