Is there a better way to spend the Sunday night of Labor Day weekend than to spend it with four bands at Manchester Music Hall in Lexington Kentucky? If there is a better way I don’t know what it would be! Nothing More, Bad Wolves, Eyes Set to Kill and Indigo Storm had this sold out crowd rocking from the very first note, it was going to be a great night! Continue reading
Black Label Society
What to do on a rainy first day of August? You point your truck south and head to The Mill & Mine in Knoxville, TN. Why, you ask? Because someone told me that Black Label Society, Corrosion of Conformity and EYEHATEGOD were going to melt the roof of the building! So I needed to go see for myself! Continue reading
Beasto Blanco
I find myself back in Johnson City for what promises to be a great night of Rock N Roll! It’s a short 2.5 hour drive to The Hideaway which is next door to Capone’s were I was photographing two nights before. The Hideaway is a 150 person, standing room only venue, a very intimate setting to see a band like Beasto Blanco! I’d venture a guess and say this is probably the smallest venue they are playing on this tour. Continue reading
The rock and roll show that is the Gen-X summer tour made a stop off in Corbin, KY recently. Alien Ant Farm, Lit, P.O.D. and Buckcherry all are veteran bands that have been on the road a long time, so I knew the Corbin fans were in for some kickass music! That is exactly what these four bands brought! Continue reading
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!
Rival Sons
I’m back at the Appalshop Theater for day 2 of the two night stand, Rivals Sons, Welles and tonight’s special guest SIMO. If you missed last night’s show it was a truly special night! There were fans here from at least 17 different states; most of those folks have stayed the night around Whitesburg to be a part of this second show. Continue reading
The band of outlaws that is the Texas Hippie Coalition rolled into Johnson City, TN and The Hideaway with their friends Kobra and the Lotus, Brand of Julez, Granny 4 Barrel and Clockwork Asylum. The “Year Of The Bull tour” was about to be unleashed on Johnson City, TN. The intent was to tear apart The Hideaway and they came real close!!
Motionless In White
It’s March in the Bluegrass which means everyone in the region has basketball on their minds. Although the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team is playing (which I listened to on the 2 hour drive north to Lexington) this day was about music. Not just any kind of music – Metal! Not just any normal volume – Very Loud! Continue reading
The Witching Hour Tour featuring In This Moment with support from P.O.D., New Years Day and Ded was the reason to be in North Carolina on this last day of January. The sold out show at The Orange Peel in Asheville, North Carolina was my destination. Super venue, if you ever have a chance to catch a show there do not pass it up! You can always count on a crowd in Asheville to be diverse but this crowd was even more so. Each of these bands has their own fans, bring all those fans together and you’ve got a great assembly of metalheads that sang, danced, head banged their way through a tremendous night of music! Continue reading
On this December evening I find myself heading north to Lexington, Kentucky to see what Jesse James Dupree and Jackyl have in store for the Manchester Music Hall. Along the way north I picked up a friend who was looking forward to seeing Roman Glick (Jackyl’s Bass player) he’s been a fan since Roman’s days in Brother Cane several years ago. The plan was to listen to some very loud music during the two hour drive to Lexington but this being basketball season in Kentucky it was a basketball game instead. The rocking and rolling had to wait for the trip home. Continue reading
