Nonpoint, Burn Season, Dear Enemy, and Waited @ The Masquerade
Tonight I went to the Masquerade. Nonpoint and Burn Season were playing, opened for by two local bands who were both playing their first show, Dear Enemy and Waited. The latter band was the main reason I went, as that's Dylan's new post-Revolver band and I always try to give my friend's endeavors my support. Besides, I hadn't really hung out with Dylan and sinn666 since Stacia's cook out a long, long time ago. I've only really seen them in passing since then. I also ran into Dark Jamie, the head of security at Dark Horse, who was there for Waited, and Dark Lindsey, who was there to see Nonpoint.
Waited went on first and musically they really tore things up. Unfortunately their set was less than half an hour long. I was pleased to finally see Dylan on stage, though, rather than behind the counter at Little Five Pizza. Someone obviously liked them, because after their performance they were slotted into opening for Deicide tomorrow night.
Dear Enemy was alright, but disappointing. I knew about Dear Enemy because I was a fan of Wastegate and now Wastegate's website and mailing list has been absorbed by Dear Enemy, which I had assumed meant that Dear Enemy was basically Wastegate with a new lineup. I was quite wrong. Wastegate was great, but Dear Enemy was flat out mediocre, though lately I've been learning not to trust my ears when it comes to local or unsigned bands at the Masquerade. The Masquerade's sound crew are quite lazy when it comes to the opening acts, it seems.
Burn Season were tolerable. I had downloaded the music they have on their website, and had liked a bit of it, but they didn't impress me live. They were heavier live, but in that heaviness wasn't anything to make them distinct from many other bands. I also thought it was really lame that the singer kept yelling through a bullhorn into the microphone. I'm not really fond of the screaming loudly and incoherently for no apparant reason thing that a lot of metalish bands do, but seeing a guy doing it with a bullhorn and a microphone is like watching an aging porn star inflate his penis with a pump because he can't get it up on his own.
One thing I can say for Burn Season, though, is that I'm not sorry I took the time to see them. Nonpoint, on the other hand, you'd have to pay me to see live again. I nearly fell asleep. I have one of their CDs, which I mainly bought because I like their cover of "In The Air Tonight", and it's listenable so I'd hoped that they'd give a decent live performance. I've found that a lot of bands sound better live than in the studio. Nonpoint, from what I heard, was not one of those bands. I was delighted when Dylan and sinn666 were ready to leave halfway into Nonpoint's set, as they'd offered to give me a ride and I was happy to take them up on it.
After we left the Masquerade we stopped at a gas station, bought some beer, and went to Dylan and sinn666's apartment where we hung out with the other two members of Dylan's band, Bo and Mike. I had a great time just drinking and shooting the shit with them. I don't get to do that kind of hanging out with people enough...just a handful of cool people to relax over beer and good conversation without having to pay an arm and a leg for beer at a bar. I really wish Wyspurr could have been there though.
Me andsinn666
Tonight I went to the Masquerade. Nonpoint and Burn Season were playing, opened for by two local bands who were both playing their first show, Dear Enemy and Waited. The latter band was the main reason I went, as that's Dylan's new post-Revolver band and I always try to give my friend's endeavors my support. Besides, I hadn't really hung out with Dylan and sinn666 since Stacia's cook out a long, long time ago. I've only really seen them in passing since then. I also ran into Dark Jamie, the head of security at Dark Horse, who was there for Waited, and Dark Lindsey, who was there to see Nonpoint.
Waited went on first and musically they really tore things up. Unfortunately their set was less than half an hour long. I was pleased to finally see Dylan on stage, though, rather than behind the counter at Little Five Pizza. Someone obviously liked them, because after their performance they were slotted into opening for Deicide tomorrow night.
Dear Enemy was alright, but disappointing. I knew about Dear Enemy because I was a fan of Wastegate and now Wastegate's website and mailing list has been absorbed by Dear Enemy, which I had assumed meant that Dear Enemy was basically Wastegate with a new lineup. I was quite wrong. Wastegate was great, but Dear Enemy was flat out mediocre, though lately I've been learning not to trust my ears when it comes to local or unsigned bands at the Masquerade. The Masquerade's sound crew are quite lazy when it comes to the opening acts, it seems.
Burn Season were tolerable. I had downloaded the music they have on their website, and had liked a bit of it, but they didn't impress me live. They were heavier live, but in that heaviness wasn't anything to make them distinct from many other bands. I also thought it was really lame that the singer kept yelling through a bullhorn into the microphone. I'm not really fond of the screaming loudly and incoherently for no apparant reason thing that a lot of metalish bands do, but seeing a guy doing it with a bullhorn and a microphone is like watching an aging porn star inflate his penis with a pump because he can't get it up on his own.
One thing I can say for Burn Season, though, is that I'm not sorry I took the time to see them. Nonpoint, on the other hand, you'd have to pay me to see live again. I nearly fell asleep. I have one of their CDs, which I mainly bought because I like their cover of "In The Air Tonight", and it's listenable so I'd hoped that they'd give a decent live performance. I've found that a lot of bands sound better live than in the studio. Nonpoint, from what I heard, was not one of those bands. I was delighted when Dylan and sinn666 were ready to leave halfway into Nonpoint's set, as they'd offered to give me a ride and I was happy to take them up on it.
After we left the Masquerade we stopped at a gas station, bought some beer, and went to Dylan and sinn666's apartment where we hung out with the other two members of Dylan's band, Bo and Mike. I had a great time just drinking and shooting the shit with them. I don't get to do that kind of hanging out with people enough...just a handful of cool people to relax over beer and good conversation without having to pay an arm and a leg for beer at a bar. I really wish Wyspurr could have been there though.
Me andsinn666