Boy was I in for a wild ride knowing I was attending Knotfest Roadshow 2021. Back in 2020, I had every intention of going to Knotfest here in Dallas, but Covid decided it wanted to ruin that opportunity for me. I wasn’t sure when it was going to return and thankfully, I was able to catch the Roadshow when it rolled through. We had a stacked lineup for this show with obviously Slipknot headlining and Killswitch Engage, Fever 333, and Code Orange getting the stage warmed up. I was excited to finally get to experience these legends.
Starting things out was Code Orange. The pro to going to all these shows is seeing bands that I’ve never heard before. It opens my ears to new music and Code Orange was one of them They opened their 8-song set with “Swallowing the Rabbit Whole” and they did not hold back. I was super impressed with the female vocalist they had. She was insanely talented! They played some more of their top hits like “Bleeding in the Blur”, “Forever”, and then closed out their performance with “Underneath”. The most interesting part for me was noticing that their lead singer, Jami Morgan, resembled Tyler Joseph of Twenty One Pilots. I couldn’t unsee it!
Next act was a band that I was told to get mentally prepared for, Fever 333. I was told they put on one hell of a performance, and they were right. Their lead singer Jason Aalon was absolutely wild on stage. He did not hold back, and I was there for it. They started out the set with “BITE BACK” and the crowd went wild for it. I had listened to some of their songs prior to the show so I could prepare, and I heard some of my favorite tracks. “Made An America” being one of them, went so hard. Jason’s stage presence was one that you couldn’t forget. They went on to play some other top hits like “One Of Us” and their most streamed song, “Burn It”. Definitely an unforgettable performance.
Killswitch Engage was up and it was almost like nostalgia seeing them for the first time. I remember being a kid playing their songs on Guitar Hero and now I’m finally getting to experience them in real life. I was stoked. They opened their set with “Unleashed”, and it couldn’t have been a better start. Throughout the entire 14-songs, they had the crowd yelling and singing the songs the whole time. I knew it was only a matter of time before they played “My Curse”, and the moment I head the first note of the song, I knew it was happening. I felt alive in that moment. It took me back to some of my fondest memories with my friends in high school jamming this song in the car on our way to the local Sonic. Pure bliss. The moved into playing some more great songs like “This Fire”, “In Due Time”, and their infamous cover of “Holy Diver” by Dio. I loved everything about their performance.
And finally, the kings in Slipknot were about to go on. What I found interesting was the hour-long break between the two sets. I wasn’t sure why they needed so much time to get ready. I couldn’t have imagined what was happening behind the curtain until the lights go dim, and you hear a huge POP, then the screen covering the stage flies up. I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was one of the most immaculate stage setups that I had ever seen. I’m talking multiple levels and like 9 members on stage all contributing to the sound. They made it look like they were in a warehouse/sewer with fans spinning on the screens and fog in these tunnels. It was the wildest thing I’ve ever seen at a concert. Also, the bassist had a flame thrower on his guitar which was crazy to see. And lest we not forget to mention their stage presence, geez. It was all over the place and there was so much to pay attention to. All that being said, lets jump into the set.
They opened it up with “Unsainted” and it really didn’t take much at this point to get the crowd moving. Corey Taylor is one hell of a singer as well. Unmatched in my opinion. Some of my favorite songs from the set were “Before I Forget”, “Psychosocial”, “Wait and Bleed”, and “Duality” to just name a few. It was super intense the entire time, but Corey made time to slow down and talk to the crowd in between songs about being good to each other because we are all we got. They ended up encoring with “People = Shit”, “(sic)”, and lastly “Surfacing”. I was completely blown away by what I had just witnessed. This was an 11 out of 10 performance, and in my opinion one for the ages that I soon won't forget. Can’t wait to see Slipknot again - they are truly the new kings of metal!
(Photos Credit: Jamie Ford)
Jadakiss, Styles P, & Sheek Louch. Back in 1994, these three high school kids from Yonkers, NY came together to form the trio now known as The LOX. Since then, they’ve consistently dropped a variety of projects from compilations to full length studio albums, been featured on a flurry of tracks from Jennifer Lopez’s Jenny From The Block (2002) to Kanye West’s 11 minute long Jesus Lord Part 2 (2021), and have all launched solo careers that are arguably bigger than The LOX itself. When I saw that the hardcore rap group turned super group decided to bless the west coast with a show at The Novo DTLA, I knew it wasn’t one to miss.
The LOX held nothing back. Coming off their Verzuz’s battle against Dipset, they rocked this show in similar form. Hit after hit after hit after hit. Since all three of them have individual solo careers, they had a ton of content to perform with no filler. They hit the stage with high energy, flashy gold chains, and took us back to the heyday of raw hip hop in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Before the era of melodies, autotune, and over-the-top instrumentals, it was all about the lyricism – lyricism that took you on a journey of struggle, ambition, and success. For example – they didn’t rap about doing drugs. They rapped about selling them and hustling so they could make it out of the hood. It was a different mindset back then and The LOX has stayed true to that lane over the years.
My favorite stretch of the night was when they played their 1998 smash hit, “Money, Power, Respect” featuring their longtime friend DMX. Following DMX’s untimely and unexpected passing earlier this year in April 2021, I was expecting to see some ode to their Ruff Ryders comrade. We got exactly that. Following “Money Power Respect”, The LOX did covers of a slew of DMX’s singles – “Ruff Ryder’s Anthem”, “Get At Me Dog”, and “N**** Done Started Something”, just to name a few. In tradition, they followed up that portion of the set with a lighters/cells-in-the-air moment which brought a sense of calm/mourning over the crowd who had been pretty crowdy for most of the night. Some other great points throughout the night were when Jadakiss performed his rendition of Biggie’s “Who Shot Ya,” and when Styles P dropped his verses off of both Rick Ross’s “BMF” and Akon’s “Locked Up”.
All in all, 20+ years and The LOX hasn’t lost their touch. If anything, they’ve refined it. The amount of content they have amassed from the years of group efforts, solo careers, and features gives them so much ammo to put together a great show. I personally wasn’t too familiar with their music they released under The Lox moniker but found myself singing along with a large amount of their set. Go check them out when they’re in a city near you. Yonkers!
Zeus Rebel Waters is an American hip hop artist/songwriter, entrepreneur, single-dad, community leader and philanthropist. The St. Louis native brings a distinct sound and style to hip hop known simply as Gumbo - a gritty blend of all genres mixed with melodic cadence and eclectic rhymes.
The indie rapper brings raw energy to the stage and unleashes it to all his fellow "Rebels" making his live show an experience of high-intensity and positive vibes.
From humble beginnings to Hoo Bangin’ Records, Waters has become a major player throughout the bi-state region. Now, the deity rapper is setting his sights on the global market. With business ventures in fashion, film, and community development, Zeus’ imprint goes far beyond bars and tracks. Make no mistake, Zeus Rebel Waters is here!
Zeus has a hit with his latest single/video "LUV". Check it out here...
Hunnypot is proud to be Zeus Rebel Waters official sync representative, both Master & Publishing, ask us about LICENSING!
On the home stretch of a 28-city tour to support their latest album, Horizons/East, Thrice brought their innovative rock act to San Diego Wednesday night at Observatory North Park. Unlike many bands where I lean with a preference to earlier works (e.g., Aerosmith, Def Leppard, U2), Thrice is the exact opposite. They have aged like a fine wine into one of the better post millennium rock bands around.
Debuting 20 years ago with a raw post hardcore punk screamo style (think Rise Against or Thursday), Thrice eventually gained critical acclaim (and more of my attention) by evolving into a refined mature deeply creative experimental alt/hard rock band. Their uniqueness now is their strength but perhaps a weakness as far as achieving breakthrough commercial success.
Thrice chose to open the show with “The Color of the Sky”, the first song off their new album. It’s an interesting choice, beginning quietly stripped down with only a mellow electronic loop and lead singer/guitarist Dustin Kensrue’s emotional vocals. As the second verse began, the powerful rhythm section of brothers Eddie (bass) and Riley Breckenridge (drums) bust in loudly to immediately raise the energy level. Kensrue, the heart and soul of the band, croons with an immediately identifiable raspy clean voice:
“And as I made my plans, My head would spin and swiftly dance between the whys, Like why the roads were all dead ends, Why we'd no word to name the color of the sky”
Finally, guitarist Teppei Teranishi adds the final climatic sonic touches to move the song to peak momentum. The second song was “Scavengers”, my favorite track off the new album, draws on the core band’s strength and “sound”. It’s a slick atmospheric mid-tempo rock jam with layers of great guitar work while Kensrue’s soulful vocals are complimented nicely with harmonies by Teranishi.
The band understandably played six songs off their new album. Thankfully they played perhaps their strongest song, the eerily dark, dynamic and mesmerizing “Black Honey” (51 million streams on Spotify) off of their 2016 album, To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere. Hearing this song delivered so musically tight and with such emotional power was my personal highlight of the night.
Thrice’s live performance is simple – they just play and rely on their musicianship and strong catalog of songs to win over and connect with the audience. There are no radio hits, not much band interaction with crowd, no charismatic egotistic front man antics, no band members jumping around all over the place. That just isn’t the Thrice style. However, the packed Observatory North Park crowd, average age around 30 years old, was clearly and completely tuned in to the music digging what they were hearing. Check out Thrice’s new album, Horizons/East, and check your own horizon for a potential Thrice tour stop in your area.
Rock on and be well!
Greg Vitalich
Hunnypot Live #449 was a post Halloween treat.
Spirits broke our camera so some cellphone photos are all we have.
Xhaania costumed the position in the interview chair and a short performance.
Nick and the Old Sport haunted Hunnypot for the 4th time.
Pacific Radio performed fun sized pop music, and Hot Tub Johnnie spilled a cauldron of party music all over the packed house. 11/1/2021
Xhaania (Pronounced ZA-NEE-AH) is a singer, song writer from Los Angeles, California with Jamaican heritage. Xhaania grew up listening, singing and dancing to raggea music throughout her childhood, one of the foundations of her unique sound. In addition to raggae music, much of Xhaania's inspiration comes from R&B, Gospel, Rap and hip-hop.
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Pacific Radio is a 4 piece sonic collision of energetic garage rock and LA heartbreak.
It’s been a year since Michete has blessed us with a jam and boy what a long, hard year it was without her. “Hard” brings us back to the Miss Shitty underground and it feels like coming home. The song explores the paradox of attraction and repulsion in wanting relationships, teasing the idea of rejecting oneself for the sake of satisfying the object of our desire.
Paired with production by Yufi, “Hard” solidifies Michete as the duchess of double entendre, able to spin any innuendo into a potent quotable. In typical Michete fashion, there is no shortage of salacious sauce and slay. While you might not have as many crucifixes hurled at you for singing along, “Hard” does not skimp on the action. Specifically halfway through the video when a rotational snogfest breaks out in the men's room. Hot. The moment transcends itself when the men break out mouthing “Stupid fucking man-child”. A mantra all too familiar for anyone who is not a hetro-normative penis owner.
The many moods of Michete come through in this video, all serving blue lips and dripping in a sexy, grimy darkness that we’ve all come to love from Michete. We last saw her alone in the back of a truck, but this time she’s brought friends. Doey deadeye drag darlings Kylie Mooncakes and Stassia Coup vogue and pump it up while Angel Baby Kill Kill Kill sleuths demonically - as one does when a man-child is on the mind. It's a freakishly fabulous video for a song that proves Michete’s propensity for bangers knows no bounds. “Hard” makes being a grime goddess sound easy.
--Robyn Dee
Steel Panther must have been lubing themselves with gallons of Rust-Oleum throughout the pandemic, because they showed absolutely no sign of crusty stuff when they hit the Anaheim House of Blues stage on Friday night.
It was billed as An Evening with Steel Panther (which is in layman's terms is code for no opening act). Steel Panther led with their classic, “Eyes of a Panther”, from Feel the Steel, which is arguably the best metal debut album of all time. They had the packed house, among other things, in their hands. Michael Starr, who is inarguably the finest voice in metal, strutted the stage like he owned it. Or at least rented it for the night.
It’s not a rock cliché to say that women want to be with Starr and men want to be him when it's true. A scientific survey conducted that evening by yours truly confirmed the later, but also found a few men wanted to be with him too. No surprise here as he’s the lead singer in Steel Panther. Dude is a living Adonis.
And what would Steel Panther be without Satchel, The God of Guitar. He was everywhere, with fingers flying up and down the fretboard like a school of attacking piranhas. When the rest of the band left the stage for what would have been any other guitarist’s obligatory solo, Satchel climbed the drum riser to hit the skins. That’s right. The guitarist did a drum solo. Why? Because he can. Simply the best in the business if you ask me.
Which brings us to the drummer. The driving force behind Steel Panther, the driving force of metal itself, Stix Zadinia. He has a softer side, showing his keyboard chops when a beautiful young woman was brought on stage for an impromptu ballad the band improvised out of thin air.
The only thing missing from the show was long time bass player Lexxi Foxx, who had recently left Steel Panther. Rumors have swirled as to the reason, but filling on Friday was Rikki Dazzle. Dazzle was a nice addition, but Lexxi’s talent, (and good looks), were missed.
It was a night of greatest hits, but really, every Steel Panther song is great.
Steel Panther isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Then again, their fans don’t drink tea. And they were raising their beers to every single inappropriate word of every inappropriate single song. Steel Panther plays metal music that feels right for all the wrong reasons. And everyone at the Anaheim House of Blues left with a smile on their face and a song in their heart. Or loins.
In a world where most bands with any longevity seem to fall significantly short of expectations when releasing new material, that is hardly the case with Dream Theater and their latest, A View From The Top Of The World. It picks up where 2019’s Distance Over Time left off and takes it to a whole new level for Dream Theater fans all around the world. In my opinion, it’s one of their best produced albums to date, and that saying a lot based on the incredible catalog they have released over a storied 30+ year career. A View From The Top Of The World checks off all the boxes and then some as one of 2021’s top progressive rock releases.
I’ve been following Dream Theater for the better part of 25 years and am always amazed at how this band seems to reimagine itself with each new release. While some of their albums have fallen short of my lofty expectations along the way, A View From The Top Of The World captured me from day one and continues to get better with each passing spin. It has everything I would want in a Dream Theater album including brilliant writing, incredible production value, and of course unparalled musicianship courtesy of John Petrucci, John Myung, James LaBrie, Jordan Rudess, and Mike Mangini.
Clocking in at 1 hour and 10 minutes, A View From The Top Of The World is not their longest release by any stretch and definitely not Dream Theater’s most remarkable. However, the seven songs that make up the album are all bangers and collectively may be one of the best produced releases they have dropped to date. There is a cohesion and energy that flows from “The Alien” through “Sleeping Giant” and crescendos into “A View From The Top Of The World”, a brilliant 20 minute masterpiece that elicits all the genius that we have come to know and love in Dream Theater.
Bottom line, I love A View From The Top Of The World and think you will as well. It’s definitely not an album you’ll listen to once and have an immediate “Amen” moment. It’ll take a few revolutions to warm up to, but guarantee you’ll be hooked when you finally lift the needle. It’s classic Dream Theater at its best, and has something for even the pickiest of fans. And as a true concert junkie, I cannot wait to catch them live in 2022. Dream Theater performances are one of a kind, and truly unparalleled in the industry regardless of genre. John Petrucci, John Myung, James LaBrie, Jordan Rudess, and Mike Mangini are everything that is right in the music industry today, and their amazing talent is an incredibly positive diversion in what still feels like a super chaotic world. So, sit back, grab a drink, and drop the needle on what is surely going to be one of 2021’s best progressive rock releases.
Be well and keep rocking! Hunnypot Approved! Overall Rating: 9.5 out of 10
Artist: Dream Theater, Album: A View From The Top Of The World, Release Date: October 22, 2021, Label: InsideOut Music
Widely regarded as one of the top 10 hard rock/metal bands in the 2000’s, System of a Down has not released an album since 2005 and only performed intermittently since 2011. Any opportunity to see SOAD live should always be considered special and indeed this night turned out to exceed expectations. On their second stop of a short four city west coast Fall tour, SOAD triumphantly returned to Fresno for the first time since 2005 and delivered a memorable performance to a loud enthusiastic capacity crowd at Save-Mart Center. The big takeaway throughout the 27-song set was that SOAD’s material stands the test of time. The four Armenian-Americans from L.A. have created such as unique and deep catalog of songs, infusing metal, funk, alternative, psychedelic and even folk, that the tracks sound as fresh as they did in their heyday.
Armed with passion and an arsenal of amazing songs, there was no need for SOAD to utilize a fancy stage show. The stage was simply amps, drum riser, and a few platforms to allow lead singer Serj Tankian and animated bassist Shavo Odadjian to utilize on occasion. A large rotating light platform providing pulsating strobes and standard lighting effects. The sound quality was noticeably impressive – guitars were dominant, but you could also hear the funky bass, John Dolmayan’s crisp cymbal strikes, and the vocals for both Serj and Daron Malakian (guitar/vocals) were spot on.
There was another special treat in store for concert goes. Last year the band, well known for their political activism, was inspired to record their first songs in 16 years in response to the Nagorno-Karabakh war, a conflict creating a humanitarian crisis in their ancestral homeland of Armenia. Proceeds from the songs “Protect the Land” and “Genocidal Humanoids” supported the Armenia Fund for humanitarian needs of displaced families from the war. Both these new songs were included in the set. It was amazing to hear two fresh SOAD tunes live!
Other highlights of the show included 12,000 fans waving their hands together in unison during the dark and foreboding “Lost in Hollywood” - inspired by the song’s prominent albeit sarcastic line to “put your hands in the air like you just don’t care”. The show closed with a trio of massive hits “Aerials”, “Toxicity” and “Sugar”, as the entire crowd passionately sang along. System of a Down gave appreciative Fresno music fans a memorable journey back to their triple platinum glory days and, although it’s now 2021, - this band proved that their music stands the test of time.
Rock on and be well!
Greg Vitalich
I can’t really put into words how excited I was when I got told that the We Came As Romans tour was approved for me to cover. I hadn’t seen WCAR since prior to Kyle Pavone’s passing and it was more a sentimental moment for me. The other bands on the ticket were also some solid acts that I was also very ecstatic to see.
First up was Hollow Front. Of the bands there, I was not as familiar with them, so I really wasn’t sure what I was in for. As the lights go black and music starts playing in the background, Hollow Front runs out on stage. They open with a song called “Affected” and whoa, I was immediately blown away. The 7-song set was intense breakdowns and banger tunes. Right after their performance, I looked them up and saved some songs to my Spotify library. Was super impressed by them.
Following their lead was Dayseeker. This was a performance that I was really looking forward to because in the last year, I have been getting really into them – to the point where I knew almost every song. The 7-song set was opened by “Embers Glow”, and we couldn’t have asked for a better start. The Moment Rory Rodriguez started singing the words to “Crooked Soul”, I knew we were getting to the hits. Following that song, they played “Burial Plot” and “Drunk” and I sat their singing every word with the crowd. They came to the end of their set and Rory tells us the story of him having his daughter and then 2 months later his dad passed away. They begin to play “Sleeptalk” and the crowd bursts into unison singing every word. It was a wonderful performance.
The Devil Wears Prada takes the stage soon after and this was a band that I haven’t seen since maybe Warped Tour In 2010 and it was just because I was walking by. I remember giving them the stank face as I walked by because it was super brutal. That really was my only memory of ever seeing TDWP and I was excited to see them again based on their most recent ZII EP that came out. They played some of the hits like “Chemical”, “Forlorn”, and “Sacrifice”. And then they surprised us all by ending the set with “Hey John, What's Your Name Again?” and the crowd went wild. Overall, a solid performance.
And at long last, the performance that we have all been waiting for, We Came as Romans. Lots of emotions leafing up to this point and I was ready. Out the gate, they played “To Plant A Seed” and I was living. They played the To Plant A Seed album in full with other songs sprinkled in the mix and it was the last time they would ever play any of those songs live after this tour. It was bittersweet but I truly understood where they were coming from. In between songs, they played video of them explaining why the record was so important to them. They played so many songs that I grew up listening to and it was an amazing experience. They ended the set with “An Ever-Growing Wonder” and then ensued the encore. The crowd chants and chants then, we see the lights go dim, and the monitors go on. A tribute to Kyle starts showing while “Promise Me” plays in the background. It was a beautiful thing. Towards the end of the song, the rest of the band comes out on stage and it’s like they are playing with Kyle again with his vocals coming through he speakers. The song ends and Dave Stephens talks to us about the experience of losing Kyle. It was truly a great message and summed up very well, get help if you need it. They close out the show with “Cold Like War” and “Darkbloom”.
I can say this was one of the best concert experiences I have ever experienced to date. Can’t wait to see all these amazing bands again one day.