Shinedown Live!
January 26, 2010 at the House Of Bliues in Boston, Mass.
by Deb Rao
Staff Writer
It may be below zero but one tour that is heating up the dead of winter is the Shinedown/Puddle Of Mudd Tour that rolled into Boston at the House Of Bliues on Landsdowne Street across from Fenway Park on Jan. 26.
Puddle Of Mudd, who are riding high with their recent release Volume 4: Songs In The Key Of Love And Hate hit the stage at at 7:30 p.m. Opening with “Control”, Puddle Of Mudd dominated the stage with their post-grunge sound and catchy lyrics for an hour of fun and excitement. Singer Wes Scantlin was in a great mood and commented,”It is great to be playing right across from the Green Monster and Fenway Park.” Puddle of Mudd premiered their new hit single “Spaceship” and had the whole venue rocking and also performed new song “Stoned.”
One of the great aspects of attending a Puddle Of Mudd concert is that the band loves to interact with their fans. Wesley Scantlin entertained the crowd and even played an acoustic song called, “Thinking Of You” and dedicated it to the people of Haiti.
The band sounded tight and played all of their hits including “Famous,” “Psycho,” “She Hates Me,” and even did a spontaneous jam of songs including the AC/DC hit “TNT,” “The Joker” by Steve Miller. and “Summer Nights” from the movie Grease.
At 9:30 P.M. Shinedown hit the stage, opening with “Sound Of Madness” as singer Brent Smith took full control of the audience. Brent has a powerful voice and it roared tonight. Hightlights of the set included “Devour,” their current hit, “If You Only Knew” and ended the set with “Second Chance” which received a huge response. One of the coolest songs of the night was the bluesy version of the Otis Redding song,”Dock Of The Bay.” Great choice and it really showcased Brent’s vocal prowess. Brent Smith commented, “This is the fourth night of the tour and far by this is the best audience yet.” Shinedown is one of the more promising young bands out today. If you have a chance check out this tour when it hits your city, you won’t be disapointed.
Also, I have to add there were no huge video screeens or stage props for both acts. Both bands relied on sheer talent and no gimmicks. The highlight of both bands sets was the acoustic portion of the evening. The songs stood on their own fronted by two of the best showman in the business today.
Devildriver Live!
January 26, 2010 by Publisher
January 23, 2010 at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio
by Chris A.
Staff Writer
Devildriver: New CD, New Tour, Same Ass Kicking Attitude
Ask Dez Fafara, brain trust and vocalist of the heavy metal band Devildriver, what motivates his band to slog it out on tour in the middle of winter and the answer might surprise you. “We’re all about people having fun and we love what we do.” That passion for playing live at a time when most bands are hunkered down waiting out the lousy weather is typical of Devildriver. Not content to sit around and let time pass them by, the band is on the road in support of their fierce new release, Pray For Villains, a clever title based on Dez’s love for “western” movies rather than an endorsement of the criminal elements.
“I love a great western movie where it takes a guy who’s living on the edge of the law to make things right. You just can’t help but root for guys like Eastwood.” As Eastwood did in “High Plains Drifter” Fafara brought his band of living-on-the-edge rock ‘n’ roll drifters to the Alrosa Villa to save Columbus, Ohio and its metal head community from the ravages of a dull, boring, “American Idol” filled winter.
Instead of painting the town red and renaming the city “Hell” ala his hero, Dez’s plan was more straightforward. “I’ve always considered Devildriver to be a rock ‘n’ roll band, a great party band that works hard to deliver a great time to our fans and that’s what we intend to do tonight in Columbus.”
Laid back, confident and very proud of his band and its new record Dez, has stuck to his guns and continues to try to work hard, rock harder and kick as much ass as possible while introducing his music to legions of new fans.
The maturity of Devildriver and its music is very evident when reviewing the body of the band’s work since its inception in 2003. Devildriver’s trademark is its authenticity, doing its own thing and they’ve proved they have the talent, credibility and attitude to stand toe-to-toe with any metal band. “If you listen to our previous disc, The Last Kind Words, you can feel the brutality and intensity we are capable of, we’ve proved that if you want heavy and in your face, we can deliver.”
On the other side of the coin Devildriver isn’t content simply to live off speed and brutality. Pray For Villains continues to showcase the evolution of Devildriver’s music and it’s evident the band is mastering its craft. The technical prowess of the playing is exceptional with blazing guitar riffs, screaming leads, absolutely incredible drumming and of course Dez’s growling vocals. Pray For Villains could be the line in the sand for the band, a departure from the playing heavy just to play heavy merry-go-round that many bands get stuck on.
According to Dez, “We didn’t dial our intensity level down at all but we wanted to not only bring more groove and better hooks into our songs, we wanted to write better songs. So far so good, with the proof positive etched into the individual tracks on Pray For Villains.
In addition, with a positive attitude about what they do and complete devotion to their jobs as musicians, it should be no surprise that the intensity level during a live Devildriver performance is out of this world. These guys know how to put on a show and the sold out Alrosa Villa crowd made certain that Devildriver knew it was appreciated. The 90-minute set was chalk full of Devildriver classics and a solid mix of some of the best of Pray For Villains.
It was an incredible show that had Dez, Mike, Jeff, Jon and John truly connecting with one of the best crowds in rock ‘n’ roll. With a great live performance and a stellar new album, the tie that binds and makes it all work is the people in Devildriver. “You have to love what you do,” Dez concludes. “We love to play together as a band, we love to be onstage, and we love to deliver our music to people live. We’ve always said that’s been part of the mission — and if you’re gonna talk it, you’ve gotta walk it.”
Devildriver is currently in the middle of a winter tour so if you’re able to catch the band live you won’t be disappointed. You can learn more about Devildriver by visiting www.devildriver.com
Anvil Live!
January 20, 2010 by Publisher
January 16, 2010 at the House Of Blues in Boston, Mass.
by Deb Rao
Staff Writer
Hot off the tracks of attending the Critics Choice Awards in Los Angeles nominated for Best Documentary Anvil – The Story Of Anvil, on Friday evening Jan.15, Anvil made their way to the House Of Blues in Boston on Saturday evening Jan. 16. As many old school and new Anvil fans witnessed the Anvil Experience. Anvil, one of the greatest success stories of 2009 continuing their successful trek into 2010 evoked their powerful onslaught of high-energized metal on fans at the HOB.
Anvil, featuring Steve “Lips” Kudlow on lead vocals and guitar, drummer Robb Reiner, and bassist Glen Five performed a vast array of songs in a 75-minute set that resonated all the way back to their debut album Hard “N” Heavy to their current release This Is Thirteen.
Opening with “666″, Steve “Lips” Kudlow was a ball of energy jumping off the stage onto the stairs before the audience unleashing the powerful Anvil fury to a wrath of headbangers showcasing his versality as a guitarist. Steven “Lips” Kudlow commented to me, “Last night Anvil was at the Critics Choice Awards in LA with all the Hollywood types. Highlight of the evening at the awards was meeting Paul McCartney. The greatest thing about meeting Paul McCartney was, he knew who we were! We are so happy to be playing here in Boston tonight.”
Anvil also performed the song from their first video back in 1987, “Mad Dog.” Steven “Lips” Kudlow commented, “Metal is timeless. We are all growing old but not growing up.” Other highlights included drum solo from Robb Reiner on “White Rhino.” I had the opportunity to talk to Robb after the show and he told me to tell everyone,”The Tour has been going amazing! We met Paul McCartney last night at the Critic Choice Awards.”
Before the show, I talked with some fans who first saw the band in 1984. I would say that is quite the accomplishment for a band to still be surviving and making a huge comeback in 2010.
The focus of the evening was on guitar solos. The fans could not get enough of Steve ‘Lips” Kudlow. Highlight of the evening was the song “Metal On Metal.”
After their performance, Anvil signed autographs for their many fans. You may have become familiar with Canadian legends Anvil from their critically acclaimed documentary Anvil – The Anvil Story but finally Canadian rock band Anvil has made it to Boston to showcase the Anvil Experience that is only meant to be witnessed live. Tour Dates are listed below. If you love Metal, go see Anvil and keep Metal alive.
Anvil Set List:
“666″
School Love
Winged Assassins
This Is Thirteen
Flying Blind
Thumb Hang
Forged In Fire
White Rhino
Mad Dog
Metal On Metal
Jack Hammer
ANVIL TOUR DATES:
JANUARY
19 The Fillmore, Charlotte, NC
20 Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, GA
21 House of Blues, Lake Buena Vista, FL
23 House of Blues, New Orleans, LA
24 House of Blues, Houston, TX
25 Emo’s, Austin, TX
26 House of Blues, Dallas, TX
29 The Pageant, St. Louis, MO
30 The Riot Room, Kansas City, MO
31 Gothic Theatre, Denver, CO
FEBRUARY
2 Marquee Theatre, Tempe, AZ
3 House of Blues, San Diego, CA
4 House of Blues, Anaheim, CA
5 House of Blues, Los Angeles, CA
6 The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
9 Knitting Factory, Spokane, WA
11 Wonder Ballroom, Portland, OR
12 Studio Seven, Seattle, WA
13 Venue Vancouver, Vancouver, BC CANADA
MARCH
19 The Gramercy Theatre, New York, NY