The First Week In May 2016

Last week was a loaded explosion of off the wall shows in venues that shouldn't have been hosting them. For starters the Basement & Turnstile tour put an end to its madness in the northeast and before wrapping up in Boston, had an explosive night at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on April 30th. The Dillinger Escape Plan played two back to back shows Wednesday night before Cinco at the Amityville Music Hall in Long Island, and even though I couldn't make the first set, the second show seemed extremely fluid and besides missing "Farewell, Mona Lisa" from the first show, their placement of "43% Burnt" as the second song in the set in such an intimate venue proved worthy of the trek out from the boroughs. With no openers and a straight-to-Dillinger show, I couldn't have possibly been happier to have made the effort of getting on the LIRR. We wrapped up the week with a one off show with Trap Them at Saint Vitus on Saturday May 7th, which couldn't have been any better. 

     It's obvious that Basement is this generations New Found Glory, and with Turnstile's recent signing to Roadrunner, it's impossible to tell where the scene is about to go. All I can say is that hardcore is in an incredible place and the scene couldn't possibly be any healthier. Turnstile shows are getting the reputation they deserve which I observed from the beginning when I didn't get let in to the Acheron gig back in 2014, but time and time again, they sell out clubs and the stage becomes a complete war zone. Do not ever miss the band if they're playing within a 30 mile radius of your apartment.The next day The Acacia Strain played with Dying Fetus at Gramercy, but I was crippled and couldn't move, and besides, you can't go to everything.  

(Defeater means well but falls short amongst their peers)

(Basement is slowly becoming the band of the decade)

(It truly doesn't get any better than Turnstile) 

(These Basement doodles seem to be a huge part of how the band wish to represent themselves)

     TDEP is slowly becoming one of Earth's greats. With their collection of songs and tossed about choruses, there's enough ammunition to catapult the band into stardom if they can only manage to survive another ten years. With Ben and Greg still guiding the band alongside Liam and Billy, the line up is healthier than ever with a fifth member who may, or may not be an inductee as of yet. If only he can cling on to his health and his sanity amongst the stars, he should be just fine. I got to see the guys come out after the first set, and they were sizzling in steam after their production. It's clear that TDEP is New York's strongest local band and there's no excuses for resident fans of the area to miss them when the rest of the world drools over their arrival in greater capacity clubs.

(The second set was totally explosive even though it only went on for an hour)

(This setlist was unearthed after their first set while I was anxiously waiting for them to come back on - a sick selection)

(Is it time to get a Galaxy? This is as good as it got in the pitch black venue)

      Trap Them was an honor to host in Brooklyn in one of my favorite bars, and there's nothing better than bands that come through your neighborhood for a one off show when they're not on tour. A big concern is Ryan's well being as he looked completely disheveled and torn apart and was impossible to look at when chatting with him at their merch table. Nose torn, black eye, scratched chin. The rest of the band looked good and excited, but for some reason he still finds it necessary to mangle himself in some way before getting on stage or while performing. The few shows I've seen, he gets really close to falling into the monitors but always catches himself before a complete wipe out. Having been a fan of metal and hardcore for a celebratory twenty years, I can understand violence, injuries and the scene, but as I've gotten older and matured, I only assumed my peers would too, but I guess some things never change.

(Organ Dealer are truly worth your time)

(It was a strong setlist of tracks spanning just about their entire catalogue)

(But seriously McKenney, wtf?)

      The saturation of the music community, especially in Brooklyn, can be felt harder than ever before. Even as I write this from my couch, Black And Blue bowl featuring Madball and American Nightmare is happening just a few stops away at Webster Hall while Hit The Lights plays with Seaway downstairs at the Studio. Sometimes you just have to stay home and watch tv, but at least there's Download in the U.K. a few weeks away, Warped Tour on the horizon in July, Thy Art Is Murder next week while Poison The Well, Bane's Last Show, and the Dashboard revival with Motion City Soundtrack at Jones Beach are just waiting to marinade nostalgia in the weeks to come.