By Andrew Bansal
October 27th 2015, Mystery Box, Los Angeles CA: New Jersey progressive rock/metal guitarist Angel Vivaldi has already earned accolades and feature stories in various guitar magazines in a short career that has so far seen three full-length releases. He embarked on his first full North American tour on October 7th 2015, originally billed as a co-headline act with The Algorithm, who had to cancel their participation completely, owing to visa issues. Vivaldi was left with the task of headlining the tour, with Pittsburgh PA based Save Us From The Archon as sole touring support act. Three weeks into the trek, Vivaldi and SUFTA arrived in the Arts District of Los Angeles for a gig at the Mystery Box on October 27th, and were greeted by a sizable prog-loving crowd.
The Mystery Box has become a great escape for those of us that frequent Hollywood and West Hollywood on an overly regular basis. This D.I.Y. venue not too inconviently located in the Arts District is well-run, and develops more day by day. In comparison to my last visit here in mid-September, the sound is already far better and now matches up to the quality concert goers are used to in club venues. The stage lights were also more effective here, and it helped that none of the bands bitched about it or demanded them to be turned off. The Mystery Box certainly needs more shows, and I for one wouldn’t complain if that were to happen.
The show started at 8 PM with Los Angeles-based guitarist Dylan Furr taking the stage with his eponymous project as the local opening act. Unlike the headliner, Furr stayed away from the spotlight and did not take center stage, and had a vocalist in his band. The music ranged from quintessential prog rock passages with clean singing, to very metal segements comprising heavy grooves and growling vocals. Dylan Furr and his band justified their inclusion on this lineup. Unlike popular belief, there is no shortage of talented bands and musicians in Los Angeles, and Dylan Furr has come forward as yet another noteworthy addition, worthy of modern/prog oriented music lovers’ attention.
Next up were instrumental prog quartet Save Us From The Archon, hailing from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as they clearly stated on more than one occasion during the set. Their brand of prog is far more experiemntal than that of the other two acts that played this show, and carries hardcore/post-hardcore elements as well. Their musicianship came across as an incredibly busy, frenzied combination of instrumental layers, the wildness further intensified by their uncontrolled movements on stage. They did not set up any microphones on stage, but the guitarist was screaming his head off talking to the crowd in between tunes, which was unusual and hilarious at the same time. He endeared the audience towards the band by repeatedly saying how much better Los Angeles is as compared to Pittsburgh. Save Us From The Archon provided great entertainment with their performance at this show, and fans of the genre would be well advised to give them a listen.
And shortly after, Angel Vivaldi took the stage for an exemplary exhibition of progressive rock guitar playing, straight out of the John Petrucci school. The shred factor is high in Vivaldi’s jams, but the melody and catchiness is also equally evident, with some fast-paced thrashy segments to induce mosh pits, and it’s all done in a tasteful manner. There is definitely no jazz fusion vibes going on here, and Vivaldi’s compositions are purely rooted in rock. For people that go to all kinds of shows and listen to all styles of heavy music, a name like Angel Vivaldi may seem unfamiliar, and even those that are vaguely familiar may not have had a chance to listen to much of his music. But dedicated prog fans clearly keep up with everything going on in their genre, as evident from the reaction of this crowd, as many attendees seemed to know every tune Vivaldi played, some even shouting out requests. His set lasted a little less than an hour, which was ideal for his style of music. There was also the unique visual and sonic element of double-neck bass used by Vivaldi’s bassist. On a side note, a macbook playing a video of him shredding on guitar on loop occupied central position on his merch table, and from the perspective of a constantly touring merch guy, I thought it was a very innovative, out-of-the-box way of attracting people’s attention to the merch, and throughout the evening, I noticed that it worked exactly like it was intended to.
Besides, Vivaldi’s interactions with the crowd between tunes were humble and humorous, and he undoubtedly succeeded in making a solid impression on fans and first-timers alike. For those that appreciate guitar-centric instrumental music of any kind, an Angel Vivaldi concert is wholeheartedly recommended.
Remaining Tour Dates:
10/30 – Tahoe, CA @ Whiskey Dicks
11/1 – Portland, OR @ Analog
11/2 – Spokane, WA @ The Pin
11/3 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
11/5 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Bar
11/6 – Denver, CO @ Casslemans Venue
11/8 – St Louis, MO @ Fubar
11/9 – Crest Hill, IL @ Bada Brew
11/12 – Fayetteville, NC @ The DHP
11/13 – Philadelphia, PA @ Voltage Lounge
11/22 – Clifton, NJ @ Dingbatz
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