Tag Archives: Columbus

Evan Lovett @ Hell City

Maybe some of you remember the interview I did with Evan Lovett earlier this year.  He is an amazing artist and happens to do some amazing tattoos as well.  It was a fun interview from a guy who gave me an amazing tattoo while I was in Austin for Fun Fun Fun Fest.

Evan Lovett is actually going to have a booth at Hell City in Columbus, OH from May 4th to the 6th.  If you are going to be in the area that weekend, I highly suggest you stop at his booth and say hello.  The guy is super friendly and will actually have some prints for sale. 

Lovett actually still has a few appointments open at Hell City.  If you are interested in getting an amazing tattoo from Lovett, email him at elovettart@gmail.com to see what he still has open. 

Concert Review: Frank Turner – Outland On Liberty – Columbus, OH – 02/22/2012

It’s a known fact:  If you speed, you risk a good chance of getting caught.  I can tell you this first hand seeing how I was speeding down I-71 Wednesday evening on my way to see Frank Turner in Columbus.  I was just outside of the state capitol cruising at about 80 m.p.h. not paying attention at all when I saw, out of the corner of my eye, a state trooper shooting my car with his laser gun.  We made eye contact immediately after, and I knew I was screwed.

In a flash, the trooper was tailing my car down I-71 and the moment I switched lanes thinking that maybe, just maybe he would pull the guy over in front of me, he switched lanes again and turned his lights on.

Crap.

I knew I was speeding and was at fault, so I pulled over and waited for the trooper to approach my car and tell me what I already knew.  I tried to tell the state trooper that I was just cruising along and not paying attention to my speed because of how excited I was to be seeing Frank Turner at a venue in Columbus.  The trooper looked at me and asked who Frank Turner was.  I wanted to tell him all about one of my favorite musicians and persuade him to let me off the hook, but just told him that he was a punk rocker folk artist from England.  The trooper smiled at me and told me that he would be back in a moment with my ticket.

Shit.

So, my trip to Columbus from Akron cost me an extra $130 and I have no one to blame but myself.  Then again, if the trooper knew who Frank Turner was, maybe he would have shared his excitement with me and let me off.  After bidding the trooper a farewell, I jumped back on to the highway and made it to the Outland on Liberty.

Having never been to this venue before, I was not sure what to expect at all.  Hell, I had to ask a parking attendant where is was only to feel like a complete idiot when he pointed to the building directly across the street.  To be fair, it was my first time to the brewery district.

Outside, the Outland did not really resemble a venue at all.  Granted Turner’s tour bus was parked in front of it, I did not notice a sign for it nor did it look like your typical concert club.  There was also a Eiffel Tower metal-looking structure in a patio area that towered over everyone that stood out.  I was not sure what the significance was at all, perhaps a tribute.  Walking inside though, I had a completely different impression of the concert venue.  The place looked like what would happen if Austin Powers’ clubhouse turned into a goth club.  Crosses adored the walls and there was a giant tiered stage full of lights.  It was interesting and to be honest, I kind of dug it.

While asking myself if that stage was for real, I realized that there was in a completely different room that hosted the main stage.  Once I made my way to the stage area, I felt a little better about seeing Turner and crew play a normal stage and not a plexi-glass tiered stage, although that might have been awesome.

There were two opening acts and I will not lie,  I did not watch either of the openers as I was too preoccupied with catching up with some of my friends, new and old, who also were attending the show.  I will say though that I did hear one of the guys singing a song about Touchdown Jesus.  That is pretty bad ass if you ask me, but chances are if you are not from Ohio, you have no idea what that heck I am talking about.

Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls (his full band) took the stage around 10 p.m. to the adoring crowd.  Opening with “Eulogy” from the band’s latest release England Keep My Bones, Turner and crew put forth an amazing set.  Playing songs, old and new, the crowd sung along at the top of their lungs with each song.  It was not just a concert, it was a party, a gathering of friends all having a good time.  Following was “Try This At Home” and I could not help but get lost in the song.

Turner and crew continued on playing tracks such as “I Am Disappeared” as well as his tribute to home “Wessex Song”.  I liked how Turner told everyone that he could care less about songs about NYC and L.A. and wanted to pay tribute to where he grew up.  When he asked the crowd if anyone had ever been to England, a few hands rose, and when he asked if anyone was from England, a girl screamed in excitement that she was. I am sure she appreciated that song more than anyone else that night.

Not just keeping to material the fans knew, Turner played a couple brand new including “Cowboy Chords” and “Four Simple Words”.  The latter of the two was really fun to listen to.  Before he sung it, Turner told the crowd that he hoped one day that the crowd would break into a choreographed dance when he played it.  The crowd did their best to dance together, but it was no Broadway performance.

In between the new songs, Turner played “Dan’s Song” but let the crowd know that no one would be invited on stage to play the harmonica solo as he was afraid that there might be a few people who might get pissed that they were not chosen and punch him in the balls after the show.  Instead, he invited the entire crown to play the “air harmonica”.  Basically, everyone cupped their hands into an O shape and screamed whatever noise they wanted to in their hands.  It was no harmonica solo, but it did the job.

Although one of his more popular songs, I was still psyched to hear the band break into “The Road” and later “I Still Believe”.  I could not help but laugh though when they played “Glory Hallelujah”,  knowing that it was Ash Wednesday.

To end the night, Turner set down his acoustic and took the mic belting out Queen’s “Somebody To Love” while the rest of the band rocked out.  This cover was the perfect way to end the show.

It was kind of suiting that the set ended with a Queen song seeing how in the very first song played that night, Turner sang “not everyone can be Freddie Mercury”.  Did anyone else catch that?

Throughout that impressive cover, everyone went insane and naturally wanted more, so it was no surprise to see Turner return to the stage moments after everyone exited.

To barter with the crowd, Turner promised two more songs during the encore and then added one more .  Turner, sans the Sleeping Souls, played an awesome cover of Tom Petty’s “American Girl” and a lot of people could not help but sing along.  Following was the always fun “Ballad Of Me And My Friends.”

During the last song of the night, “Photosynthesis”, the rest of the band joined Turner  on stage and played along.

Frank piped up just before the last chorus of the song and let the crowd know how he felt about rock n roll and said, “I’m always disappointed when rock n roll turns out to be a bunch of fucking dickheads with a tour bus and a raised piece of flooring who show up and make noise with a bunch of fucking hits and just turn around and go home. And no one talks to anyone anymore and no one fucking interacts and it’s boring and pointless and not the kind of shit we are supposed to be doing with our time.”

He continued with, “rock and roll is and always is, and punk rock especially, was about a run for the people who are equals and who are friends, who don’t have a fucking barrier who are doing something together and something communal, something transcending, something necessary…”

Needless to say, the entire venue went ballistic.  His words may very well single handedly changed they way people look at rock n roll in Columbus.

He was not joking about what he said either.  Once the band finished up, they all hung out with the crowd that stuck around.  Turner actually took time to talk to each and every fan that approached him, allowed photographs, and even signed records, fliers, and even a 20-year-old polo shirt (that was odd if you ask me, but who am I to judge?).  I think the greatest thing though, was that Turner was sincere with each interaction and wholeheartedly smiled and his fans, shook their hands, and even gave out hugs.

When I finally had a moment to chat with him, I thanked him for coming back to Ohio and could not help but tell him about my speeding ticket.  He laughed and grabbed my record  and signed it “Keep Speeding”.  He also was quick to give me a hug after we finished talking and I accidentally head butted him.  I was quick to apologize and he laughed and said “it’s ok, I feel as if we are now closer…”

Star struck?  Not one bit.  The guy is just like you and I.  He is real and does not play out for the paycheck.  He appreciates his fans as much as they appreciate him and that, to me, is beyond admirable.

Wednesday night was a good night in my book, well, not the speeding ticket part, but spending time with with some cool people and listening to one of my favorite acts out there definitely was.

Set List:
Eulogy
Try This At Home
If I Ever Stray
Prufrock
I Am Disappeared
Lore, Ire and Song
Wessex Boy
Fastest Way Back Home
Cowboy Chords
Dan’s Song
Four Simple Words
The Road
Peggy Sang The Blues
One Foot Before The Other
Glory Hallelujah
Long Live The Queen
I Still Believe
Somebody To Love (Queen Cover)

Encore:
American Girl (Tom Petty Cover)
Ballad Of Me And My Friends
Photosynthesis

Rock On The Range 2012 Lineup Announced!

Now in its 6th year, the ever popular Rock On The Range is taking over Columbus, OH, from May 18th to the 20th at Columbus Crew Stadium.

“If you thought last time was a blast, then this time we are gonna blow your f#@*ing mind,” – co-headliner Rob Zombie.

The current lineup for RotR 2012 is as follows: Incubus, Rob Zombie, Shinedown, Marilyn Manson, Five Finger Death Punch, Slash, Megadeth, Chevelle, Cypress Hill, Mastodon, Theory of a Deadman, Volbeat, Down, The Darkness, Halestorm, Escape The Fate, P.O.D., Lacuna Coil, Adelitas Way, Black Stone Cherry, Cavo, Attack Attack!, Trivium, Bobaflex, Falling In Reverse, Redlight King, Aranda, Emphatic, Otherwise, James Durbin, Black Tide, Kyng, 12 Stones, SOiL, Rival Sons, Eve To Adam, and Ghosts of August.

That’s a pretty healthy lineup!  I do not know about you, but there a few bands playing this year that I would not mind checking out, including The Darkness, Volbeat, Mastodon, and Down.

To make things even more fun, the Friday Night 4Play returns, which is an absolutely FREE with every RotR weekend ticket purchase. The May 18th party will be featuring performances from Hairball, Foxy Shazam, Hells Bells and more… Did someone say Foxy Shazam???

Tickets go on sale on Friday Feb. 10th at 10am.

This has proved to be a fun weekend festival year after year.  Don’t miss out!

The Gaslight Anthem / Chamberlain / Tim Barry – Lifestyle Communities Pavilion – Columbus, OH – 07/28/2010 – Concert Review

Last Wednesday Columbus, Ohio was the place to be if you were looking for an amazing rock show.  New Jersey’s The Gaslight Anthem headlined the Lifestyle Communities Pavilion with special guests Chamberlain and Tim Barry and I must say, all who packed the floor knew well in advance that they were in for a good time.  It was a show I had been looking forward to since it was announced in the Spring and luckily I was able to be a part of it.

Even if it down-poured on the way down there and careless drivers kept trying to crash into my vehicle my friends and I made it down to Columbus with some time to kill.  Having never been to the Lifestyle Communities Pavilion before I was not sure if it was an indoor or outdoor venue.  Turns out it was both but due to a baseball game at the neighboring stadium the show was going to be played inside.

While wasting some time I enjoyed a tall, cheap, and ice cold Natural Light (no I did not get paid to say that) as I conversed with friends and the people around me at the A&R Music Bar that stood left to the concert hall.  Turns out we were not the only folk who traveled to see the show.  One group of guys, who I swear I knew one of, were from Cleveland and another few came all the way from Indianapolis.  I also got word that someone else I knew was traveling from Charleston, WV.  When it is a show like the one we all had tickets to, it was worth the drive no matter how far away.

Making way into the indoor section of the Lifestyle Communities Pavilion I was impressed with what I saw.  The inside was not only super clean but nicely laid out with a split level floor as well as an upper floor where one could see the stage just about anywhere you hung out.  My only vice was that my photo pass only allowed access to the photo pit for Tim Barry, not that I am complaining.  I just had never encountered a venue so strict with their press before.  Regardless I was beyond pleased to be in the building that was about to host three exciting acts even if it were going to be indoors.

Tim Barry took to the stage with a beer in hand and a baseball cap shut down over his head.  While most know Barry as the punk rock lead of Avail there were many who had no idea who he was.  There seemed to be a lot in the crowd who were expecting more than a man and his acoustic guitar to fill the opening slot.

That soon changed as the Richmond, Virginian working class hero kept close to the mic stand and strummed his guitar playing “This November”.  The punk turned folk rocker told everyone how busy he has been being on the road touring since January and pointed out at one time that he was not afraid of death at all but feared failure and especially being on stage playing a bad show.

I was most impressed to hear Barry not only play “Prosser’s Gabriel” but also state to the crowd before the song that he was planning on playing a free show on the parking lot in Virginia that lies over the burial site of Gabriel Prosser.  The punk at heart bad ass was not kidding and even mentioned being told to bring along a lawyer because he knew he would get arrested.  By the time the song was over just about everyone in the venue had their eyes on the one man show.  Other tracks I enjoyed seeing live were “Avoiding Catatonic Surrender” as well as the end of the set chilling “Dog Bumped”.  During that final song I could not help but scream along in approval (queue in Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison applauds) with the crowd during different moments of the track.

Barry might be a tough mother you-know-what, but he is also sincere and genuine as seen when he thanked the crowd for letting him play once it was time for him to exit.  While the next act was getting set up Barry was actually walking around amongst the crowd where my two friend’s spotted him and bought him a beer.  I was told that Barry said not only thank you to them but also yelled “that’s the biggest damn beer I ever seen!”

Tim Barry Setlist:
This November
Moving on Blue
Idle Idylist
Church of Level Track
Prosser’s Gabriel
Avoiding Catatonic Surrender
Dog Bumped

Chamberlain hit the stage next and as much as I thought I was going to enjoy their set I didn’t.  I have heard their material and recognized when certain songs were played like “Try For Thunder” and “Mountain Of A Heart” off The Moon My Saddle but just was not impressed.  They sounded much rockier than what I am used to on their studio album and not to mention the lead singer was just acting off key.  I am not the only one who noticed that either.  Luckily for the band my thoughts about them were not shared with the rest of the crowd.  They loved them and erupted with approval when the band stated they were happy to be back in Columbus.

The band played through a good set including “Manhattan’s Iron Horses”, “Stars In The Streetlight”, and the impressive live sounding “Raise It High” which I later picked up a 7″ of at their merch table.  They were solid and on point but again I just was not feeling it (until the last song).  I really need to give these guys another chance live as I love their albums and especially adore their previous act Split Lip.

The rock band of the night, hell -the year, Gaslight Anthem took the stage while Jay-Z’s “Empire State Of Mind” blasted over the PA with all smiles to the packed house.  Wasting no time the band jumped into their latest album’s title track “American Slang” followed by “Boxer”.  Brian Fallon and crew looked so happy to be on stage and gave the crowd the show they paid for continuing with my favorite track off American Slang “The Diamond Church Street Choir”.  During the song I was curious to see if Fallon would be able to sing his Billy Joel-like ending and to my satisfaction he nailed it.

Keeping the momentum the band moved along with “Old White Lincoln”, “Even Cowgirls Get The Blues”, as well as “Mile Davis and The Cool” and “The 59 Sound”.  Needless to say the entire crowd helped sing along throughout the set as well as danced, moshed, and just lost all control.  After “Film Noir” Fallon spoke to the crowd but be it my bad ears or him strumming his guitar a little too hard, I could barely understand what he was saying. He mentioned to the crowd something along the lines that his Mom loved and shared this band from 1959 that featured a bunch of African-American men playing on an album with some guy named Elvis.  The band immediately broke into “Wherefore Art Thou, Elvis?” – Again, the place went insane.

After about six more songs including “Blue Jeans and White T-shirts” and “The Queen of Lower Chelsea” the band finished up their set with “Great Expectations”.  Knowing that there would be an encore in just a few moments I was already fully satisfied or so I thought.  With the crowd cheering in a soccer like chant of ” Gaslight Anthem” followed by claps the band returned to the stage and announced they would be playing a few more songs starting off with a cover of Lucero‘s “The War”.  All I could think was how awesome it was going to be to hear their version when all of the sudden Tim Barry came out and sang along.  I was speechless.

The encore, which lasted longer than most opening acts I have seen in my day, also included “We Came To Dance”, “Senor and the Queen”, and another cover from a band called The Who.  It has been quite some time since I have seen an entire venue participate during a song but the moment “Baba O’Riley” started that all changed.  The Gaslight Anthem’s version was exceptional and the moment they finished Fallon screamed “Yeah! So much fun!”  He was correct in that statement, it was.  I thought the show was over and that was the band’s farewell but they kept playing and I was not complaining one bit.  Ending with “The Backseat” it was clear that I was not the only one who had just witnessed an amazing performance by a young and growing talented band.

The band exited the stage, the lights came on, and that was it – the show was over and it was time to go on our separate ways.  Immediately the saying “the memories will last a lifetime” rolled thought my mind and I could not agree more.  Throughout all of the shows I have seen this year this one will stand out a little more over the others.  I was treated to an amazing performance by a band I have been a fan of since they were playing small clubs as well as finally grabbed the chance to see a good man named Tim Barry.  That night is what live music is all about to me and I am grateful to have been there.

The Gaslight Anthem Setlist:
American Slang
Boxer
The Diamond Church Street Choir
Old White Lincoln
Even Cowgirls Get The Blues
Bring It On
Miles Davis & The Cool
The ’59 Sound
Red In The Morning
Angry Johnny & The Radio
Film Noir
Wherefore Art Thou, Elvis?
Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts
Stay Lucky
Boomboxes & Dictionaries
The Spirit Of Jazz
The Queen Of Lower Chelsea
Great Expectations

Encore:
The War – Lucero cover w/ Tim Barry lending vocals
We Came To Dance
Senor & The Queen
We’re Getting A Divorce, You Keep The Diner
Boba O’Riley – The Who cover
Here’s Looking At You Kid
The Backseat

Where Does Rock Live? Columbus Apparently…

Ok so that is not entirely true.  Rock lives everywhere.  Rock is where the heart is?  Ok, I will stop.

Now you can buy rock in Columbus, not that I know that personally or anything, but you can also rock out hardcore for a weekend thanks to Rock On The Range returning to the Columbus Crew Stadium on May 22nd and 23rd.  This will be the festival’s fourth run in the center city of Ohio and the lineup caught my attention more so this year than any other year before.

When I see that Coheed & Cambria, The Deftones, Helmet, Rise Against, Mastodon, and Killswitch Engage are all playing over one weekend I immediately want to go.

Other bands appearing at the festival are Godsmack, Rob Zombie, Three Days Grace, Limp Bizkit, Seether, Slash, Papa Roach, Five Finger Death Punch, Bullet For My Valentine, Theory of a Deadman, Puddle of Mudd, Sevendust, Drowning Pool, Skillet, Apocalyptica, Halestorm, Airbourne, Mushroomhead, Adelitas Way, Escape the Fate, Cold, Anberlin, Nonpoint, 2Cents, Violent Soho, Janus, Shaman’s Harvest, Year Long Disaster, Taddy Porter, Like A Storm, and Noise Auction

I can tolerate some of the acts but others I just can not stand and I fear if I go I am going to be punished…

Couple other personal comments in regards to the line up:

  • Who the hell are half of these bands?
  • Cold is still together?  So is Puddle Of Mudd?
  • Five Finger Death punch is still the stupidest band name I have ever heard next to The Prisoners.
  • Matt from Addicted To Vinyl (also a ROTR veteran) pointed out there is a possibility that Mushroomhead may play a bigger stage than Helmet.  If that is true I will be a sad panda.
  • Why no Jimmie’s Chicken Shack?  While I am at it, why no Monster Voodoo Machine and are they still a band?
  • Is it worth the $120 for the field general admission tickets???
  • Furthermore is anyone else planning on going?

I’ll be thinking about this heavily over the next few weeks.  I would hate to miss the opportunity of seeing a couple of my favorite bands but I do not know if I have it in me to sit though the whole weekend.  We shall see.

If you are interested in the festival head over to Rock On The Range’s website for ticket information as well as other info in regards to the weekend rock-out.