Adema at Fish Head Cantina

On November 2^nd, the 2019 Days of Disorder Tour came to Fish Head Cantina in Halethorpe, Maryland. Powerman 5000 headlined the show, and they brought Hed PE, Adema, and Blacklist Regulars with them. Local band Black Angel Down also played that Saturday.

Halfway through the night, Adema came out to a packed room. Many people in the venue were excited for them to start, and they began singing along and headbanging immediately. The band opened with “Unstable,” then went into “Everyone.” They seemed to really appreciate the support that the crowd was giving them, and kept thanking everybody between songs. Vocalist Ryan Shuck grabbed hands of the fans who were singing along up front. Adema was a very fun band to watch, and other people thought so too, with many of them coming from the far parts of the venue to get closer to the stage. Adema has been around for a while, but they haven’t let that time change them. After their set, I spoke with a woman who said she had last seen them around 13 years ago, but they still sounded the same as they did back then. Adema closed their set with “Giving In,” and gave high fives to the crowd once they were done with the song.

Adema

Adema Pictures

Icon For Hire and VERIDIA at Ottobar

On October 27^th, Icon For Hire finally made their return to Baltimore, Maryland. Local band Ignite The Fire got the show at Ottobar started that Sunday night. Soon after them, VERIDIA took the stage. This Nashville, Tennessee based group released their first full-length album, The Beast You Feed, about a year ago. They played for about 45 minutes, and definitely got the crowd warmed up for the rest of the night.

VERIDIA Pictures

Icon For Hire took the stage a few minutes early, and came on with a drum solo, followed by their first single, “Make A Move”. After a couple more songs, including “Pulse” and “Cynics & Critics,” vocalist Ariel Bloomer explained that they had been away for a little while due to making new music. Icon For Hire then played one of their new songs, “Venom.” You could easily tell that Icon For Hire is a band who loves what they do. Ariel made eye contact with fans throughout their set, and guitarist Shawn Jump stepped in front of the risers so that he could get closer to the crowd while playing guitar. Their set included an acoustic version of Too Loud, featured on their acoustic album, Still Can’t Kill Us: Acoustic Sessions. VERIDIA vocalist Deena Jakoub sang with Ariel on this song. The band brought fans on stage to sing along with “Now You Know.” After “Demons,” Icon For Hire, left the stage only to come back on after a “one more song” chant started in the crowd. They played “Off With Her Head” and “Get Well,” ending the night with confetti shooting out over the audience.

Icon For Hire Pictures

The Faim at Baltimore Soundstage

On April 30^th, The Faim came back to Baltimore Soundstage in Baltimore, Maryland. They last played this venue in November, but this time they came as support on Andy Black’s tour. Kulick also opened the show.

The Faim started their set with the anthemic “Saints of the Sinners.” Even though they were opening, the band treated this crowd like they were headlining. It felt like vocalist Josh Raven spent more time in the crowd than he did on the stage. The Faim played for about 45 minutes, and even including a couple of new, unreleased songs in their set. They closed with “Amelie,” their newest single.

I’ve been a fan of band for a while, and it’s been amazing to see how much bigger they’ve gotten since they last toured the US. They’re gaining so many new fans each night of this tour, and their show in Baltimore was no different. The Faim is a band that you’ll definitely want to check out now, before they blow up even more.

The Faim Pictures

Doyle at Jammin’ Java

Jammin’ Java got the year started off right with Doyle performing there on January 2^nd. The club in Vienna, Virginia, was filled with metal and punk fans of all ages, ready to warm up on this cold Wednesday night. Local bands PAIN!, Red Chief’s Rising, UNKNOWN, and Nature Freak also played.

Doyle is the band of Misfits’ guitarist, Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein. They started their set before the whole band even came on stage. Besides drummer Wade Murff, the rest of the band began their first song, “Abominator,” while still backstage and out of sight. Their whole set was very fast paced, with 12 songs packed into the hour that they played for. The set list covered songs from both of Doyle’s albums, including “Dreamingdeadgirls,” “Cemeterysexxx,” and “Kiss Me as We Die.” Towards the end of the set, lead singer Alex “Wolfman” Story started climbing around and ended up dangling from the rafters above the stage. Doyle closed with “Hope Hell Is Warm.” The show ended a bit abruptly, but the fans stayed gathered around the stage, possibly hoping for more music and good times before the night was over.

Doyle Pictures

Like Moths to Flames at Baltimore Soundstage

On December 5^th, Like Moths to Flames brought their tour to Baltimore Soundstage in Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland. Opening up the show were Oceans Ate Alaska, Phinehas, Novelists, and local band Artifacts.

For all of Like Moth’s to Flame’s set, the crowd was moving, jumping and moshing around. Even though their pits weren’t as wild as the previous bands’, more people seemed to be pushing around for the hour that they played. Their set lasted for about an hour, and included songs spanning a good chunk of their career, including five songs off of their 2017 release, Dark Divine. Lead singer Chris Roetter mentioned that this was Like Moths to Flame’s first time headlining Baltimore Soundstage, and that he thought it was the biggest crowd of the tour. He dedicated “Bury Your Pain” to all of the Ravens fans in the crowd that Wednesday night. After that song, the band left the stage, but came back for an encore after a chant of “one more song” started in the crowd. Like Moths to Flames finished their set with “GNF,” closing up the night with one last mosh pit.

Like Moths to Flames Pictures

Julien-K at Fish Head Cantina

Julien-K came to Fish Head Cantina on Friday, August 3^rd. They were supported by local bands Indianhead, Never Say Die, and Hollowed Sky in Halethorpe, Maryland, just outside of Baltimore.

A few minutes later, Julien-K came on the stage to a wall of smoke and the sound of a siren. Everybody got off of their seats and came closer to the stage, with only a few stragglers hanging out in the back throughout the night. The set opened with “Flashpoint Riot,” off of their 2012 release, We’re Here With You. Between their songs, their singer Ryan Shuck talked to the crowd and cracked some jokes. He even made a point to say that they were playing in Halethorpe, instead of saying the venue is in Baltimore like most bands do. The band seemed to be appreciative of their fans. Even though the crowd wasn’t that big, Julien-K still played like they were performing at a sold out arena.

Julien-K Pictures

From Ashes To New at Baltimore Soundstage

On June 16^th, the What’s In Your Head Tour came to Baltimore, Maryland. Co-headliners Bad Wolves and From Ashes To New stopped by Baltimore Soundstage that Saturday night with Diamante. Local band Ignite The Fire opened the show.

When From Ashes To New took the stage, vocalist Matt Brandyberry came on first, followed by drummer Mat Madiro. They immediately launched into “The Future”, the title track off of their new album, while vocalist Danny Case and guitarist Lance Dowdle joined them. Throughout their set, the band members all interacted with each other, and they took the time to connect with the crowd, telling some short stories between songs. During “Forgotten,” everybody lit up the venue with their cell phones, while Danny got off the stage and sang down by the barricade. While the 14 song set was primarily focused on their newest release, From Ashes To New did include some older songs, including “My Fight,” “Downfall,” and “Breaking Now.” The band did a tribute to Chester Bennington, mashing up Linkin Park’s “Heavy,” and “Papercut.” The band noticed that there was a young fan in the crowd sitting on somebody’s shoulders, and pulled her up on stage for “Nowhere to Run.” Lance kept playing guitar when he got off the stage and crowd surfed for a bit. Unfortunately, From Ashes To New had to end their set after about 55 minutes of music. They closed with “Through It All,” an older song that had everybody singing along.

From Ashes To New Pictures

Palisades at Metro Gallery

Palisades came to Metro Gallery in Baltimore, Maryland on December 21^st. Blindwish opened for them on this tour, and local bands Awake At Last and Ignite The Fire also played on this date.

After a bit of a long instrumental introduction, Palisades finally took the stage. They opened with “Aggression,” the first song off of their new, self-titled album. Once they finished the first song, lead singer Louis Miceli said that they were going to play that whole album, front to back. They immediately launched into the next song, “Cold Heart (Warm Blood).” Towards the middle of their set, Palisades did play some older ones, such as “Outcasts” and “Mind Games.” They resumed their newest album with “Dark.” For this song, the venue turned all the house lights off, and the room was lit by everybody’s cell phone flashlights. The next song was “Through Hell,” one of their singles off of the album. Palisades finished off their album by playing more songs, such as “Memories,” “Hard Feelings,” and “Dancing With Demons.” After playing “Personal,” the band stated that they had only one more song left to play. They said that they wanted to give us 110% on this one, and that they did. Palisades ended the night with “Let Down.” Like others in the audience, this was my last concert in 2017, and it was definitely a great way to end a year of amazing shows.

Palisades Pictures

As It Is at Baltimore Soundstage

On December 2^nd, As It Is played to a nearly sold out crowd at Baltimore Soundstage in Baltimore, Maryland. Waterparks headlined the show, and Chapel and Sleep On It opened.

As It Is opened their set with “Okay”, the title-track off of their newest album, which was released this past January. The majority of the songs that the band played were off of that album. From the start of their set until the end, most of the room was singing along. During “Cheap Shots & Setbacks,” Sleep On It’s lead singer, Zech Pluister came out to sing with the band. During the next song, “No Way Out,” the band got a circle pit started in the crowd. As It Is played “Can’t Save Myself,” which they said was their first real music video. The band played “Pretty Little Distance” and “Hey Rachel” before going into a short drum solo. After that, As It Is ended their set with “Dial Tones.” Even though they only played for a bit more than half an hour, As It Is still put on a great show, and everybody watching them had a fun time.

As It Is Pictures

 

Koo Koo Kanga Roo at Jammin’ Java

On Saturday, November 26^th, Koo Koo Kanga Roo came to Jammin’ Java in Vienna, Virginia for two shows. MC Lars warmed the crowd up for the main act of the day.

Koo Koo Kanga Roo started their earlier set right around 2:15, after a short announcement introducing both of the members. From their first song, “No Crust,” kids and parents alike were dancing along.  This was definitely one of the highest energy sets that I have seen all year. Most of their set consisted of dance-a-long songs, such as my favorite, “Dinosaur Stomp.” During “Pop See Ko,” Koo Koo Kanga Roo pulled a parent and his child on stage to dance and sing with them.  For “Cat Party,” a stuffed cat was passed around for everybody to pet. Though their set was packed full of songs like “Fanny Pack,” “I Like Cake,” and “Friendship Bracelets,” Bryan and Neil still took the time to talk between every couple of songs. Koo Koo Kanga Roo said they only had one track left, which was “Who Farted.” During that one, they got everybody in the room to sit on the floor. They left the stage, but came back after a “one more song” chant was started. Koo Koo Kanga Roo ended up closing with “Awesome Rainbows.” A huge parachute was brought out and spread out across the crowd, with all of the kids jumping around and having fun underneath it.

Koo Koo Kanga Roo Pictures