All I’ve Got’s My Rock ‘n’ Roll Dream

If a local band invites me out to their show, I will go as long as I’m not already committed to another concert for the night. This goes for all local bands. I don’t care how long you’ve been playing, where you’re playing, or what kind of music you play– I will be there to support a local band every night of the week if I could and get invited to enough of them. That’s how I ended up at Amsterdam Bar & Hall on Wednesday night. I knew that it wouldn’t be quite my thing stylistically, but it was a local band out there and putting it all out on a stage, so I was just honored to have been invited out.

When I say this wasn’t quite my thing stylistically, I mean it, and it quickly became apparent with the opening band Lööks Thät Kill. This local group is a Mötley Crüe tribute band. If you know me or saw the drama that went down a couple of years ago when I covered Mötley Crüe live, you know that it has become a bit of a joke. I will never be able to cover a show from this legendary hair metal band again because I had some choice words when I saw them in August of 2022, but I feel like Lööks Thät Kill had the same vibe, the same sound, the same look but with actual talent. Let’s add to the fact that I just do not like cover and tribute bands. It sounds bratty, but if I want to see a band, I’ll just go see the real deal or have already had my chance. Again, I know, bratty and cocky, but it’s the truth. On top of all of that, I honestly don’t even like the sound of the original Mötley Crüe. I find it to be dated and a bit too over the top. Although Lööks Thät Kill absolutely had that dated sound and over-the-top performance, they did it well, and I felt a sense of fire from this opening band even though the audience was light at best. Although I would obviously not be fooled into thinking I was actually watching Mötley Crüe when it comes to this band, I think they did a great tribute and were a heck of a way to kick the show off.

Following Lööks Thät Kill was Hollowstone. This cinematic and dramatic metal band has a sound all of its own. From what I can tell online, Hollowstone has been around for a long time, formed in 2011, yet Wednesday night was my first introduction to this band. I appreciated the drama they brought to the stage with their dark and chugging guitars, slamming drums, and slightly operatic vocals, but overall, the set just fell a bit flat for me. That is primarily due to the vocals being flat throughout the performance. I loved the sense of conviction that the vocalist was singing with and the way she seemed to contort her voice from a sinister vibe to a beautiful falsetto, but I just felt that it never quite hit me the way it was intended to. I’ll be honest, the rough-around-the-edges vocals got my attention throughout the majority of the set to the point where I really didn’t have much time to focus on the other musicians on stage. I think I just so badly wanted the vocals to hit because, had they been spot on, this would have been a hell of a performance.

Following Hollowstone was Next Chapter. Billed as a cover band that dabbles in originals but playing songs that I didn’t quite recognize (which could have been all originals) the performance fell way flat for me as the members of this group just stood there and played. I know that’s what a band is supposed to do- stand there and play- but when opening up for a band like Caster Volor, you have to do more. Caster Volor was about to take the stage and absolutely tear it apart regardless of how many people were in the audience, and knowing that, I expected a bit more chutzpah from the supporting act that was getting the audience warmed up. Sound-wise, Next Chapter was fine, and I loved the way the vocalist was able to fit his voice into so many different styles and vibes, but overall, Next Chapter’s set came off as super boring and stale to me, and I was left just counting down the second until Caster Volor would grace the stage.

Looking back at the two times I’ve covered Caster Volor previously, I can’t help but laugh. The first time I ever reviewed this local band was on January 4th, 2020. I started that blog post talking about how 2020 was going to be my year and the year I hit 300 shows. Obviously, things did not go as planned, and everything changed in the blink of an eye that year, leading to huge changes in my life that persist to this day, but one thing hasn’t changed since then, and that is this band.

Don’t you wish you could be just unapologetically you? Not put on a face for anyone, not try for anyone. Just be you, and that’s it? That’s what Caster Volor is. This band is unapologetically dramatic and over the top, which is why I keep going back to see them time after time. Sonically, Caster Volor has a very dated sound that paired nicely with Lööks Thät Kill. It’s very much a sound that is from the 80s when Mötley Crüe was still relevant and Guns N’ Roses were kings. Although Caster Volor does this sound and style so perfectly well, it’s not for me but I’m not going to Caster Volor’s shows for the sound, I’m going for the show.

I hate to keep bringing this up, but there were very few people at Amsterdam Bar & Hall on Wednesday night for this show. It would have been so easy for this band to just phone it in and call it a night, but that’s not Caster Volor’s style. Even without a huge audience, this band gave the people who had come out everything they could. There were plumes of smoke coming out of the stage, a little platform for vocalist “Caster Volor” to get the light to hit him just right as he sang his heart out, elaborate costumes, and, if you looked close enough, an epic backdrop highlighted by perfectly timed and hued lights. This is one of those bands that looks at every single detail of their live performance and makes sure everything is just right before bringing it to the stage, and I thoroughly appreciate that.

On top of the over-the-top stage show is the talent of this band. Sure, their style may not be my thing, but there’s no denying the vocal power of Caster Volor, the wicked guitar skills of Steven Volor, or the sheer talent of the other members on the stage. The way this band blasts through original after original with a sense of fury and drama is amazing. Add in their slight Steel Panther-styled comical relief between tracks, and you are left with a show that, even if it’s not your thing, will leave you talking and inspired in this super odd but perfect way.