Summer Slaughter Rolls Through West Hollywood’s House Of Blues

By Andrew Bansal

July 20th 2013, House Of Blues, West Hollywood CA: Annual touring metal festival Summer Slaughter began in 2008 with an extreme metal-dominated lineup, but over the years it has progressed and opened itself up to various other genres. The 2013 edition proved to be a fine example of that, as it presented a very diverse group of bands stacked together to deliver for audiences all across North America. The 2013 tour had its first show at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco on Friday, and landed at the House of Blues in West Hollywood yesterday. The doors opened as early as 3 in the afternoon, the first band went on at 3:20, and although I wasn’t able to arrive at the venue any earlier than 4:30, from what I heard there was a large crowd right from the onset. Continue reading “Summer Slaughter Rolls Through West Hollywood’s House Of Blues”

Orchid Plays Hometown Headline Show At Slim’s

By Avinash Mittur
[Live photos by Raymond Ahner] 

July 19th 2013, Slim’s, San Francisco CA: More often than not, I take pride in the Bay Area’s wealth of great music and the friendly community that comes with it. One of the shining stars of the bay is Orchid, who have been rapidly expanding their following not just at home, but all over the world. After releasing their fantastic new album, The Mouths of Madness, just a couple months ago, the band stormed across Europe. Orchid finally made their way back to the coast though, and played a rousing homecoming show last Friday night at one of the best venues in the city, Slim’s. This show was an easy example of what makes the Bay Area amazing. A few hundred friends and fans packed Slim’s on this Friday night and banged their heads to some of the best heavy rock music around. Continue reading “Orchid Plays Hometown Headline Show At Slim’s”

Jack Russell’s Great White Performs At The Whisky

By Andrew Bansal

July 19th 2013, The Whisky, West Hollywood CA: Jack Russell’s Great White have embarked on a two-month US tour, beginning with the first show at the Whisky A Go Go on July 19th. Even for a Friday night, the place was surprisingly packed, and I had never been to a Great White show before but I heard from trusted sources that it’s been at least two decades since this band got that kind of a turnout. For those who arrived early though, it was going to be a long night as the lineup was stacked with plenty of local openers. It wasn’t until 11:15 PM that these opening bands were finally done with and the stage was cleared for Great White. Continue reading “Jack Russell’s Great White Performs At The Whisky”

Oakland Doom Metal Band Lycus Headlines The Five Star Bar

By Andrew Bansal

July 17th 2013, Five Star Bar, Los Angeles CA: Having been to this venue several times in the past, I’ve always felt that it really carries a vibe that’s best for a doom metal show more than any other type of music. I’ve seen doom outfits like Mournful Congregation, Pendulous, Anhedonist and a few others put on some great shows here, and last night was yet another opportunity to experience a doom show in this setting. Lycus from Oakland CA were the headliners, along with Lake Ov Blood, Helen Money and Trapped Within Burning Machinery as the support acts. For the tiny size of the venue, the turnout even as I arrived at around 8:40 was great. The LA underground fraternity had turned up in numbers to support and enjoy this gig, and the bands participating in the evening’s live entertainment did not disappoint this crowd one bit. Continue reading “Oakland Doom Metal Band Lycus Headlines The Five Star Bar”

Ted Nugent’s ‘Black Power 2013’ Tour Visits Anaheim

By Andrew Bansal

July 16th 2013, City National Grove Of Anaheim, Anaheim CA: Love him or hate him, Ted Nugent stands true to his beliefs and principles, and regardless of whether or not one agrees with his political leanings or his lifestyle, Ted Nugent the musician has been and always will be a legend. With that said, there are numerous such musicians that have been around for a lengthy period of time, are still playing shows even though they really shouldn’t be, delivering half-hearted, money-grabbing performances to soak up the die-hard fans’ money. Ted Nugent’s controversially titled ‘Black Power 2013’ tour began on July 11th and headed its way down to make a stop at the lovely City National Grove of Anaheim last night. For this reviewer, it was not just merely a chance to fulfill yet another wish on the bucket list by seeing the Nuge in concert, but also to discover, in all honesty, whether the man can still put on a worthy show for his loyal audience. I immensely enjoyed interviewing him a couple of weeks ago, and as a warm-up to my review below you can get started by reading the interview here, if you haven’t yet. Continue reading “Ted Nugent’s ‘Black Power 2013’ Tour Visits Anaheim”

Psychedelic Power Trio ‘The Vim Dicta’ Blows Away The Satellite

By Andrew Bansal

July 15th 2013, The Satellite, Los Angeles CA: Even for a person like me who attends shows and sees new bands on a nightly basis, the city of Los Angeles has always had the ability to spring a surprise, to unleash a gem of a talent hidden somewhere within it. Last night at the Satellite Bar in Silver Lake was one such occasion. The band I went to see is a Sliver Lake-based heavy psychedelic power trio called The Vim Dicta. To be honest, I knew very little about them but upon watching some of their YouTube clips yesterday morning I found their music interesting and worthwhile enough to go check out in the live setting. But there was still no sense of positive expectation, at all. So there I was at the Satellite, looking forward to discover what this band had in store for me. Continue reading “Psychedelic Power Trio ‘The Vim Dicta’ Blows Away The Satellite”