CLUTCH, THE BRONX, RED FANG & FIREBALL MINISTRY Rock The Bluegrass State [Review & Gallery]

Clutch

I can’t think of a better place to be on a rainy Saturday night in May than at Sold Out Manchester Music Hall! It’s dry inside the drinks are cold and the music is LOUD! It’s also the first Saturday in May so there’s a little horse race going on up the road a piece, but tonight that was the farthest thing from this crowds mind! Tonight was all about Clutch, The Bronx, Red Fang and Fireball Ministry shaking the roof off of Manchester Music Hall!

Fireball Ministry

Fireball Ministry had first swing at this huge crown and they didn’t waste it! This group of experienced musicians (formed in 1999) knew exactly what to do with this crowd and that was to work them into frenzy for the bands to come. That’s exactly what they did with songs like “Flatline” “Two Tears” and “King”. You know it’s going to be a great show when the first band puts out a performance like this!

Red Fang

Next to take a shot at keeping this crowd going was Red Fang. Red Fang is another band that has been around the block. Formed in 2005 in Portland Oregon, this “stoner metal” outfit has 4 studio albums, several EP’s and a host of video’s to pull material from. It was evident from the beginning of their set that Aaron Beam vocalist and bassist was having a good time with this big responsive crowd, he had a smile on his face from start to finish! Playing songs like “Blood Like Cream” “Hank is Dead” and their first single “Prehistoric Dog” Red Fang had the folks in Manchester Music Hall right where they wanted them!

The Bronx

Trying to keep the momentum up that Fireball Ministry and Red Fang had started was The Bronx. To say they not only kept it up put pushed that momentum forward would be an understatement. The Bronx has been around since 2002, formed in Los Angeles California. I’ve seen them listed as a punk/ hard rock band, whatever category you want to put them they are talented musicians and onstage front man Matt Caughthran is nonstop! I was wore out after watching him, jumping running, dancing, moving back and forth across the stage and at one point in the crowd, were he sang three songs while dancing and moshing with some very surprised fans! Their fifth album titled ‘V’ was just recently released; all the albums are self-titled with roman numerals differentiating each one. If you like loud, energetic, well played music get out and see The Bronx!

Clutch

The reason Manchester Music Hall was Sold Out, the reason this crowd was in Lexington KY and not Louisville at Churchill Downs, the reason people were standing in line in the pouring rain was tonight’s headliner Clutch! “Holy Shit!” , that comes real close to summing up this night! This was my first Clutch show and hopefully not my last! A friend and lifelong Clutch fan gave me some advice before the show he said “Watch Neil Fallon, as you’re photographing the show, he delivers his lyrics like a southern church pastor” and he was right. Not only does he deliver those lyrics like a preacher but he controls the crowd like one as well. Back and forth across the stage everyone in the building was watching him and reacting to everything he did. It was beautiful to watch. Neil along with guitarist Tim Sult, bassist Dan Maines and legendary drummer Jean-Paul (JP) put on a show that Manchester Music Hall will not soon forget. They opened the night with “Pure Rock Fury” what followed was an epic set list of 16 more songs that included “Firebirds” “Crucial Velocity” along with two songs off their yet to be released album Book of Bad Decisions (Sept. 2018) “Gimme the Keys” and “Spirit of ‘76” then closing out the set with “D.C. Sound Attack” before coming back for a two song encore “Electric Worry” and “The Mob Goes Wild”. With that an amazing night of music in Lexington, KY came to an end. Those that had the privilege of being here will not soon forget it. There will be various other opportunites coming up to see Clutch as they are one of the headliners of the inaugural Inkcarceration Fest in Mansfield, Ohio in July at the prison where Shawshank Redemption was filmed as well as their own festival in West Virginia the Earth Rocker Festival on Saturday August 4th get more info for that festival here. 

As always get out and see the show! Support local and touring musician, buy tickets, merch and most importantly buy their music!

 

 

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY To Headline North American Tour With CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, EYEHATEGOD & RED FANG This Winter

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY just announced a massive tour encompassing the entire North America from coast to coast this coming winter. Joining hands with fellow rockers CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, EYEHATEGOD and RED FANG, this mega tour looks and promises to be a heavy weight one to end the year on a high note and similarly start the next year with the same fervour. Spanning exactly two months from this December 27, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY will be promoting their all new upcoming 2018 LP, ‘Grimmest Hits‘, which hits the stores on January 19, next year in the midst of the aforementioned tour. So if you’re planning to hit this up, be pumped cause you might end up witnessing one or two new tunes to groove to.

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State of the Art: RED FANG [Videos]

*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured State*

This month’s State is Oregon!

Red Fang is a popular stoner metal band from Portland, Oregon. They’ve come a long way since forming in 2005. 2009 saw the release of their first album, ‘Red Fang’, released under Wantage Records. With a diverse mix, this was a strong first album. Giving fans a mix of sludge, metal, psych, and some death metal thrown in, it had something for every metal fan. “Good to Die” remains one of my favorites. Released in 2011 with  Relapse Records, their second album, ‘Murder the Mountains‘ helped to further propel them into the spotlight. They were picked up for the 2011 Metalliance tour along with Helmet and Crowbar, as well as the Rock Star Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, opening for Godsmack, Disturbed, and Megadeath. Later in the year they were tapped to open for Mastodon for their 2011 and 2012 United States and European tours. Afterwards, they embarked on a headlining tour of Eastern Europe with Black Tusk. Really, not shabby at all! It’s very clear to see why they remain one of Portland’s most loved bands.

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RED FANG Release Hilarious “Cut It Short” Music Video

Stoner metal outfit RED FANG from Portland, Oregon has released another hilarious, comedic video titled, “Cut It Short“, thus adding one more to their jovial jukebox of funny music videos, but yet true their musical propensities. This video is taken from their latest album ‘Only Ghosts‘ released last fall among a lot of appreciation via Relapse Records. The album has ten amazing songs in it and has been produced by Ross Robinson (At The Drive-In, The Cure, Slipknot) and mixed by Joe Barresi (Queens of the Stone Age, Tool, Melvins). Nerdist dubbed Only Ghosts a “supremely excellent new album,” Revolver said ‘Flies’ might be one of the heaviest and catchiest things the band has ever put on record” and Outburn called the release “swaggering” and “heavy but catchy.”

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