When rumors of Disturbed's return began to surface last year, many wondered if the band would actually begin to write music and tour again. It had been almost 5 years since the release of "Asylum" and Disturbed had not toured together formally since 2011. Was this finally the news the Disturbed Ones were so eagerly awaiting? On June 23rd., 2015 the world awoke to a new single, "The Vengeful One" and news that the Disturbed was finally back together after a 4 year hiatus.
Sunday's SOLD OUT show at the House of Blues in San Diego could not come soon enough. To see an iconic band like Disturbed in such an intimate setting was going to be amazing. As I pulled up to park, I noticed a massive line of die-hard fans that wrapped around an entire city block. Fists were pumping, fans were screaming, and we were not even in the venue yet. If this rabid excitement was any indication of how the show would turn out, we were all in for a real treat that evening.
Disturbed hit the stage around 9:30 pm, and this capacity crowd of over 1200 went absolutely nuts as their opening video came to an abrupt and powerful end. The crowd pushed towards the stage as the lights went black and the band ripped into their opening song, "10,000 Fists". Fans were actually lifted off the floor as the crowd packed into the pit, fists clenched and pushed towards the sky - what an awesome sight to see! Over the next hour an a half, fans were treated to a high octane show that never saw a break in energy or intensity.
Whether you were with Disturbed back in 1997 or a newly minted fan today, there were songs for everyone. Classics like "Prayer", "Stricken", and the Genesis cover "Land of Confusion" laid the foundation for a 16 song set that far exceeded everyone's' expectations. The highlight of the night for me was a haunting rendition of the Simon & Garfunkel classic "The Sound of Silence". Simply epic. Disturbed then closed down the show with an encore consisting of "Voices" and "Down With the Sickness". Couldn't have been a more fitting way to end an incredible show!
Walking back to my car, I can honestly say that this may be one of the best concerts I have been to in recent memory. Disturbed band members Dave Draiman (Vocals), John Moyer (Bass), Dan Donegan (Guitar), and Mike Wengren (Drums) put on a spectacular show that is second to none. If you are lucky enough to see Disturbed on their "Immortalized" tour this year, you will no doubt see one of the most passionate and hardest rocking bands on the scene today.
Stay Frosty and Rock On!
Presenting the best Hot Tub Party suggestions, check out Bone The Mack coming straight out of Atlanta Texas...
Hot Tub Johnnie landed delicately like a bird to a podium and brought laughter, joy and dancing to the Hunnypot revelers. Amanda Krieg Thomas nested for a moment for the 2nd time in the hot tub, delivered a killer curated music set of SXSW inspired favorites and caught everyone up on her current and future hit list.
Songbird Kat McDowell started the live set with her groovy pop shimmy, Draemings played a set that ripped us apart with their musical talons, RYN reminded us why birds do sing so gay and Gonzalla was the wings above the winds of melody. 3/21/2016
Amanda Krieg Thomas has music supervised a wide variety of projects, most recently bringing her experience to the stellar team at Neophonic. She is currently working critically-acclaimed series The Americans (FX), American Crime Story (FX), American Horror Story (FX) and Scream Queens (FX), as well as indie features Billy Boy (starring Blake Jenner and Melissa Benoist) and Girl Flu (starring Katee Sackhoff and Jeremy Sisto). Highlights over the past year include performance competition show, Fake Off (truTV), and Grace Stirs Up Success (American Girl/Mattel). Amanda began her career in the music department at Lionsgate, before moving to Reveille (now Endemol Shine North America), where she music supervised unscripted shows Commercial Kings (IFC) and One Born Every Minute (Lifetime). She then joined Format Entertainment in early 2012 as Music Coordinator on projects such as Pitch Perfect 1 and 2 (Gold Circle Films/Universal), The Other Woman (Fox) and ABC comedy, Trophy Wife. Prior music supervision projects include documentaries Operation Popcorn, airing on PBS in 2016, Off The Floor, and Going Attractions, and comedies, The Back-Up Bride and June, Adrift.
Website - Facebook - Instagram - Twitter
Born in Tokyo and raised in New Zealand, Kat has always loved music. While drawing inspiration from artists like Foo Fighters and Jason Mraz, Kat's Ocean Pop sound is definitely her own. She mixes acoustic guitar-led melodies with emotionally transparent lyrics, delivered in a blend of Japanese and English.
She returned to Japan after school and signed with Sony and Avex in 2007. Her partnership with them yielded several mini-albums, her first full album, and a limited vinyl edition of Nagoriyuki, which went to #1 on Japan's Vinyl Charts and sold out in two days.
Outside of the studio, Kat has been recognized for her performances in high-profile TV ads. Additionally, she has also performed over 1000 live shows, both throughout Japan and internationally and has shared the stage with bands like Switchfoot and Colbie Caillat.
Website - Facebook - Instagram - YouTube - Spotify - Twitter
DRÆMINGS spent her early years reading dark fairy tales while listening to a warped cassette tape of Ace of Base's The Sign on repeat.
At 17, she ran away to San Francisco, where she was adopted by a gang of drag queens and street urchins. She embarked on a strange, magical adventure which included a short stint as a gangster rapper, a incubation period in India, and a heart-break fueled weekend that resulted in her writing 5 songs that would comprise her demo, and the birth of DRÆMINGS.
Her dark, powerful melodies, colorful lyrics and intense live show have drawn comparisons to the likes of Siouxsie , Bowie, Florence, and Chrissie.
Her eclectic full-length, The Eternal Lonesome, produced by Eric Palmquist (The Bad Suns, Trash Talk, Night Riots) will be released in Spring of 2016.
Website - Twitter - Facebook - Tumblr - Soundcloud - Spotify - Youtube
RYN's electrifying new single “Another Night” is available now on iTunes.
When she is not singing, RYN (Katie) is the Music Supervisor at video game mega-publisher Activision Blizzard, where she sources music for games such as Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, Destiny and more.
Katie Facebook - Youtube RYN Facebook
Spending his youth immersed in musical greats – particularly The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, Joni Mitchell and Bon Iver– the calibre of such influences has notably reflected throughout Gonzalla songwriting; elegant, beautiful and haunting. The new tracks are a taster of what to come for this great talent.
Cody grew up in Southern California where since his earliest memories his life revolved around the ocean. Surfnig was his first love and then came music not long after, for him the two have a strong and inevitable connection. Cody; ‘‘I think it shows in the songwriting whether it be the tone or esthetic my music has. I lived in a town called Huntington Beach near LA which is a wonderful place, I would surf in the morning and than later that evening go see groups perform in Hollywood, I had the best of both worlds.”
Having previously landed support slots for the likes of Dan Croll, Frances, and Stealing Sheep in the UK while honing his songwriting craft. Gonzalla has returned to US to tour throughout the year. Lead single, Come on Hun is available now.
DISCO FOR LIFE!
Blake "Luxxury" Robin & Dr. William "Billy" Caruso
Check out Draemings newest video. See and hear them live this Monday 3/21/16 at Hunnypot Live! at The Mint.
Slim Jxmmi and Swae Lee p.k.a. Rae Sremmurd have long been a Hot Tub favorite. “By Chance” will be featured on Mike Will Made It - Ransom 2 EP.