Chiodos

The first time I saw Chiodos they were opening for 30 Seconds to Mars. This was back when few knew who they were and Jared Leto was still cool. In fact, Craig Owens, Chiodos front man, walked out the front door of the Wonder Ballroom shortly after the show and not a single person knew who he was. My friend Aimee, who had been listening to Chiodos for a while and was actually at the show for them rather than 30 Seconds to Mars recognized him immediately and confronted him. He seemed taken aback that he was being recognized, what with being in the shadow of Jared Leto and his brother during this tour. We talked to him for a few minutes and he seemed pretty excited as he walked away. Now, Chiodos has become almost superstars. They aren’t playing sold out arenas but I couldn’t believe how many Chiodos shirts I saw at a show with Silverstein in the lineup. I figured that there would certainly be more of their fans present as opposed to Chiodos fans. Anyway, if you take a look at the video I have embedded below, you will see how big shot Chiodos thinks they have become, dramatic lighting and all. The show was great by the way; they played nearly every song they had. Silverstien killed it as well. I have only recently become a fan of their music, but they certainly had a large fan base in attendance. I had fun, and that’s all that matters.


Chiodos from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Bayside

I am a Bayside fan. I have seen them twice before this show. Okay, now that I have those 2 statements on the table, this was the worst show I have ever been to. I arrived with my friend Camden as The Matches were performing. I was not impressed. Then came the headliner, Bayside, the band I had come to see. First off, they messed up the sound check. I didn’t hear anyone check the center stage mic, which is something I normally think nothing of, but once they came out I immediately noticed that the vocals were low. We could barely hear the guy. Watch the video; you’ll know what I’m talking about. Unfortunately they did not fix the problem. Then, that red lighting that you see in the video below, was the sole lighting sequence for the entirety of the show, also normally not something I think too much of, but when I returned home and watched all of the video I took, I noticed it right off. Thirdly, the newest Bayside release Shudder, was nothing spectacular. I feel like it was the same shit we have been hearing from Bayside for years with slightly new lyrics. I was disappointed, and this disappointment was just further realized when attending their show. Like I said, I am a Bayside fan, but this show fell short.


Bayside from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Devildriver

If you are unfamiliar with Devildriver, please go watch this video before reading on. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULgU7_lYA38 Now that you are familiar with these crazy assholes, you can understand why my buddy Matt and I decided to go see them last week, and still haven’t stopped talking about it. When we arrived at the Roseland, we were ushered to the Bar as opposed to heading up the stairs to the concert hall as we normally would. They had cleared the majority of the bar out, and were using the stage that was normally reserved for smaller bar shows. I heard someone giving a Roseland staff member some shit about it not being in the concert hall and the staff member said “This is the first time this has ever happened!” I didn’t realize it at the time, but what had occurred to me after leaving was that the Roseland had actually done all of us a favor. I imagine that because the pre-sales were so discouraging, they moved the concert to the bar because it was a smaller area, and had the show been upstairs there would have been no pit, and it would have turned out much like the Kataklysm show. I say Bravo Roseland Theater.But then again, I could have no idea what I'm talking about. When Matt and I arrived, Snot was playing. I had never heard of them, but I enjoyed it very much. There were 2 girls that also enjoyed it very much, and they got up on stage to show it. There is a video below of these two girls and I strongly suggest you check it out.
Snot from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.
Once Devildriver got on stage, the place erupted. Unlike the Kataklysm show, the majority of the crowd was pit ready. I think the lead singer of Devildriver put it best when he said “We want everyone to be safe, but we want extreme viciousness as well. It’s really weird how it works.” He told us this right after he stopped the show because a 350lb guy had gone down and wasn’t getting up. It took 5 Roseland security guards to literally drag him out of the middle of the pit, and I can almost guarantee you, his leg was broken. As soon as he was clear, they started back up and the “extreme viciousness” continued. Watch the video, it gives you a little taste of it. I think the show was great and I have the bruises to prove it.

Devildriver from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Kataklysm

Who doesn’t like Mid 90’s Garbage Death Metal from Canada? Yep, no one! Well that is exactly what hit the Hawthorne Theater on Wednesday, and while I didn’t expect it to live up to its name it sure as hell did. My roommate James, buddy Mike and I decided that with a name like Kataklysm, and opener like Dying Fetus, and a title track like Prevail, this was a show we weren’t going to miss. When we showed up I think we were as disappointed as the band was to see a mere 60 people at the venue. We had arrived 2 hours after the show began and still the venue was empty, and unfortunately the headliner hitting the stage didn’t change that. These guys were your stereotypical long haired, tattooed, head banging fools, and it sure was entertaining. Check the video below to get a little taste of Kataklysm for yourself.I couldn’t stop laughing the whole night, partially because of how few people there were and partially because of how ridiculous the band was. It was a blast. At a show like this where the crowd is minimal, you often see every single person in the whole venue singing each and every word. This show was no different, as many of the people in attendance were obvious cult Kataklysm fans. Strange!?! Anyway, it wasn’t a total waste of time, but I want to shout out to Mike who actually purchased a ticket to come along with James and I. Thanks a lot buddy.

Kataklysm from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

By A_Niks

Flogging Molly

Flogging Molly sold out 2 weeks before they arrived at the Roseland Theater on October 11th in good ol’ Portland Oregon. Luckily enough I was able to get my buddy Scotty Burk and I in the door last minute. For some reason the capacity crowd of the Roseland always seems to impress me; I think it might be because of the energy that Portland seems to bring to live music as opposed to the sheer numbers that may seem weak to other venues around the country. I have never been a big fan of Flogging Molly’s records, but their live show certainly entertained me. I think I can speak for Scott and me both when I say that these Irish musicians gave the crowd their monies worth. They had a sizable pit, and the guys in the pit were sizable themselves. I don’t understand why their shirts had to come off but with the amount of 300lb guys that were running around with no shirts on sweating their asses off, I found myself in the middle of it for a very short period of time. There was a kid there wearing a kilt, and apparently he had been in attendance last time Flogging Molly graced the Pacific Northwest and Dave King, Flogging Molly’s front man, recognized him and invited him on stage for their final song. I have some video of Connor in all of his glory that will be up soon. The seven piece band drew a crowd and as they left I heard nothing but praises, overall I would say their show was great and I wouldn’t hesitate to see them again.

Flogging Molly from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Gogol Bordello

I work at a gym, and we open at 5:30am. On Wednesday s the Willamette Week is delivered and I often stop and talk with the guy that delivers them about upcoming shows and what not. A few weeks back he asked me if I was going to see Gogol Bordello, and I told him I had no idea who they were. He said “Dude! You have got to go check these guys out.” I followed his advice. My friend Sarah and I went in knowing very little about this band, we knew only their genre… Gypsy Rock?!?! Well, we figured out what that meant right away. These guys were crazy. They had the entire place, which was packed, moving to the sounds of violin, harmonica, accordion, and guitar. I enjoyed the music, which to be honest I didn’t expect, but their show was awesome. The guy on the violin had to be 90 years old. I would recommend checking Gogol Bordello out if you get the chance. I can almost guarantee you will have fun at their live show. Check out the video below and you might get a picture of what I am talking about.


Gogol Bordello from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Jamie Lidell

If you don’t know Janelle Monae or Jamie Lidell, get ready to click on the YouTube bookmark in your toolbar because you need to see these two. Of course you needn’t travel all the way to YouTube when yours truly has supplied you with such great footage right here within the confines of this very blog. Below is some footage from the Jamie Lidell show that you may enjoy, but definitely check these 2 out elsewhere. I downloaded Jamie’s album and checked out Janelle’s website before the show, and I knew that the show was going to be fun right away. What I didn’t expect was to be blown away. I became a fan of Janelle’s on the internet, but when she stage dove into a crowd of maybe 25 kids she became my hero. Jamie is a genius; he mixes beats while on stage and then sings to it. His style was awesome. When I arrived Janelle had 2 songs left. The show was at the Wonder Ballroom, and even with the bar there were maybe 200 people in the whole place. By the time Jamie Lidell got on stage the place was pretty full. Much of the crowd knew every word, but he wasn’t simply playing his album for us, he was remixing it before our eyes. Great show, check out the video.


Jamie Lidell from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.