Tag Archives: Columbus

Epicenter Festival Spotlight: BLACK COFFEE

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*This is part of the Epicenter Festival Spotlight segment where we help you get to know some of the non-headlining bands performing at the festival. This week we introduce you to Black Coffee!*

Black Coffee formed in early 2017 after drummer Tommy McCullough introduced singer/bassist, Ehab Omran, to guitarist Justin Young. Within the first few days, these artists began songwriting and the chemistry was overwhelmingly apparent. With the release of Black Coffee’s debut album, ‘Take One’, on April 21st, the Columbus, Ohio rockers definitely possess the sound, style, confidence and work ethic that created legends in music in the previous few decades. The bands style is slightly retro rock and with the recent success of bands like Greta Van Fleet, The Struts and Rival Sons they have timed the formation of the band perfectly. Black Coffee are a band that certainly appreciates a good riff and you will easily notice how they flaunt their guitarists talents within their music. Ehab Omran’s vocals pack immense power into such a small frame. He sings in a melodic manner but also at times can wail with an aggressive grit to his voice as well. The band unveiled a music video for “I Barely Know Her”. The song and accompanying video was the first taste of Black Coffee that we would receive and it sent music fans into a whirlwind. The video was filmed at the Johnstown Opera House in Johnstown, Ohio. “I Barely Know Her” was filmed, directed and produced by the extremely talented John Payne of Payne Productions, who is one of the most talented photographers in and around Columbus, Ohio. With the attitude of the years gone by and the sound of a new resurgence of the classic rock, Black Coffee parts the proverbial sea for the next generation of artists. Continue reading →

Review: BLACK COFFEE – ‘Take One’ [Official Video]

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Does anyone here miss the way classic rock sounds? There is a new wave of young artists in Rock and Roll today keeping the traditions of classic artists alive, such as Greta Van Fleet, Joyous Wolf, etc. Notably, Columbus, Ohio rockers Black Coffee burst on to the scene in April 2017 with no signs of slowing down. The Ohio young bloods released, ‘Take One,’ as an independent release this past April and with one listen all the way through it’s clear that the chemistry and musicianship displayed by these guys is unlike a lot of up and coming artists in today’s day and age. Continue reading →

Rock On The Range 2018: DAY 1 [Review & Photo Gallery]

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Alas, Rock on the Range has come and gone but for those who were lucky enough to attend, the memories are very much alive!  I recently heard it said that 2018’s Rock on the Range was the biggest yet – and I can definitely see that to be true!  With the monstrous lineup that this year’s festivities held, the festival once again proved it really is “Where Rock Lives”!  Festival-goers were treated to incredible performances from huge acts including Stone Temple Pilots, A Perfect Circle, Tool, Alice In Chains, Godsmack, Trivium, too many great bands to name them all.  If you ask me, the fine folks at AEG and Danny Wimmer Presents knocked it out of the park with the lineup selection this year and really gave the fans what they want – a rock festival that actually rocks from start to finish!  Three days of nonstop music flooded the Columbus, OH air and minus a period of potential storms and a few light drizzles, the weather cooperated, for the most part, providing (sometimes intense) sunshine all weekend. For me, Day One was an early one.  We got to MAPRFRE Stadium pretty early to beat some of the traffic that was sure to build with every passing minute and were greeted by a cold, steady rain that still didn’t deter the several eager fans already waiting in line.  A side-note to anyone planning on going to Rock on the Range in the future, it is highly advisable to buy the parking pass before the show.  One of the downfalls of the festival was the $25/day parking fee, but that’s a small price to pay for the good times that were inside! Continue reading →

An Interview With Matt McJunkins (A Perfect Circle, The Beta Machine & More) [Video]

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Palm Springs, CA native, Matt McJunkins has become quite familiar amongst music fans everywhere – and for good reason. Matt has played, and still plays, for several bands including A Perfect Circle, Ashes Divide, Puscifer, The Beta Machine, Eagles of Death Metal, the list goes on. In 2008, Billy Howerdel (A Perfect Circle, Ashes Divide) approached Matt with an offer to join Ashes Divide, which he kindly accepted. After extensive touring in support of their debut album ‘Keep Telling Myself It’s Alright’, as well as touring with Puscifer, Matt was asked to hit the road with A Perfect Circle following the announcement of the band’s reunion in 2010. Matt has also sparked his own project alongside Jeff Friedl (A Perfect Circle, Puscifer), The Beta Machine, who joined A Perfect Circle on their recent tour in 2017.

 

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LO-PAN Set To Release ‘In Tensions’ Via Aqualamb Records!

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LO-PAN had announced their upcoming fifth release, titled ‘In Tensions’. The release is a new five-song EP that showcases the Columbus, Ohio unit continuing their blistering trajectory, building on the infectious, riff-filled grooves of their 2014 full-length, ‘Colossus’. Continue reading →

Interview With Lo-Pan’s Jeff Martin [Video]

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Lo-Pan has been one of the driving forces in the Columbus music scene for some time now. That band has a unique sound that draws any and all ears toward the music they create. Each member of the band is a master at their instrument. The band welcomed guitarist Adrian Zambrano a little over a year and a half ago to the band. Today it was announce that Adrian had left the band and Lo-Pan is again looking for someone to fill the role of guitarist. Lo-Pan announced his departure via Facebook making this statement:

“Our guitarist Adrian Zambrano has decided he needs to walk away from Lo-Pan at this time to focus on some other important parts of life. We would like to emphasize that this is an amicable split and we wish him all the best. We are currently on the hunt for a new guitarist and we hope to see you all again as soon as possible. Stay tuned for announcements and new music.”

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Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Postpones Show Prior To Rock On The Range!

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Red Hot Chili Peppers was on stage in front of a sold-out crowd Saturday night, but the band was unable to play for their fans. The face of the band for the evening was bass player Flea who announced the show in Irvine, California, wouldn’t go on. Iconic frontman Anthony Kiedis, 53, was heading to the hospital, Flea told the crowd. He was suffering from ‘extreme stomach pain’ which may have turned out to be “complications from the intestinal flu” . The following statement was released via RedHotChiliPeppers.com: Continue reading →

Columbus, Ohio: Slayer, Testament, Carcass @ Express Live!

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Slayer playing shows by themselves is more than enough to get metal heads out to a show. When you add Testament and Carcass to the bill that makes the tour a must see. Any of these 3 bands could headline a show or festival and draw a massive crowd. I knew we were in store for a massive turnout at Express Live in Columbus, Ohio. The first band of the night to take the stage was the Liverpool band Carcass. They quickly came out and got the crowd’s attention opening the show with their song “Unfit for Human Consumption”. When you are in the crowd it’s always great to catch a guitar pick, drum stick or really anything the band throws out at you. Bassist and singer Jeff Walker threw out more picks that night than I have ever seen anyone throw. The crowd kept growing and growing with each song Carcass played. By the time they were playing “Cadaver Pouch Conveyor System” there wasn’t even enough room to scratch your own ass. Carcass sounded flawless on stage. Note after note everything was perfection. It’s always amazing when the opening band is on stage and they blow you away. Carcass then played one of my favorite songs which is “Heartwork” the title track of their 1993 release. The song just has this fast paced shredding guitar riffs that flow into some slowed down groove section of the song makes you want to move around the mosh pit and tackle people. I am not the only person that feels this way, because during this song the pit was going absolutely insane. Continue reading →

Rock On The Range Reveals Line Up!

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We are very surprised about the lineup. Not saying it’s bad and not saying it’s great we just expected something different. Of course Red Hot Chili Peppers has a great fan base, but I expected someone slightly different. We happened to get about 11-12 bands right in our prediction. Megadeth is a major draw for thrash fans and the festival. Some of the bands lower down the list that are much deserving of stage time are Sevendust, Glorious Sons, and Monster Truck. One of the bands that surprised me was At The Drive In. I have been a longtime fan of the band and even the band that launched out of it The Mars Volta. I had no idea that At The Drive In (ATDI) was even back together, and looking through their Facebook they haven’t made a post since 2013 so this should come as a shock to most. The band is super energetic on stage and should create a lot of buzz after their set. As Motley Crue is just finishing up their ‘final tour” it looks like Nikki Sixx is going to spend more time with his project Sixx: Am. To be honest there isn’t really any filler bands on the list. Each band could hold their own on a smaller scale tour. Clutch, Ghost, Avatar, The Sword, Wilson and others are amazing bands that can easily pack a venue by themselves. I expected a much larger set of headliners but they added a tremendous amount of good bands rather than a couple huge headliners and filler bands. I expect a couple more bands to be added and look for some surprises at the festival.

Rock On The Range 10th Anniversary Predictions!

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The 10th anniversary of Rock On The Range is slowly approaching. Founder of the festival, Danny Wimmer, has had major success with several festivals around the U.S. including Louder Than Life in Louisville, Kentucky, Carolina Rebellion in Charlotte, North Carolina and several others which round out the loudest month of the year during which most of these festivals occur. Rumor has it that Danny will be making an appearance on a radio station and possibly naming some of the headliners or bands that may be gracing the stage for the big anniversary. So just in case he does name some of them, we wanted to make our predictions prior to Monday. The show will take place May 20th, 21st, and 22nd in Columbus, Ohio as it has for several years. Continue reading →