Girl at the Rock Shows

I recently went through my entire blog and logged all of my shows into concertarchives.org. This is my new favorite website. It keeps track of how many shows you’ve been to, all of the bands you’ve seen, and how many times you’ve seen said bands. I had an idea of who I thought I had covered the most, and I was right. Now that all the shows I have documented have been logged (there are a bunch from before my blog that I missed, but I’m working through them now based on old flyers and ticket stubs), it is clear that the band I’ve seen the most is By The Thousands. Eighteen times. That’s how many times I’ve seen them perform. That’s an insane number, I know, but I just can’t get enough of this band, so when I saw they were playing on Friday night at Amsterdam Bar & Hall in Saint Paul, I couldn’t resist a chance to see them yet again.

This was a massive show for a Friday night. It featured five amazing metal bands (it was supposed to be six, but Neck Wrung had to drop off at the last minute), so I have a lot to talk about. Let’s just jump into it, starting with Your Last Breath.

Your Last Breath may have been hitting the stage when the sun was still up and the audience was still warming up to the concert as a whole, but that didn’t stop them. They performed like a well-oiled machine. Their sound was intense, but moments of tenderness were sprinkled throughout. From intense shouts to brilliant drum patterns, this band had everything I could ever ask for from a performance. They had grit, they had intensity, and most importantly, they had heart. Although all the bands had a super heavy tone, each seemed to bring a different message to the stage. Your Last Breath’s message was clear: Enjoy yourself. They didn’t care who you had come to see at this show; they just wanted you to have a good time as they warmed you up for the rest of the night.

I had been wanting to see Amarak, the next band to perform, for a hot minute, so I was full of excitement as they took the stage. This is a supergroup of the local scene. There’s no other way to put it. From Joe on guitar (Rad Enhancer / Cantharone), Jeremy on bass (Lord of the Universe), Jake on drums (Rad Enhancer / Cantharone) all the way to Eric on vocals (Courier / Buried Above Ground), every member of this band has a storied history when it comes to the local metal scene and the way they all have come together to create a fresh sound is beyond perfect. I loved how you could get a little taste of everyone’s history in Amarak’s sound. You had Joe’s signature thrash-styled guitar, Jeremy’s stunning, complex bass lines backed by Jake’s ferocity behind the drum kit, and led by Eric’s absolutely insane, intense vocals. Sure, these boys are all friends of mine and we all go way back, but I know a good band when I see one, and Amarak is absolutely a local act that deserves your attention right now.

Much like Amarak is a band full of legends, local group Inflict. They are legendary in their own right. This band has been doing their thing for years and doing it with a sense of humor that has always set them apart from the rest of the bands in the Metalsota scene. Don’t get me wrong, their sound is a perfect mix of insanity and brutality, but it’s the way that they don’t take themselves too seriously that adds that little special sauce to their live performances. That was in the spotlight on Friday night. Sure, they played through their set flawlessly, but it was the moment that they all brought out camping chairs to “take a break” while still playing that really stuck with me. It was a cheesy, campy (pun intended) moment, but it was really a great introduction to this band if Friday night was your first time experiencing the magic that is Inflict.

The next band to take the stage was Omaha, Nebraska-based Catsclaw. Out of all of the bands on this line-up, this was the only band I knew nothing about– at least so I thought. I was a bit surprised as I noticed a familiar face behind the drum kit. Local legend Carlos was sitting back there with a giant smile on his face, ready to destroy the entire room in a way that only he can. I was instantly intrigued to see what this trio was all about and, within the first song, I was in love. Catsclaw sound was more of the same —heavy and brutal, highlighted by fascinating intricacies and no shortage of energy. What stood out to me about Catsclaw’s sound was the attention to detail. Sure, the set was heavily tracked, which is never my favorite thing, but I liked how you still felt like you were seeing a full band, and you could feel the concentration, talent, and passion that radiated from each member perfectly clearly.

Last but not least on Friday night was the one and only By The Thousands. My history with this band runs deep (clearly). I honestly don’t remember how I fell into their orbit, but I am just thankful that it happened. I know I’ve taken a step back from the metal scene that I once called home. There are some bands that now pretend like they have no clue who I am, but that’s not this band. This band has always felt like home to me, and to see them at Amsterdam Bar & Hall (a venue that the local metal scene basically owned for years) just felt right and felt like the best homecoming I could have ever asked for. Even though some of the faces in the band have changed and I can no longer sing along to every song like I could about ten years ago, as soon as BTT took the stage, I felt a wave of nostalgia and love sweep over me.

Per usual, BTT was on point. Every note and every word had its home and was performed with a sense of gusto that would make even the most anti-metal person fall in love. Hondo, the vocalist, was quick to make everyone in the room feel involved in the set. I’m not sure how he does it, but as you get lost in the guitar-forward metal sound of this band, Hondo will draw you closer and closer to the front of the stage. Back in the day, this would have been a trap as the audience would quickly swallow you up into a massive pit, but that was not the case on Friday night. Sure, there were a couple of people going hard in the audience, but, honestly, the audience felt super tame. I know we aren’t in the heyday of Metalsota anymore, but I was expecting more audience participation. That being said, BTT didn’t hold back. They gave the audience everything they had and, in return, the audience was clearly hanging on every note and word they performed.

And there you have it, my 19th time seeing By The Thousands live and yet another fantastic showcase of the local talent we have here in The Twin Cities. I know I sound like a broken record, but get out there and enjoy some local music. The local music scene in the Twin Cities is as vibrant as ever, and it needs you out there supporting it so shows like this one can keep happening.

Line Up:

Your Last Breath

Amarak

Inflict.

Catsclaw

By The Thousands

Venue: Amsterdam Bar & Hall

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 30

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 6 out of 10

Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- $0

Broken Bones- None Noticed

Spotted Flying Through The Air-Nothing

Fights- None

Pukers- 0

Passed Out People- 0

Idiots Taken Out By Security – 0

How Many Times I’ve Seen These Bands Before (or at least how many times I can remember)-

Your Last Breath – 0

Amarak – 0

Inflict. – 1

Catsclaw – 0

By The Thousands – 18

Celebrity Sightings – Members of VIN

Overall Score – 9 out of 10

Show on Deck —Liam St. John / Clayton Ryan

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