Review & photos by Andrew Bansal
December 4th 2013, The Satellite, Los Angeles CA: North Carolina-based stoner rock band ASG have been around for more than a decade, and released their fifth full-length album ‘Blood Drive’ via Relapse Records earlier this year. Following its release they toured as support act to fellow North Carolina band Weedeater on which they played at the Whisky, and last night ASG made a return to Los Angeles for a headline show of their own, courtesy of Scion A/V. After three editions of the newly resurrected ‘Scion Rock Show’ which were all great music and lineup-wise but varied in terms of the turnouts, this fourth edition promised to be a solid treat for stoner rock fans, with ASG being supported by psychedelic quartet From Beyond, based out of Houston TX.
The doors opened at 9 PM, and as always, the Scion merch table had plenty up for grabs for the attendees, free of cost. The items on the table included Scion socks, earplugs, shirts, and various music releases such as Gates Of Slumber, Melvins, the Scion 10th Anniversary compilation, and the new High On Fire 7-inch. After picking up these items, it was time to enjoy some great tunes by LSDJs, the resident DJs recruited by Scion for these shows. They kept the music flowing until the bands were ready to take the stage, and even though the turnout was really low at this point, I had a feeling this was going to be as good as, if not better than the previous three Scion rock shows.
From Beyond hit the stage at 10 PM and played a 45-minute set of highly enjoyable psychedelic stoner rock, led by Robert McCarthy on guitar, vocals, synth and samples. For the kind of crowd gathered here at the Satellite, it was very easy to follow and relate to From Beyond’s music, and their set was an overwhelming success as they certainly made some new fans amongst people who most likely weren’t aware of them prior to the gig. To be honest, I myself was completely unfamiliar with them, but after seeing them I was once again reminded about the undeniable fact that no one can be a ‘know-it-all’, because there’s always great new music hidden and left to discover. From Beyond have been a band only since 2011, are unsigned, and last night they played tunes off of their two EPs ‘The Color Out Of Space’ and ‘One Year’, along with a new unreleased song ‘The Fall To Earth’. Based on this performance, I can’t see them being unsigned for too much longer, because Robert McCarthy and his band mates made every single note talk.
Visit From Beyond on the web:
BandFromBeyond.com
MusicFromBeyond.bandcamp.com
facebook.com/FromBeyondBand
Set List:
1. Hexagram
2. The Heavy Wait
3. One Year
4. At Midnight (I’ll Steal Your Soul)
5. The Fall To Earth
6. Evil (From Beyond)
7. The Color Out Of Space
From Beyond photo gallery (9 photos):
With such an excellent warm-up provided by From Beyond, the prospects looked even brighter for ASG to succeed at this gig, and they sure did. Most of the audience was drawn closer to the stage as soon as ASG stepped on it to begin what turned out to be a truly fantastic set. I saw them at that aforementioned Weedeater show at the Whisky, and in comparison, last night was a much better ASG experience, with a discernibly higher sound quality of this venue and the overall setting being more in favor of ASG’s style of musicianship than the Whisky ever was. Besides, this was ASG’s fan base, and even though very small in number, these fans didn’t shy away from getting involved in the show by indulging in mosh pits and beer-induced fun. The PBRs flowed and empty tall cans were flung around as ASG’s music got them pumped.
The impact of their tunes was drastically amplified by the Satellite’s ambiance, and I honestly can’t think of a better LA venue for ASG than this one. Guitarist/vocalist Jason Shi sounded terrific in both aspects of his musicianship and was well-assisted by his three band mates. Their music, specially on the latest album Blood Drive, is a more melodic, psychedelic variant of stoner rock as compared to other bands pursuing the genre at present, and it really shone last night.
Overall, I think this was the best of the four Scion Rock Shows we’ve had so far. Once again, Scion A/V need to be commended for putting together this lineup because I seriously doubt Los Angeles would have had a chance to see an ASG headline show anytime soon if not for Scion bringing them out here for this event. Aside from that, we got to discover a great new band in From Beyond, and for the 40-odd people that decided to attend, this gig was totally worthwhile in every sense. I just wish more of the so-called ‘underground’ metal community in Los Angeles show their support towards this wonderful endeavor by Scion, by actually coming out to attend these free shows. Anyhow, this was a highly enjoyable night out with the Scion Rock Show.
Visit ASG on the web:
ASGnation.com
facebook.com/ASGnation
twitter.com/ASGnation
ASG photo gallery (28 photos):
Visit Scion A/V on the web:
ScionAV.com
facebook.com/ScionAVmetal
twitter.com/ScionAV
instagram.com/ScionAV
Visit The Satellite on the web:
theSatelliteLA.com
facebook.com/theSatelliteLA
twitter.com/theSatelliteLA
instagram.com/theSatelliteLA