By Andrew Bansal
As the Night Demon tour crept into week #4 of 10, the disappointment of getting denied entry into Canada was followed by down-time and a much-needed run of consecutive East Coast shows. Part 3 of the ‘Return Of The Demon’ tour blog brings you tales and anecdotes from this period, but read Parts 1 and 2 first if you haven’t yet.
Day 22-25 (05/23-05/26): Write Demon
During the forced four-day layoff from the tour because of the Canada border fiasco, the guys decided not to simply sit around and waste time, and set up their equipment in a garage to write a new song instead. They spent a good portion of this period building this song from Brent’s initial riff, adding and adjusting parts as they developed it. There are no vocals on it yet, so the song will certainly evolve even more once that happens, but objectively speaking, it already sounds great and will impress fans and first-timers alike. It was inspiring to be amidst such creativity. Metalheads, I’ve got news for you. Night Demon has started writing a new album.
Besides that, some of us went on a hike along the incredibly green and forest-laden Appalachian Trail. Watching each and every single step of yours, looking out for snakes, ticks, bears and other creatures, bending around tree branches, keeping up to speed with others in your group, and treading the right path, all these aspects of this activity really test your concentration and stamina and sharpen your brain, and I highly recommend it. Plus, the view from the top makes it completely worth the effort.
Day 26 (05/27): Brooklyn Roads
The day of the Brooklyn show finally arrived, and it felt almost like the start of another tour because of the long gap before this show at the Acheron. We arrived there in the early evening, and looking around at the multitude of event flyers posted on the walls, it was clear that this is largely a punk-oriented venue, with bands like The Casualties and Iron Reagan frequenting it. Reading all these flyers closely also made me wonder why the year of the event is not included in flyers, not just here but everywhere in general. People would find it easier to remember shows from old flyers if the year was printed on them. Anyway, opening band Donner Party played a short, fun set and the Night Demon set was very well received. The punk fans in the audience loved it just as much as the metalheads, which again showcases the fact that Night Demon is more punk than your average NWOBHM revivalist band.
Getting in and out of Brooklyn/NYC is never pleasant, given that it’s the land of the highest toll taxes and the worst roads. But at the end of the day, it all makes sense when you see the awe-struck look on people’s faces and hear them complimenting the band on a successful performance.
At this show, a well-known videographer/roadie from the local community even awarded me the title of ‘most dedicated roadie ever’. The days of the ‘rockstar roadie’ are long gone, it’s not glamorous to be a roadie in this day and age, and most people, fans and chicks included, don’t care for roadies. But when I receive such kind words from the select few who do understand and appreciate the non-playing aspects of live music, it’s flattering. Every sound/lighting guy on this tour comes up to me after the set and tells me how great my light show is and how much they love my Demon act, giving me a solid ego boost and making me feel on top of the world. But don’t worry, I’m still a nice guy. I’m not an asshole, not yet, anyway.
Day 27 (05/28): Invading New England
From Brooklyn we made the trip to Portland, Maine for the first of three shows in the New England area. This Portland is just as pleasant and welcoming as the other Portland and the two are almost mirror images of each other on opposite sides of the country. Geno’s Rock Club served as a solid venue for the show and opening acts Stone Tools and Seax, featuring charismatic frontman and New England cult legend Carmine Blades, both played entertaining sets. Our fog machine did not please the sound guy though, and he repeatedly told us to cut it off completely. People do need to understand that this is a pro-level machine that does not set off any smoke/fire alarms. Jarvis has done his research and wouldn’t have brought it on tour otherwise. And more importantly, it adds to the impact of the band’s live show, as long as it’s not overused.
Day 28 (05/29): Vantage Troubles
Next, we returned to perform for the fine folks at Firehouse 13 in Providence, Rhode Island. It was such a trip looking at downtown Providence because of how much better it is when it is not covered from head to toe in snow. The sound guy was playing old-school Death Angel albums in entirety on the PA the whole time in between sets, which added further to the positivity of this experience. I heard some thick New England accents at this show and I can honestly say I am very fond of it. Everything went a-ok at this show except for my own performance as the mascot ‘Rocky’. I chose the wrong vantage point to stand and do the lights, and found it hard to get up on this high-ish stage during ‘The Chalice’, grabbing Jarvis’ mic stand for support, to avoid falling back on my ass, thus pulling it away from him. People loved it regardless, but for the first time ever, Rocky fucked up.
Nonetheless, Firehouse 13 is certainly a venue Night Demon will visit on every US tour. We drove straight to the next destination after the show. I’ve discovered that listening to brand new music during late night/early morning drives keeps me awake and attentive a lot better than old music which I’ve listened to a million times before. Blasting doom metal was the perfect recipe while traveling through these parts at the crack of dawn.
Day 29 (05/30): The Wrecked Room
From Rhode Island, the smallest state in the US, we were in Peterborough, New Hampshire for a show at the Wreck Room. It was an interesting setting, with no elevated stage and the bands setting up on the floor in the corner of the room. With five support bands, it was a long show, but in all honesty, none of the bands were bad, which is rare for a lineup this long. It was strange too that none of them were actually local and had each driven at least a couple of hours from their respective hometowns. Amadis from Vermont were very impressive and right up the alley for anyone who likes Night Demon. Besides, the band Sonic Pulse who played both the Providence show and this one, were excellent and played a solid cover of Megadeth’s ‘Hangar 18’, complete with the lead guitarist looking exactly like a young Marty Friedman. This promoter together with this venue organizes a lot of shows, and its DIY nature presents some challenges but also makes it fun for all bands.
Driving through New England over these three days was truly an amazing experience for me sitting in the co-pilot seat in the van. With fresh water bodies and greenery everywhere, this is perhaps the most beautiful part of the country. It’s ironic that most people don’t really think of America as a country known for its natural beauty, but it’s a lot prettier than you’d think.
Day 30 (05/31): Saratoga Sunday
George DeMers, co-host of the ‘Full Metal Racket’ FM radio show in Saratoga Springs, New York, was so impressed by Night Demon at the Albany show on the first night of the Skull Fist tour that he not only bring the band live on air the same night, but promised to book a gig in this area on the next tour. Sure enough, he kept his word and organized a show at the Putnam Den, which went really well for a Sunday night. Some attendees even drove from Montreal to attend the show. We got a full soundcheck at this one too. I can’t stress enough the importance of soundchecks and how good it feels to test and set everything up in advance, and get used to the nitty-gritty of the venue. I enjoyed doing lights on this big stage but at the same time it was a real challenge because I could not take my eyes away from that one Asian chick in the audience who looked like she was at the wrong gig and was dancing as if she was at a PSY concert. But it’s heartening to note that the Demon turns even non-metalheads into fans and makes them dance to its tunes.
To sum it up, this gig gave me the two best quotes of the tour so far. One attendee came up to me and told me that when I hit the strobe light to go with Jarvis and Brent’s dual harmony during ‘Curse Of The Damned’, he felt like I had “spiked his drink with LSD”. And at the end of the night, the bartender said to us, “You guys ruled! But what the fuck are you doing in Saratoga Springs?!”
Day 31 (06/01): Broadway Blues
We drove straight across the state of New York for the next show at Broadway Joe’s in Buffalo. A longtime fan from Toronto was already there waiting for our arrival. Seeing people from Montreal and Toronto come out to these New York shows has been great, and at least for the time being, it implies that Night Demon fans in Canada need to come to America to see the band live. The merch area at this venue smelled like cat poop (I swear, it wasn’t me) but people were blown away by the set and it laid the foundation for more visits to this town on future tours.
This sign at the merch table has been getting a lot of attention. If you talk to Jarvis, tell him to quit. Smoking cigarettes is bad, kids.
Day 32 (06/02): Wheels Of Steel
We were finally out of New York and back into PA for a gig at Gooski’s in Pittsburgh, after a solid daytime hang session with some of the dudes from the band Midnight Chaser. Briefly roaming the streets of Downtown Pittsburgh was interesting as it has ‘old town’ vibe to it. The steeply inclined roads almost make it look like an ancient, gentrified version of San Francisco. The gig was fun, and this time the opening act was not a metal band but a two-piece experimental group called Demolish Kill, which I did not mind at all because I’d rather see something different done well than the same old thing done with sub-par quality. Rocky fucked up yet again by putting on the costume inside-out, ut I’m enjoying doing the lights more and more with every passing gig on this tour, specially the strobe parts of the set. Night Demon is definitely not the first band ever to use strobe lighting, but it is done in a manner different from most others, and to discover it you need to come to a Night Demon show. It is thrilling to notice the mind-blown look on people’s faces when I activate the strobe mode, so much so that I restlessly wait to hit that button through the whole set.
It was also good to see some familiar faces from the metal community in this very musically inclined town, including Dan Wetmore from Mantic Ritual and Dave Wheeler from one of the newest clean-singing heavy metal sensations, Carousel. Gooski’s is legit.
People invariably get shocked and surprised when they see our list of dates for this tour, and many are almost sympathetic towards us because of how long we are on the road for, but our motto is to take it day by day and live in the moment. Time flies by when you do that.
From Pittsburgh, we moved onto the state of Ohio, a part of the tour we’d been waiting for since the beginning, and it deserves its own blog entry, so I’ll save that for the next part. But until then, stay metal, and don’t ask me whether I’m “in the band”.
Update: Read Part 4
Remaining Tour Dates:
06/03 – Hilliard OH @ Satan’s Den
06/06 – Cleveland OH @ Agora Ballroom
06/07 – Detroit MI @ Corktown Tavern
06/09 – Chicago IL @ Livewire Lounge
06/10 – Fort Wayne IN @ Skeletunes Lounge
06/11 – Louisville KY @ The New Vintage (w/ Savage Master)
06/15 – Nashville TN @ Springtime Supper Club
06/18 – Kansas City MO @ The Riot Room (w/ Starkill)
06/19 – Wichita KS @ Lizard Lounge
06/21 – St. Louis MO @ Fubar
06/23 – Madison WI @ The Wisco (w/ Cognitive)
06/24 – Minneapolis MN @ Palmer’s Bar
06/25 – Appleton WI @ The Poison Estate
06/26 – LaCrosse WI @ Warehouse
06/27 – Des Moines IA @ Vaudeville Mews
06/29 – Omaha NE @ Hideout
06/30 – Denver CO @ Seventh Circle Music Collective
07/02 – Salt Lake City UT @ Club X (w/ Visigoth)
07/03 – Boise ID @ The Shredder
07/04 – Missoula MT @ VFW Post 209
07/07 – Seattle WA @ High Line
07/09 – Portland OR @ Rotture (w/ Spellcaster)
07/10 – Eugene OR @ Wandering Goat
07/11 – San Francisco CA @ Thee Parkside (w/ Brocas Helm & HellFire)
07/12 – Los Osos CA @ Sweet Springs Saloon
07/17 – Ventura CA @ Bombay