Month: February 2018

Super Saturdays, February 24th, 2018

It's been quite some time since one of our Super Saturdays features has run, but we're back! Check out Naga Siren, The Young Alaskas, Blue Helix, and Noiseheads with us.

A hardcore punk band from Norway, Naga Siren provides lots of energy. Mixing melodic vocals with in your face screaming, I can only imagine that their live shows are insane.

The Young Alaskas really are young. A pair of twins from New Jersey wrote and recorded "Last Year was My Worst Year" before they turned 18.

Looking for some high-testosterone rock that would fit perfectly in the mid 90s? Look no further than Blue Helix and their song, "Anti-Social Butterfly". Solid vocals lead the band through the song, with a tight band to drive the beat forward.

Noiseheads are a 90s-inspired rock band hailing from Florida. You can check out the video for "Ballad of Me, Myself, and I" below.

 

That's it for now, until next time on another Super Saturdays folks!

Noiseheads – “Ballad of Me, Myself, and I”

Noiseheads are a 90s-inspired rock band hailing from Florida. You can check out the video for “Ballad of Me, Myself, and I” below.

 

 

The Young Alaskas – “Last Year was My Worst Year”

The Young Alaskas really are young. A pair of twins from New Jersey wrote and recorded “Last Year was My Worst Year” before they turned 18.

 

Blue Helix – “Anti-Social Butterfly”

Looking for some high-testosterone rock that would fit perfectly in the mid 90s? Look no further than Blue Helix and their song, “Anti-Social Butterfly”. Solid vocals lead the band through the song, with a tight band to drive the beat forward.

 

Naga Siren – “Discard Me”

Naga Siren, a hardcore punk band from Norway, provides lots of energy. Mixing melodic vocals with in your face screaming, I can only imagine that their live shows are insane.

Theory of a Deadman LIVE @ The Fillmore

The night of February 16th at the Fillmore in San Francisco, CA was definitely one to remember. Theory of a Deadman played with Spirit Animal opening for the amazing Friday night in the bay. There were many ‘firsts’ that happened for the bands and myself alike as I had never shot at this venue.

Spirit Animal opened the night with a surprisingly funk/pop/alternative sound and it happened to be the first time they played the Fillmore. It wasn’t what I expected but it was something that I liked. I was only able to catch a few of the song titles but I did check out their Facebook and Youtube after the show to dig deeper into their music. Some of the songs that stood out to me were “Regular World”, “Painkiller”, and “Karma”. The songs are a balanced mix between spunky and catchy, and live on stage the band sounds very polished. They had such a great stage presence and had a good response from the crowd with their stage theatrics. I will say that the guitarist is very skilled and I was drawn to his fretwork.

As Theory of a Deadman came on stage it was no surprise that the crowd pushed closer to the barrier and they also admitted that they had never played the Fillmore either. They tended to fool the crowd with misleading guitar riffs before starting a song like they did when opening with “Lowlife”. They played songs off their new album ‘Wake Up Call’ but Tyler had said he isn’t a fan of having a band play a new album front to back with few of their other songs in between. Because of that we got to hear some of their best songs like “Santa Monica”, “Hurricane”, and “Not Meant to Be” with a drum solo right in the middle. Tyler was avid about taking phones and giving fans some quality video filmed from the stage as well as touching hands with everyone in the front row. It was a show that you could feel the rumble of fans jumping in unison through your feet while the bass rumbled in your chest. Before the finale of “Bad Girlfriend”, the crowd sang along to the first few lines of “Paradise City”. At the end of the night I was able to snag a drumstick to take home, and I even bought tickets to see them as a fan and not shooting for their Sacramento, CA date. Overall, a show that is definitely worth seeing. See the photos from the show here.

Theory of a Deadman at The Fillmore

The night of February 16th at the Fillmore in San Francisco, CA was definitely one to remember. Theory of a Deadman played with Spirit Animal opening for the amazing Friday night in the bay. There were many ‘firsts’ that happened for the bands and myself alike as I had never shot at this venue.

Spirit Animal opened the night with a surprisingly funk/pop/alternative sound and it happened to be the first time they played the Fillmore. It wasn’t what I expected but it was something that I liked. I was only able to catch a few of the song titles but I did check out their Facebook and Youtube after the show to dig deeper into their music. Some of the songs that stood out to me were “Regular World”, “Painkiller”, and “Karma”. The songs are a balanced mix between spunky and catchy, and live on stage the band sounds very polished. They had such a great stage presence and had a good response from the crowd with their stage theatrics. I will say that the guitarist is very skilled and I was drawn to his fretwork.

As Theory of a Deadman came on stage it was no surprise that the crowd pushed closer to the barrier and they also admitted that they had never played the Fillmore either. They tended to fool the crowd with misleading guitar riffs before starting a song like they did when opening with “Lowlife”. They played songs off their new album ‘Wake Up Call’ but Tyler had said he isn’t a fan of having a band play a new album front to back with few of their other songs in between. Because of that we got to hear some of their best songs like “Santa Monica”, “Hurricane”, and “Not Meant to Be” with a drum solo right in the middle. Tyler was avid about taking phones and giving fans some quality video filmed from the stage as well as touching hands with everyone in the front row. It was a show that you could feel the rumble of fans jumping in unison through your feet while the bass rumbled in your chest. Before the finale of “Bad Girlfriend”, the crowd sang along to the first few lines of “Paradise City”. At the end of the night I was able to snag a drumstick to take home, and I even bought tickets to see them as a fan and not shooting for their Sacramento, CA date. Overall, a show that is definitely worth seeing.

Neck Deep at The Majestic Theatre, Detroit

This past Friday, I travelled through a blizzard to the Majestic Theatre in Detroit, MI to catch Neck Deep, Seaway, and Creeper. Doors opened at 6:00, and everybody who hadn’t purchased the VIP tickets were allowed inside. 

 

Creeper

I already had some level of familiarity with Creeper, as some of my best friends are completely in love with their music. I had never taken the time to check out their music, but I immediately regretted that as the band took the stage. Washed in purple lights, the band started to play, and the crowd began to dance. Despite having a relatively small stage area for the group of six, Creeper’s stage presence were incredible. Using the risers at the front of the stage to their full potential, several spins and jumps from the band members, and plenty of crowd engagement, Creeper know exactly what they’re doing onstage, and it shows. As their set continued, I heard several people around me asking, “Who are these guys!?” and I was ridiculously proud to be able to tell them, “That’s Creeper.” As an opening act, Creeper’s set only lasted roughly half an hour, which was way too short. I am beyond excited to have them return to the area as headliners, which they absolutely will. These six musicians from the UK are destined for huge things in the very near future. 

 

Seaway

Oh, boy. As Seaway took to the stage, I felt an excitement I haven’t felt in years. The five piece from Toronto are quite possibly going to go down in history as one of the best pop punk acts of all time. Playing songs both old and new, there were several points throughout the set where the crowd were louder than the band. Blasting through songs such as “Something Wonderful”, “London”, and “Lula on The Beach”, the crowd was jumping in the air more often than not. While the vocals were occasionally too quiet, it really wasn’t an issue as the crowd were too busy screaming every word to notice. You could tell that the excitement was building more and more as the night progressed. As Seaway closed their set and thanked Neck Deep for bringing them out on tour, I’m sure you could have heard the crowd’s cheers all the way in Chicago. If you haven’t gotten behind this band yet, make sure to do it.

 

Neck Deep

Rolling out a little bit before 10pm, the room became significantly larger as Neck Deep took to the stage, as everyone rushed toward the front to be as close as possible to the pop punk legends from the UK. Watching from the back of the room, I took great joy in seeing everyone jumping around, having fun, and singing every word to every song. The band clearly enjoyed what they were doing, as all of them had huge smiles on their faces as they played through each song. Having to leave early to head to work, I was super disappointed to have to head out. It was truly a great time watching these guys do their thing. I’ll be downloading all of their albums in order to prepare for the next time I go to see Neck Deep, because I definitely won’t miss them next time they’re around. If you’re debating on going to see them, do it. You won’t regret it.

Neck Deep at The Majestic Theatre, Detroit, MI

This past Friday, I travelled through a blizzard to the Majestic Theatre in Detroit, MI to catch Neck Deep, Seaway, and Creeper. Doors opened at 6:00, and everybody who hadn’t purchased the VIP tickets were allowed inside. 

 

Creeper

I already had some level of familiarity with Creeper, as some of my best friends are completely in love with their music. I had never taken the time to check out their music, but I immediately regretted that as the band took the stage. Washed in purple lights, the band started to play, and the crowd began to dance. Despite having a relatively small stage area for the group of six, Creeper’s stage presence were incredible. Using the risers at the front of the stage to their full potential, several spins and jumps from the band members, and plenty of crowd engagement, Creeper know exactly what they’re doing onstage, and it shows. As their set continued, I heard several people around me asking, “Who are these guys!?” and I was ridiculously proud to be able to tell them, “That’s Creeper.” As an opening act, Creeper’s set only lasted roughly half an hour, which was way too short. I am beyond excited to have them return to the area as headliners, which they absolutely will. These six musicians from the UK are destined for huge things in the very near future. 

 

Seaway

Oh, boy. As Seaway took to the stage, I felt an excitement I haven’t felt in years. The five piece from Toronto are quite possibly going to go down in history as one of the best pop punk acts of all time. Playing songs both old and new, there were several points throughout the set where the crowd were louder than the band. Blasting through songs such as “Something Wonderful”, “London”, and “Lula on The Beach”, the crowd was jumping in the air more often than not. While the vocals were occasionally too quiet, it really wasn’t an issue as the crowd were too busy screaming every word to notice. You could tell that the excitement was building more and more as the night progressed. As Seaway closed their set and thanked Neck Deep for bringing them out on tour, I’m sure you could have heard the crowd’s cheers all the way in Chicago. If you haven’t gotten behind this band yet, make sure to do it.

 

Neck Deep

Rolling out a little bit before 10pm, the room became significantly larger as Neck Deep took to the stage, as everyone rushed toward the front to be as close as possible to the pop punk legends from the UK. Watching from the back of the room, I took great joy in seeing everyone jumping around, having fun, and singing every word to every song. The band clearly enjoyed what they were doing, as all of them had huge smiles on their faces as they played through each song. Having to leave early to head to work, I was super disappointed to have to head out. It was truly a great time watching these guys do their thing. I’ll be downloading all of their albums in order to prepare for the next time I go to see Neck Deep, because I definitely won’t miss them next time they’re around. If you’re debating on going to see them, do it. You won’t regret it.