The Black Angels/Black Mountain at the Grey Eagle, 11/10/10

Black Angels/Black Mountain show

Unfortunately my camera is broken so I wasn't able to take any pictures or videos of the show, the video of the Black Angels is from the show I attended, although I believe the Black Mountain video is from a former performance at the Grey Eagle.

Asheville NC's Grey Eagle club seems like an especially accomodating place to host a tour such as this. As a matter of fact for the past two and half years that I've been a Black Mountain fan I was really just waiting for them to come to Asheville given the band's sort of mountain hippie-rock nods that would endure them to such a location when the actual Black Mountain itself (one of many I'm sure) is merely 15 miles away. The show was still announced months early, but I did well to buy my tickets in advance as the show did sell out on the day of. Alot of this could of have to do with one factor that I was not hip to: The Black Angels, a really good late 60's style psych-rock band that have started to become quite the hot commodoty here lately, even though I didn't even hear the band's name until a few months ago.

My first impression of the Grey Eagle is that its a fairly nice venue, while the stage area itself may not be as nice as the Orange Peel's the restaurant/bar area is pretty classy. I helped myself to a Pisgah leaf amber and talked to friends while a large crowd amassed in front of the stage as the Black Angels began their set. Seeing clearly was nigh-impossible because of the number of people and lowness of the stage but the thunderous tone from vintage guitars could soon be equally felt everywhere. The band played a hypnotic and blistering set of late 60s style psych rock accentuated by Alex Maas' somewhat nasal yet perfectly fitting vocals. The band was cohesive and quite loud, but even with as enjoyable as songs like "Young Men Dead" were, I still caught myself thinking that alot of the songs were starting to sound the same halfway through the set. It was also during their set that I noticed that this show must have been a pretty anticipated event for many as I recognized next to the table I was sitting: members of Savannah, Georgia sludge metal group Kylesa as well as other apparent southeastern musicians from different walks. Once the Black Angels finished their 40 minute set the human flood went in the direction of the bar giving me a chance to finally get closer...

After a nice, quick soundcheck some surprisingly dramatic entrance music announced Black Mountain's taking of the stage. The band opened with the Sabbathian riffs of new album title track "Wilderness Heart". From the very start the band possessed a tightness and commanding power that I was blown away by. They continued with another of Wilderness Heart's heavier tracks "Let Spirits Ride" before they decided to let the head-nodding commence (especially mine) with "Wucan" from their In the Future LP. Here Stephen and Amber's vocals were crystal clear and perfect, the rhythm section played as a single well oiled machine, Stephen's riffs cracked wonderfully and Jeremy Schmidt's Moog synth/Hammond organ/mellotron dominated. They continued with the epic prog of "Tyrants", a song that took on a new meaning in a live setting, evidenced by the fact that I didn't even realize how hard I was headbanging until the end of the song. How much is to be credited with the venue or the band I don't know, but the sound was perfect for every song.

The band then picked up acoustic guitars for two numbers: a beautiful number "Buried by the Blues" which stands as one of my favorites from the new album, and the In the Future acoustic ballad "Stay Free". After that it was a string of favorites from In the Future. "Queens Will Play", "Angels", and "Stormy High" were all highlights for me. They played their new single "Old Fangs" before leaving the stage, but few were convinced that this was the end of the show as an encore brought them back out a few minutes later. They came out with the only two songs from their first self-titled LP that they played all night; the hit single "Druganaut" and fan favorite "Don't Run Our Hearts Around". "Druganaut" was at least ten times better than the album version, with Stephen's myriad of vintage guitar effects ringing clearer and more vibrant than the recording, and the song also ended up carrying an extended instrumental jam that may as well have set the stage on fire. The soulful pentatonic riffing of "Don't Run Our Hearts Around" was a truly great closer to a truly great rock show, one of the best I've seen in a while actually.

Cheers, and until next time!

Corey

Ok then....

First the Dillinger Escape Plan and now this? I'll leave this to your own discretion, but apparently Mike Huckabee and Fox news are pretty stoked about Florida sludge-pop trio Torche. This is indeed real, but whether or not its genuine or an attempt for Fox news to somehow seem more hip is still up in the air... even to the band most likely. Oh and the new album "Songs For Singles" is indeed really good.

Corey

New contributor

Hello all, I'm the new guy here on B.E.A.R.D. What I'll be bringing is mostly album reviews, year end lists, show reviews, and general rants that are often times disgusted about music related things. I do believe in focusing on the good music out there rather than the bad though, so I'll only bash something when I really need to. I'll be posting a review of the Black Angels/Black Mountain show in Asheville this past Wednesday soon. Good to be here.

Corey

Tera Melos latest release has arrived

I've listened to the streaming of 'Patagonian Rats' on http://teramelos.bandcamp.com/album/patagonian-rats

This album is amazing! I haven't had much $$$ but I'm definitely ordering tomorrow and I intend on writing a track by track review where I will absolutely kiss Tera Melos' asses.

-DHAGZ

Between Rock and a Hard Economy

A few days ago I ran across an informal editorial by Ryan McKenney of Trap Them. Let me preface everything that follows with two caveats:

1. I have never heard anything by Trap Them (at least not consciously).
2. I did not read the editorial than spawned McKenney's response.

Allow me to paraphrase for the sake of catching everyone up. The initial question is whether or not corporate-sponsored festivals are "killing the live concert market." For the most part, this is a valid question for dedicated fans, casual listeners, and (most of all) musicians/artists/bands.

Scion Fest manages to book acts like Cannibal Corpse, Voivod, Boris, Nachtmystium (sort of), and a slew of other amazing acts, all without even sporting ticket prices. Granted, we could spend a whole week debating whether or not the aforementioned acts need any corporate backing to get a show. However, Trap Them is also on the 2010 line-up, as for several other bands whom I have only heard of conversationally. So, yes: corporate-sponsored festivals provide up-and-coming bands with the opportunity to reach large audiences without the need for multi-month-long tours, back-breaking promotion, and a healthy dose of insanity.*

Being a smaller band that is willing to tour relentlessly is both extremely difficult and, truthfully, a pretty stupid idea, but some of us don’t know any better, or have no other route in life to take. This is what they call being “a glutton for punishment.” The average age of my band is 32 years old. None of us have degrees or trades to fall back on when touring finally hits a brick wall. None of us can look more than six months into the futur [sic.]… and we accept that. Most of us have been touring since the 90’s with various failure of endeavors.

Then there are the fans.
Is a band less "true" or "KVLT" because they perform on a corporation's dime? Is a band "selling out" because they took a check from a corporation, rather than ending their tour in debt?

As both a musician and a music junkie, I understand why the notion of "selling out" is so toxic. Anyone seriously devoted to music understands the drive, compulsion, need to create. As much as I DESPISE Lady Gaga, I honestly believe that she is a performer because she loves to perform. to her credit, she was in an honest-to-god band before her marketed image was created (and created it was). The problem is when you come across music so bland, unimaginative, heart-less, and yet commercially polished; music that screams "IN IT FOR THE BENJAMINS."

Here lies the crux of the problem: if a band makes a profit (heaven forbid), are they less legitimate? Without even examining quality of content, is Bone Awl a better band than U2, simply because they earn less? Was Crass better than The Clash** simply because they lived in squats and shat outdoors?

The rest of us come home to roll burritos, work at record stores, flip burgers and walk dogs for “a living”… the rest of us eat shit at home as well as on tour. You know what makes that shit taste a little better? Someone you don’t know, giving you money to help you do what you want to do. If this makes me a bastard, then give me that fucking crown and put a spotlight on me… I’ll take it all day, week, month, year, decade and century. As long as no one is telling me how to write lyrics and songs and present myself or my band in a live setting, I simply do not care who helps me continue to do this.

I can not fault an artist or band that has an opportunity to survive a little more comfortably without having to compromise their vision. For god's sake, no one is talking about the Free Credit Score bands. They are the reason people are skeptical of corporate sponsorship; they are the reason bands are wary of being linked with a household name.

This is where the fans become the problem.

A five band show. In Europe, this is called a fest. In America, we call this a nightly occurance. I’m sort of joking… sort of not. Anyways, a five band show: two bands on tour, three locals. The two bands drove seven hours to get there. After the show, they have another seven hour drive to the next city/town/whatever. Fourteen hours of driving in any of our sardine buckets on wheels equals to about $300 or more. Just think about that number… also think about TWO bands on tour together. That’s $600 in gas alone for two bands to play a show on tour.

A five band show, and I’d bet my next paycheck (sorry so little… I don’t have much to work with) that you’d hear endless whining if that show was anything over $12. This goes for any show of any genre. The bitching and moaning doesn’t stop… it never, ever will.

Guess what? You want the bottome [sic.] line? Depending on the show, anything less than $25 is a deal.

I know I am guilty beyond reproach. There have been shows that I would have loved to have gone to, and even though I could afford to, I chose not to because the tickets were "too much." Granted, when I went to What The Heck Fest in 2005 and 2006, the unlimited festival pass was only $50 for three days and about forty acts. Spoiled? You bet I am.

Different example: I will not shell out $75 (plus fees) to see Matmos and Emeralds at Moog Fest. Is $7_ excessive? Well, when you consider that the shows are all over town, in different venues, with 10+ bands per day, not entirely. Booking multiple venues for multiple bands from all over the world sounds expensive, and probably is. Is $7_ excessive? Since I only want to see two bands, yes.

Therein is the problem: the whims of the fan vs. economic reality.

I am going out on the road in a little under a month. Fortunately, I am using frequent flyer miles and the kindness of friends to skip a lot of issues like gasoline and food. Is flying to Alaska from South Carolina for a nine-day tour insane? Yes, but no more insane than driving around the lower 48 for two months, working 20-hour days, and coming home worse than broke. If anything, I think my Alaskan tour has a better chance at success than my previous US/Ontario tour. Why? Geographically isolated area with low occurrences of tour stops and concentrated population centers.

There is little harder than trying to get people out to a show. "I can see them next time." "I have seen them before." "I went to a show last night." My hope is that Alaskans are a bit more appreciative than "outsiders" when considering live music.

That being said, the majority of the shows I have played have yielded no money at the end of the night. Turnout is too low, so the venue "can't afford" to pay. The venue is run by assholes who promise money but pocket the door "because we have to pay rent and utilities." The venue does not like you (or you somehow offend them), and refuses to pay. Even worse, when a multi-band ticket has to split less than $100; touring band gets the goods in my opinion, but you might be surprised how many people will fight you for their $16 in earnings. All of these things have happened and will continue to happen.

All finger-pointing at poor venue management aside, what really exacerbates the problem is that people do not want to pay a "fair" price to see a show.

Local punk or hardcore or metal shows with bands on tour are too expensive, but you’ll drop $150 for two tickets in the balcony of a Lady Gaga show because your girlfriend wants to go… you’ll drop $300 for tickets for Opening Day because your boyfriend has gone every year. Comedians charge $75-$150 to have you sit down and laugh for an hour[.]

I have heard that very excuse from people. "Man, I don't want to pay $5 to go to _________." Maybe the venue has no a/c. Maybe the venue is non-smoking/alcohol free. Maybe the venue is in a "bad part of town." Maybe, maybe, maybe, and the only definite is that you are not going to get paid at the end of the night, and more than likely, the bands playing are never going to come back to your town.

So, here is my question:
Is corporate-sponsorship saving the live music market from the fans, or are both sides of this equation killing music? In an economy like today's, where jobs are scarce and two dollars is worth one, is a corporate festival doing more for music than the (arguably already cheap) audience?

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*By no means am I implying that some out-of-the-woodwork band is going to get a spot on a corporate festival. I believe (or at least, hope) that all the bands on any festival have paid their dues, one way or another. That being said, who will get better exposure: a band that plays rock clubs across the US for a year, or a band that plays one big festival with multiple established acts?

**YES.