Saturday, March 17, 2012

Windhand and Balaclava at Slim's




I've been trying not to use a flash when I shoot bands, mostly because I don't want to get on the band's nerves, but partly because I think most band shots work better with ambient light. But when shooting at Slim's, where the stage is small and dimly lit, sometimes that doesn't work out.

Windhand, a solid female-fronted '70s-style doom band from Richmond, were awesome last Saturday night. But singer Dorthia Cottrell performed in the audience rather than on the stage, which basically meant she was in the dark the whole time. Still, I kind of like the trippiness of the shots I got.

And these guys were loud. This was one of the few shows where I actually wore earplugs. As a result, the audio is blown out here, but you can still get an idea of what they sound like.


Windhand from Mann's World on Vimeo.


I feel bad because I really and truly thought Balaclava was called BACLAVA. Luckily the band (who are also from Richmond) laughed when I told them, and said that's a common mistake. They were a lot faster and thrashier than Windhand.  See more photos. 

During the show I noticed that I knew almost NO ONE at the show. Turns out the rather considerable crowd had traveled from Richmond to see two bands that they probably get to see on a regular basis. That's dedication. I'm sorry Raleigh missed such an awesome show, and I wonder if there's any band here that would inspire so many people to drive to another state to see them.


Balaclava from Mann's World on Vimeo.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

New music from Caltrop!




My day got a lot more exciting yesterday, thanks to an email from Team Clermont publicity with a new Caltrop .mp3 from the band's upcoming Holidays for Quince album, Ten Million Years and Eight Minutes, scheduled for release April 3.  The song premiered on The Obelisk, which also has a few dates listed (no Triangle so far).

This song rocks. No two ways about it. I seriously can't wait to hear the rest of the album.


 
Caltrop - "Blessed"

Thursday, March 08, 2012

Photos of COC and Valient Thorr from March 3




Here are a few belated photos of COC from last Saturday's show at Lincoln Theatre. The songs from the band's new self-titled album sounded great live. I have come to the conclusion that Woody's mom, Karen Weatherman, really needs her own profile in Decibel's "Metal Muthas" feature because of her untiring devotion to the band.



 I do have to say, Valient Thorr came mighty close to stealing the show. I hadn't seen them in a while and couldn't believe how tight they were. Constant touring is seriously paying off for those guys. Torche seemed to be having an off night. For whatever reason, they just didn't seem to connect with the audience.  Unfortunately A Storm of Light was ending their set as I got to the show, so I didn't hear much from them.  See more photos.