WSOU Presents: Times of Grace, The Gramercy Theater, 02.22.2011

When asked to describe what a recent concert I attended was like, a whole bunch of words are readily available: awesome, brutal, fun, etc. I have yet to use the word beautiful for a metal show, but I can’t think of any other word than this to recap Times of Grace.

Photo credit: Gabriela Canella

This past Tuesday night, when I entered the Gramercy Theater and watched Adam and Jesse perform, accompanied by their live band, "beautiful" is the only word that kept running through my mind. I have seen them both perform with Killswitch Engage in the past and I know they bring their A-game, but this was something totally different that yielded something totally spectacular.

One of my favorite parts about their new album, The Hymn of a Broken Man, is the lyrics. They are totally uplifting and relatable; Jesse and Adam have a way of taking their pain from their darkest moments and, rather than making their songs complete downers, they turn their experiences into something inspiring and positive. Backed by some of the heaviest musical parts, the album is one of my favorite new releases of the year.

With that being said, the whole live show really intensified all of my prior listening experiences. Anyone in the crowd who listened to Times of Grace play that night felt Jesse and Adam’s pain, made it their own, and released it along with them. Adam and Jesse put so much passion and energy into each word, riff, and beat mading the entire experience truly beautiful. When moments got too serious, Adam lightened things up by doing little dances with Joel or just making funny faces, but even his usual laid back, jokester personality seemed more mature for this project.

One of the most beautiful moments during their performance occurred shortly after their opening song, "Strength in Numbers." The band just finished the song and Jesse was about to speak to the crowd for the first time. He was immediately drowned out by the crowd’s chants of “Jesse! Jesse!” Fans were excited to see him return to New York, and how could they not be? He was appreciative of their excitement and support, and he and Adam humbly acknowledged it and thanked the fans all night.

Jesse’s singing sounded superb and better than ever. I was fortunate enough to witness him sing a few songs on Killswitch’s most recent tour through the area where Phil Labonte (All That Remains) filled in for Howard. He sounded great then, but even better this past Tuesday night. Every clean, melodic lyric sounded perfectly polished and every growl and scream was straight from the heart. Even Adam’s singing parts sounded wonderful live, along with the rest of the band. Every song was well-rehearsed and if there were any mistakes, they were hard to pick out.

Although many were quick to stamp the Killswitch label on this band, especially since 3/5 of the founding members were playing together, the show discredited any of these assumptions. As I've said before, I’ve seen Killswitch multiple times, but this was one side of Adam, Joel, and Jesse that I’ve never seen before. It is no surprise that there was no encore and no Alive or Just Breathing tracks, as some fans wanted after the set. Times of Grace was something completely different than that era of Killswitch and the two could not even be linked together, other than the fact that 3/5 of the lineup was present. This particular show felt very intimate because these guys were putting their deepest, most vulnerable selves out there, but it was definitely well-received. Gramercy was packed tight from early on in the night and the crowd was great the whole way through. You still had your usual moshing, crowd surfing, and singing, but there was a certain grace in the air that just made this show, as metal as it was, beautiful.

Setlist:

1. Strength in Numbers
2. Willing
3. Hope Remains
4. Fight for Life
5. Until the End of Days
6. In the Arms of Mercy
7. Live in Love
8. Worlds Apart
9. The End of Eternity
10. Hymn of a Broken Man
11. Where the Spirit Leads Me

- Yo Gabby Gabby

WSOU's (Not So) Silent Night, Starland Ballroom, 12.19.2010

Photo credit: Fernanda Correia

Now that the holidays are over, here are some photos from WSOU's (Not So) Silent Night on December 19th at the Starland Ballroom. Name the Creature started off the night on a high note, and then turned the stage over to Ashes of Your Enemy, With Daggers Drawn, Thy Will Be Done, A Life Once Lost, and finally, Shadows Fall. All of the bands completely rocked the venue, as WSOU staff members sold merch and mingled with the crowd, and DJ Stracq announced each band before they went onstage. Check out some photos from the event below!

Apologies to Name the Creature, who really got the crowd going, but was not photographed.

Ashes of Your Enemy:

With Daggers Drawn:

Thy Will Be Done:

A Life Once Lost:

Shadows Fall:

Photo credit: Fernanda Correia

Miss May I, School of Rock, 11.26.2010

Upon arriving at the School of Rock, I was a bit more excited than usual. On this night I had to make a decision; I was either going to attend a Bring Me The Horizon show, or I was going to go see Miss May I at the School of Rock and meet the guys before the show. Of course I was going to go to the Miss May I show, since I think I can say I’ve kind of seen them evolve, from playing a side stage at the Bamboozle festival, to opening and touring with The Devil Wears Prada, to headlining their own U.S. tour.

This is another band that has yet to disappoint. I like every song I’ve heard from them, and their live show is just pure energy. From start to finish there was never a dull moment for theses guys. Levi Benton is quickly becoming one of my favorite frontmen in heavy music theses days. Jumping all around stage and putting everything he had into that one show really speaks volumes about what this band wants to do. There’ s no flash of glam with this band--all they want to do is play music they love and have a great time doing it. With two studio albums under their belt they played variety of songs and every one sounded great. But when they band played the songs “Relentless Chaos” and “ Forgive & Forget” I though they were going to bring the house down. It’ s been a while since I’ve seen a crowed react they way they did for these two songs; it really was an awesome sight. Miss May I is definitely a band I'll never pass up the chance to see live.

The Miss May I management was great at helping me set up a photo opportunity for the station. I just want to thank them for everything they have done and cannot wait to work with them again.

- MoJo JoJo

Oceano, Crocodile Rock, 11.08.2010

If anyone has even ventured out to Allentown, Pennsylvania for a show at the Croc Rock, then you already know how amazing it is to see a band of Oceano's monstrous sound. To paint a quick picture: the size of Croc Rock's main floor stage is about the size of half a basketball court. This room was at full capacity when Oceano took the stage. Adam Warren, the vocalist, has a stage presence that just commands respect and attention. His larger than life size goes so well with his deep vocals and made you look twice when he started the set.

Oceano opened with an old sound to really get the room spinning, heavy breakdowns and heavy lyrics in a room packed full of kids waiting to see this band had everyone more than excited. Throughout the set there was a good mix of old and new songs. Seeing as how the band was just a day away from the release of their new album, Contagion, people were dying to hear more new songs, and the band was right there to offer them. One of the songs that really stood out and could be considered the band's single that they are pushing was a song named “Weaponized,” and it is amazing. Keeping right up with the Oceano style, I couldn’t wait to hear the rest of this album. The band played perhaps their most known song “District of Misery” last. From the opening riff to the final scream by Adam, hearing this song in this full-to-capacity room left me with a memory I will never forget. This is one of the hardest working bands, constantly touring and playing shows almost every night. I’m happy to have met the guys from Oceano and will continue everyday to tell people about this band to help them blow up and gain the respect of the heavy music community.

Once again thanks for everyone who made this trip possible, including Oceano's management, who were great and easy to work with.

- MoJo JoJo

Ozzy Osbourne + Halford, Madison Square Garden, 12.01.2010

"Let me see your beautiful hands!"

Rock legends Rob Halford and Ozzy Osbourne rocked Madison Square Garden this Wednesday with the aid of their respective talented band members. The crowd spanned several generations, from the man with the snow-white mustache seated in front of us who whipped out a lighter during "Mama I'm Coming Home" to the small child dancing a row back, who seemed to know the majority of the words to most of Ozzy's songs. Several WSOU staffers, graduated and current, dotted the crowd as well. The show began at 8 p.m. on the dot and continued well past 11, with near-constant entertainment for the crowd.

Halford took the stage first as the opening act, performing several songs of their own as well as a variety of cover songs. Rob Halford proved that he's still got that epic voice, screeching his way through the opening track, "Resurrection," before bringing in that constant interplay of growl and metal legend wail throughout the entirety of his energetic set. The 59-year-old Judas Priest veteran blazed through several tracks before stopping to chat with the audience, thanking them very sincerely and introducing the cover songs that he subsequently launched into--these tracks included a Fleetwood Mac cover, a reinterpretation of Joan Baez's "Diamonds and Rust," and the Judas Priest track "Jawbreaker." After a few more songs, the band members took a group bow, and exited the stage, having gotten the crowd suitably excited for the arrival of the Prince of Darkness.

Before Ozzy took the stage, the audience was treated to a short film that green-screened the sometimes-actor into several movie and TV scenes, which included an Ozzy Avatar, a fight with The Jersey Shore's Snooki, and a scene from Twilight (including the line: "Vampires are p*****s. I'm the Prince of f****n' Darkness!"). The real Ozzy then took the stage, totally conscious of his status as a rock giant, and began to whip up the crowd, starting with the promise that the louder the crowd was, the longer he would keep playing. He then launched into "Bark at the Moon," followed by his newest single, "Let Me Hear You Scream," and a series of tracks interspersed with interludes wherein he would attempt (successfully) to rouse the crowd to make as much noise as possible. The front few rows and the stage itself became a splash zone at several points during the evening, as the singer was given access to a foam-shooting hose and frequently stuck his head in buckets of water that were on the stage, the contents of which were flung into the crowd at the end of the show. Ozzy was in his element, singing, clapping, and smiling as he went through hit after hit. He threw in some Black Sabbath songs, as well, including "Fairies Wear Boots," "War Pigs," and "N.I.B." in the first half of the show.

Shortly after introducing his band members (Gus G. formerly of Firewind [lead guitar], Rob Nicholson [bass], Tommy Clufetos [drums], and Adam Wakeman [keyboard, guitar]), Ozzy took a brief break, during which his band showed off their musical chops with some soloing. Gus G. performed some fancy fretwork and Tommy Clufetos' earned the title of the smiliest damn drummer I've ever seen, keeping the crowd entertained while their singer took a breather. Then he was back with "Iron Man" and several other tracks, including "Flying High Again," Black Sabbath's "Into the Void," and what was ostensibly his closing track, "Crazy Train." He then led the crowd in a chant of "one more song," after which he performed "Mama I'm Coming Home," and then teased the crowd again before rounding out the evening with Black Sabbath's "Paranoid."

Really, though, Ozzy really just wants you to clap your hands, as he reminded the crowd during the instrumental portions of every song--either appealing to metal harshness ("Put those f*****g hands in the air!") or fondness for his audience's enthusiasm ("Let me see your beautiful hands!"). The Prince of Darkness is clearly still kicking and, as he said during the show, "still f*****g crazy."

- G-Rated

(Complete setlists for Halford and Ozzy Osbourne from setlist.fm.)

UnderØath and A Day to Remember, Asbury Park Convention Hall, 11.05.2010

First I just want to thank the whole UnderØath band and crew for being supportive of the station—it was great to meet these guys and really know that bands are also fans of the station. Going down to Asbury Park brought back a lot of great memories from when I was younger. Going to Convention Hall for the “Skate and Surf” three-day festival was great time for me, so it was a blast being able to return here. I got to the show about an hour early because we had set up a picture with the band UnderØath, which was amazing. During this time I was able to have a few words with the guys in the band and they all had the same idea about New Jersey—they loved it. Playing a show in Jersey is a whole different thing for most bands, and this tour featured two bands that happen to be from Florida, but love New Jersey. UnderØath came out on stage full of energy and in a way seemed like they had something to prove. With the departure of long time drummer and last original member, Aaron Gillespie, the band looked like they were giving all they had to please the Jersey kids. They did this without fail. The band played old and new songs, really had a great mix, even playing two songs off the new album that came out on November 9th. It really took the crowed by surprise to see that lead vocalist, Spencer Chamberlin, could take on all of the duties he had inherited, including the clean vocals. All the songs coupled together with a fantastic light show and a video montage of clips that seemed to be very random but just added to their amazing stage presence. UnderØath for some reason always leaves you wanting more at their shows, and this is not a bad thing at all. I would see UnderØath every day if this were possible; they never put on a bad show, and I have yet to hear a song I didn’t like. They are an amazing band and amazing people.

The headliner for the show was A Day to Remember, and this was their very first headlining tour. They had a huge stage with which to prove they earned this opportunity, and they didn’t disappoint. The band coming out and getting the crowd into it from beginning to end was a great sight to see. I remember seeing A Day to Remember years ago playing a small venue in north Jersey to a crowd that fell in love with them. Those fans gave their all, and so did the band. I think this could be a good reason why A Day to Remember loves playing in New Jersey and even named one of their songs off their “Homesick” album after New Jersey. The set included confetti blasters and the band members with huge smiles on their faces, as vocalist Jeremy McKinnon gave out huge thanks between every song, along with praise to the crowd for going all out nonstop during the set. When they slowed it down, you could see that the band really means every word of their songs, and lives by their messages. They also have a new album coming out named “What Separates Me From You” due on November 15th, and I cannot wait to pick it up after hearing a new song at the show. A Day to Remember is a very hard-working band, touring nonstop and always taking time to talk to fans, and still finding a way to put out great albums and amazing live shows. I can’t wait to see them again when they come to New Jersey.

All together this is an amazing tour, it was an amazing show and I highly suggest that everyone go out to see these bands and pick up their new albums. They have never let me down and I’m sure they won’t let you down either. Support local and live music and keep the New Jersey scene alive, because bands love coming here to play unforgettable shows. I’d also like to thank WSOU for making it possible for me to go to these shows.

- MoJo JoJo

11.05.2010: Underoath

WSOU's own MoJo JoJo at Underoath / A Day to Remember at the Convention Hall in Asbury Park, New Jersey last Friday. He snagged this photo with the dudes from Underoath at their tour bus before the show! Stay tuned for a review of the concert, coming this week.