Category: Uncategorized

Purged in fire!

The Rock Orchestra brought the Arena of Fire tour to St Louis Music Park last Friday with haunting renditions of well-known rock and metal songs. The arrangements and costumes were done to a T, bringing the gothic feel to the St Louis stage. This time, though, they brought fire; pyrotechnics were used in nearly every song.   

Starting with Zeppelin and running all the way through System of a Down and Metallica, the orchestra covered everything in between.  My favorites were easily Korn’s “Freak on a Leash” and The Cranberries’s “Zombie.” So much feeling and action on the stage…and fire. So, so much fire. While the music drove the show, and the singers carried us through the night, it was the Fuel Girls that brought the heat with their pyro performance! They were fantastically complimentary to the show’s outstanding flow and vibe.

Catch this tour before it heads back to Europe!

“Brutal” is the best way to describe the Amonklok Conquest Tour as it sailed into The Factory for their St. Louis stop. Heavy metal monsters Dethklok and Amon Amarth teamed up to bring hours of furiously heavy guitar riffs with bellow drums and guttural vocals.

Taking the stage first, though, was the surprise of the night. Castle Rat, walking straight out of Dragonslayer, took the stage in what was arguably one of the most fun sets I have seen to date; each member has their own persona: The Rat Queen, The Count, The Plague Doctor, The Druid, and the scythe-wielding Rat Reaperess. While only playing four songs, the intermixed story, the ensuing battle between the band members, and the rat and music made for fantastic theatrics and song. Inspired by Frank Frazetta’s art, this band is well worth seeing live.   

But… soon the rowing started, and longships arrived, laying siege to the castle and all those within. Amon Amarth took the stage with a curtain drop and brutal bellows of their drums. Hegg’s vocals powered the band through their set, filled with crowd favorites like “Raven’s Flight” and “War of the Gods” with a power that shook the walls.   Drinking from his viking horn, the crowd surged, chanted, rowed, and embraced their inner viking.  

The longships left, though, momentarily leaving a stillness on the stage. A flicker of light, and then the Tribunal was seen on screen. Dethklok had returned, and once again, they set off with the most dastardly of intentions. Darkness enveloped the crowd and lightning cracked, the screen flickered, lights exploded, and members of the band flashed on screen, and the crowd started chanting:  “Deth!” “Klok!” and brutal hell broke loose! Starting with the “Deththeme,” the crowd become part of the next episode of Metalacolypse, rolling into each song as fan-favorite characters ushered the story line through to completion.

It was a night not to be missed by two heavy hitting acts and a very pleasant surprise with Castle Rat. Links to the set lists are below. 

Castle Rat

Amon Amarth

Dethklok

Ruel opened his set in San Francisco by stepping through his signature red door, immediately setting the tone for the night. He was joined on stage by his guitarist and drummer. Ruel made every moment count, performing songs from his EP Kicking My Feet with older favorites, while also sharing the exciting news that a continuation album, Kicking My Feet & Screaming, is on the way soon.

As the night came to an end, Ruel surprised the crowd with a cover of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper, before closing with “Kicking My Feet”. My personal favorites were “Dazed & Confused”, “YOU AGAINST YOURSELF”, and ” GROWING UPS IS __”. And Judging by the crowd, I wasn’t the only one. The fans moved with the music, sang with the people they came with, and left with memories they wouldn’t soon forget.

25 years melted away for the concert last weekend when Mudvayne brought their raw style to The Factory STL with Static X and Vended.  Opening with “Dig” and powering through the rest of L.D. 50, their debut album, on this 25th anniversary tour, the crowd was engaged and pushed to the brink of frenzy. Already hyped from Static X’s monstrous performance, fifteen nu metal songs from the Peoria based band fueled everyone on, and lead singer Chad Gray left everything on stage.

With just under 2 months now until Same Same But Different kicks off, we are super excited about all of the unique and interactive activities and workshops being announced!

Aside from all the wonderful music and art acts we are all so stoked to experience, SSBD offers over 50 interactive workshops to “create the moments in between the music – the ones where real connection and transformation happen.” -Brad Sweet (Co-Founder of SSBD) 

Whether that be something that you and your friends already love to do or to go and experience something new and exciting with all of the beautiful SSBD family, there is something for everyone in all walks of life!

At the forefront of the workshop lineup is LSDream’s iconic Lightcode session which we are definitely not going to be missing! This meditative and transcendent experience will be a perfect interlude to recharge the body and mind. LSDream first started this Lightcode project back in late 2020 and is a guided meditation which immerses “participants in a deeply personal exploration of consciousness and sonic alchemy.” -SSBD Festival

Pro tip: Get there early! This is an extremely popular event.

Photos by Jacquelyn Diaz

Some of the other workshops that we are super excited to go check out are Amplified Yoga which will be led by Donovan McGrath, Live Looping with Jeff Jacobs, and Snake Therapy with Winter. We will be sure to also leave time to explore around all the different activities in the Family Garden which offers immersive and creative activities for all ages.

Check out the workshop lineup below!

See you soon at SSBD!

Written by: Ryan Johnson

Mexican rock band The Warning played in Chicago on July 22 with openers Speed of Light. Fun fact, both bands are comprised of siblings! The Warning’s sister trio wrapped up their Keep Me Fed world tour the following night in Minneapolis, so if you missed them on this tour, you’ll have to catch them at the next!

Photos by Jerry McGrath.

It’ll be our first year attending the Same Same But Different festival in California, and we’ve heard nothing but good things!

Photo: 2024 Same Same But Different

While we’re stoked that we’ve attended a lot of fun festivals, some definitely stand out more than others. This one has a special feel, more intimate vibe, so much art and plenty of curated workshops, and the location seems unbeatable!

The lineup was the first pull to the festival, with headliners LSZEE (Clozee and LSDream), Zeds Dead and Dr. Fresch. These are all some of our favorites, especially with the new RSIH album dropped earlier this year by ZD. There’s new LSZEE music coming out this week as well, the Enigma mixtape. There’s a ton of undercards we’re stoked for as well, such as WonkyWilla, The Sponges, ParkBreezy, and Habitaat.

Aside from the music, we’re really stoked on all the extra activations. There will be a plethora of activities to choose from for everyone in the group, daily yoga classes, breathwork, movement classes and soundhealing workshops. After some downtime to reconnect and recharge the area will be ready for the parties. Since the festival is on a lake, there’s going to be beachside float parties, an island excursion for day parties, surprise sets, and more.

Photo: 2024 Same Same But Different Beach Side Parties @gucciphoto.jpg

We’re counting down the days until we arrive and can’t wait to keep you updated!

Written By: Ryan Johnson

The Used just kicked off their 25h anniversary tour and I embarked on a road trip to Detroit, Michigan to catch night 1 of 3. For this tour, The Used is playing 3 nights in each city, with each night featuring a different album in full. Albums include their 2001 self-titled, In Love and Death (2004), and Lies for the Liars (2007).

Since I was traveling from Cleveland, I had the tough choice of deciding which of the 3 nights to attend. Ultimately, I decided on night 1 featuring The Used’s self-titled album. Twenty-five years later, The Used continues to have an extremely dedicated fan base which spans a range of ages and generations. At one point during the show, lead singer Bert McCracken even invited a young kid on stage to join for a song.

As a life-long fan of The Used, this performance was deeply personal for me and it was a thrill being in the photo pit and alongside the front row. There’s something unique about shows that feature an entire album from start to finish. This format replicates the way many of us fans first encountered the music: on CDs! The core memories that came flooding back when the first notes hit is quite indescribable. I’m sure many readers can connect with the experience of profoundly loving an album that shaped your youth or got you through tough times and The Used is one of those bands for me. It was an honor to scream the words to all the songs on this incredible album. Some popular fan favorites included “The Taste of Ink” and “Buried Myself Alive,” and the band ended with a high energy performance of “Choke Me.”

If The Used is coming to your general area, I highly recommend you make it to at least one of the 3 nights. Check out photos from the show below!