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xxfanfiction-emo-trinityxx · 5 years

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Mutual - Ryan Seaman x Reader

Request: Ryan Seaman x reader where reader is in a band that Ryan really likes and one day they meet and romance ensues?? 💕 Word count: 1 890

Nervously Ryan took a look at his mobile. It was almost 9pm, the opening band had left the stage almost twenty minutes ago, and everything was set for the main band, the Midnight Demons, which he had come to see. Being a musician himself, he knew how much time was needed to get everything ready between bands, but now it had to be only a matter of minutes until the lights would dim, and the main band would enter the stage.

It did not matter how often he had seen that band play already, or that he was often performing on stages just like this one himself, he was excited and nervous, and when finally the lights turned off, and the music that had been playing stopped, he couldn’t help but get on his tiptoes to see better.

The venue was not big, maybe three or four hundred people, and he was well in the first quarter, at the right side of the room, with a perfect view to where you, the guitarist and singer of the band, would be standing. Part of him felt silly, like one of the overexcited teenage girls he met at his own shows. He had never minded them, but the difference between them was that they were about half his age, and he had always felt like it was somehow socially more acceptable for girls to be huge fans of bands.

But that did not change the way he felt about the Midnight Demons.

As far as he knew, they were a few years younger than him, but had been around for ages already. Their music was a mixture of polemic criticism of society and politics, honest face-to-face with everyday problems, and the occasional love ballad. They had drawn him in from the first moment on. And now, years later, he still made sure to catch every concert every time they were close by. Sadly it had almost been year now since he had last seen them play, due to touring himself, but now, that the lights dimmed he could not find it in himself to care about the missed opportunities over the year.

The first one to enter the stage was the drummer. Ryan had always admired his style, it being so very different from his own. The rhythm guitarist and lead singer followed, a young woman with long hair pulled into a messy tail. And then there were you. Your guitar hung around your shoulders as if it was the most natural thing in the world. You strode over to your mic, giving a shy smile to the audience, and plugged your guitar in, before quickly checking all the pedals. How dare you to still smile so shyly while walking on stage after what, ten, fifteen years? Ryan barely noticed the bassist and pianist go on stage as well, because he was watching you.

When he had gotten first into the Midnight Demons, he had only listened to the music, and for a long while he had had no idea what any of you looked like. But he had always loved the harmonies the backing vocals created in mixture with the lead vocals, and he was most definitely in love with the difficult riffs and runs you were playing. Only when he had gone to the very first concert, he had realised that you were not only exceptionally talented, but also incredibly beautiful, and ever since it had been hard for him to focus on anything else as long as you were around.

Soon he got lost in the music, only sometimes stopping to admire your skill when you were playing one of the difficult solos. When the lead singer asked everyone to take out their phone torches for the next song, a love ballade from the new album, he took the chance, and filmed part of the performance at the same time, wanting to have a little piece of recorded memory from the show.

All too soon the concert was over, and only now he noticed how exhausted he was. The set had been long, almost two hours, and from the jumping around, and singing along he was sweaty and thirsty.

After grabbing a drink from the bar, he sat down close to the merch table, waiting for the crowd to disperse so he could grab a shirt and a copy of the new album. Then he would take the bus home, and hopefully not have a muscle ache from jumping around so much, tomorrow.

Once he had finished his drink, most of the people had already left, and only a few still hung around the merch table, so he took the opportunity, and took a look at the different shirt designs. Once he had decided on one, he stepped up the table, almost bumping into a person who had tried to slide past him in just that moment.

“Sorry, sorry,” he quickly apologized, and his heart almost stopped when he recognized the person to be you.

Your hair was wet, and you wore different clothes than on stage. That, plus the smell of shampoo made him assume you had taken a quick shower backstage, and then decided to come out here. As far as he knew you had never done that before, and the rest of the band was nowhere in sight either.

“No problem, nothing happened,” you smiled at him, giving him yet another almost-heart-attack.

Gracefully you slipped behind the merch table, and looked at him expectantly.

“Already decided on what you want?”

It took Ryan a moment to understand that you were asking which article from merch he wanted to get, and he quickly stuttered his answer.

You nodded and turned around to search through the shirts, before eventually pulling out one with the design he had decided on.

“You’re lucky,” you grinned, presenting the shirt to him, letting him check if the print was alright, “this is the last one in your size. We held it back just for you.”

Damn, was he really blushing as hard as it felt like he was? How old was he again? Thirteen?

“And, could I also maybe have a CD, please,” he asked, making you gasp in mock-shock.

“You don’t have the CD already,” you asked wide eyes, but with a grin on your face, “that’s a scandal.”

“Yeah, I’m late; I know,” he admitted, nervously fumbling for his wallet.

“Better late than never, right?”

“I guess so, I mean, I did listen to the music online,” he admitted, making shake your head with a smile.

“That’s cool, thanks,” you answered, “uhm, the shirt and the CD… that makes 35dollars.”

Ryan handed you two twenty dollar notes, and you gave him back five, which almost made his heart sink again, because this meant your conversation was as good as over until he remembered he could ask for a picture. Again he felt like one of the teenage girls who came up to him after his shows with iDKHOW, but he pushed the feeling aside.

“Hey, even if this might be a bit weird, but do you think we could take a picture together?”

You grinned and nodded happily at his question, so he quickly pulled out his mobile while you made your way back around the table next to him. When he had started the camera, you put your arm around his back as if it was the most natural thing in the world, making his heart skip a beat, before he placed his arm around you in return. You were shorter than him, so he angled the camera downwards a little, and when he saw you lean into him, he could not help the fond grin on his face as he quickly snapped a couple of pictures, hoping that at least one of them would turn out not completely blurred.

“Thank you so much, the show was amazing,” he mumbled, when he pulled away again, making you laugh quietly.

“Thank you, I’m glad you had a good time, Ryan.”

Surprised he turned to look at you.

“How do you know my name,” he asked confused, making you laugh again.

“I may or may not be totally in love with iDKHOW,” you confessed, and for a moment he was not sure if it wasn’t your turn to blush now.

“Really,” he asked surprised, finally feeling like he regained some of his confidence.

“Yeah, I was at a couple of shows, I really enjoyed it,” you explained, making him smile embarrassedly.

“Why didn’t you say anything, we could have met up afterwards,” he asked, suddenly feeling like maybe you knew him better than he had originally assumed.

“Because I didn’t know you knew the Midnight Demons,” you asked back, “it only would have been super awkward if you had had no idea who I am.”

Ryan laughed and nodded.

“Yeah, right, you couldn’t have known.”

For a moment you looked at each other hesitantly, before you spoke up again.

“Sooo, I’m thinking… I still have some work to do here, but maybe… I don’t know. This is a stupid idea, forget it” you looked away, and this time Ryan was sure you were blushing.

“No, what were you about to say,” he inquired curiously.

“If you like we could go out for a drink? The rest of the band is already on their way home, but I really feel like staying out a little longer, what do you think?”

Surprised Ryan looked at you. Had you really just asked him out for drinks?

“Uhm, sure, I don’t mind waiting,” he finally stuttered out, making you smile.

“Great, I’ll try to hurry.”

Luckily there were only a couple of fans left, and even though you took the liberty to have a chat with each one of them, you did not take very long, but long enough for Ryan to realise what exactly had happened. You had really asked him to come out for a couple of drinks! He was about to go to a bar, or restaurant, or club, or whatever, with you, one of the people whose skill and character he had admired for years from afar, not to mention that you even knew who he was.

After you had said good bye to the last people, and the guy who had helped sell the merch, you strode over to find Ryan leaning against a wall next to the exit. He had a black leather jacket pulled over his shoulder, and you were wrapped in your own jacket as well, protecting you against the cold outside.

“Shall we,” you asked, and watched as he pushed himself off the wall.

He grinned shyly, and knowing it was directed at you personally made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

“Of course,” he held the door open for you, and together you stepped outside into the night.

“I was thinking we could go to this small pub close by,” you suggested, “it’s kinda cosy, not too loud, and the people mind their own business.”

You pulled a beanie out of your jacket pocket and over your head, Ryan watching closely with, as he was very well aware, an idiotically happy grin on his face.

“Sounds great, lead the way,” he agreed, and side by side you walked down the street into the night.

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doomedandstoned · 7 years

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The Mighty Conan Speaks!

~By Calvin Lampert~

Photos by Elizabeth Gore

Earlier this year I had the honor of interviewing one of modern doom's spearheads, Britain’s almighty CONAN. After crushing my head for a solid hour, I sat down Jon and Chris and a ringing pair of ears to talk about their favorite songs to play live, the state of the scene, and bonding with your family through video games.

Man Is Myth (Early Demos) by Conan

So, how are you guys doing today?

Jon: Good. Thank you!

Chris: Good!

: How has the tour been so far for you?

Jon: Uh, progressively warmer. We’ve been all over the place, driving from one end of Europe to the other.

So this is something I commended you for: you've got this, dare I say, relatively “simple” approach to music, yet you manage to keep it interesting. How do you do it?

Jon: Well, we do change the band members in between albums. (laughs) I don’t really think there is some magic to it. Some of it is skill, I’ll say. We do make a conscientious effort to write music that is different than what we did previously. We want our music to be complimentary, not just a copy. We see each other quite a lot, we sit together, and talk.

Chris: We all live in the same area. I’m pretty much always at Skyhammer [Jon and Chris’ renowned studio] since that’s where I work, and Jon lives there.

Jon: And, well Rich [Lewis, ex-drummer as of August 2017] lives in Cardiff, but we get together often.

Photo by Sally Townsend

Which makes me wonder, Jon, are you involved in any of the studio work?

Jon: No, not really.

Chris: Jon makes me a cup of coffee.

Okay, let’s talk lyrics. The title track off your last record was a bit different from the kind of “swordcery” stuff you usually do. A lot more negative in tone, less reliant on the fantasy themes. Is that something you wanna continue in the future?

Jon: Well, it’s actually still written in the same world as the rest of the songs and it’s not personal, we just wanted to flip the world around. Everything so far was about triumph and victory, and we felt like changing up things. Maybe we’ll continue with it in the future. It was enjoyable to write that song.

One more noticeable change with 'Revengeance' was how different the pacing was. Did you choose Rich deliberately since you were trying to write faster stuff, or did that happen naturally once he was in the band?

Jon: I don’t think we did deliberately.

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And what is your favorite song to play live?

Jon: Well at the moment I guess me and Chris will both agree on "Thunderhoof." It was such a fun song to write too, it’s essentially a hymn to our old touring van and the lyrics pretty much describe us driving to a show and playing on stage. You know, mounting the horse's back, battle hammer in hand.

Man, I loved "Thunderhoof." It was probably my favorite song off 'Revengeance.' Can you tell me a bit about DOS, your new side project?

Jon:Well, we recorded one full length demo. The idea behind DOS is to create music that is more stripped down than Conan.

Oh, so it is a drone record?

Jon: Yeah. Conan could’ve gone in one of two directions and it obviously went into the one it is right now, but the energy I had back then could’ve also been channeled into something slower like drone. I was happy with the direction that Conan was going, but I still had the urge to try out the slow stuff. I got together with Kurokuma’s drummer, Joe E. Allen, in the studio to write really simple, heavy songs.

I initially assumed that DOS, based on the name and logo, would be some kind of dungeon synth thing, but Joe was fast to correct me on that. It still leaves curious about the story behind the name and logo, though.

Jon: Well, I’m not 100% sure yet if I will include them, but the lyrics and themes of DOS obviously center around videogames and all that. MS DOS, you know.

One of my friends really wanted to know more about your gear. What kind of strings and tuning do you use?

Jon: We tune to dropped F and the guitar tuning is F, C, F, A#, D, G. Bass is F, C, F, A#. On the guitar I use a D'Addario .8 bottom string and then the next five string are the first five strongs of a set of GHS Boomers, I think some special edition -- the Axl Rose set (laughs) -- and I use them on my Gibson Les Paul. I got the Les Paul in a deal when I swapped an amplifier. Then we took it on tour and I fell in love with it. I said, "This sounds really nice."

You’ve turned into quite a businessman over the years with Black Bow, Skyhammer, Atlantean Merch and Conan. At what point did you realize that you could make a living from music?

Jon: Well, I definitely couldn’t make a living just out of Conan. Conan is more of a hobby now, I would say, but with everything added together we get by fine. I gave up on a well-paid job so I could play music. Of course, some wanker will say I gave up a well-paid job so I could play music. I’m really happy I made that choice, because it means I also get to spend more time with my family and kids. I think you should diversify in your life.

Photo by Sally Townsend

And how do you keep yourself level-headed? There must be so much stuff going on with the label, Conan and Skyhammer.

Jon: Oh, I am definitely not levelheaded! Everybody will tell you that I am the most impulsive, annoying person around. I have more ideas than I have shits in a week, and not many of them come to fruition. There was a time not so long ago when I said to Chris: “You know what, I wanna become a mastering engineer.” And within 24 hours I decided to scrap that plan. I would’ve been the worst master engineer ever, and I got tinnitus.

Suppose that’s inevitable when you play that kind of music. Speaking of which, besides metal and all, what else do you listen to?

Jon: Well, all sorts, pop, acoustic stuff.

Chris: I do enjoy some folk and jazz on the side.

I wanted to get back to the lyrics again. Is there any franchise, game, movie, book whatever that you’d love to write a song about in the future?

Jon: Oh, there’s tons of games. Shinobi. Ghosts n’ Goblins. Strider for the Sega Megadrive. There’s millions of games that I could work with.

Chris: RoadRash.

Oh, that would be glorious!

Jon: (laughs) And of course Sonic the Hedgehog. We haven’t really done anything on Altered Beast yet, so that one’s probably going to happen.

Ah, wasn’t that the name you used to play a secret show in Paris?

Jon: Yeah, exactly!

Photo by Sally Townsend

And so far, how many of your songs have been inspired by games?

Jon: Off the new album, Wrath Gauntlet definitely is, some lines in Throne of Fire. Altogether probably 15% of our music. We’re mostly inspired by the scenes in the games.

And what do you play?

Jon: Well, Skyrim all the time. My son and I, we text each other all the time: “Have you got that sword or done that quest?” It’s great to connect and have a part of my life that is on exact the same level as his. I really value that time. I got the new Gauntlet one the PS4, that one’s a lot of fun.

Calvin: That’s awesome! I’ve spent countless hours amassing unique weapons and armor in Skyrim, I’m a lootwhore myself. Alright, this question is a bit different, but I always get some great answers: If you were a demon, which five objects would one have to place in a pentagram to summon you?

Chris: Well for me, first of something related to motorbikes. Maybe throw a guitar in as well. I love me some bikes.

Jon: In direct contrast to that: a leper's hand, a book written by a dying man, the first and third toes from a liar.

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Film by Billy Goate

So, what’s in store for Conan in the future? When can we expect a new record?

Jon: Early next year hopefully.

And where do you see Conan in five years?

Jon: Ideally, we will still tour, play cool show, write good music and hopefully still enjoy it, regardless whether the scene is still popular or not.

Which brings me to my next question: What’s your take on the state of the scene? Do you think the boom will continue?

Jon: I think it won’t last much longer for some bands. These bands get pushed upon people and they’re not that good. They think they’re cool, they think they fit into the genre, when in fact they do not. As soon as the trend moves on, so will these bands. There’s a lot of people that latch on due to the popularity of this sort of music, and it’s not just bands, it’s also managers and the likes, flying around like flies around a pile of shit; letting a lot of people down, messing with their futures. It’s annoying, and hopefully when this sort of music may still be popular but less trendy a lot of these people will go and do something else. We don’t really need them.

Photo by Sally Townsend

What are some smaller bands, maybe from your own regional scene that you think people should check out?

Chris: Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard from Wales. They're really good. I think that band, they're taking the blueprint sort of thing and putting a different spin on it. They've got good riffs, but the other thing they bring to it is the vocals -- they're really, really interesting. They're a really good band.

Jon: Boss Keloid is pretty cool, too. Slomatics, you probably know about them. You've got Drought, as well, with Conan's ex-bass player, Phil.

Chris: Iron Witch.

Jon: Biggus Riffus -- they're probably one of the heaviest band we've played with.

Chris: I feel bad for not being able to remember more right at this moment.

Jon: One More Victim. I like to call it cakedown instead of breakdown, because it is so heavy. And so many more bands that I cannot think of right now. Tons of great stuff you can find through the web nowadays.

Photo by Sally Townsend

I love me some Boss Keloid and Slomatics. Alright, one last question, a cheesy one. If you were to ride into battle, what would be your weapon of choice, and which beast would you mount?

Jon: I would ride into battle on a pogo-stick made of mammoth spines. And my weapon of choice would be a razor-sharp spiders net which I would use to penetrate people through the face.

Chris: I would probably surf in on the back of an eagle, and the eagle is on fire, and I would use a massive sword that is forged from the heart of a volcano, since I wanna keep it simple.

Sounds like a very effective way to strike terror in the hearts of your enemies.

Chris: I probably would have to wear some sort of fire-proof clothing.

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hansolvrnonchwe · 7 years

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My Diamond Edge Experience

, alright im just gonna list off everything that happened

so we got there at like 3

and the concert didnt start until 7

so we were waiting for quite awhile

there were a lot of people selling merch but i didnt want to spend too much money because i wanted to buy official merch

which they didnt sell btw just a warning

i was pissed

but anyway, everyone was super sweet

and there were so many people wearing rose quartz and serenity

i was wearing black lmao

but people were handing out free bracelets and stuff

and this girl saw that i was wearing my vernon shirt and she gave me vernons 17 Carat black ver. postcard and a Going Seventeen photocard and then she took a selfie w me and my friend

she was just so sweet

whoever you are, i love you.

and i ended up getting some pretty vernon fanart, a seungcheol photocard, and a Hoshi fan pack (which I did pay $10 for)

i ended up meeting the producer from Form of Therapy which is a v good Youtube channel

my voice cracked so much tho lmao

and he filmed me for a youtube video and i was sO AWKWARD I WANT TO DIE OH MY GOD

i will actually be surprised if he uses the footage

anyway, after several hours we finally got into the venue

i actually saw god when that air conditioner hit me

we went to our seats after realizing there wasnt gonna be merch

and while we were waiting for it to start they were playing the mvs for Very Nice, Check In, Healing, Adore U, Love Letter, Mansae, BoomBoom, and Pretty U all on a loop

and the crowd was so hyped during the MVs alone man

and it finally hot 7:00 and suddenly they played Love Letter again

but it was out of order

so we knew something was going on

and the after Love Letter they played Dont Wanna Cry and everyone freaked the fuck out because it was the first time they played it

and so we all stood up and after the music video the lights went out

and i swear to i god i was so shooketh

seventeen came out on stage after a dramatic opening and began Pretty U

and it was so loud

i couldnt even hear myself speak

and i tried to wave my lightstick but it had no batteries because im dumb

and they performed a few more songs before pausing to introduce themselves

hoshi was so cute oh my god

he kept yelling “HOSHI’S BACK”

throughout the entire concert

it was sssoooooo cute

joshua and vernon obviously spoke in english the whole time but the rest of the members spoke in korean and had a translator which was rlly cool

they taught us a fanchant where they would yell “SEVENTEEN CARAT”

and we would clap twice and put our hands to the side and say “EDGE”

it was great

performance unit performed OMG, Highlight, and Swimming fool

and nobody knew the rlly fast highlight fan chant but me and this one girl

and we made eye contact 2 rows apart whilst screaming seventeens names at the top of our lungs

it was magical

hip hop unit performed If I, Check In, and Vol. 14 from the mixtape

ive said it many times but seungcheol had me so shook

he went fucking IN during Check In

damn b

vocal unit performed Habits, a spooky version of Dont Listen in Secret, and We Gonna Make it Shine

Dont Listen in Secret is one of my all time favorite songs

and the spooky version made it so much better

its so underrated

they all performed great bops

like Crazy in Love and Chuck and stuff

and then they stopped to talk again and they were like “yo we’re gonna leave after this song but we love you”

AND I WAS DEVASTATED

because the main songs they hadn’t performed were Don’t Wanna Cry and Healing

and I knew they were gonna perform Don’t Wanna Cry

but i was looking forward to healing so much because its my favorite

so anyway

they performed Don’t Wanna Cry

and then left stage

and a video of them all talking about what Carats mean to them started playing w smile flower playing the the bg

everyone was crying

mingyu was like “you guys are my oxygen”

and it was hella cheesy but i cried anyway

and then the video ended

anD THEY CAME BACK ON STAGE AND WE WERE SHOOK

AND THEY WERE LIKE “IT’S NOT REALLY OVER BITCHES”

and they performed Shining Diamond

i swear to god ive never screamed “I know I’m only seventeen I only got a few dollars” so loud

and then they performed Healing and i was emo bc its my favorite

and seungcheol got on dino’s back and i was living

and then they all did speeches and stuff

and it was so cute i was hella emo

“HOSHI’S BACK”

hoshi did aegyo

we all wanted to die but oh my god i saw hoshi doing aegyo live

so the concert ended fr

and they left stage

and us hi touch people stayed in our seats while everyone left

it took like 30-45 minutes for hi touch to actually start

but it was probably so seventeen could rest

when it finally started the line moved quick

security were a bunch of assholes

we were ushered through there, man

Joshua was the first in line and he asked me how i was and we all know how soft and pretty his voice is but oh my god let me just say his voice is so soft and pRETTY I WAS SPEAKING TO AN ANGEL

seungcheols hair was wet and when i touched his hand i squeeled and he gave me a look of concern

my friend was in front of me and she said “layla calm down” in front of vernon

and vernon looked so confused

but then he got to me and he was like “ah yes, that makes sense”

it was so embarrasing i hate myself

at the very end minghao was thanking everyone and i got to hold his hand and tell him i love him and asdfghjkl hes so perfect

i blanked out for most of the hi touch and i dont remember most of it because of how shitty security was

they were yelling and pushing us through so fast

uughhhh i wish i couldve filmed

overall i did enjoy it a lot

it just wasnt super memorable because of how fast we were going

like i literally dont remember interacting with most of the members

im really mad

but anyway as soon as we got out there was a girl on the floor sobbing

which i wouldve done too if i wasn’t so disappointed with my hi touch tbh

but afterwards this girl went up to my friend and was like “did you do the hi touch?”

and my friend was like “yeah”

and the girl was like “cAN I TOUCH YOUR HAND?”

and my friend was like “yeah”

and the girl screamed

and it sounds really weird but i promise it was adorable

and from there the night ended and ive never wanted to die more because of post concert depression

a summary: mmt sucks, carats are the sweetest fandom ever, HOSHI’S BACK, seventeen will literally fuck you up live, its def worth it, my love for hansol was reinforced, seungcheol needs to chill, and hi touch was enjoyable but it also sucked and now i wanna die

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spdk1 · 6 years

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I’ve done a bad job of keeping up with concert reviews as of late, but I wanted to definitely post a bit about the one I attended this past weekend in order to get everything back on track. I wanted to first mention that I saw this in Lawrence, Kansas at a theater called The Granada, and for small shows around this area there is literally no better venue. I’ve been to my fair share of shows at tiny bars where it’s 300 degrees and you leave the show completely deaf because you are basically laying on the monitors and there are 5 sets of back-filled gear resulting on each band having a postage stamp sized spot to stand on.

The Granada has none of this, the sound is solid, there’s plenty of room for the bands, and I’ve never left with serious issues do to my ears wanting to die nor do I usually have to wear earplugs and I’ve seen some LOUUUUD stuff there. I jumped at the chance to see this show since I am a big fan of Deafheaven, but the rest of the show was a mystery to me. This was largely due to the fact that I was unfamiliar with the supporting acts, I knew they are from three very different genres, and I wasn’t sure what sort of crowd would be in attendance. What I will say in short is that weird shows like this are awesome, and I hope to see more like this.

Uniform

Uniform, a New York Based band that mixes trappings from industrial and hardcore into a relentless sonic attack, were first up. The band recently gained a bit of notoriety for having two tracks included into an episode of the re-launched Twin Peaks show on Showtime, hot off of this, they have a new album coming out and I will likely be getting it after this show. While I’m not usually a big fan of 80’s hardcore, somehow mixing the vocal trappings of that with industrial somehow helps make that style of music, which can sometimes be very harsh, even harsher, bleaker, and more relentless. Michael Berdan’s vocals hit like some sort of angry slam poetry, ranting about the ills of society, touching on inequality, the media and even religion. If any of that seems up your alley, I’d recommend checking them out (posting a video below) and if you get to see them, Berdan is a really nice dude and took time out to talk to fans at the merch table.

Drab Majesty

Next up was a Goth / Darkwave band called Drab Majesty – I absolutely love this type of music but have never really had a chance to see any of it live since it’s relatively underground, and cool concerts always happen on days of the week where I have to work. Donned in all white with make-up and large sunglasses on, this California-based two piece is a deliberate throwback to the 80’s both in sound and look. The band seemed to have a huge following at the show which is easily to understand considering that they ooze a mysterious vibe that I can only assume gets them legions of female fans that enjoy dark mysterious alien dudes.

The highlight of their set is a song where the lead singer, Deb Demure, strapped a bright light to his chest and performed basically blinding whomever he was directly facing. While this sounds annoying, it was actually a cool effect with the fog machines going, and made them seem even more mysterious than they already are. Perhaps the one way that I knew this band had something special was that one of my good friends, that normally only likes metal, actually enjoyed the set quite a bit due to it’s quirky nature and being something different.

Once again, here is an example of the band’s music.

Deafheaven

When I got “back into music” a handful of years ago, I mostly got really into going over to Bandcamp’s “atmospheric Black Metal” subgenre section and simply scouring over endless pages of crazy bands that I haven’t heard of. Many bands from this period have become some of my favorite current bands – groups like Ghost Bath, Panopticon, Drudkh, Wolves in the Throne Room, and Deafheaven are always on my rotation. I’m drawn to many of these bands because they are usually a lot more melodic than standard black metal (which I also like) and are more willing to experiment much to the derision of gatekeepers of the metal scene.

Deafheaven, in particular, seem to always get jabbed at by metal elitests since “they aren’t metal enough”. After this concert I will say that those guys are all buffoons. I have seen a lot of shows, and I have literally never seen a crowd mosh as hard as what happened during Deafheaven. It was a weird thing since the band is known for long-form songs with trippy interludes that absolutely glow with optimism and possibly weariness. Suddenly this would break and all hell would break lose – people were doing windmills, ninja kicks, the whole gamut.

I was also VERY impressed with the stage presence of George Clarke, the band’s lead singer. In the music videos, even the one I will post below, you don’t see much of the band performing – some of the newer ones show the guys recording an album and driving classic cars around. But, good lord does this guy have it. Jumping around like some sort of black metal Mick Jagger, Clarke was absolutely crazy to watch. Much like when I was able to see Wolves in the Throne Room earlier this year, I was blown away by these guys.

Here’s a video

Concert Review: Uniform, Drab Majesty, Deafheaven 8-4-18 I've done a bad job of keeping up with concert reviews as of late, but I wanted to definitely post a bit about the one I attended this past weekend in order to get everything back on track.

#concert #Deafheaven #Drab Majesty #Granada #Lawrence KS #music #Uniform

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dentsolivier · 7 years

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Thurston Moore Group @ La Sala Rossa July 18, 2017

Thurston Moore, creeping towards 60, shows Montreal that you don’t need a fancy guitar to be a rock star. The first thing you notice from the Fender he played most of the evening, was the lack of switches and buttons, which apparently decided to pursue a life of ease. If his guitar was in a fight, I assumed it lost, as it seemed to have seen better days. Thurston and his bandmate Lee Ranaldo (whom visited our city in January) are known for having a plethora of guitars, unorthodox tunings and can milk any sound out of them. While tonight, only two guitars dared to join him on stage, they did live up to their promise.

Doors opened at 8:00, but apparently, the doors where in another time zone and only opened a few minutes before 9:00 PM.

Jessica Moss

Jessica Moss came on stage, solo with her violin and sample pedals. She told us she would only play one song, but it was 25 minutes long. The song would tell the story, musically, about refugees going from danger to safety.

Thurston is all about experimentation, and Jessica did her own. As she started, we felt the desert heat hit our faces, like we were leaving an exotic bazaar to go on a journey. Her song felt like a movie soundtrack, but unfortunately, I wasn’t there to watch a movie. At several points, you could hear some loud laughing. I don’t think it was directed at Jessica, but it was a little distracting none the less. While her set wasn’t my cup of tea (actually, I’m more of a coffee guy…) it was cool for certain parts. I did not however enjoy the layers of vocals, which to me took me out of the soundtrack and wondering how much longer this was going to be. The cheers from the crowd proved that many appreciated the journey even if I wanted off after 10 minutes.

Thurston started quietly with “Cease Fire” which quickly gave us that “Sonic Youth” feel that we all love. The songs would lead to jams and feedback then return like a small detour from the scenic route back to the recognizable song.

Thurston Moore

Right before Thurston started, an amateur photographer barges through in front of me. I can only assume he is an amateur as he literally would snap no less than 200 shots per song. His little handheld camera being pushed to the limit. For the first half of the show, all I saw was his elbow propped up as he snapped away furiously getting shot after shot of the same man, at the same angle. I have a lot of respect for photographers, our site has some of the best photographers in Montreal and I’m always blown away at the shots they can get in the three songs they are allowed to shoot. A professional gets the money shot, moves on. Happily, an opportunity arose when someone left and as starred at his little camera, replaying the last shot, I made my move and got in front of him, where I could finally enjoy the rest of the show. At least he didn’t use a flash, as that would have put me over the edge (where I would politely ask him to get a life).

As Thurston starts the first notes of “Speak to the Wild”, the crowd is audibly pleased. You can tell Thurston is in the zone, eyes closed during the jamming sessions, fully immersed in the experience, just as the sold-out crowd joins him on this voyage.

Thurston Moore

“Smoke of Dreams” take it down a notch with a mellow groove and soft voice. Thurston would take his time between songs, have some light banter with the audience, even crossing the stage to shake the hand of a female fan who asked how he was doing.

They ended the set with Exalted which crescendos into a heavier version of itself.

The encore consisted of “Ono Soul” from the 1995 Psychic Hearts. Although only 9 songs were played tonight, we felt we had a full show. The songs would go from the structure we recognize to a journey of expression through different levels of intensity before settling back into the structure. Each song takes a life of its own, a 12” version so to speak.

Thurston Moore Group

The set was barely over, and Thurston bounces out of the back stage to the merch booth to sign records and take pictures with fans (myself included). Ten years my senior, this man is electrified by the night and energy is still pouring through his veins. His appreciating of the fans does not go unnoticed and I’m sure the merch sold more than those bands that isolate themselves.

Exhausted Fender

The sold out crowd lingers outside, still buzzing from a great experience. I can’t help thinking of our annoying photographer who will have to go through 2000 fuzzy shots and wonder why he can only remember Thurston from the angle of his viewfinder.

SetList

Cease Fire Turn On Feedback Jam Speak to the Wild Cusp Smoke of Dreams Aphrodite Exalted

Encore

Ono Soul

Review & Photos– Randal Wark is a Professional Speaker and Business coach with a passion for live music. You can follow him on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.