WSOU at SXSW in Austin, Texas!

Whitechapel with The Acacia Strain, Chelsea Grin, Veil of Maya, and I Declare War, Starland Ballroom, 02.18.2011

MoJo JoJo with I Declare War

I Declare War was the first of the bands on the “Welcome to Hell” tour to play. And for the lowest-billed band, they had quite a crowd going. I entered Starland just as their set started and instantly I saw a pit clear out and I went straight in. They had a limited set and played a few songs of the 2010 release Malevolence and even a few songs of off their first release Amidst the Bloodshed. I was glad they played my favorite song “Federal Death Alliance.” They had the mosh pit going crazy for the full set, and rightfully so considering how their music is nonstop brutality.

MoJo JoJo with Chelsea Grin

Chelsea Grin went on right after I Declare War. IDW put on a brutal set and left the crowd ready for more. Now, I’ve seen Chelsea Grin twice previously, and those performances were characterized mainly by small disinterest crowds and problems with the sound. This time, however, when Chelsea Grin started off with their single off of their 2010 release Desolation of Eden, “Recreant,” the pit cleared out instantly and the quality was great so I knew this was already my favorite performance by them. “Recreant” is their most brutal song by far. The final breakdown lasts about 45 seconds and is pure violence. The band went on to play “Crewcabanger” off of their self titled EP. Once again, the final breakdown is absolutely nuts. Both songs were played well and the vocals were pretty close to how they sounded on the album, a task that is not easy considering the necessary range. One gripe I have with the set is that they played their 2 best and hardest songs right off the bat. But that doesn’t mean the rest of the set wasn’t fantastic. It’s just that when you use up the best breakdowns you have, the crowd, and more importantly the mosh pit, lose their momentum. Great performance overall though.

MoJo JoJo with Veil of Maya

Veil of Maya went on after Chelsea Grin, and this band had the crowd buzzing. They haven’t played a Jersey venue in a while and this would be my first time seeing them. They were probably the one minor “misfit” on the bill for the show, since they have more of a technical style while the rest of the bands had a clear breakdown-based style. They went fast from the beginning of their set and didn’t slow down one bit. One thing that I really like is that they used this eerie noise in between songs to make their set flow; it gave a really uneasy feeling that is somewhat welcoming at a deathcore show. The band members played their respective instruments extremely well and there were no noticeable mishaps. Very good performance, I cannot wait to see these guys again!

MoJo JoJo with The Acacia Strain

As always, thanks so much to all of the great tour managers I was able to meet, who made it very easy to set up the photos and banner signing.

- MoJo JoJo & Deeps

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.)