Although the debate over whether or not God exists has raged for centuries, watching Animals As Leaders’ guitarist Tosin Abasi can make audiences believe the Big Man is walking amongst them.
The boys headlined a show that promised an assortment of different types of music for concert revelers at Upstate Concert Hall on March 1st. Mixed genre shows are a foreign concept. They’re not yet popular in America with few big ticket shows giving credence to metal, jazz, and electronic dance at one event. This idea, however, is regular in European festivals.
Abasi, Javier Reyes (guitar) and Matt Garska (drums) could be considered among the best musicians in the world. Their headlining slot saw some of their easily recognizable stamps, such as “Tempting Time,” “Point to Point,” and “CAFO.” Their unwavering ability to stay true to their original sound – which has evolved with every release – is remarkable. By the time Weightless came out, Navene Koperweis (the Faceless, Navene K) had jumped on drums and gave the second effort more depth of field than the first album.
But for this album – and tour – Animals as Leaders are utilizing the talents of Matt Garska, whose ability to command each obscure song might leave the most hardened music enthusiasts wide – mouthed. While Garska mastered every older song, the band also played three newer songs, “Tooth and Claw,” “Lippincott,” and “Cascade,” which showcased both Reyes and Garska more than before.
Animals as Leaders experimentation from the start of the set to the end easily impressed both hard fans and those who had never heard the band play before. In hearing the newer songs especially, it was clear that the band will not grow tired.
After their set, the band took time to speak with fans about their instruments — they play eight strings and sometimes use oddly – shaped guitars that look they have just been cut from a tree — their style, as they don’t have a bass player, musical sense, and other matters, including Abasi’s obscure fashion sense.
However, Animals as Leaders were not the only defining force on this show. After the Burial, Navene K, and Chon supported the bill and got the attention they deserved as well.
Take for example Chon, who are essentially a (mostly instrumental) jazz quartet on crack. Although the audience was comprised of a few devoted fans, but it seemed that most people hadn’t heard them before that night. Many people might theorize that instrumental music, such as Scale the Summit, is hard to relate to because it has no actual message for listeners to be devoted to. By the end of the set, Chon was given the legendary “One More Song!” chant (they were not allowed because of set constraint).
Although Chon may just be getting their foot in the door, their use of clean guitar tones, jazz and fusion, and downright strange melodies will take them places. Although they might not be “metal” by classic terms, they have our stamp of approval – not to mention the hundreds they impressed at Upstate Concert Hall.
Chon’s music was not the most obscure. The night took a strange turn as soon as former Animals as Leaders drummer Navene K took the stage. His slot comprised of his current electronic project, in which he is the only member.
Although the audience kept an open mind to the electronic beats, one could tell that the mosh pit – type crowd did not really know how to respond to the beats and sounds. Navene K played on a strange drum set, but with the melodies he had written, one could easily tell that he is certainly a positive force for the metal community. He thanked the crowd for keeping an open mind by the end of the set. “I didn’t expect to be taking this on tour,” he said.
Inclusive with the light show, sound, and everything else, the presence of After the Burial was larger than life. The band was received in a profound enthusiasm. It was a typical metal show: circle pit, mosh, wall of death, and crowd surfing. They came out as silhouettes, stood as giants, and played each song with the incredible fierceness.
The band played some of their famous numbers, including a behind – the – back guitar performance of “Berzerker” by Justin Lowe. Additionally, they played songs off of their latest record, Wolves Within. Rarely faltering, drummer Dan Carle provided a prominent beat to every note the band played.
After the Burial’s defining moments were those in which the audience was commanded by their presence on stage. Although it may have seemed dangerous at times, they earned fans new and hardened the loyalties of their followers. Each band brought something different to the table to create a one of a kind experience. Although this type of show is not common, promoters certainly made the right choice in placing these four bands together.
A Great Big Pile of Leaves
The Garden State troubadours sauntered onstage shortly after 9:00 pm and kicked things off with ‘Saddle of the Sun’, a selection from the group’s second album Bird in a House. This song and the ‘Chasin’ a Rainbow’ which followed saw Railroad Earth in its default setting, so to speak, with acoustic guitar, mandolin, fiddle and upright bass all up front and center. This combination seemed to give the music its deepest and fullest sound of the night which allowed the band to maneuver in a lot of different directions all night. Bassist Andrew Altman then switched over to an electric bass which still kept the rhythm, but certainly gave it a little bit more rock and roll feel on songs like ‘Lovin’ You’ and ‘Hunting Song’; the latter saw instrumentalist extraordinaire Andy Goessling join Todd Sheaffer on acoustic guitar. This middle portion of the first set featured intricate interplay between band members but also seemed to temper some of the high energy that was present early on. This was fixed with a fine version of ‘Crossing the Gap’ which gave a nod to the band’s home state and “crossing the river from the Jersey side”. For set closer, the band treated everyone to a stellar version of ‘Head’ which was highlighted by phenomenal solos and interplay between John Skehan on mandolin and fiddle master Tim Carbone. By the end of this classic hit, the entire dance floor was dancing and screaming along in harmony with the refrain before things came to a momentary end.
The first set kicked off with the 2010 single “Cohesive,” a collaboration The McLovins wrote and recorded with Tom Marshall (Phish lyricist) and Ant Krizan (of Spin Doctors fame). After getting the room warmed up the band gained more momentum and gave the crowd a good taste of their new album, which made up a significant portion of this set. Unlike McLovins shows of the past the first half of the show was less jam-and-shred heavy and focused more on the straight ahead performance of the new material close to how it was recorded – an intentional move by the band to explore new creative areas. A highlight of this was the title track (an instrumental piece) off the album that features a few simple, yet beautiful ideas that could serve as a conduit for a much longer live performance as the band grows with it.
After a set break with time to gaze at the numerous photos of Jerry Garcia cladding the walls of the venue, The McLovins started with more energy reflected both on stage and in the crowd. Early on in the set a little sampling of head candy was dished out with a tease of the Grateful Dead’s “St. Stephen.” About mid-set the band broke out one of their staple earlier tracks, “Tokyo Tea,” which guitarist Justin Berger channeled a few of the familiar guitar tones of Trey Anastasio during many of his improvised riffs directly leading into a refreshing jam on “2001.” More songs from Beautiful Lights were featured including “Birthday,” which was the strongest live performance from the new album as they worked in the cohesive improv they have established their name with. To wrap up the show, The McLovins gave a nice rendition of “The Weight” with each band member taking a turn on one of the verses.