Category: CONCERTS
Emergenza – aspiring talents on their way to…..?
I went to Emergenza yesterday and spent all evening there, dispite my horrible jetlag after the Firewind-gigs over in the US. Emergenza is an annual music-contest that showcases all types of bands and music – and many bands have actually used this as their stepstone towards future careers.
But let’s face it. Watching a talent show makes you realize so clearly why those who HAVE made it, DID make it, and why those who didn’t never will.
What I enjoy is the versatility of the music styles, and I can see the hopes and dreams in the young amateur-bands who are so thrilled to just get a chance to play live on a stage. There are no places for these bands to even GET the experience they need to get better nowadays (it’s even difficult for a semi-professional band to get booked). Contests like these can make a difference.
And although I sometimes either want to laugh or spew out some nasty sarcastic comment, I’m being stopped by an inner voice that reminds me of the fact that I was once exactly where those bands are now.
I was once young, unexperienced, nervous, excited to be on stage eventhough it was smaller than my living room table! I had big dreams and ambitions and my goal was to “make it” someday. Of course I didn’t hear what was bad with what we did back in the day – I thought it sounded great as long as we managed to get through the song!
[A very young me, my very first band-gig ever]
Image and stage show? What’s that? I was just standing there but in my mind I was a big star with a microphone and an audience. That’s all I needed. In reality, it was a crappy, small stage and the “crowd” consisted of a bunch of friends and maybe a couple of family members who felt that they HAD to show up to support us. Pretty much like the performances you had in school when you were a kid. I’m pretty sure that every musician who’s a pro today, once had to go through THAT period as well.
So, remembering all that, and then watching the young guys with their rock star dreams, made me appreciate what they are trying to do. Yeah, they look like their just crawled out of their Spiderman beds and gotten a pat on their heads by mommy before leaving the house… Then they get onstage and try to be/look badass and rock’n’roll and it’s just not working. :)
The first band out yesterday made me roll my eyes at first. School boys with a satanist-wannabe image, it just felt so ridiculous. But once I got passed that initial impression, I listened and they weren’t all that bad. It was tight and the singer mastered the growling dispite his young age. It’s also brave as hell to get up there as the first band of the evening and play to an empty hall. Would have freaked me out for sure. They did a good job considering the circumstances.
After them there was one weird band after another, who in a way were like one big live-tutorial in what NOT to do on a stage. If I had closed my eyes and only LISTENED to them, I’d have to admit that pretty much all of them were good, musically. Might not always have been my personal taste but I know good musicianship when I hear it, whether it’s amateurs or pros.
But it showed why so few bands make it to stardom today. They just don’t understand that in order to get anywhere nowadays, it’s NOT enough with JUST the music. The show is JUST as important, sometimes even MORE important…
Very few artists get rich by selling records, but if you’re a cool live-band, people will come to your gigs and they will buy the merch and spread the word. A good band will be all over YouTube whereas a crappy band won’t.
If you’re standing in front of an audience – acknowledge them. Closing your eyes is ONLY okay if you’re singing a ballad OR if you’re concentrating on a difficult part of the song (high screams or whatever) – but you can’t stand there with your eyes closed as if you’re in your own little world and forget about the people who are there to see you. Rob Halford started doing that, I hated every minute of it.
Eye-contact is number one. Movement is number two – work the stage. You don’t have to do somersaults, but at least walk from one side of the stage to another and meet the eyes of every person in the crowd, make them a part of YOUR experience.
That doesn’t just go for the singer – although it’s the most important rule for the FRONT-man/woman. The rest of the band has to be present as well, enjoy their spotlight for the time they are up there and drop the “I have to look like I know what I’m doing by staring at my pedalboard“-look.
Some bands were just copying their idols. That’s the number one characteristic of an amateur band. If I want something that sound like Metallica, I’d rather listen to Metallica, not a bad version of them.
Do your own thing. If you want to steal bits and pieces, go ahead, but never make it too obvious.
One guy was trying to sound like James Hetfield and that’s never going to take him to the stars. People have already heard James Hetfield, but they haven’t heard THIS guy, so he should work on sounding like HIMSELF and ditch the wannabe-ism.
Some bands were very professional and didn’t belong in a talent-show, they should already be playing real gigs and record albums. One of those bands, Charlie & Fredrik, had a dorky band name (absolutely hopeless, I hope they come up with something better in the future) but they were impressive. Great harmonies, great vocals, great playing… Maybe not much of an actual show, but super band. They didn’t even make it to the finals. :-(
That’s what sucks about talent shows without a jury. It’s ends up just being a popularity contest and about who’s got the most friends. These guys (and a girl) came from out-of-town and didn’t have pals there to vote for them. Well, I gave them MY vote at least.
Grand Slam, the band that I came there for, as I know (most) of these guys, put on a good performance, lots of action on stage, plenty of eye contact, plenty of “get the crowd activated”-stuff which is ALWAYS a winning combination. Get audience to sing along to your songs/choruses, clap their hands, dance, mosh, jump, scream and shout – and they are YOURS!
All in all, it was an interesting evening, although I needed my caffeine-chewing gum half way through because I was so tired to begin with. But this is where music starts – and I’d much rather see REAL bands playing LIVE like this, doing their OWN music and meeting people eye-to-eye, than watching a karaoke-show on national TV with people just singing other artist’s songs and never bringing anything NEW to the table (yes, I’m talking about “Idol” and similar shows).
This is the shit. Take the chance to go and watch some of this if you ever get the chance. :)
[Feb 16, 213]
Off to the US!
Bags are packed – off to New York tomorrow. Well… only to continue right on to Atlanta and then back to NYC again.
Time for two more Firewind shows, and if I’m not too jetlagged, maybe I’ll catch metal queen Doro in NYC as well. :-)
As usual, not sure when or if I’ll get to an internet connection while over there but check here or Facebook (www.facebook.com/intherearviewmirror) for updates. :)
It almost feels like it was only a few months ago – but here are the Atlanta and New York City gigs from 2011 – same venues this time. Only difference is that there will be a different singer. I have NO idea what to expect.
[Hoping to catch new frontman Kelly Carpenter Sundown for an interview in NYC]
Not too long ago I was in THIS crowd (jetlagged as f***….). The Masquerade, Atlanta:
And then, a few days later, just like this year, The Gramercy Theater in NYC:
Love these guys! :-)
And…maybe also Doro if I can keep my eyes open after sleeping in a car after the Atlanta gig. Here she is from KB, Malmö, Sweden:
Well, time to get some sleep. Can’t wait to get to the States, that’s like home….
[Feb 1, 2013]
Crazy Lixx & H.E.A.T – so hot, they set off the fire alarm!
Yesterday’s H.E.A.T-show heated up maybe a bit more than anyone expected….
Friday night and a few good bands in town, seemed like a perfect combo. Went there with my friends Mari and Henrik and things were cool most of the evening (it was extremely “cool” outdoors too, with degrees below zero, Celsius…).
I met the three ladies that I had gotten to know at some of the Whitesnake-gigs last year – the rockin’ teachers! Was nice to see them, definitely dedicated music fans. Pontus from Rockmässan (The Swedish Metal Convention) came over, talked with him a bit but when the first band, The Gloria Story, went onstage it was impossible to have a conversation.
Never seen the Gloria Story guys before, just heard that they’re supposed to be good. They weren’t bad, but I guess I’ll have to hear them a few more times – they had all the poses you could possibly imagine at least. It was like a quick tutorial of the many stage-poses of the 80’s. :-P
They were followed by hometown heroes Crazy Lixx. It dawned on me how much they’ve grown as a band over the years. First time I ever heard of these guys was what feels like ages ago – maybe ten years or so when I received one of their demos to review for Sweden Rock Magazine. It was good even back then. Maybe like with most demos, there’s always stuff that can be worked on, but basically they were good.
They went out of their way to play EVERYWHERE, an extremely hard working band – they wouldn’t even say no to a gig at the local pizza-place, anything that could fit in a small PA would work. So, their name spread like wildfire. They were good at marketing themselves, because even if people hadn’t actually heard the band, you could be sure that everybody had at least seen their logo somewhere or their t-shirts that they definitely marketed well.
Guitarist and girly-magnet Vic Zino left the band to join Hardcore Superstar and was replaced by former Sharp-guitarist Andy Dawson – a great musician and songwriter. There have been a few more changes in the band, some additions, some departures, I don’t even keep track anymore – but basically, I had no idea what to expect when they took the stage last night.
I was pleasently surprised. They are not an enthusiastic amateur/demo-band anymore. They are a kickass band who’s paid their dues. They kept going and they seem to be in a good place right now. The crowd loved them, they were received like hometown heroes – and Heroes…. are forever. ;)) Awesome show! Really, all thumbs up for Crazy Lixx, they know how to entertain without props, they simply love what they do and it shows. That’s all they need.
After a changeover that felt like forever, it was time for the headliners of the evening,H.E.A.T to take over the stage.
The band is fronted by Erik Grönwall – the Idol phenomenon who is one of the few survivors of that TV-show. With that talent it would have been scandalous if he hadn’t continued on his path – and eventually reached the right kind of audience. He finally has. The guy has also grown from a punk kid, to a full-fledged frontman with his own distinct style.
[It started HERE….]
[From a show he did a few years ago at the Malmö annual street fest. I dragged Mari along to see him, today she understands why!]
[AND finally – Erik today – fronting H.E.A.T]
I was impressed by his voice (still) and was enjoying the show when suddenly, when they were in the middle of rocking like crazy, the sound shuts down, the whole place lits up and a digital voice says in English that we must leave the building. At first I thought it was part of the show, and I wasn’t the only one. It wasn’t until Erik tried to shout to people that they had to leave the place, it was the REAL fire alarm, that people got it…
However…. we were not allowed to pick up our jackets or anything, and it was FREEZING cold last night!! I’m so glad that I at least had a knitted dress instead of the thin blouse I had originally thought of wearing… So, the whole crowd was thrown out, security shouting to people to move because of course we all got stuck in the door and I was so pissed off.
At first I thought of just simply refusing to go out there. Not in the mood to catch pneumonia. But we tried to keep warm through a group hug. But FUCK it was COLD!! Some people were so drunk that they could have walked barefoot on the North Pole. I was sober though and didn’t appreciate the situation at all.
Saw Crazy Lixx bassplayer standing there wearing nothing but a tank top and those thin spandex-thingies, holy crap, I was freezing even more just seeing him in that…! I think you can even spot him in this clip somewhere:
I don’t know how long we had to stand there, felt like forever. We were finally let back in to everybody’s delight – and the show could recommence! The band just turned back the HEAT as if nothing ever happened and the whole thing was quickly forgotten. :)
All in all – a great evening, dispite the surprisingly scant crowd attendance.
[A few more pics from the show at www.facebook.com/intherearviewmirror ]
Gothenburg Sound Festival
Just got back from a very quick trip to Gothenburg. Or, the actual stay was brief, but the hours on the train were a pain in the behind. But what can you do – when a friend comes to town and tells you to come to check out his gig, you get yourself over there – so I did.
This time it was Jo “The Hulk” Nunez, drummer extraordinaire with Firewind – and Nightrage.
He was playing with Nightrage last night at the Gothenburg Sound Festival at Trädgår’n.
(a little simple Photoshop-thing that illustrates how mr Nunez sounds)
Mind you, the type of bands/music is nowhere near my “thing” so it was rather bizarre for me to go to a “growling convention” like that. But again, I’d support a friend anytime, whether he’s with a death metal band or with Justin Bieber…! Sometimes you’ll be surprised. Like last summer at Bang Your Head in Germany when I ended up being totally fascinated by Primordial – which is so not my type of music either. But they were interesting.
[From Bang Your Head – Primordial]
Anyhoo… Met up with Jo just before they were about to do their sound check, to get my ticket. The festival opened the doors later in the afternoon, you could hear the sound checking from several blocks away!
One thing that I noticed was that there were quite a few girls there too. If this had been 20 years ago, there would have been NONE. Extreme metal has never really attracted females, but things have definitely changed a lot the past few years – to the better.
I remember back in the early 90’s, a festival called Clash of the Titans,with Suicidal Tendencies, Testament, Megadeth and uh, some more bands I forgot, and the event took place at the famous KB Hall in Copenhagen. There were ONLY guys, I spotted maybe 2-3 girls who looked like they definitely didn’t want to be there.
But Gothenburg Sound Festival had a very mixed audience. Maybe not a full house, but it’s still not a mainstream type of music (and the tickets were pretty expensive – who’s got that kind of dough in January right after the Christmas-spending sprees?!)
1 of 4
Nightrage went on stage right on time, this time with Tomas Lindberg (At The Gates) performing the vocal duties. The band’s singer Antony Hämäläinen couldn’t make it from what I’ve heard, due to “scheduling conflicts”, but the band was able to do this gig anyway with this little extra, unusual “spice”. There is also only one guitarist in the band nowadays (I overheard several people asking Marios, where Olof Mörck was…).
Olof is working his butt off with Amaranthe so he’s no longer in the band. I bumped into him a few times during the evening, was great to see him. A very nice and super talented guy!
I’ll refrain from reviewing the gig, as I’m the last person in the world who’d be suited to review brutal metal (although Nightrage counts as “melodic” within that genre).
As usual, I was just checking out people in there right by the garbage can (what is it with me and garbage cans?!) when Jo came over for a chat. Briefly said hi to Marios also, seen him a few times when he stepped in for Petros (bass, Firewind) but never got introduced. He did know who I was though, after the Firewind gold record award-thing in Thessaloniki back in July. It IS a small world.
Jo took off, then came back a little bit later to get me to join everybody “in the bar” (which turned out to be outdoors on the smoking deck – but at least it’s outdoors, I can sort of live with that :) ).
Was good out there, talked a bit with Anders Hammer‘s (Nightrage’s bassplayer) girlfriend, when two guys came from out of nowhere and interrupted the conversation. One of them opened the conversation by blurting out: “Sooo…! Are you the groupie of this festival or what?”
Why is it that people end up calling ME a groupie – the last person in the world who’d ever do anything like that – when there were far more obvious specimens from that genus there?! Anyway, I responded in a very civilized manner, but he got the message loud and clear. However, he didn’t understand that his best bet was to take a hike. Couldn’t get rid of him, and everybody else was gone.
Then I spotted Olof (Amaranthe) and his party of people and kind of whispered and made discreet gestures that said “SAVE ME!”. He immediately picked up on the situation, and grabbed me, put his arm around me and went: “Oh THERE you are! Where did you go?” The Beavis and Butthead-types left to bother somebody else after that. Thank god, Olof saved my evening, haha!
I watched Gardenian – not my type of music (as stated previously..) but the singer was funny at least. :) And then last, but not least, Dream Evil. My only interest in that band would be that Gus G used to play with them.
But they were really good live – the only band that evening with a “real” singer, which is probably why I could buy that concept a whole lot easier. :)
Not bad at all.
Jo had met some friends – popular guy that mr Nunez ;). I left before Dream Evil were done. It was a short but interesting festival. I basically just went to see Jo kill those drums and he sure as crap did! :-)
And today I spent all day on a frikkin train back home that was delayed….
Screamo-fest or not, it beats staying at home in front of the TV anytime!
MY YEAR IN ROCK – retrospect 2012 (part 3)
(continued from http://lita77777.posterous.com/my-year-in-rock-retrospect-2012-part-2 )
OZZY & FRIENDS IN DORTMUND, GERMANY
The Ozzy & friends gig in Dormund was a memorable experience for good reasons and bad. I got to know a new friend, Suuded, and we had a great time. Remember a fantastic dinner in a restaurant right behind the Westfalenhalle, but I also remember the sky just opening and it was pissing down all day! We were forced to stand out in the rain by a sadistic power-hungry security person who made sure nobody was under the long roof in front of the entrance (there would have been PLENTY of room there for a lot of people). Anyway, we got in the front row eventually. Both Steel Panther and Ozzy were well worth the wait and the rain!
The story can be found here: http://lita77777.posterous.com/ozzy-sweden-rock-festival-part-1
Photos from that are on my Facebook-page: www.facebook.com/intherearviewmirror
SWEDEN ROCK FESTIVAL….
Only two days later, it was time for the next annual event: Sweden Rock Festival.
This time I was joined by Vera, my Russian colleague that I got to know after bumping into her several times at press conferences at Sweden Rock. She was going to camp with her friends though (wild horses couldn’t get ME to do that camping-thing).
The full story: http://lita77777.posterous.com/sweden-rock-festival-2012-part-2
The next day I ran like crazy to make it to the first signing-session of the day, which was Satchel from Steel Panther. I had found this great tent where musicians hung out and various guitarists were doing signing sessions. But it didn’t seem like it had been widely announced anywhere, so thank god there weren’t those insanely long lines as to the “regular” signings.
When I walked in, it was still Andreas Kisser from Sepultura who was signing. I was first in line for Satchel, and I got my hoodie signed, and some pics. The message he left was of course very “Satchel-style”…! ;)
Vera and I also met a nice dude from Adrenaline Mob’s crew, who invited us to be his guests, so we spent the day hanging backstage and on various stages. That was perfect, if for no other reason than because it was raining all day, and we didn’t have to be out there getting soaked. Watched Ugly Kid Joe, Motorhead and Twisted Sister up on the stage for instance.
Press conferences I didn’t want to miss included Steel Panther and Sebastian Bach – but then I happened to walk in on a few more by coincidence. There is activity 24-7 at Sweden Rock, it’s nearly impossible to try to sum it all up. But check out the pics on the Facebook-page (URL mentioned somewhere above), that will give you a quick tour of what was going on on stage and back-stage at Sweden Rock Festival 2012!
Way too much to mention, I think I kept updating in real-time on Facebook because I wouldn’t have time to write an actual blog. Busy summer! :)
Next up was my other favorite festival: Graspop Metal Meeting in Belgium!
[to be continued….]
IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR 