One of my favorite types of experiences is seeing a band live for the first time, and not realizing how much of their music you are actually familiar with. The first time I got to see A Day to Remember was when they played the Las Rageous festival in 2018 in Vegas. I had always heard the bands name before, but at that time hadn’t given them the time to really sit and listen to their music. None the less, song after song I quickly realized I knew, and was awoken to the fact that I had been a unknown fan all along. They have since come to Southern California a couple times, but something always came up and I could never get the chance to see them again. Finally, when they came to the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, CA on their Least Anticipated Album Tour, I was able to see them and truly appreciate them live. Bringing with them The Story So Far, Four Year Strong, and Scowl, fans dug their giant cartoony easycore monster merch out of the closet for a chance to go wild for A Day to Remember.
Opening the night was a relatively newer band known as Scowl from Santa Cruz, CA. These hardcore punkers were ready to get the show started playing hard and fast. Fronted by Kat Moss, who comes out looking like an emo pop punk princess. But don’t let her looks fool you, as she unleashes a vicious roar of a voice. Screaming with a deafening passion of anger, you can’t help but be captivated. In between singing, screaming, she could be seen flowing between two stepping and prancing across the stage. Backed by guitarist Malachi Greene and Mikey Bifolco, who blend the distortion of crunchy guitar work with driving melodies. Bassist Bailey Lupo and drummer Cole Gilbert Helped to keep the frenetic energy going song after song letting the crowd warm up their headbanging muscles for the night. Though they only had a 30 minute set, they whipped through 13 songs that never let the pace up like “Retail Hell,” “Shot Down,” “Petty Selfish Cretin,” “Psychic Dance Routine,” “Wired,” “Roots,” “Bloodhound, “Dead to Me,” “Sold Out,” “Four Walls,” “My Turn 2 Play,” “Fuck Around,” and ending with “Opening Night.” Scowl left an impression on every person who got to the venue for the start of the show, and I can see big things coming for them soon.
Up next is a band I have seen a few times in smaller venues, that being Four Year Strong. The energy these guys always brought to those shows filled the entire room, and the fans couldn’t help but turn the place into a underground hardcore show. So, I was excited to see how they would handle an arena like the Forum. Kicking things off with “Brain Pain,” Four Year Strong was ready to see the crowd moving for them. Co-vocalist and co-guitarist Alan Day sings as if he’s trying to blow out his vocal cords. He wants not only the instrumentals of the band to get people excited, but his screams to amp up the crowd just as much. Fellow co-vocalist and co-guitarist Dan O’Connor performs with just as much passion as Day. Bassist Joe Weiss and drummer Jake Massucco are in perfect sync carrying the low end of each song. It was Four Year Strong that finally got the crowd surfers to get on people’s shoulders and come barreling over the barricade. This continued through their whole set which featured songs like “It Must Really Suck to Be Four Year Strong Right Now,” “uncooked,” “daddy of mine,” “We All Float Down Here,” “Get Out of My Head,” “Heroes Get Remembered, Legends Never Die,” and ending with “Wasting Time (Eternal Summer).” I went into this set wondering if Four Year Strong could bring their energy to fill all the Forum, and they absolutely could.
Then it was time for The Story So Far. This band was the one I was the least familiar with, which made them so much more exciting to see. Opening with their song “Big Blind” and you can feel the big moving pop punk melodies that guitarists Kevin Geyer and Will Levy crafted. They played with such brightness and an uplifting mood that you could not help but just bounce and vibe with the music even if you were not familiar with it. For being the vocalist and front man of a pop punk band, singer Parker Cannon was very reserved behind the microphone. I heard from a fan in the crowd later that it is a joke about the band that Cannon purposely does not move around much on stage, but instead just sings and hides behind the mic. While drummer Ryan Torf blasted away on the kit, providing the groove and beats that let the mosh pits run wild. Though fans were casually crowd surfing, The Story So Far is what really started putting security to work to catch the fans, as they came over the barricade during songs like “Roam,” “All This Time,” “High Regard,” “Out of It,” “Letterman,” “Heavy Gloom,” “Bad Luck,” “Things I Can’t Change,” “Nerve,” “Watch You Go,” “Keep This Up,” and ending with “Proper Dose.” Throughout their set, I just continued to grow as a fan. I love walking into any show, not knowing a band, and leaving with new music that I get to listen to on the daily.
Once it was time for A Day to Remember to hit the stage, they wanted to kick the show off with a band. Starting their set off with “Sticks & Bricks,” as soon as vocalist Jeremy McKinnon came in with his first scream, a huge confetti explosion happened, coating the entire Kia Forum in raining confetti. The fans ignited their untapped reserve of energy to let themselves go wild for the remainder of the show. Guitarists Neil Westfall and Kevin Skaff are a dynamic duo with the catalog of pop punk iconic riffs they have created, and getting to watch them perform them live enhances any experience listening to these songs in the future. While drummer Alex Shelnutt carried the energy of the show behind his kit. Driving the melody of the song when needed, staying in the pocket, and crashing on the cymbals during breakdowns. A Day to Remember is a majestic fine tuned machine of pop punk bliss through and through.
A Day to Remember has been performing to fans for over two decades now, knows how to craft an entertaining show. Other than surrounding their stage with blasts of cryo canon’s and setting off pyro to help enhance some of their best breakdowns. During “Mindreader” McKinnon called on the fans to become legends of the crowd surfing game and told the fans to ride other crowd surfers like a surfboard. Fans fought to stand up on each other and ride the human waves of the ocean, some new legends were born as they managed to make it all the way to the shore of security catching them. With “Have Faith in Me,” McKinnon wanted to see all the female fans on their boyfriend’s shoulders. But one of the biggest surprises/fan favorite moments was when current touring bassist Bobby Lynge was asked what song he wanted the band to play, and he picked a song McKinnon has fought to keep off the setlist for the last 10 years. But since Lynge wanted it, the band shot into their notorious cover of Kelly Clarkson’s “Since You’ve Been Gone.” A Day to Remember gave the fans a wide birth of songs from their entire discography that left every fan happy with the songs we got to hear.
Seeing A Day to Remember back in 2018 and then having to wait six years to see them again was too long, but the wait was worth it. This time I knew all the songs for sure and was able to sing along and lose myself in he ecstasy of the moment. I wasn’t the only one on this life high, as the whole crowd continued to lose themselves through the show. Scowl, Four Year Strong, and The Story So Far all brought killer sets that satisfied the live music need of the fans. But it was A Day to Remember that sent all the fans home happy, and yet still yearning for more and not wanting to wait till the next time they were in town.
What’s it like to be an opening band? What’s it like to have to win over an audience every time you play? Do you play it like it was your last gig ever? Do you put every ounce of energy and talent into the 30 plus minutes you have on stage? What’s it like to be PowerTribe?
PowerTribe recently hit the Whisky-A-Go-Go stage opening for Steelheart and the audience could immediately tell that these three people were far beyond mere garage band openers. With musicianship that is off the charts, a sound that is all their own, and a level of performance that is captivating, PowerTribe won the audience over song by song.
PowerTribe is a power trio. A female-fronted power trio. Missy Percifield is the lead vocalist, keyboardist, and bass player, wielding a gigantic bass that almost seems too large for her 4’10’’ frame. Until you see her play. Until you hear her sing. With every note, Missy seems to grow in stature on stage until you realize just how gigantic her talents are.
On guitar is Darren Stroud. A true master of the fretboard, he has jammed with the likes of Steve Vai and is also an ESP endorsed guitarist. The man has chops having been nominated for Top 5 guitarist in Guitar World in 2020. Darren puts out a lot of sound in the smoothest way possible. Every once in a while, you can see Darren grin like he’s thinking, “This is so much fun!” PowerTribe plays all originals, and a good amount of instrumentals, and all are memorable due in no small part to Darren’s incredible guitar playing and tone. He also has a solo cd titled, Space Hombre: Tales of an Intergalactic Guitarslinger. And if you need to brighten up your Fridays, check out his lunch break jams on Facebook.
Rounding out the trio is drummer John Chominsky. Combining groove and power (there’s that word), John propels the band forward, while also being in lockstep with his band mates. PowerTribe plays well thought-out songs and epic instrumentals with a tightness that belies the fact that they seldom get a chance to play together. Chominsky lives in southern California, while married couple Percifield and Stroud live in Colorado Springs. Maybe that’s why when they do play live, there is an energy and a joy that comes bursting through.
But that doesn’t mean the energy isn’t there to be heard in their recordings. PowerTribe’s newest release, Up With The Sword has just come out. This is big, bold music. Soaring guitars, dynamic vocals, and thunderous drums with thoughtful and thought-provoking lyrics to match. PowerTribe played three of the album’s cuts at the Whisky, the title track along with “Apocalypse in Progress,” and the rocking instrumental that closed their Whisky set and ends the album, “Sweepercise.”
PowerTribe’s new video for “Liars and Thieves” was just released. Check out the video below!
Cullman, AL rock quartet Shallow Side have been up to a lot since they released Saints & Sinners 5 years ago. While the upcoming album Reflections doesn’t make it apparent, the four piece have been working on it for some time, with the first single “The Worst Kind” releasing all the way back in 2022. They didn’t have a lot of room to tour in 2020 on their previous album, so it opened the door to getting to work right away on recording a follow-up to Saints… and the relative quick turnaround shows a renewed focus - Reflections is an improvement on their previous work in every way, elevating songwriting, lyrical cohesion and riffs to combine into one extremely potent smattering of rock’n’roll. A talented troupe of varied producers (such as Kile Odell and Chris Dawson) takes the experience even further, creating a clean and crisp package that sounds as pleasing as it is heavy.
The album has - like previous outings - a strong focus on contrasting groovy hard rock riffs, tuned to the floor, with hard-hitting heartfelt lyrics. This time around, lead crooner Eric Boatright wastes no time jumping into the album’s repeated lyrical theme - heartbreak - singing ‘I thought I knew all of your dirty secrets; Till I found out that I’m not the deepest one’ after a pounding riff from axeman Corey Red as lead song “The Worst Kind” gets things started with a hell of a bang. Boatright spends a lot of time dwelling on loss, love, and rejection, which can be a bit of a heavy inkwell to repeatedly dip an inkwell into. Boatright hits on this topic quite a bit, like similarly in Antilight where he opens the chorus with “Done wrecking myself; You put me through hell; Now there’s nothing left to talk about; I don’t wanna feel this”. The album occasionally has some trouble with songs’ content running together, but Shallow Side sidestep this problem delicately, skillfully layering Eric’s descents with melodic instrumentation and the occasional sweeping, epic solo that form a cohesive piece that uplifts as much as it brings down.
Likewise, the rhythm section for an album like this plays an incredibly important role, needing to maintain a solid backdrop to let the guitars and vocals shine through, and Heath Fields & Sam Bower form an intimidating one-two groove punch. Fields’ textured, varied drumming keeps each song feeling fresh when the lyrical content slips into familiar territory, keeping the whole album fresh. Likewise Bower’s bass work goes beyond simply following the guitar, taking moments of low energy to shine and demonstrate a unit in harmony. Another element that sets the album apart is the usage of some industrial-influenced synthesizer and creative production, giving the songs a lot of identity and differentiation in rhythm to keep things feeling fresh.
A good rock album is all about combining headbangable moments with emotional resonance and relatable lyrics, and to that end Shallow Side’s Reflections delivers in spades. Those looking for an album that will deliver melancholy and delight in equal measure need look no further than this incredibly solid slab of granite. Reflections drops July 19th, out on Thermal Entertainment, so make sure to check it out!
Coming after a nearly 20 year wait, The Exies' latest offering, Closure EP is a short and sweet 6 track powerhouse showcasing how even after all this time, they haven’t lost an inch. Delivering a powerful mix of introspective lyricism from lead singer Scott Stevens, and heavy riffs that will undoubtedly resonate with fans of post-grunge and alternative rock.
The introspective nature of the songwriting and the chunky riffs and punchy snare The Exies bring to this album is reminiscent of Three Days Grace's seminal album One-X, with such raw, emotional honesty driving each song – starting from track one. Delve deep into themes of pain, redemption, and self-discovery, ‘For What It’s Worth’ is a strong opener that beautifully sets the tone and thematic workings of the album off with a bang. But it’s track 2: ‘Spirits High’ that comes as a true standout on the album.
While not fully acoustic, ‘Spirits High’ strips it back a bit, really allowing Stevens’ mastery of the pen to standout – as it should. Beautifully alluding to the never-ending struggle that can come with mental struggles, it’s clear that Steven’s is struggling, and he feels like there isn’t a way out – that he’s tired of this repeating cycle, and he’s losing faith in himself to make it back out on the other side this time.
It’s a fine line to walk in this regard, as I feel it would be easy to tackle such struggles with a sense of hyperbole or being overtly direct with it – yet Stevens walks the line perfectly and does so as the throughline for the entire album.
Musically, Closure EP is a powerhouse. The heavy riffs and dynamic guitar work are standout features, providing a solid backbone to the emotional weight of the lyrics. The band masterfully balances aggression and melody, ensuring that each track hits hard while remaining memorable. This blend of intensity and accessibility is a hallmark of The Exies' sound and is executed to perfection on this EP.
The production quality is top-notch, with each instrument clearly defined and given room to shine. The rhythm section is particularly tight, laying down grooves that are both intricate and impactful – harkening back to late 2000’s rock sound in the best way possible.
Overall, Closure EP is a compelling and cathartic addition to The Exies' discography. It’s a return to form, and a return to the world of music, that digs its hooks into you and doesn’t let go throughout its entire 23 minute runtime. The Exies have once again proven their ability to create music that is both deeply personal and universally relatable, making Closure EP a must-listen for anyone navigating the complexities of the human experience.
There has been a pre-party held each year the night before Reggae Rise Up Maryland, and this year was held at Power Plant Live! With a great line-up to get everyone teed up ready for the festival. It was great running into some friends ready to have a good time, enjoy some music and prepare for the three days ahead of us. The night started off with Tom Blake and Jesse Anderson, the duo known as Get ‘Em Wet from York, PA. First time hearing them for me, and I really liked what they were doing on stage. They both have a nice flow to their rapping and vocals and really work well with each other. I think I would describe them as a reggae-rock hip-hop group, but they really have their own style and vibe. Their music and beats could be a little better, they were a little flat and similar, I think if they were to hook up with a good producer or DJ the sky is the limit. Next up was Ray Wroten from Bond and Bentley and Joey Mitchell on the upright bass. Ray Wroten (Bond and Bentley), out of Baltimore, is a blues, funk, soul band. Another first timer for me, Ray has a nice bluesy/soulful voice and style and Joey killed it on the bass. Nice feeling they brought to the stage, just the two of them putting on a nice flow.
Next up was a band from Northeast, PA called Elephants Dancing. It's a band I have been trying to check out for a while now being from PA myself, just never worked out with my schedule. Funny I had to go to another state to see them finally. But it was well worth the wait. They absolutely killed it on stage, their sound is so strong, the reggae ska vibes flowing through the air all night. Danny and Michael have some nice vocals and lyrics (and great guitarist), Dan and Adam with fantastic on the horns and Thomas kept it all together on drums. They released Chill Like Penguins last year, very solid album, waiting to hear their next album and how they will grow. These guys are young, but sound as if they have been doing this for a long time. I really enjoyed their set and thought, The Harbor Boys have their work cut out for them to top these guys. Pretty cool when Cody jumped on stage to perform with them, I love seeing how much all these bands love each other and support each other. And next up was The Harbor Boys, the Baltimore group lead by Cody and Gingy. I first met them and heard them at the first RRU pre-party and have been following them ever since. As you can read in my day 2 review for RRU, I am impressed with the new Harbor Boys. They added some band members and deleted some band members and added some percussion and sax, which I think works out magnificently. Their sound has gotten a lot better and now is more complete, there is an added level to them. They had Brandon Hardesty and Drew Francis join them on stage and the energy really kicked up a notch. I love the growth we have seen from them over the past couple of years, they seemed to have found their style and there is no stopping them.
The night was finished off with Brandon Hardesty of Bumpin’ Uglies, the Annapolis native put on a really great acoustic set for the crowd. It was a nice chill way to end the night for the crowd after a few upbeat and crazy performances. I always liked Brandon’s vocals but getting to hear him alone on stage with his guitar really made is voice stand out and what a great voice it is. He is also a fantastic guitar player; I think the crowd was singing along to every word of every song. Kind of gave me chills down my spine listening to the interaction. They really do love him in Maryland! At one point his guitar wasn’t working, wasn’t playing through the amps. He said to the crowd, if we can’t get this working, I may come down there by one of the tables and we will all gather around. They got it working and he started up again, but I will be completely honest, I wish they didn’t get it going because I think it would have been absolutely magnificent if he came down and performed with the crowd circled around him. When he finished up, I took a look around the crowd and realized they didn’t want this to end but were also anxious to go to bed because we had a great three days ahead of us.
I love these pre-parties before a big festival, it just gets everyone ready for the big event, it gets me primed and ready to photograph, and we just get some really good music and vibes. It definitely is the perfect primer, and this night was no different. They all sounded so good, the crowd was loving every minute and we were all ready for the next three days!
One Love – Todd Judd
As we headed over to the peninsula for day 3 of RRU it was overcast and a little breezy. Hoping it would stay this way all day to give us a little break from the heat, we were looking over the lineup, wondering what it had in store for us today. Happy with the first two days, we were feeling optimistic. A few bands I haven’t seen before and a couple to end the day and festival that don’t fit the reggae genre, so wondering how day 3 would finish off. I started thinking again that this may be the last of RRU here in Baltimore, or even in the Northeast. So, if this is it, we must make the best of it. As we were preparing our cameras for the first band after arriving, we saw a couple of friends we have met here at RRU previously, Ray (SHEEEESH one of the nicest guys I have ever met) and Ben (travels up from Florida each year for this festival and such a huge reggae fan), and it made me think about what I said in my review of last year’s RRU. This is really about the people we have met, new friends and old friends, and of course, good music and good vibes. The vibe may be different this year, but the amazing people and amazing performances remain the same.
The day started off with Deltona, FL’s The Sub Herbs, a unique reggae punk vibe with so much energy coming from these guys. Amazing start to the day, these guys really bring it to the stage, super fun to watch. First time hearing and seeing them but will not be the last for sure. Had to try out the tacos from Fistful of Tacos in the VIP tent, they were phenomenal and the guys working there were so cool. Next up, a band I first met at the first RRU, hailing from Washington, DC, Dale and the ZDubs. I have become a huge DZD fan over these three years, love the rock/reggae vibes coming from Dale! You can see how much Dale loves performing live. With a few new members joining the group, Tyler “T. Nasty” Vickery on bass and Nekoro “Neko” Williams on drums, they sounded so incredible. Throw in the addition of Sam on Sax from the Outer Banks, they were completely jamming out during their set. Dale said he was hoping Sam would join the band full time, and I agree, she killed it and adds another level to the band. Coming out of Orlando, Kash’d Out hit the stage. Another first timer for me, I started listening to them shortly before RRU, and really liked what I heard, another one to add to the, “why didn’t I listen to them sooner?” list. They came out with a ton of energy and emotion and absolutely put on a jam session and great performance. The crowd so into all three sets so far, and with each band getting more hyped and more excited. This was starting to become a theme for the day, these bands just putting on a jam session.
The Vermont based Mihali was up next and sounded so terrific. Another artist I have never seen before and just started listening to prior to RRU (and you guessed it, why did it take me so long to listen). He got a nice reggae spirit with his sonic vibe flowing around. He and his band simply destroyed it, putting on an amazing jam session, yes I keep using that term, but that is exactly what Mihali and the others were giving us. I got to meet up with him after his set for a picture and some good conversation. Really cool dude to chill with! One of my absolute favorite music artists, hailing from St. James Parish, Jamaica, Natty Pablo better known as Jesse Royal, hit the stage. The roots reggae artist always puts on a fantastic performance, and this was no different. He sounded great as did his band, one of the reggaes best backing bands out there today! I could sit and listen to him all day, just like his youngest fan in the crowd, and maybe a bigger fan than I am, Alaysia (Lay Lay) holding her Jesse Royal flag with the biggest smile I saw all weekend, with her Aunt Erica (maybe a bigger Natty Pablo fan than me as well). Next to the stage was local favorite, Bumpin’ Uglies from Annapolis, MD, the crowd was out in full effect for their set. They recently released their newest album, Lyrics Over Everything, their best album to date in my opinion, you have to check it out. They played some old, some new and had so much fun on stage. The crowd having so much fun with them. They had other artist join them on stage and once again, it turned into a big jam session, keeping the momentum rolling.
Another festival favorite was up next, Fortunate Youth, from Hermosa Beach, CA. I love listening to and photographing Dan Kelly, such a great distinctive voice and so animated on stage, you really can’t step away without some stunning photos. They put on a great performance and also had others join them on stage, and yes you guessed it, another great jam session unfolded for the crowd to enjoy. I was taking a break when two of the nicest and sweetest people I have ever met, Jamie and Eric, came by with these stuffed soft pretzels. I have never seen something like this before, so Matt and I had to try it out. From Berlin, MD and makers of a little piece of heaven, Get Baked. We got the blue crab and cheese and the Philly cheesesteak, but they also have mac & cheese, Nutella among others. I only wish Eric and Jamie told us about these on day 1, I would have loved to try them all. As Fortunate Youth finished up, I was curious about the crowd, with the last two bands not being reggae bands, and it being a Sunday, would we see the crowd thin out? From Middlebury, VT, the indies/roots band, with a little ska mixed in, Dispatch hit the stage, not really knowing what to expect, they put on a fantastic one-hour jam session, with what looked like a packed house. They have such a unique sound; nothing really like anything else I have ever heard before. So much going on up on stage, the sounds, the music, the energy, switching of instruments. They really were amazing. And the crowd thought so as well. They definitely kept up the theme of the day, jamming out! As they finished up, I was watching the crowd, would we see the exodus to the exit. There was movement, there were people up front to see Dispatch, they moved back, but not out. A new group moved up to the front to catch Philly’s own, The Roots. I saw them last year on tour with LL Cool J, so I knew what the crowd was in for, just wondered how this reggae crowd would take to them. They hit the stage with full energy, an energy that never slowed. And being the last band on day 3 of a long hot festival, you could not have guessed it from the crowd. They were totally into The Roots. I was totally into The Roots. They finished off the day of bands and artists totally jamming through their sets, completely jamming for an hour and a half. Quite amazing seeing that energy on stage for that long, but also in the crowd. What a way to end an amazing three days of good vibes, great music and amazing people.
Day 3 concluded and what I was worried about, this not being a great overall lineup, was completely wrong. This RRU was fantastic, was it the best, who knows and who cares, all I know, and the crowd knows is it was another great time. And while I think this will be the last RRU, we can hope for another. And besides the music and bands and food and drinks, we had each other for another year. If this is it, I will have to make sure I hit some Baltimore reggae shows in the future to, as Bob Marley said, “mingle with the good people we meet.” It was great to meet up with those we have met these past three years; Ray, Ben, Ellen, Eric, Jamie, Parsa, Erik, Dawn, Michael, Ron, Declan, Steven, Erica, Danielle, Kathryn, The Bearded Larry and many others. So much fun working alongside photographers, new and old; Jennifer, Zach, Mundo, Joshua, Christiano, Vivek and John. It is always amazing to meet new photographers and follow them, learn from them, and maybe cross paths again. And all the artists that took the time with me to photograph them for a project I am working on (can’t reveal it yet) and taking the time to talk and hang out; Dale, Jackson and John (The Elovaters), the guys from Through The Roots, Steel Pulse, Ballyhoo!, Shawn “MistaRoots” Mitchell, Carter, Tropidelic, Trevor Young, Dan Kelly, Sheen, Cody and Gingy, Sam on Sax, Mihali and Neko. They were all so down to earth and cool, just acted like regular people. While day 3 was all about the JAMMING, all three days brought us so many great performances, every band/artist trying to outdo the next, it was truly a great experience. We can all sit back and remember Reggae Rise Up Maryland over the past three years and dream for more.
One Love - Todd
On the heels of Buju Banton’s Long Walk To Freedom New York concert at UBS Arena July 13th, Buju has released a new single and video, “This Is Jamaica.” Buju was granted a Visa recently by the U.S. (I was surprised at this but so happy) and shortly after he announced his first U.S. concert since his January 16th, 2011 ‘Before The Dawn’ concert in Miami. So popular, they added a second date on Sunday the 14th because tickets sold so quickly for the Saturday show. This shows how much people love and miss Buju. Over his 30-year career, Buju, whose real name is Mark Myrie, has released 12 studio albums, most of them featuring recurring topics such as consciousness, justice, freedom, and love. And his new release is no different. I love this song! This could be the anthem for Jamaica for the summer. Great beat and rhythm along with Buju’s solid lyrics and vocals. The video, directed by Colormesstadic and produced by Kemar McGregor, starts with Buju in his car driving through Kingston with sights and views of everyday Jamaica life. We see a Bob Marley One Love poster, Usain Bolt statue, a painting of Haile Selassie, Devon House (where I had the best Jamaican Patties I have ever had and some amazing ice cream) and the Redemption Song statue.
While the video may not seem to be very intricate, I think this is a perfect song and video for Buju and Jamaica. After sending so many years in jail and away from his Jamaica, this is very meaningful to him and for him. To be free and enjoying everything that Jamaica is and has to offer. The video ends with a Bob Marley painting and quote that is so fitting, “None but ourselves can free our minds.” A quote I am sure Buju lives by, as do I. They also released a “This Is Jamaica” official dance video, some sweet dance moves, this will become a popular dance in clubs in Jamaica and worldwide. Another amazing song by Buju, looking forward to seeing if this means another album is in the works. His last album, Born For Greatness, was absolutely fantastic and cannot wait for more music from Buju. Just waiting for news of more tour dates!
One Love – Todd Judd
Long time favorite Tech N9ne will go down as one of the best to ever do it. Whether it’s his incredible lyricism or collabs with other artists, he always brings a new level to any song he writes or is featured on. You can say that about his newest powerful single, “The Birth”, and the music video that came along with it. Taking things back to his roots as a child and what he knew he was meant to do all along portrayed by the young kid, him, in the video. It gives the audience a look into his personal life and sheds light on his journey to becoming THE Tech N9ne. I knew going into the track that I was already going to enjoy it given my track record with his catalogue, but this one is refreshing and impactful. Everyone needs to give this one a spin, it’s true to who Tech N9ne is as a person and an artist.
- James Coffman
We walked into the RRU Festival on day 2 around 11:30 and it was already in the 90’s. Would the lineup for the day bring as much heat as the day before and as much as the weather? We checked out the breweries that were there for the brew fest, a nice variety but nowhere near the 50+ breweries they said would be there. I counted 17 total from local breweries to nationwide breweries; RAR, Clear Skies Meadery, M8 Beer, Corona, Lagunitas, and Big Truck Farm Brewery to name a few. Some very passionate people, especially from the local breweries. Nice idea for RRU to add the beer fest, but I think it fell a bit short. I was more excited for this day’s lineup than the previous day, so I was expecting a great day of music.
After we put on our sun block and filled our water bottles, we headed down to the stage for The Harbor Boys to start the day off. The Baltimore based band, led by Cody Woolsoncroft and Andrew “GINGY” Hall, hit the crowd with their reggae/rock jamming out like madmen on stage (like usual). I met up with them a couple years ago for an interview before the first year of RRU pre-party and watched them perform at the now closed Tin Roof. In these two years they have added some band members and deleted some band members, but Cody and Gingy are they mainstays and wow have they come a long way. I would have described them back then as a fun dive bar band or college band, they have now homed in on their style (I think they were struggling with an identity before), a little more rock than reggae, but their sounds is much more solid. The future is bright if they stay focused.
Next up was an artist I have never seen before, or really ever listened to, Claire Wright. The Northern California singer “fuses elements of sunshine and carefree living into every ounce of her music. Wright learned the art of penning authentic and compelling lyrics, after spending several years as a full-time singer/songwriter in both Southern California and Nashville, Tennessee” (taken from her website, which perfectly describes her). She was accompanied by Iration guitarist Micah Brown and Landon Chung of the Wide Eyed Kids on drums, they sounded fantastic as a trio, and we even got a visit from Carter of Surfer Girl for “All I Wanna Do (Surfin’).” She has an amazing, sweet and soulful voice, I expect to see her more and more in the future as her fan base grows. Another group I had never heard before, Maine based Coyote Island. They have a very unique sound mixing folk, reggae, pop, world, cumbia, and psychodelia. Not one of my favorites from the weekend, but the crowd did seem to like their distinctive vibe they had going on. The Wayland, MA Carter Reeves and Surfer Girl were up next. Their sound is all about good vibes and groovy rhythms, combining indie-pop, reggae, surf-rock and hip hop elements, and the crowd was truly into this set. Carter, (I ran into him Sunday morning at the café at our hotel and got to talk for a few minutes, awesome down to earth guy), has such a fantastic voice and vibe up on stage. Just doing his thing and keeping the crowd captivated. Surfer Girl’s drummer and bassist are fantastic, I wish I knew their names for the shout-out. The bassist just totally killed it on stage, the crowd was mesmerized. I was mesmerized!
Ballyhoo! was next up, and as always destroyed it, jamming on stage with their #MarylandBeachRock reggae and punk vibe. The Aberdeen, MD group, as always, had a huge crowd for their set, everyone in the crowd singing and dancing right along with them. They are such a fun band to watch and photograph, a crowd favorite always and one of my favorites as well. I got to meet up with the guys before their set, first thing that hit me, Howie is much taller than I thought (he said everyone says that to him all the time so I felt kinda dumb for saying it LOL). They are so cool and would have loved to be able to spend more time talking with them. Next up, hailing from Bermuda, is one of my favorite artists, Collie Buddz. I always look forward to Collie and he killed it the previous year at RRU, so I knew this year would be no different. As always, he sounded great and his band absolutely killed it. One of the best backup bands out there today lead by Jason “J-Vibe” Farmer, Shawn “Mista Roots” Mitchell, Ronny Gutierrez and Noah Cronin they take a Collie concert to the next level. I met up with Shawn shortly before the set for a few photos, and I knew this was going to go down big! Collie always puts on a great show and the crowd is always singing right along with him word for word. I remember seeing him way back in 2008 and wow has he grow as an artist and his fan base.
Next up we got a nice, different vibe with KES (aka KES The Band) taking the stage with their soca sound, but it is much more than soca, blending reggae, calypso, pop, rock, dancehall and afrobeats together. The band was formed back in Trinidad and Tobago in 2005 and have been a steady force throughout the Caribbean and world-wide ever since. They had a huge turn out at RRU, so many fans coming to the festival to see them (talked to a group that came from NY just to see them). It was fantastic seeing the love the crowd had for KES and the love KES had for the crowd. Definitely one of the best overall performances of the weekend. So happy I got to see them in person finally. Next to the sage was Kingston, Jamaica’s own Orville Richard Burrell, better known to us as Shaggy. A crowd favorite at festivals, always brings a lot of energy and swagger to the stage. Oh, the swagger! While the crowd was loving the performance, they got tired of the constant talking and interaction with the crowd. They wanted to hear his hits, and he seemed to be dragging this out, almost trying to get through the hour-long set. He didn’t even get to finish his set, his time ran out, leaving the crowd without hearing “It Wasn’t Me.” We heard a lot about that the following day. He did start off his set with KES joining him on stage, which might have been the highlight of his set. The two work so well on stage together.
Finishing off day 2 was headliner and Grammy winner SOJA, bringing us some amazing roots reggae from Arlington, VA. But shortly before their set started there was a special event right in the front row center that took place. Last year I met a festival goer, Ron who was back this year with some great news, he was going to get married right before SOJA went on, with the entire crowd as a witness. He asked me to get some pictures of his and Kathryn’s ceremony, so of course I was happy to. It was a heartwarming and sweet experience; never would I have thought I would see a wedding at a reggae festival. SOJA always puts on an amazing show and this was no different. They sounded so good all night long, the perfect way to finish off the night, whether it is Jacob with his amazing distinctive vocals, Bobby Lee on bass (he never stops moving on stage), Ryan killing it on drums (I saw his mom backstage with a shirt that said SOJA Mom on the front and Yes the drummer is my son on the back), Hellman and Rafael sounding so amazing on horns, Kenny on percussion and Patrick on keys, and Trevor Young just killing it on lead guitar as always (rode in the hotel elevator Sunday morning with him, just a really nice down to earth guy). SOJA is a band that, even after an incredibly hot and long day, they push so much energy onto the crowd, it’s as if they all just arrived, fresh and ready to jam with SOJA.
While day 2 was even hotter than day 1, I was happy I made it through another grueling day, stayed hydrated and didn’t burn, but what was the best was all the performances. Such a great day of music, vibes and love. Just like day 1, most bands seemed to outdo the previous band with so much great vocals and amazing instrumentalists. You can’t help but smile thinking about it. Walking out of the festival, everyone with so much energy flowing around them, wondering what day 3 will bring.
One Love - Todd
One of the best things for an up and coming band is to jump on a major tour with an established artist. It helps the band get in front of thousands of people and can push their music to people that may have never heard them faster than getting in a Spotify playlist. One band that is about to embark on two killer summer tours is Hot Milk. This English pop rock band is about to be the opening band for the next Blink 182 tour, and the fan loved Sad Summer Fest Tour. Before either of these could start, Hot Milk booked a headlining show at the House of Blues in Anaheim, CA as one big hurrah to their fans to enjoy a longer set by the band. Fans started lining up at 9am the morning of the show as they wanted to be in the front row. Just goes to show how diehard these fans can be.
Opening the show was a band known as Mercy Music. I didn’t know what to expect from the opener but was hoping for something upbeat and exciting. Mercy Music shattered and surpassed any expectations I could have within the first few moments of their show. Just by getting on stage, each member stepped on the amps and catapulted themselves onto the stage. Launching into their opening track “Fuck Me Anyways,” Mercy Music was there to put on a performance. We were in the small room of the House of Blues, but the band made the most of their limited stage space. Bassist Jarred Cooper was constantly jumping around the stage and shoving the body of his bass right into the front of the stage, letting fans hear him pluck away. Guitarist and vocalist Brendan Scholz sounds like he came out of the early 90’s pop punk boom. With his vocal talents, the melodies he writes, and the guitar solo he slips into the songs. Drummer Ryan Seaman was pounding away on his light up drum kit. Which added even more flair and personality to the band. With songs like “Love You/Need You,” “Watch Me Drown,” “Found Out I’m Useless,” “Suddenly,” “Living With a Ghost,” “REAL,” and ending with “Fine.” I would call Mercy Music the love child of Green Day and the Offspring with the live energy of the Ramones. If you are a fan of punk, then Mercy Music should be checked out.
Then it was time for Hot Milk, the band that was about to have one of their best summer support gigs starting the next day. The fans were already jumping and screaming with excitement as the band walked out to “Welcome to the…” playing. Kicking into “Horror Show” co-vocalist Han Mee unleashed her chaotic frontwoman energy to the crowd. Running back and forth across the stage, grinding and dancing to her own music, and jumping all around the place. Mee got so lost in the ecstasy of the performance, that she unfortunately slipped off the stage at one point falling straight to the floor. Thankfully she was ok and in good spirits as security came to help her up. She just laughed at herself and the moment that occurred before picking herself back up and jumping back into the performance. Co-vocalist and guitarist Jim Shaw appeared to be the more restrained one compared to Mee’s on stage antics, as he was flowing with his guitar through the songs, and sharing the mic with Mee for some of Hot Milk’s best chorus’s. Bassist Tom Paton was vibing in the back of the stage next to drummer Harry Deller who was grooving with the kit.
Hot Milk always gives everything they have to their fans, and you can see it on their faces that they are having fun. Sadly, this House of Blues show was marred by some technical difficulties. The PA system seemed to not be sending signal to every band members in ears. As well as multiple microphone failures caused Mee and Shaw to pass the only working microphone back and forth to each other. None the less, the band continued to give the crowd everything they had. Shaw even polled the crowd asking if we wanted them to take a few moments to try and fix the PA, or just continue with Mee being the only singer. The crowd overwhelmingly cheered to just keep playing with Mee being the only singer, and the crowd graciously filled in all of Shaw’s vocal parts. This helped to lift Hot Milk’s spirits through all the technical difficulties, and the band continued to give us everything they had that night for songs like “BLOODSTREAM,” “I JUST WANNA KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I’M DEAD,” “ALICE COOPER’S POOL PARTY,” “Bad Influence,” “ZONED OUT,” “OVER YOUR DEAD BODY,” “Wide Awake,” “PARTY ON MY DEATHBED,” “Split Personality,” and ending with “Glass Spiders.”
Hot Milk were nothing but professional as they worked through all the pitfalls that continued to happen almost one after another. Han Mee even mentioned that they hope all their gear works the next day when they play the first opening gig for Blink 182. And I have word from friends that were at that Blink 182 show, that Hot Milk’s performance went off with no issues! Even with all the technical difficulties that plagued the performance, it did not take away from the fans’ enjoyment of the show. If anything, it made the show a more unique experience and one that we will all remember. Hot Milk comes back to Los Angeles on July 6th, opening for Blink 182, and I will for sure be in the crowd. If you can’t catch the Blink 182 tour, then I highly recommend checking your local listings for the Sad Summer Fest Tour, as you do not want to miss Hot Milk this summer.