Merging off of the highway, downsizing to one lane, drivers
crowding to try to sneak in front of one another may have been the first clue
as to how excited people were to see Incubus on tour with Jimmy Eat World.With traffic slowing to a crawl, nearly every
car exiting the highway was pulling into the Florida State Fairgrounds to go to
the ampitheatre.In typical tailgate
fashion, groups cluster around coolers, joking, waiting on friends, or merely
downing a few refreshments before hiking into the show.
Upon entering the MidFlorida Credit Union Ampitheatre, a
rainbow could be seen in the sky.The
end of the rainbow seemed to land at a coal fired grill for pizza.Or was it the show at the end of the rainbow?
Local Tampa radio stations had pop up tents where audience
members could register for give-aways, such as free concert tickets.One had a rock quiz for people to test their
music knowledge.In the bonus round,
people were asked to sing the melody for lyrics from an 80’s rock song and
given a smile.
With a pass allowing access to just about any entrance ramp
in the ampitheatre, one could hike up in the grass, meander the outside
perimeter, or just stalk straight down to the front.Wave at the guards and march onward, trying
to find a spot to watch Jimmy Eat World.Take in all the angels, and note how the different areas of the venue
capture the sound of the music; outside the concrete barriers on the side of
the stage, the songs can hardly be made out, but up in the grass, it echoes
loud and clear.
The last time I saw Jimmy Eat World, they were playing up in
Detroit with Green Day, and every time I have covered Green Day, I have gotten
kicked out of the show for absolutely ridiculous reasons, as if there is some
kind of Green Day curse that I cannot explain, for none of it is ever for
fighting or anything remotely worth bragging about.I was able to see the Jimmy Eat World set
before getting kicked out of the Palace of Auburn Hills, merely for changing
tickets with my friend who was staying with me during the exile from New
Orleans for Hurricane Katrina, as I felt generous in giving away my better
seat. What I thought was a random act of
kindness, switching my exclusive press seat for a nosebleed ticket, wound up
being just enough to get me kicked out of the venue that day, but at least they
got to enjoy the show.
The whole set of Green Day, I slept in the car, which at
least made me rested for the couple hours I had to drive back home that
night.Jimmy Eat World back then put on
a great set, as they always do.Comparing back then in 2005 to now is not necessarily night and day, as
they stayed true to form.
What is the biggest difference is the set list, as they have
continued to produce hit after hit for the radio.Back in 2005, they had a few hits, but now,
they have so many hits that most people can sing along to their entire
set.They are kind of no frills, not
relying on the flash and trash that other performers do.However, they have always played a very clean
set, and their musicality is as strong as ever today.
Teaming up with Incubus, it is another low frills band.By low or no frills, I mean there are not background
dancers in scantily clad outfits, there’s not a whole lot of pyrotechnics and
extensive laser light shows.There’s not
an expansive background that distracts from the music being played onstage.
Okay, there is a pretty big LED screen backdrop, but it does
not distract from the music with disturbing images that other bands might
show.They did have some lasers, but
there lighting was tastefully done, not distracting.They’re not trying to take away from their
music, only enhance it with them tastefully.
The last time I saw Incubus, it was also at the Palace of
Auburn Hills in Michigan; although, thankfully, I was not kicked out of that
show.Really, the only shows I have ever
been kicked out of have been Green Day for some random reason.The last time, Incubus was playing with
Linkin Park up in Michigan.
Back then, Incubus’ set was intimate.When I say intimate, I don’t mean small, as
it a rather large venue, home of the Detroit Pistons, so actually very sizable.By intimate, I am describing their set setup.
It was as if they had plopped a living room onto the
stage.Again, not a whole lot of
distracting flash and trash, more about the music.The setting was intimate, and the way they
played touched audience members deep inside, going for more of the low and
slow, as if gingerly making love to the audience.
This time, in Tampa, Incubus was a little more upbeat than
when I had seen them before.They had a
different vibe of energy that still connected with the audience on an organic
level, but instead of slow love making, it was more like seeing old friends,
being excited to be back amongst familiar company.They had an excitement like a little kid
being eager to play with old friends not seen in a while.
Of course, they have acquired so many more hits.Again, it’s one of those bands that nearly
everyone in the audience can sing along to for the entire set.Just when you thought they played all their
hits, it was like, oh man, I forgot about that song, and it’s just another one
that you love and are excited to hear.
One ironic set choice was when Incubus played their song “Wish
You Were Here,” a song that my brother always said makes him think of me, but
then when he’s not with me at the concert, I can’t help but think of him.Following their song, they played a cover of
Pink Floyd’s song by the same name.The
two back to back songs struck a chord in me, as I couldn’t help but think of
people not with me then.
Some people might just be away, while others might be
deceased.Ironically, on that same night
that Incubus and Jimmy Eat World was playing, on the other side of the globe in
Spain, Green Day was playing, and there was a tragedy that happened at their
show, as an acrobat named Pedro died at Madrid’s Mad Cool Festival.The band said they did not know about the
tragedy that happened just before their set, as they were back in a compound
about a half mile away from the main stage, and they were not told about the
death until after their set; still, many people gave them grief for playing.
As people say, the show must go on.It wouldn’t surprise me if they were
purposely not told, as continued performance draws attention away from things
going wrong.Sometimes, those
distractions are necessary to keep that many people in the audience calm in
order to prevent more possible turmoil.
If you did not get a chance to catch the Incubus show, fear
not.They have a ton more tour dates
scheduled all the way into October, so chances are that you may still be able
to catch a date with the band named for a demon incarnate with an insatiable
lust for women.They also have a new
album out, Incubus “8;” for more news, check out www.incubushq.com and www.twitter.com/incubusband.
Marisa Williams earned her Master’s in Writing from the
Johns Hopkins University.She is a
professor in Florida, a licensed real estate agent, and a jewelry designer.For more by Marisa, visit www.lulu.com/spotlight/thorisaz
and www.twitter.com/booksnbling.
With Diamond Rowe on lead guitar, Josh Fore singing and
playing rhythm guitar, Ryan Lerner on bass and drummer Ruben Limas, Tetrarch
has been making waves in the metal pool.With youthful endurance, the band burst on scene in their hometown of
Atlanta, before leaving wake all over the country.Currently on the Scream Out Loud Tour,
Tetrarch is soon slated to release another album.
Author Marisa Williams:With the implications of ruling and royalty, how did you decide upon the
band name of Tetrarch?
Diamond Rowe, lead guitarist for Tetrarch: We started
jamming in high school, me and Josh.We
were in history class, and our teacher talked about a tetrarch, explaining what
it was.There were four of us in the
band, and we needed a name, so it stuck and wound up working well.
Marisa:How did you
get started in music?Did you come from
a musical family?What were your biggest
musical influences?
Diamond:I did come
from a musical family.Both of my
parents worked in the music industry, so I grew up around music.What got me into rock and metal, because I
grew up listening to pop and hip-hop when I was young, but I had a friend into
Nirvana and Pearl Jam.I started
checking out them, then discovered bands like System of a Down, Metallica, and
Slipknot.That matched my personality,
so I left everything else in the dust and stuck with that.
Marisa:How old were
you when you learned to play guitar, and have you dabbled with any other
instruments?
Diamond:I believe I
took lessons for a year.My first lesson
was on my 12th birthday, so I started when 12.I played with other instruments like drums
and bass.I played drums in jazz band at
school, played flute, and that’s basically it.I would love to learn piano, but I haven’t gotten there yet.I don’t know why I picked flute; I didn’t
really fit my personality, but I was decent.
Marisa:What was your
first concert that you attended, and how did that compare to the first concert
that you played?
Diamond:It depends. I have two first concerts.My dad was doing a Janet Jackson tour, so
that was my first, but first metal show was Metallica with Limp Biscuit and
Mudvayne.That shook my core, best thing
ever seen in my life.Compared to my
first show, it wasn’t in a stadium.We
weren’t that good, but I will say having to see a show that big for my first
metal show, it set the standard for what a band looks like.We tried harder, put all our energy into the show
like Metallica does.It might not have
sounded great, but we put in the effort.When you get older, effort doesn’t always cut it, but in the beginning,
effort is awesome.
Marisa:What was the
first album you purchased?
Diamond:Again, when
I was young, probably a Michael Jackson album my parents got for me, like “Thriller”
or “Bad,” one of those.My first rock
record was first greatest hits of Nirvana record, and I purchased that when I
was 12, around that time.
Marisa:How do you go
about writing music?What comes first
for you: drums, guitars, vocals or something else?Has the process of writing changed for you
over the years at all?
Diamond:It’s kinda
always stayed the same. Josh or I
generally have something that sparks an idea, whether it’s a drum beat that’s
cool, we come to each other with a riff or a full song.We bounce ideas off of each other, come up
with something that sounds cool.When we
first started, a lot of it came from jamming in a room.There’s a cool thing that goes from writing
that way, like you know it will go over well live.We go into demoing on the computer, then go
fix parts that are not cool or find parts that are super cool.
Marisa:What is your
favorite musical technique?
Diamond:I don’t know
if it’s a technique, but it’s something for song writing. I love bands in metal especially, and this is
where bands like Slipknot come into play, bands that write heavy songs with
huge choruses.Being able to appeal to
heavy fans and more of a mass appeal to radio.It’s not a technique, but it’s an amazing thing, because I think it’s
really cool.That’s something I’m always
looking at and striving for when I write a song.
Marisa:What's the
coolest musical technique in your latest project, or what is something people
might not expect in the new album?
Diamond:I would say,
for us with the new music, a lot of our older stuff was fast, on the thrashy
side.As much as I grew up with Megadeth
and Metallica, I hated when people called us thrash metal, because it puts us
in a niche, but with the new stuff, we’ve departed from that.We added more groove bass like Korn, weird
effects guitar, harder, midtempo chorus.We tried a lot of stuff, pulled from influences we’ve had, to try to
take us out of that thrash band genre where we’ve been.We still have that, but we’ve pulled in a lot
of other stuff, too, which people might not expect.
Marisa:Can you walk
us through the creative process of one of the songs on the new album, perhaps
talking about what influenced, something that happened when it was recorded, or
what makes it different from other songs on the new album?
Diamond:There’s a
song on the new record called “Meri.” It’s
super cool.As of late, it’s something I’ve
always wanted to do.It came out very
close, if not perfect, to how I heard it in my head.It’s very bass driven, mid-tempo song,
something like you would hear that’s creepy like Kill Pop or Marilyn Manson,
that creepy vibe.I came up with weird
effects on guitar.I had Ryan come in,
told him what I wanted, and he nailed it, it was perfect.From there, everything really came together
with this groove drum part.In the studio,
we did most of the work on the vocals, and Josh did a good job.It came together very naturally.I’m excited for people to hear that more than
any other.
Marisa:What is the
scariest thing about being on the road?
Diamond:Besides like
discomfort, away from all the people you love, and not sleeping in your bed -
but you get used to that - I’m constantly worried about our gear getting
stolen.I’m the only girl, so I’m like a
mom; if we are parked somewhere, or even staying in a hotel, I worry.You hear so many horror stories of people stealing
from bands.On the road, you increase
your chances of wrecks and things like that.We try to be as safe as we can.Besides that, there’s nothing else that really bothers me.Most bands, you have thousands of dollars of
gear that you can’t just go to the store and replace.It’s a nightmare to think about.The more you’re out there, the more you are
at risk.
Marisa:Best or worst
tour moment?
Diamond:This was
more of a tour kickoff show, not in the middle, but best was when we were
getting ready to leave where we would be gone for a month.Two weeks before, we got asked to play with
Alter Bridge, Seether and Avenged Sevenfold, and there was no competition we
had to play or anything.We were eating
backstage with them, hanging out, being a part of it.Obviously, I hope for that to be a normal
thing.Was great to be a tour kickoff
show.That was a couple years ago, but
people come up and tell us the first time they saw us with Avenged
Sevenfold.Even out in L.A., we’ve met
people who saw us that first time in Atlanta with Avenged Sevenfold and Seether.
Marisa:What's your
favorite way to travel and why?
Diamond:I’ll tell
you what’s not my favorite way.I grew
up flying a lot as a kid, but the last two or three years, I am a nervous wreck
on a plane.It’s so stupid.I have high anxiety.My favorite way is in a car when I am
driving.A plane is my least favorite
way to travel.
Marisa:What's your
favorite place to travel to, and is there anywhere you have not been to that
you would like to go to?
Diamond:My favorite
place used to be L.A., but now I live here, so I’d have to say home to Atlanta
to visit family and friends.I really
want to go up to northern Europe, like Sweden, Finland, and over to Japan. I’ve
never been overseas.I’d like to go there
on vacation or as a band; either one, I will take.I’m not huge into the tourist parts, but
Ireland and stuff like that.
Marisa:What's your
biggest musical fantasy?
Diamond:I would have
to say a dream tour, my band with Metallica, Korn, Slipknot, throw like System
of a Down, back in 2002.That is my
dream.If I had to play music for a
reason, it would be that.
Marisa:It’s
interesting that you said that specific year, as that’s the year that I toured
on Ozzfest, which System of a Down was on that year, along with Rob Zombie,
Down, and a bunch of other killer bands.I will say, sometimes, as a female on tour, sometimes, you’ll run into
guys who just expect you to fall down with your legs spread, and I was never
really into that.I will say, as a
female, just be sure that you know how to defend yourself, just in case
anything crazy ever happens.
Diamond:I’m a super
touch chick.I haven’t had many
experiences like that.After they see me
play, they get it.I’m not mad at
them.Afterwards, usually, I don’t have
many problems.So far, it’s been
okay.
Marisa:I have three
personality questions that I ask everyone.They might sound like hogwash, but I promise, there is a psychological
basis to the answers ;-)First, if you
were an unicorn, and you could be any color, what color would you be and would
you have any special powers?
Diamond:I would be…
you never see an all black unicorn, so no colors whatsoever.Maybe I’d have really pretty eyes, like
really piercing, like a pretty gold color.If I had a power, it would be to be invisible when I didn’t want anyone
to see me.
Marisa:Psychologically, that might mean that you have a bit of voyeuristic
tendencies, like you if you see something crazy or interesting, you would
watch, and just take it all in.
Diamond:That might
be true, in certain situations…
Marisa:If you were
yogurt, what flavor would you be, and how would you be served?
Diamond:I’m just guna
serve myself as I like to eat. Are we talking
cold yogurt like at Ice Cream Land, or the regular stuff you’d buy in the store?
Marisa:Whichever you’d
like.
Diamond:I’d be the
ice cream type, vanilla, but with a ton of crunchy Oreos: the real Oreos, not
the off brand, where you’re basically crunching on your yogurt.
Marisa:Describe yourself
as either a dog, a cat or a cartoon.
Diamond:I’d say I’m
definitely like a dog, but like I am kinda like a German Shepard or something
where I love what’s mine, and I’m very into what my passion is and what I
love.I can be very aggressive but also
the most loving ever, depending on the situation.I’m not super social; I have introverted
tendencies, like to hang around my group.I enjoy meeting people, but I’m not one of those people to hang out. I’d just go and hang out with my people; that’s
how I am.
Marisa:Do you
collect anything?
Diamond:Guitars, if
that counts.
Marisa:What's your
biggest guilty pleasure?
Diamond:I should be guilty
about it, but I love food.I’m not a big
sweet eater, but I love savory food like pizza and hot wings.But when I eat it, I feel terrible about
myself.If I had to pick one, that would
be it: food.
Marisa:Do you have
any hidden talents or special skills?
Diamond:I’m such an
outward person with what I do, so I don’t have much hidden that people don’t
know.I like to go fishing, but that’s
more of a hobby.That’s something I did
when I was little, so I got out of it, but now that I’m out west, I want to
bass fish.I’m taking my gear on tour,
so I can go fishing this summer.Fishing
is awesome.
Marisa:Fishing is
great, and you’re not the only musician into fishing.Les Claypool, for example, is really into
fishing.I used to be the sports writer
down in Key West, and I got to cover Shark Week, where they are fishing for sharks,
pulling up 12- and 14-footers out of water that I can stand up in.
Diamond:When I people
are surfing on the beach, and I see people pulling in these big sharks, I just
think, you’re in there of your own will…
Marisa:What's the
most important thing to remember?
Diamond:How you
treat people.I think it makes a
difference.Especially in the music
industry, you have to be a little stern with a lot of people.That’s how it is.It’s not a nice place, but you know, you have
to judge your circumstance to make sure you’re treating people well.You never know who you are talking to, or who
you will be talking to, as it comes back to you.
Marisa:What was your
most influential moment?
Diamond:I’d say any
time I’m around my parents.My parents,
after moving away, I’ve learned this: they keep me inspired more than anybody
just by how they live their life, how they’ve lived, and how they raised
me.I just feel that how they raised me,
I want to take after that.I really
appreciate a lot of what they’ve done, and how they go about things.They’re who inspire me, any time I’m around
them.
Marisa:If you were
not doing music, what would you be doing?
Diamond:I’d be in
school to be a doctor.I would go back
to school.I went to University of
Alabama, and I want to get my degree, but I’d like to make music a full-time
career.It would be for something
else.That’s what I would be doing if I
hadn’t started this.I was also really
into softball, super good, but obviously, there’s no huge career in softball,
so I’d say a surgeon or something like that.
Marisa:What are
three things you must have with you when you are on the road?
Diamond:My cell
phone, and this probably counts as one, but also my laptop to make sure I get
work done.What else, what else?Snacks, you have to have some good snacks
when you’re on the road, so they’re very important.Some good baby wipes, because we don’t always
get great showers.It’s frustrating for
me, because I always feel there’s a residue left on my body after using the
wipes.You don’t feel fresh.
Marisa:When I did
the Ozzfest tour, I know there were many times when we would cross from one
side of the country to the other, and that’s a three day jump.You don’t have time to stop, except for truck
stops. We would have to do the truck
stop showers sometimes, or just the whore bath in the sink.
Diamond:We’ve
thought about doing the truck stop showers, but I would definitely want to have
my flip flops with me.We go to Walmart
a lot.If I wash my face, that’s half
the battle, but there’s a point when you have to shower.
Marisa:Any advice
for musicians starting out?
Diamond:I’d say if
this is something you want to do, and you’re serious about it, you can’t have
one foot in and one foot out.You don’t
hear people say they made it by playing on the weekends and got signed and got
huge.You have to put everything you got
into it.You can do other things, but
your mind has to be on it.You have to
run it like a business.If it’s a hobby,
run it how you want, but if this is something you want to spend your life
doing, put everything down and be okay being broke for a while.Just go for it.
Marisa:Closing
thoughts and additional comments?
Diamond:Just for
everyone to keep track of our socials; we have a lot of new music and videos
coming out.I think there’s something
for everyone on this new album.
Heading up to the State Theatre in St. Petersburg,
hellacious rain is typical of raining season, also known as hurricane season,
in Florida.The Sunshine State is not
always sunny, so how fitting is it to ring in the flashes of lightning and
rumbling thunder than to go see grindcore and metal bands?What’s more hardcore than heading up to the
lightning capital during a storm to rock out and release some energy?
Though Otep was the headliner, opening the show was Vilest
Breed.The female lead singer is a
sister to the drummer in the band, making it almost a family affair, with Brian
on bass, and Jay on guitar.This grindcore
band has been known to cover bands like Sepultura just to get people’s
attention, as there’s nothing quite as sexy as a girl who can growl like a guy
while looking cute on stage: https://www.facebook.com/vilestbreed.
They play mostly original music, as the band is definitely
not a cover band; they’re just known to play an unsuspecting cover or two
during their set to get people’s attention.Of course, even their original music contains raspy growls that sounds
like a demon taking over the innocent girl’s body during the performance.When she puts on her glasses and pulls up her
hair after the set, it seems like night and day, as if she really is up there
summoning her inner demons while commanding attention on stage.
Her brother does more than hold a beat, pounding away on the
drums with as much intensity as thunder.Brian commands the bass with a focused precision like a lightning
strike.Meanwhile, Jay brings the groove
home with guitar riffs that complements Brian’s bass lines, creating the whole.
Cypher Machine was created from the leftover pieces of
another area band.They tightened their
sound, rebranded with some new ideas, and created a master project that brings
the best of the old with the notions of the new.For those familiar with Florida hardcore
bands, these guys are familiar.
With experience brings a sound that is polished and honed.They bring the energy to the stage, which
reverberates onto the audience.When the
heads start knocking, the mosh starts pounding.
Rounding out the last of the Florida bands is
Psykotribe.There’s two lead singers, a
girl and a guy, but the girl does not bring the typical high pitched vocals to
the table.Instead, she uses her lungs
to scream.
These bands with girls break the mold of typical girl bands,
as this show is filled with hardcore chicks who can command a stage as well as
any guy.The prove that their lungs and
throat can growl just as well as any guy out there.It’s a nice change of pace to see the girls
blossoming into the unexpected.
With Psykotribe living only a couple minutes from the State
Theatre, they are a band that can be seen opening for a number of national
acts.Covered in makeup, they bring the
theatrics to back up their hardcore sound, creating a stage show that is sure
to suck in the audience.They’re not
just a band that depends on the theatrical performance, as it is definitely
their sound that can incite a mosh pit handily: http://psykotribe.com/,
https://www.facebook.com/PSYKOTRIBE.BAND,
and https://twitter.com/psykotribe.
Brand of Julez is another family affair, as Brandon and lead
singer Julez are brothers that band together, creating that sound with the
instincts that family members have by growing up with each other.Very polished, with curly dark hair that
whips around on stage, the band is like a storm rolling in, having that dark
anticipation with an eeriness to it that also has a natural perfection within
it, a dark excitement: https://www.facebook.com/brandofjulez,
https://twitter.com/BrandofJulez,
and http://www.brandofjulez.bigcartel.com/.
Hailing from Toledo, OH, The Convalescence also brought some
theatrics to the stage.Covered in
makeup, these guys hit hard like a hurricane.Audience members whip around in a frenzy to the beat, and in the eye of
the storm of cornfed intimidating looking dudes is this girl on keyboards with
electric eyes that look to be the color of rain: https://www.facebook.com/theconvalescence,
and https://twitter.com/TCONband.
People asked where the band came from, shocked by the
intensity of the band, but as I got my start in the Toledo music scene, I am
well aware of the number of amazing bands in the northwest Ohio area.Even the drummer makes eye contact with the
audience, making faces as he pounds.The
band has that natural intimidation factor that, like watching a storm brewing
over Lake Erie or the Gulf of Mexico, you cannot help but watch in awe, even
though you know that you should be taking cover and cowering.
Of course, Otep closed out the evening.It’s interesting to note that there was more
gay pride flags flown at this show than I have seen at her shows in the past,
and there were more females dominating the audience than ever before, too.It’s just an observation I noticed, and I’m
not quite sure why.
It makes me feel old to think that it’s been 15 years since
I worked on the 2002 Ozzfest tour where Otep played.Touring across the country, hearing her set
each day, I am more than a little familiar with her music, and it’s interesting
to see how her stage show has changed, and how some remained the same. She
swapped out musicians along the way, with Evil J leaving the band years ago,
and now she has a guy wearing a Trojan helmet and not much else with a body
that looks like classic Roman artwork for warriors, and another guy with shocks
of curly hair, wearing a silly light up mask with an eerie smile.
It might be different faces in the band, but Otep is really
the heart and soul; though some faces may change, she is the constant that
people continue to want to see, regardless.She might have some different body art than she did 15 years ago, but
her sound has continued to improve like a fine wine.I’ll be honest, when she first swapped out
musicians, there was a period of readjustment, but she has soldiered over that
hurdle, and the band sounds better than it ever has, being very tight, well
adjusted.
There’s some of her classic songs that still sound good 15
years later, but there’s also new stuff in her set, as it is ever
changing.One cover she added to her set
was a hardcore cover of the song “Royals,” which she dedicated to the working
class, or blue collar, people.She has
an awesome take on the song.
She might have a shaved head and sing about some not so
pleasant experiences in life, but it’s the stuff that people don’t want to talk
about that makes people cringe with a natural horror.It’s those topics that need to be sung about,
need to be brought to the light, as that’s the only way change can be had.The signs as a backdrop read “resist” and “resistance,”
and she promotes people to be the change.
With another attack at a concert overseas – this time an
attack in Manchester, England, at an Ariana Grande concert, which resulted in
52 people injured – one cannot help but think back to the last major terrorist
attack at a concert, which was when the Eagles of Death Metal were playing in
France.As it happened, the Eagles of
Death Metal were one of the many bands that had played the Fort Rock Festival
at Jet Blue Park in Fort Myers, FL, the last weekend in April, a precursor for
summer music festivals.
The largest rock festival in the Fort Myers area, which has
recently turned into a two-day festival, changes slightly every year.There’s some of the best bands in the rock
and metal scene, and the festival is promoted by local rock station 93.7, also
known as 93X.Years ago, the station was
a little higher in the numbers, claiming the title of 99X, and while the
numbers may have changed, it is still the radio station that rules the rock and
metal scene in the Fort Myers area, as it has done so for many years.
When I was 18, I went one of the first concerts at a
baseball field put on by 99X, which would have been in 1999, just before I had
my cliff diving accident.At the time,
it was when Club Hell was kicking in Naples, a club that was only open on Sunday
nights at a place called Hurricane Jane’s.That venue was short lived, only about six month before the older
population of Naples had about enough of the shenanigans of vertically
challenged bar tenders dressed up as leprechauns, freaks on stilts dancing with
mannequin torsos, and bands that were sexual in natures, such as Florida’s
finest: the Genitorturers.
Back in the day, Club Hell had its own tent at the concert,
which offered a cool environment to escape the beating sun, and it also
featured a little bondage among friends.When we went into the tent, our eyes were met with black leather, whips,
chains, racks, and people begging to be beaten.You were supposed to be 18 to get into the tent, but I snuck in the girl
I was tutoring at the time who was only about 11 or 12-years-old at the time,
as it was the first concert that she ever attended.
That same girl now just turned 30, and as she works as my
assistant from time to time, I thought it was only fitting that I bring her to
the Fort Rock Festival to see how the atmosphere has changed over time.Of course, there was no Club Hell tent,
though I would love to see that brought back, or even any kind of tent that
offered things like fans and air conditioning to escape the brutal heat from
Florida’s sun.The media tent did not
have any fans, and with the sidewalls they added to the pop up tent this year,
it was more miserable, acting as more of a sauna or sweat lodge than anything
that would be actually helpful.
We ducked our head into the media tent, but it was too hot
to actually do any work there.Our
interviews were all held outside, as it was nicer to broil in the sun and feel
a little breeze than to feel the temperature reach higher than the outside
temperature inside the oven-like tent that reminded me of those bags that you
put a turkey into when you want to make sure that it is evenly cooked.Note to the people in charge of media
relations, add some fans and bottled water for the media tent next year.
With the temperature being about 96 degrees all weekend, and
no place to find a fan or air conditioning, we wound up hanging out with some
people we knew who were working the cleaning crew.Why hang out with the janitors?Well, they showed us some shady spots where
we could sit.
Mostly, we hung out backstage, and if we wanted to be in
the
shade, the best spot was actually underneath the stage.People had hammocks set up, hanging from in
between the metal supports that held up the stage, and while most of these
people were stage crew, they didn’t seem to mind us, so long as we kept out of
the way, did not disturb others from doing their jobs, and were mindful of fork
lifts.Sure, we would go out front to
shoot the first few songs of each band, and as much as we would have liked to
venture into the crowd for the duration of each band, it was simply too hot,
and it there was too many people at the sold out show to slime past to try to
get into and out of the crowd for each set.
My assistant has Irish skin coloring, very fair skin that
burns extremely easily.On top of that,
she was in a car accident a few years ago that took the vision out of her left
eye.While she still has her eye in the
socket, she is not supposed to be in the sun for prolonged times, as it messes
up her vision in her good eye, so I had to be mindful of being able to have her
be in the shade as much as it was possible.
Thus, we hung out backstage.Yup, we hung with the janitors in between interviewing rock stars, and
we chatted with the stage workers, including one local crew member who was
instrumental in helping to organize a fundraiser for my assistant when she had
her accident a few years back.When you
know the locals, it is a little easier to be able to be ushered around
backstage than the average person.
The security was nice enough to hook us up with free meals,
so that part was great.There’s
something pretty cool about maneuvering through the maze of underneath the
stage, too.You’re out of the way, but
those what if fears of stage items falling are definitely one thing that goes
through the mind.
Turns out, those fears were founded.Luckily, it was not an incident with us, but
a band we were supposed to interview had an incident.Seether wound up having lights fall while
they were playing.
It was right after the photographers were sent out of the
photo pit.My assistant and I lingered
by the side entrance a few moments longer to watch the band, as I had toured
with them on Ozzfest and had been following their progress ever since.She pointed and asked, “what’s going on up
there exactly?”
There was at least 20 guys on the stage, all trying to hold
up the black metal framing for the lights.They had fallen while the band was playing, nearly taking out their new
guitar player.The band never missed a
beat, I will give them that much, but it did take all 20 or more guys to catch
the lights and carry them out of the way of the band that was still in the
middle of playing their song, trying to avoid commotion.
The band laughed about the incident lightly on stage, but it
shook them up more than what they let on.Gigi said the guitar player had his life flash before his eyes, and they
cancelled the interview for that day.Gigi and Bozz help Seether behind the scenes, and we understood that was
a pretty scary event.
All in all, Seether played an awesome set, as did their
fellow Ozzfest mates Chevelle.Seether
is from South Africa, and Chevelle is a band made up of three brothers.Both bands were on Ozzfest 2002, and during
that time, they were on the smaller stage, playing early afternoon and morning
slots, which is such a contrast to where both bands are in their careers right
now; they can both sell out shows now.
It is interesting to see bands like Seether and Chevelle
grow from being on the smaller stage at Ozzfest.Over the years, each of them have produced a
number of hit songs and albums, and now they are the ones dominating the larger
stages at festival and selling out shows of their own on a regular basis.It’s awesome to look back and see where they
came from, compared to where they are now in their career.
When I was touring on Ozzfest, I had interviewed Seether
when they did not even have a tour bus at that point yet.They had a motorhome, which was nice and all,
and I remember interviewing them while on my break from working, showing up at
their motorhome wearing a scantily clad outfit, covered in a heap of Mardi Gras
shiny beads, as I had been doing modeling on a motorcycle on the tour at that
point.That was back in my skinnier
days, obviously, and with 15 years that have passed, we all grew older.
Chevelle grew up, too.I had interviewed them in Toledo after doing the Ozzfest tour, and I had
asked them my signature questions about unicorns and yogurt, prompting them to
do a shout out on stage about unicorn flavored yogurt.We took pictures of the brothers acting as if
one of them was trapped under a tour bus, joking around, acting silly, and now
they’re much bigger, more serious, still kicking ass.
It’s awesome to have that part of history, to be able to
look back at how things were before, compared to how they are now, and even my
assistant was able to do that at the show.When I had taken her to her first concert promoted by 99X, which was
held at the other baseball field around the corner on Six Mile Cypress, one
band that had played at that show was playing Fort Rock, and that was The
Offspring.She was excited to see how
the band had grown, surprised at how many more hits they had since the last
time she saw them, and she was the one to point out other differences, such as
in 1999, I was merely tutoring her while attending Florida Gulf Coast
University, and since, I earned my Master’s at the Johns Hopkins University and
was now a professor at Southern Technical College in Port Charlotte.
With the focus on education, I thought it was interesting to
note that right after the Fort Rock Festival, The Offspring’s Dexter Holland
received his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Southern
California.His 175-page dissertation
focused on the virology of the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV (the virus
the causes AIDS): “Discovery of Mature MicroRNA Sequences within the
Protein-Coding Regions of Global HIV-1 Genomes: Predictions of Novel Mechanisms
for Viral Infection and Pathogenicity.”“My research is not meant to be a cure or even an immediate
step toward a cure, but I believe that by adding to the vast amount of
information that we've learned about HIV in the last 30 years or so, we'll get
there,” said Holland.
Of course, another major event happened after the Fort
Rock Festival, leaving fans in disbelief, and that was the apparent suicide of
headlining band Soundgarden’s frontman Chris Cornell.It happened right after a sold out show at
the Fox Theatre in Detroit with fellow Fort Rock artist The Pretty
Reckless.Family members said that
Cornell took an extra helping of his prescription medication Ativan, and a side
effect of the drug is suicidal thoughts and tendencies, which apparently may
have influenced his decision to hang himself in his hotel room’s bathroom at
the MGM Grande in Detroit.
After family members called, worried, a friend broke
down the door to Cornell’s room, as well as another inside door, only to find
him with a chord around his neck on the bathroom floor.Looking back at some like “Fell on Black
Days,” some say that Cornell had sung about depression and suicide before,
perhaps foretelling his own death.It
was also interesting to note that Cornell had compared Seattle to being like a
Northwest version of Detroit, calling it a rock city, and his last song played
was a 13-minute blend with Led Zeppelin’s “In My Time of Dying,” which is even
a more creepy foreshadowing of death.
Ironically, Soundgarden was the only band that my
assistant and I fought our way into the crowd to watch.Neither of us had seen Soundgarden before,
and we were both fans of the many hits of the band, as well as Cornell’s other
projects like Temple of the Dog, Audioslave, and his solo projects.Perhaps my first introduction to the band was
a promo video (by video, I mean a VHS) that had been sent to me when I was
about 13 that had the song “Jesus Christ Pose” featured alongside hits from
fellow record label mates, such as Therapy? from Dublin, Ireland, as well as
Paw and Monster Magnet.
I must have played that tape out.That was probably some of the first
promotional material from a record label that I ever received, and it probably
influenced my decision to get into doing music journalism.While I loved Soundgarden growing up, I was
too young to go to too many concerts back then, according to my parents
(believe me, I tried), so I was not able to see Soundgarden back then.
I remember seeing Cornell’s shockingly light eyes
contrasting against his locks of wavy dark hair.Really, it was his vocal range that I was
most attracted to, as he had a set of pipes on his that was not like most
musicians at the time.I appreciated his
vocal skills and constantly looked for his newest releases.
I turned people onto Soundgarden, and when they liked
that, I turned them on to Temple of the Dog.I would make them watch the movie “Singles,” and I would play them the
soundtrack.Growing up in the 90s, Chris
Cornell was a big part of the grunge scene, and I definitely sported the
flannel look back then.
So yeah, you can be sure that I made my assistant
follow me into the crowd to watch Soundgarden.The only thing that sucked was that it meant we were not in the photo
pit, as we had tried to get up as close as we could in the crowd while the band
before, A Perfect Circle, was finishing up on the adjacent stage.We were lucky enough to find some cool people
to chillax with in the crowd, and none of us thought that would be the last
time that we would lay eyes on the musical legend, as he would be dead soon.
We were not the only ones looking forward to watching
the set, as mosh pits exploded around us.People were eager to release energy by moshing and dancing.Every song, people were singing along as if
we were all gathered around a bonfire at summer camp, everyone knowing all of
the words by heart.
It’s such a tragedy to think my first time was my last
time seeing Chris Cornell with Soundgarden, but looking back, I’m glad we
decided to fight our way through the crowd to watch it.We might not have gotten the best photos of
the show, but at least we got a couple, and more importantly, we were able to
dance around and sing to the song we had grown up with during the band’s heyday
in the 90s grunge.
There were so many bands at the festival, that it’s
hard to pick a favorite, as so many put on some amazing shows.Each of the bands could have been the
headliner, as there were so many big name bands packed together on the stages,
as they have done for years.It is
ironic to think that the Eagles of Death Metal were there, and the world was
still reeling from that terrorist attack at their concert, only to discover
another attack would happen in England only a few weeks after the Fort Rock
Festival.
Even though Josh Homme and Jesse Hughes have both
contributed to Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal is a far cry from
that band.They have collaborated with
likes of Jack Black, Dave Grohl, and Kat Von D, just to name a few of the
many.This makes for a sound that is
constantly changing like a living, breathing organism, a musical unit that has
taken upon a lifeforce of its own and is worth seeing.
An interesting side note is that the Eagles of Death
Metal shared a musician with Mastodon at Fort Rock.With facial tattoos and ginger coloring,
sporting a tie-die shirt and heart glasses, it was easily recognizable that he
played for both bands.It’s funny to
note the names that Eagles of Death Metal uses for each of its ever changing
members, and people don’t always know they are who they are.
Mastodon is another band that I have covered time and
time again.My first time meeting them
was on their tour bus at Ozzfest, but it was the year after I had toured the
country working on Ozzfest.I met them
at the Columbus show for Ozzfest the following year, dropping something off at
their bus from a Sicilian dude, but that was such a short interaction, it might
as well not even count for too much.
Covering Mastodon at the Mayhem Festival, I had
interviewed their drummer, who also sings, and that’s what really gave me more
respect for the band, as I got to understand the storylines behind their songs
a bit more when I interviewed the band a few times.Being a writer, having a storyline concept is
something that I admire, so that scores points with me.I mean, the band is great, sure, musically,
but I appreciate the extra afterthought of not just having a chant, but
actually telling a story within a song.
As far as stage show with flash and trash, as some
like to call it, I would have to say that In This Moment brought back their
sexy stage girls with an even tighter set than they had played at the Fort Rock
Festival a couple years ago.There’s
something about scantily clad chicks welding knives and dancing around with
distorted posture that gets people’s attention, and I can appreciate good stage
show antics.The fact of the matter was
that their set was better than it was a couple years ago, and it was good back
then, so the fact that the band is constantly striving to improve says
something about their work ethic.
Compare that to the other female-fronted band The
Pretty Reckless, and the stage shows are as different as night and day.Ironically, both bands had played the
festival a couple years ago, and their stage shows were both different a couple
years back.Both of them put forth
effort to change it up, which is always appreciated, but even with the
differences, both bands are simply completely different.
The first time The Pretty Reckless played, they had
almost this hippie vibe to the stage.This year, they had more of a rocker edge with more black leather, as
opposed to flowing hippie style, but they didn’t bring out any additional stage
eye candy, feeling their female lead was sexy enough, which is true.Not saying that one band was better than the
other, just that they both went about their stage shows totally different, with
In This Moment having that sexy additional element, and The Pretty Reckless
basically rebelling against that by simply relying more on their music to speak
for itself, as opposed to flash.
When a stage show is stripped down, meaning it does
not have dancers, lasers, pyrotechnics and whatnot, it forces the audience to
really pay attention to the music itself.Having distractions on stage like pyrotechnics and dancers provides more
eye candy, so the audience might not pay attention as closely to if a note is
hit wrong, as they are focused more upon other stuff on the stage.Not saying one approach is better, just
different, and having a stripped down show that is more raw leaves the audience
better able to critique the show, as they don’t have those other distractions
from the music itself.
That being said, even without those additional elements
on stage, The Pretty Reckless still did an awesome job, and I don’t think too
many people had too much to critique in a negative fashion.You still have a blonde bombshell to focus
on, so there’s still that element of sexiness.They played awesome.
Motionless in White, another band that had previously
played the Fort Rock Festival, must have taken some notes from In This Moment,
as they added a sexy element this year, having a girl on stage wearing a clown
mask to amp up the audience.Motionless
in White was a band that had some of the makeup elements to create a mood
previously, and while they still wore makeup, they didn’t wear quite as much as
they had before, and they added this sexpot chick to the stage element.Again, they improved their show, tightened up
their sound, and one of my students said that she has been a fan of them for
years, and that their sound is improving right along with her music knowledge,
so she is growing with them.
It’s interesting to note those musical improvements
over the years, as well as improvements to their live show.They were another band that was great before,
but you can see the improvements just in a short couple of years.It makes you proud to watch a band like that
improve before your eyes over time.
Three Days Grace is another improved band.Not that their original lead singer was bad,
as he has a set of pipes on him and has some stage antics that include climbing
up the side of the stage if he needs to, but the not so new lead singer has an
almost militant commanding stage presence.I saw Adam Gontier do his solo project at Dirtfest in Birch Run, MI, a
few years back, and he was good, but when I saw Three Days Grace at Rock USA
Oshkosh in WI the following year, I understood the difference between them.
Matt Walst brings a little harder edge to the band in
my opinion.Perhaps he is comfortable
dominating the stage with his brother, bassist Brad Walst, and maybe they bring
that family chemistry that is not usually found amongst strangers.Whatever the reason behind it, Matt brings an
element of something to the band that Adam might have had a little of, but it’s
like an extra helping of it with Matt in charge.
Don’t get me wrong.Adam is great, and I would definitely recommend seeing him perform, but
if you look at the hits that Three Days Grace has had with the different
singers, you can see their difference in style.In my opinion, Matt brought some darkness from My Darkest Days, making
the band heavier.
Another band that has marked improvement was
Starset.They had also played a couple
years ago at the festival, and not as many people knew of them back then.Now, they have a major hit on the radio, and
though they had radio airplay before, with a bigger hit, more people were able
to recognize their songs and sing along than they did a couple years ago, which
is nice to see an improved audience reaction to a band over the course of a
couple of years, and I’ll be curious to see more from them.
Papa Roach was another band that I have covered
previously at a slew of festivals, including at Fort Rock, and each time I see
them, they seem to get better and better.They keep producing radio hits, and the crowd continues to react to
them.From forming in 1993, to having a
triple platinum album in 2000, and even recently having another major hit off
of their recent album “Help,” this is a band that refuses to slow down, having hits
that are different from each other but awesome nonetheless; I can appreciate a
band that changes up their sound, as opposed to playing the same chords for
every song.
Of Mice and Men was another band that I was excited to
see, as they might not have as many radio hits as Papa Roach, for example, but
they continue to evolve in their sound.They might share the same name as a 1937 John Steinbeck novella about
the Great Depression, but this metalcore band is probably not so depressed
since reaching a million plays on their Myspace profile, uploading a cover of
Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” and getting signed to Rise Records, releasing their
self-titled debut in 2009.They had some
lineup changes, but the band continues to strive for the American Dream and
evolve greatly.
Nothing More, who just played Rock on the Range, will
be getting ready to play Rocklahoma this weekend, as well as Chicago’s Riot
Fest a couple weeks after Labor Day in the fall.They have radio hits that get caught in your
head, and you just can’t help but crank up the radio and sing along with
them.Seeing them in person is no
different, only there’s more room to dance around as you sing along.
They’re tackling modern day issues in their videos,
bringing a whole nother layer to the songs you hear on the radio.It’s interesting the approach they take,
combining these elements, and I have a feeling this is another band that will
continue to make strives in the world of music, even though they’ve been around
since 2003 and have six albums.What’s
interesting is watching their lead singer climb on a drumming contraption that
is almost fashioned like a stand up jetski, where he can seemingly ride and
play this custom made percussion instrument that blends technological elements
with drumming.
In Flames was one of the bands that we were lucky
enough to interview.Who doesn’t like
Swedish metal?They have been around
since 1990, chipping away at the metal scene, scratching their name into the
wall, winning four Grammis Awards (the Swedish equivalent to the Grammy
Awards), as well as Best International Band by Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards
in 2008, and they have released 12 studio albums, including “Battles” in 2016,
ensuring that Swedish metal stays on the map.
This is yet another Ozzest alumni that has grown
considerably through the years, another band that it is interesting to sit back
and watch over the years with different band members adding their own elements.They don’t show any slowing down with age, as
they are still able to rev up the crowd and make them dance like puppets,
crashing into each other in mosh pits and surfing on top of the crowd.
Twins Rich and Ryan Meyer formed the band Highly
Suspect with their best friend Johnny Stevens in Cape Cod, MA, a place I used
to live for a short while.They
relocated to New York, starting out as a cover band, and their first studio
album was only released a couple years ago in 2015.Still, they were nominated for a Grammy for
Best Rock Album, and they held a pretty good slot at the Fort Rock Festival.
Women in the crowd were overheard talked about the
good looking younger members of Highly Suspect.They did have energy on stage, putting on a pretty good show for a band
that’s newer than some of the other bands at the festival.They are definitely cranking out radio hits
exciting people.
One band that is not a stranger to radio hits is Alter
Bridge.Though some people might not
recognize their new name, the band is comprised of many of the members from the
band Creed, a band that rocked the radio frequency waves for years with hit
after hit.Please note, this band is not
a Creed re-hash, and they did not sit there and play Creed’s greatest hits, as
they have plenty of their own.
With the band being named after a bridge on Alter Road
in Detroit, the guys got back to their roots with a different lead singer and a
totally different vibe.They rock a
little harder than Creed, at least in my opinion, opening up the gates to a
flood of different fans.Alter Bridge is
a talented group with honed skills that will suck in listeners, as they have
mastered the art of what it takes to make great songs.
Another major band at the festival was A Perfect
Circle.It had been more than a decade
since I first saw the band at the UNO Arena in New Orleans with my
ex-boyfriend, who is now on Phil Anselmo’s label.Back then, the lead singer was shrouded in
shadows, silhouetted against a backdrop, making it hard to make out Maynard’s
face, and I feared that the band would do something similar at the festival.
My fears were unfounded, as the sun shined brightly,
making everyone in the band visible.It
was a different experience from seeing them in a dark arena.With more than a decade that has gone by, the
songs were just as strong as ever, marinating like a good wine, only growing
better with age.
Interesting to note, Maynard does actually own Merkin
Vineyards, and he is not the only musician dabbling in the wine industry, as
Megadeth, who performed last year at Fort Rock, also has its hand in wine; Dave
and Pam Mustaine own Mustaine Vineyards, and their SHE-WOLF Tempranilla Rose
was recently awarded the Platinum Award, or Best in Show, at the San Diego
International Wine Competition, as well as the Double Gold, or Best in Class,
Award at the California State Fair Wine Competition and Best of Class at the
2017 Pacific Rim International Wine competition.Both Maynard and Dave’s wines have fun names,
as Merkin Vineyards, located in Arizona, has programs such as the Chupacabara
program, which is produced using French/Alsation fruit to create “Shape Shifter”
blends of wine, as well as the Tarzan/Janes, which is the Spanish/Iberian program:
http://merkinvineyardsosteria.com
.
If you’ve never seen A Perfect Circle, do yourself a
favor and check them out.Seeing them in
an arena is a little more intimate, but the energy of seeing them in the
blaring sun was pretty amazing.Maynard
was all around the stage, and you really can’t help but get into the show with
that high energy.
Beartooth was one of the newer bands that I was eager
to check out at the festival.Having
heard them on XM’s Octane, I was curious to see what they would be like live,
and they did not disappoint.They have a
new video out for their single “Sick of Me,” which follows people overcoming
depression.
“Depression and anxiety isn’t something you just get
away from,” said frontman Caleb Shomo. “It’s just inside you. For me it’s just
always in my brain churning. It’s about fighting it and overcoming it, you
can’t run away from it. You have to deal with it. This song is a big way
to help. At least for me, music has been implanted in my body and what I’ve
connected with. When I go on stage everything goes away. If you can choose that
you will not let depression and anxiety run your life, you’re going to make it.
It’s your body and your life and your choice.”
All That Remains is another band that brings a lot of
energy to the stage.They will be
sharing the stage this summer with Seether, Three Days Grace, and Five Finger
Death Punch, just to name a few.Each
time I see this band, I am more and more impressed by them, so add them on your
concert to-do list; check out their new album Madness, and find them at the
High Elevation Festival in CO and more.
The headliner on Saturday had probably the largest history in the rock industry of all the bands, Def Leppard. With the older population in Florida, there were more people that knew of Def Leppard than any other band at the festival, and there were many true hardcore fans that boasted that Def Leppard's music was the only true rock at the show. Even though the band has a vast history, the members did not show up supported by walkers; they rocked as hard as they ever did, with age seeming not to matter, and they were there to school a few people on what rock started with.
People pushed up to the front, clamoring to try to get close to the band. Women digressed into the mentality that eager teens in the 80's had when big hair rockers were the best thing since sliced bread. I think everyone in the audience knew almost every song, and there's something to be said about an audience that can sing along to every single song that is being played by a band.
There’s so many bands that are packed into two days at
the Fort Rock Festival, I could write pages more.Just know that this festival is literally the
best rock festival that Southwest Florida has to offer all year.Each year, it continues to grow and sell out,
so start planning early for next year’s festival.
