Category: Metal/Hard Rock/Punk

Flashback: November 28, 1986 – Metallica and Metal Church at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center

Metallica and Metal Church played the night after Thanksgiving in 1986, and the Mid-Hudson Civic Center was sold out. In years following the Mid-Hudson was usually open floor but this show was seated, which killed the vibe a bit, but did not prevent a massive crush and mayhem in front of the stage.

Late 1986 was a strange and sad time for Metallica. At the beginning of the year, they’d released their monumental third album ‘Master of Puppets’, and capitalized on 3 years of touring and huge underground acclaim by becoming THE band of 1986. They opened a nationwide tour for Ozzy Osbourne (which included several New York State gigs in Rochester, Syracuse, Binghamton, Glens Falls and Nassau Coliseum in Long Island) earlier that year, and the ex-Black Sabbath singer was routinely faced with the prospect of following their fireball performances, daunting even for a titan such as he.

Summer 1986 headline gigs – including a scheduled August ‘86 gig at this same venue – were postponed when frontman James Hetfield busted his arm skateboarding, but were rescheduled for October 1986, when the band were scheduled to return from a European tour and headline across the States. Sadly, these too were postponed, for much worse reasons, when iconic bass player Cliff Burton was killed in a bus accident in Sweden in late September 1986.

Astoundingly, the band bounced back almost immediately, recruiting Flotsam & Jetsam bass player Jason Newsted, played their first gig in early November, and the band did a Japanese tour just over a month following Cliff’s death. This Poughkeepsie gig, rescheduled for the third time for November 28, happened just 2 months to the day after Burton’s death.

The opening band for Metallica: mighty Seattle metallers Metal Church, who had just released ‘The Dark,’ their second album, a great record. They opened with “Ton Of Bricks,” and played a solid set with songs from both records, to a decent reception, although the crowd was there for one band.

Metallica were crushing, of course. This was Newsted’s 3rd ever U.S. gig with Metallica, and to this writer, it was weird not seeing Cliff up there. In retrospect, Jason did a fine job as Cliff’s replacement – he could never really replace the man, but he was a good bass player, great background vocalist, and did as solid a job as one could do replacing such a major figure. That night he looked uncomfortable and out of place, and for some reason the band stuck to the same routine they’d had previous to Burton’s death – a bass solo before “Whiplash” – and made Newsted do a bass solo, which was utterly unnecessary and really made you miss Cliff. The biggest cheer came at the end of the solo when he did a quick riff from Cliff’s trademark bass solo “Anesthesia”. Beyond that, no mention was made of Cliff Burton.

Anyway, even with a major absence, a great show – pretty much the same headline set they’d been doing all year, all those immortally mighty songs from the first three albums: opening with “Battery” and “Master of Puppets”, a few more newer ‘MOP’ songs like “Sanitarium” and “The Thing That Should Not Be”, and more vintage classics like “For Whom The Bell Tolls”, a thrashing “Whiplash”, singalong bruiser “Seek & Destroy” and a set-ending, world-destroying “Creeping Death”.

The encores were bulletproof pure metal: first-album standard “Four Horsemen,” a quick Kirk Hammet solo, and then their much-loved cover of Diamond Head’s “Am I Evil?,” coupled with a neck-snapping “Damage, Inc.,” and a raging, apocalyptic “Fight Fire With Fire.” A final, extra encore was another cover, this time of Blitzkrieg’s face-removing “Blitzkrieg.” Again, there was an air of strange sadness about the entire thing, without the man in bell-bottoms usually on the left side of the stage, hair flailing, roaring on his bass, something was missing. But it did not stop the raw power of this band – at this point, they were still the greatest band on Earth. All hail Metallica.

Metallica Setlist: The Ecstasy of Gold – intro, Battery, Master of Puppets, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Welcome Home (Sanitarium), Ride the Lightning, Bass Solo, Whiplash, The Thing That Should Not Be, Fade to Black, Seek & Destroy, Creeping Death, The Four Horsemen, Am I Evil?, Damage, Inc., Fight Fire With Fire, Blitzkrieg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZDlcuoGGkw

November 28, 2020
Flashback: November 26, 1989 – Clifton Park Arena hosts Billy Squier, Blue Murder and King’s X

Billy Squier had pretty much jumped the shark by ’89 – he was constantly on rock radio in the early 80s, but his melodic hard rock throne had been usurped by hair metal bands by this time. His unintentionally hilarious, career-destroying 1986 ”Rock me Tonight” MTV video did not help, in which he sashayed around like… well, go watch it on YouTube, and read the comments, which are fantastic and hilarious, much like the video itself. If this place held 2500 max, there were maybe 200-300 there. The world had moved on from Billy.

Clifton Park Arena, which was not far from where Upstate Concert Hall is currently, wasn’t around for long – it was an ice-skating rink that hosted smaller arena-level gigs in 1989 and 1990. Alice Cooper, and also The Cult played some pretty well-attended shows there not long after this gig. This was not really a well-attended show.

King’s X opened, promoting their brilliant Gretchen Goes To Nebraska second record. They’d just played the area just two months before at Saratoga Winners, a pretty packed show, and played to many less people – dozens, maybe – during their early slot at this show. They did maybe six songs, that were excellent, but few were there to see it. One of the great, underhailed-yet-brilliant bands of loud rock. All hail King’s X.

A few more people joined for Blue Murder, kind of an all-star outfit with leader/Btitish guitar hero John Sykes (previously with Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy and Tygers of Pan Tang), plus celebrity drummer Carmine Appice and ex-Firm bassist Tony Franklin. Sykes had made his fortune with Whitesnake’s massive ‘1987’ LP, which he had co-written and played on, and he was looking for a repeat with Blue Murder. It was not to be. BM were a pretty good band – that self-titled first record had some solid tunes on there, but nothing great. It was all very over-produced and Whitesnake-like sounds proved a bit dated these days. As fantastic as Sykes’ playing is, by 1989 the public was moving on from that kind of thing.

Blue Murder’s very produced, ‘big rock’ sound, with an image that looked like pseudo-glamorous, made-up pirates, was a couple years past the sell-by date. People wanted Metallica, Jane’s Addiction and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Big hair-big rock was on its way out, it just didn’t know it yet. They played a bunch of songs from that first BM record and “Still Of The Night,” which confused most of the sparse crowd, who didn’t know that Sykes had played on it, because he hadn’t been in the video.

A full report on Billy Squier those 31 years ago, is not possible. After the BM gig, I went and interviewed Blue Murder for my WCDB college radio show, and asked Sykes a ton of Thin Lizzy and Tygers of Pan Tang questions. He was very cool and friendly, telling lots of stories about Phil Lynott and early Tygers.

These days, Sykes is largely an international man of mystery – after Blue Murder dissolved, he toured through the later 90s and early 2000s with a reformed, tribute Thin Lizzy, made a few solo albums. For well over a decade he has been out of the public eye, occasionally teasing a return to action, but largely his mighty guitar has been absent from the world.

I didn’t really see Billy Squier – never really being a fan, and only saw the first couple songs before we went to interview Sykes. He came out and opened with a couple of those hits they always played relentlessly on PYX-106 and MTV (“Lonely Is The Night,” I think was one). While watching, Blue Murder’s road manager found me and said “pretty good so far, eh?” I had to admit it was. “It’s all downhill from here,” he replied, before leaving to interview Sykes + co. I didn’t bother going back afterwards. That said, a solid triple-bill before a less-than-packed house.

November 26, 2020
Ol’ Black Eyes Alice Cooper Returns to Long Island
On Friday, November 22, 2019, Alice Cooper performed at The Tilles Center for the Performing Arts in Brookville, Long Island. “Ol” Black Eyes opened the show with “Feed my Frankenstein” followed by “No More Mr Nice Guy” and “Bed of Nails.”

The 22 song set took fans on a musical journey from the mid eighties to present day with songs like “Devils Food” from his first solo album, “Welcome to my Nightmare” and “Fallen in Love” from his most recent album Paranormal.

Alice’s band consists of Chuck Garric on bass and vocals, Ryan Roxie on guitar and vocals, Tommy Henriksen on rhythm and lead guitar and backing vocals, Glen Sobel on drums and Nita Strauss on lead and rhythm guitar and backing vocals. One of the highlights of the night was Nita’s guitar solo on “Poison” which left fans awestruck.

For the encore, the rock and roll hall of famer performed “Under My Wheels”, and his signature song “School’s Out.”

The show was awesome and Alice can still rock out. It was filled with the usual theatrics you would normally see at a Alice Cooper show and the band sounded amazing.

His new album Detroit Stories was recently announced and is set to be released in 2021. Hopefully concerts will soon resume and he can get back to touring.

Alice Cooper – November 22, 2019, The Tilles Center for the Performing Arts in Brookville, Long Island

Setlist: Feed My Frankenstein, No More Mr Nice Guy, Bed Of Nails, Raped And Freezin, Fallen In Love, Muscle Of Love, He’s Back (The Man Behind The Mask), I’m Eighteen, Billion Dollar Babies, Poison, Guitar Solo (Nita Strauss), Roses On White Lace, My Stars, Devil’s Food, Black Widow Jam, Steven, Dead Babies, I Love The Dead, Escape, Teenage Frankenstein

Encore: Under My Wheels, School’s Out
November 22, 2020
War Orphan take aim at National Rifle Association with new single “F*ck the NRA”

Thrash/hardcore revolutionists War Orphan, featuring former Sick of It All guitarist Richie Cipriano, drummer Dante Renzi (Reach) and vocalist David Bason (Barfbag, Lords of the Drift), pay tribute to The Exploited’s controversial track “F*ck the USA,” with a new version, “F*ck the NRA,” that takes aim at the National Rifle Association.

The daring new track debuted on WeAreThePit, highlighting the searing protest song about the death dealing war machine, which has consistantly turned a deaf ear to the epidemic of gun violence.

Guitarist Richie Cipriano comments on the inspiration for the song:

We love The Exploited and all English punk. We figured this would be a good time to pay tribute and give it a little twist.
Richie Cipriano, War Orphan

The trio formed when longtime friends Dante, Richie and David moved from recording songs trying make each other laugh to taking it seriously. Singer David Bason lives in Los Angeles, and missing his New York friends, he would leave Cirpiano voicemails about how he thinks heavy metal is silly. Richie and Dante would track record metal songs to them and send them back. Thus, was born Bloodbath and Beyond, an inside joke to kill time and crack each other up.

Richie called and said he thought he had a song they should take seriously. Bason got excited and the EP was tracked, mixed and mastered in a matter of weeks. War Orphan developed organically and the results show.

War Orphan recently made their debut with a seething thrash punk EP Closer To Death Than Life. Their initial offering is a fearless protest record that delivers a much needed shot of angst into the hardcore scene and swift throat-punch to rightwing extremists and the current presidential administration. Bason summons the furious rage that people across the country have felt over the last few years, channeling it into songs about systematic racism (“Autonomous Zone”) and a deceitful president (“Prop Up The Polls”) among other topics that are more relevant and important now than ever before.

November 22, 2020
‘The Myrrhderers Sleigh Christmas’ Is The North Pole Punk Rock We Didn’t Know We Needed

Punk supergroup The Myrrhderers (as in, The Murderers) bring together prominent members of the North Pole underground scene for their debut album, The Myrrhderers Sleigh Christmas.

Al Frankincense (Dead Kringles), Elliott Gold (Prancid), and Bill Myrrhey (Sleigher) entered the studio in 2020 for an historic documentation of the North Pole underground Christmas culture.

Hard-hitting versions of classic carols like “Deck the Halls” and modern classics such as “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” pepper The Myrrhderers’ debut EP. The Myrrhderers Sleigh Christmas makes its worldwide debut November 20, and will be followed up by The Myrrhderers Sleigh Some More on December 11.

Discussing the first single, ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’ Elliott Gold says,

Making Christmas punk music is a bit of a balancing act – you need to give the songs some kind of twist to make them work in a punk context, but you also don’t want to push a song so far that it loses its original Christmas ‘feeling.’ This is one of the heavier tracks on the record, but we wanted to put it out first because we feel like it captures both sides of that equation, without compromising one for the sake of the other.
Our scene isn’t gonna be around forever. Since Bezos came along, there’s been a lot less work up here, so most of our friends have moved south looking for a better life, and not to mention, less melty terrain. We figured if we don’t document this now, it might never happen.

The Myrrhderers Sleigh Christmas is produced by land-based producers Jamie Hilsden of Man Alive (The Militia Group), Corey Ben-Yehuda of Usless I.D. (Fat Wreck Chords), and mixed by Vince Ratti (Bouncing Souls, Brand New, The Wonder Years, Tiny Moving Parts, Circa Survive). Visit their Bandcamp to pre-order the album.

November 19, 2020
Black Suit Youth Release Environmental Anthem “The World Is Almost Over”

Alternative rock band from New York City, Black Suit Youth, released their new environmental anthem “The World Is Almost Over,” on October 30. The release date for their upcoming 5th LP, The World is Almost Over, is set for 2021 and will feature the newly released single.

Black Suit Youth blends a combination of punk rock, classic rock and indie rock into their music. The four-person group includes Bryan Maher (vocals/guitar), Fed Canalos (guitar), Juan Orellana (bass), and Ray Mazza (drums). The group’s original name started out as The New York Dynamite in 2004. In 2007, the band changed their name and released their debut album Our Future is History.

A song they eventually scrapped called “A Black Suit For My Youth” inspired the group’s name change. Since their formation, they have has released seven projects and had 10 different members throughout the group’s tenure. The band has amassed various touring experiences including opening up for acts such as Story of the Year, Alien Ant Farm, The Undead, and more. Following their 2017 release of their LP False South, Black Suit Youth looks to lean toward a new musical direction while maintaining their usual punk rock style.

The song is about the reality that we all see, but often ignore things while we deal with our immediate troubles. At some point, the bigger picture is going to become too big to ignore and it may already be too late to do anything about it. History is happening all around us and it gave us the opportunity to film in a desolate, boarded up Times Square, something you’d normally only see in a post-apocalyptic movie.
Black Suit Youth

Read More Black Suit Youth on NYS Music

In 2016, they signed to 59 X Records and released False South in 2017. Black Suit Youth single The World Is Almost Over will be their second project released under the label.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Us6QDQb7BI&feature=youtu.be

Here is a look at the lyrics for “The World Is Almost Over” :

When we were young they said our future would be so bright we’d have to wear shades
Well there weren’t completely wrong
It’s gonna be so hot we’re gonna melt in our graves
Now we’re lost inside a mindless paper chase
As the oxygen is leaking into space
Yeah the worlds almost over
Throw a life preserver to a drowning polar bear
Yeah the worlds almost over
So have another drink cuz no one cares
The ocean is the first casualty
Of our never ending worship of the GDP
So what is left for you and me?
When all the fresh water is owned by corporate entities
I’m sorry to say but things are looking bleak
It’s the new dark ages so pop off a few more tweets
Newsflash we’re all gonna die poor
As the refugees from the countries we destroy are knocking at our door
We don’t ever take any blame
It’s always some Boogieman
We’re too afraid of change
Yeah we’re dead and gone
We’re living on krypton
We pretend it isn’t true
Yeah we’re dead and gone
Hallelujah it’s the great beyond
Ces la vie and bye bye baby blue

November 10, 2020
System Of A Down Releases New Music For the First Time in 15 Years

System Of A Down released new music on November 6, 2020 for the first time in 15 years. The band dropped two songs, “Protect The Land” and “Genocidal Humanoidz” both speak of the dire and serious war happening in their cultural homelands of Artsakh and Armenia.

The heavy metal band, System Of A Down, formed in Glendale, California back in 1994. They are an Armenian-American band who have released five studio albums throughout the years. Three of those albums debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and were even nominated for four Grammy Awards. Their most well known song is “B.Y.O.B.” which won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance back in 2006. The band is made up of founding members Serj Tankian who does lead vocals/ keyboards, Daron Malakian who does vocals/ guitar and Shavo Odadjian who plays bass/ backing vocals as well as John Dolmayan who plays drums. John Dolmayan replaced original drummer Andy Khachaturian back in 1997.

The new songs “Protect The Land” and “Genocidal Humanoidz” are the bands way of trying to inspired people to speak out about the horrific injustices and human rights violations occurring by the hands of the Azerbaijan and Turkey (along with Isis terrorists from Syria). They have attacked the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh which we as Armenians call Artsakh. Civilians young and old have been awakened day and night by the frightful sights and sounds of rocket attacks, falling bombs, missiles, drones and terrorist attacks. People have had to find sanctuary in makeshift shelters while trying to avoid the fallout of outlawed cluster bombs. Their attackers have set their forests and endangered wildlife ablaze using white phosphorus, another banned weapon.

The band asks people to donate and help those who have been affected by the ever growing accounts of crimes against humanity currently happening to the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh. In return the band offer downloads of the two new songs for just $2. These funds will be used to provide crucial and desperately needed aid and basic supplies for those affected by these hideous acts.

For more information on the release and reasonings behind “Protect The Land” and “Genocidal Humanoidz” visit System Of A Down’s website.

November 7, 2020
Flashback to November 2, 1988: Slayer, Motörhead and Overkill at Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie

These were days when metal giants still walked the Earth, and on this day on 1988 a bulletproof triple-bill played at a packed Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie: California thrashers Slayer, legendary British underground gods Motörhead, and NJ heavies Overkill, who opened.

photo by Mark Kurtzner

At the time, Overkill were supporting their then-new third album, ‘Under The Influence’, and played a short set featuring new bruisers such as “Shred” and “Welcome to the Gutter,” along with a few classics like “Rotten to the Core.” Said frontman Bobby Blitz a few years later about opening for Motörhead – Overkill, were, after all, named after a Motörhead song – “touring with Lemmy was like touring with GOD! I’d be sitting next to him, taking pictures, asking ‘Can you sign another album, Lem? It was great.”

photo by Mark Kurtzner

Motörhead played second – odd to see them open for Slayer, a band who’d been wearing Motörhead shirts on the inside sleeve of their first album five years earlier, and a band about 10 years behind of Motörhead in terms of when their first albums came out – but Slayer had hit big with their third record ‘Reign In Blood’ a couple years earlier, while Motörhead were still – and always would be, In America – beloved underground veterans. This did not stop Lemmy and his bands of rogues from stealing the show. They were then promoting their second live record, ‘No Sleep At All’, and Lemmy strode out on stage and barked “We are Motörhead, and we play rock’n’roll”, before the band blasted into “Dr. Rock”, the ’Orgasmatron’-era pounder which also started the new live record.

photo by Mark Kurtzner

The band were still playing many songs from the most recent studio record, ‘Rock’n’Roll’ (4 songs, plus ‘Rock’n’Roll’-era b-side “Just Cos You Got The Power”), and “Eat The Rich” from that record got a big reaction, even from the younger Slayer-heads who knew it from MTV. Unlike their later years, where the majority of the set was from the ‘classic’ pre-1983 Fast Eddie years, this night most of the songs played were from the then-recent records by the newer 4-piece Motörhead with guitarists Wurzel and Phil Campbell, including “Dr Rock”, “Built for Speed”, a grinding “Orgasmatron”, the minor hit “Killed by Death”, and the aforementioned slew of ‘Rock’n’Roll’-era songs. The band did play a few vintage songs though, including “Stay Clean”, “Metropolis”, eternal favorite “Ace of Spades” and the world-flattening and opening-band-inspiring “Overkill”. A ear-destroyingly killer show, and with 3 of these 4 men now in Valhalla – Lemmy, guitarist Wurzel and drummer ‘Philthy’ Phil Taylor – a lineup that will never be seen again.

photo by Mark Kurtzner

Slayer, of course, were also mighty and unstoppable. The pit was huge, sweeping away any who wanted to merely stand and watch, and the west coast thrashers opened with “South of Heaven”, title track from the then-new record, before mayhem erupted with song #2, “Raining Blood”. This was the ‘classic lineup’ – Tom Araya, Kerry King, drummer Dave Lombardo, and the late, great Jeff Hanneman. There was no rest thereafter, and the band leaned on the new record heavily – 8 of 15 songs played were from ‘South of Heaven’, with more vintage neck-snapppers like “Black Magic”, “Chemical Warfare”, “Necrophiliac”, “Postmortem” and “Kill Again” also played, before the show wrapped up – as would usually be the case, until Slayer’s 2019 conclusion as a touring band – with ‘Reign In Blood’-era skull-smasher “Angel of Death.”

photo by Mark Kurtzner

Motörhead setlist: Doctor Rock, Stay Clean, Traitor, Metropolis, Dogs, Eat the Rich, Built for Speed, Just ‘Cos You Got the Power, Orgasmatron, Stone Deaf in the U.S.A., Killed by Death, Ace of Spades, Overkill

Slayer setlist: South of Heaven, Raining Blood, Silent Scream, Read Between the Lies, Black Magic, Postmortem, Necrophiliac, Behind the Crooked Cross, Kill Again, Mandatory Suicide, Chemical Warfare, Ghosts of War, Spill the Blood, Live Undead, Angel of Death

photo by Mark Kurtzner

November 2, 2020
Halloween Flashback: Raven, Liege Lord and Never More perform at L’Amour in Brooklyn in 1986

New Wave of British Heavy Metal band Raven were no strangers to playing Halloween shows in the New York City area – their first American gig ever had been just over 4 years to the day, October 30, 1982, when they opened for Riot and Anvil in Staten Island at the ‘Halloween Headbangers’ Ball.’

Raven hail from Newcastle, in England, and their first three albums – Rock Until You Drop (1981), Wiped Out (1982) and All For One (1983) – still stand as ahead-of-their-timel classics, raw, fast real metal records, all hailed being massively influential to the thrash metal scene in the later 80s.

The band – made up of brothers John and Mark Gallagher on bass/vocals and guitar, and hockey-helmeted Rob ‘Wacko’ Hunter on drums – had also made significant headway in the USA in the early/mid-80s, first with a New York/New Jersey-area late 1982 tour with Anvil, and then the legendary ‘Kill Em All For One’ US tour in 1983, where the band had crossed the States with opening band Metallica, bringing underground metal to all corners of America.

By the time of their 1984 ‘Live at the Inferno’ US tour (with New York’s own Anthrax as support band), the band were signed to legendary NY/NJ metal indie label Megaforce Records, and big enough to sell out Roseland Ballroom in Manhattan, where they headlined in August 1984 with Metallica and Anthrax opening – a show which resulted in Raven (by this time New York State residents, living in Cortland, NY) being signed to major label Atlantic Records.

John & Mark Gallagher – photo by George Putt

Opinions differ on whether the band’s Atlantic Records output advanced their career, or damaged it. The 1985 album, ‘Stay Hard’, certainly raised the band’s profile outside the metal underground, especially via the MTV video for the single “On & On”, but their hardcore metal demographic scoffed at the less-thrashing sound of Stay Hard, and the rear-cover photo of the band looking more airbrushed and cleaned-up, as opposed to their more street-level, rough-hewn image of yore.

Their underground credibility was further damaged by the early 1986 LP The Pack Is Back, on which producer Eddie Kramer gave them a more slick, polished sound, and the band dabbled with guitar synths and a more commercial sound. The band’s slicker sound on TBIB, combined with a frankly ill-advised album cover, featuring the costumed band bursting out of sports lockers, damaged their standing with the growing thrash metal audience, yet was still too heavy to appeal to the Ratt and Motley Crue demographic.

Raven bassist/vocalist John Gallagher – photo by Sean McFerran

In Summer 1986 the band righted the ship with the ‘Raven Mad’ EP, a welcome, raw return to form after the woefully overproduced and unusually weak The Pack is Back LP. This Halloween 1986 gig was the final date of the ‘Mad’ tour, after which they went upstate to make follow-up album Life’s A Bitch.

First band Never More did not impress: strange, horror-themed costumes and warbling vocals, terrible stuff. Second band Liege Lord were much better, Iron Maiden-stye metal, fast and powerful.

Raven guitarist Mark Gallagher – photo by Sean McFerran

Raven, however, were on total form this night and erased any concerns that the TPIB record had changed their high-intensity metal assault. L’Amour was pretty packed, and the set-list was fantastic – the band hit the stage with the All For One-era classic “Hung, Drawn & Quartered”, high-speed and raging, straight into the then-recent “Stay Hard,” heaver live than he recorded version. The set featured more stuff (5 songs) from the great ‘All For One’ than any other album, three tunes each from ‘Mad’ and ‘Rock Until You Drop’ (including the classic 1980 debut 7” single “I Don’t Need Your Money”), a couple from “Stay Hard” (the title track and the “hit”, “On & On”) and only one from The Pack Is Back: “Young Blood” which sounded much heavier live than on the record.

The only album they skipped was ‘Wiped Out,’ which is the only remotely negative thing I can say about this amazing show. Early in the gig John Gallagher’s wireless mike packed it in, and he played most of the show singing at a mike stand, which gave it a cool ‘early Raven’ vibe. The encore included a cover of the Status Quo song “Big Fat Mama” which, because we are in America, almost no one recognized, and they finished with the classic “Hell Patrol” from the first LP, with the band virtually destroying the stage at the end, Wacko tearing his drum set to pieces, and John Gallagher hanging over the crowd from ceiling pipes. Truly, the band erased any fears that The Pack Is Back had turned them into lightweights. A tremendous show.

Mark Gallagher on the floor – photo by George Putt

Three and a half decades later, the band is still going strong, with a new drummer and a killer 2020 album, Metal City. All hail Raven!

Raven at L’Amour, Brooklyn, NY, October 31, 1986

Setlist: Hung, Drawn & Quartered/Stay Hard/Gimme Just A Little/All For One/Young Blood/Mark Gallagher Solo/Speed Of The Reflex/I Don’t Need Your Money/Rock Until You Drop/John Gallagher solo/On & On/Seek & Destroy/Break The Chain/Mind Over Metal. Encores: Do or Die [w/ drum solo]/Big Fat Mama/Hell Patrol.

October 31, 2020
lespecial and Eggy bring the Heat at Le Getaway
Last Saturday was a special gathering in the midst of a strange year. Le Getaway was a sold-out, socially distanced event held by lespecial and Eggy which featured daytime activities, drum circles, basketball courts, ping-pong tables, and cabins that were rented for the night by attendees. It took place at Club Getaway, a beautiful lake resort nestled in between the mountains of Connecticut. Reminiscent of the good ol’ Catskill Chill days, there was a bonfire set and porch jams until the sun came up. It’s nice to know that a socially distanced live music event is possible if we can all be smart and responsible. If the right precautions are taken, it seems like we can get back to this live music thing soon.

So many activities.

This was a beautiful gathering, it was both much needed and very appreciated. But it was a bit chilly, so you know lespecial and Eggy had to bring the heat. Literally, Jon from lespecial had to turn up his personal heater it was so cold. Rory Dolan led a socially distanced drum circle early in the day, Luke joined in too.

Rory leads a socially distanced drum circle.

Eggy played a jam filled opening set, warming up the crowd as the sun went down. These guys are tight, I would not sleep on them. Soaring high on funky synth leads by Dani Battat and Jake Brownstein’s guitar shredding, Eggy proved to be an amazing opening act.

Eggy flying high.

lespecial then took the stage and opened up with “The Vessel.” Their set was everything you could every hope a lesepcial show to be: dark, bass heavy, and Primus-inspired goodness. Rory took a masterful drum solo. Mike Meyers even sat in on the Halloween Jam and Lee Ross sat in on the sax for a tune. There’s something spooky about this band that makes seeing them around Halloween feel so right. lespecial has a very unique, refusing sound that cuts through much of the jam band muck with many bands that sound similar. They stand out and stand behind their sound which definitely draws inspiration and honors Primus.

Rory’s drum solo.

After lespecial, the attendees with cabins were treated to a bonfire jam which featured, of course, a fire and music. Late night porch jams were held by the new “porch dwellers” with Escaper’s very own Will Hanza on mandolin. Nothing can substitute the space that live music creates.

lespecial put on a hell of a show.

This was exactly what we needed. Let us get back to this as soon as possible, in a safe and responsible way.

Can’t wait to be back.

lespecial at Le Getaway 10/17/20

The Vessel, Fruit Wolf Dance, Jackwise, Machine Elf, Harambe Zombie, Tommy the Cat (Primus cover) > The Awakening > Tommy The Cat, Onlookers, Sugaboi, Third Antler > Fourth Antler, Chocolate Chip Trip (Tool cover), Halloween Jam, Tonberry, Buggn>In the Air Tonight>Buggn
October 20, 2020

Built in Breakdance