Scorpion Child Tickets

It’s hard for me to be objective in a review like this. I was really looking forward to this show. As I endured two not so good opening acts Sunday night, awaiting Red Fang to take the stage, I steeled my soul with the knowledge that Crobot and Scorpion Child were only a few days away. I ticked down the hours and my work week revolved around this show. Which is why it is now hard to write this review. I am fan of heavy metal and hard rock. I was bit by the bug with that first listen to PYROMANIA back in 1983. I grew up on Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Rush, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Kiss, The Pat Travers, Dio, Ozzy, Deep Purple and on and on an on. I have wondered why we have seen absence of this kind of metal and rock. When did we become obsessed with trying to be the angriest band? When did lyrics abandon the idea of fun? I am pleased to say both of these bands bring fun back into the mixture. The night started with Echo Theory, a local band. This four piece wasn’t bad. I can’t say I was really grabbed by any of their songs. This isn’t a slam on them. They did their job, entertaining a small (less than fifty people; honestly, at this point, less than 20) crowd. Their set was about five songs/ thirty minutes long and I do have to say their drummer was pretty good. Crobot was next. I first saw them earlier this month when they opened for Kyng. While at that show I purchased the band’s CD, LEGEND OF THE SPACEBORNE KILLER. I have spent the past two weeks with that CD living in my car’s CD player, becoming the soundtrack of each daily drive. I was amped up and ready for Crobot’s brand of funky hard rock. I was not disappointed. They opened with the title track of their full length CD, the small crowd singing along with the song, headbangning and fist pumping. Brandon Yeagley’s vocals were powerful enough to cut through the super tight rhythms laid down by bassist Jake Figueroa and Paul Figueroa, hitting high notes that reminded me of Brad Delp, only dirtier. Guitarist Bishop interjected distorted funk inflections, providing the final ingredient to this sumptuous feast of funky hard rock. Crobot kept me smiling for a wonderful 50 minute set, playing “Nowhere to Hide”, “Skull of Geronimo”, “La Mano de Lucifer” and a couple of other songs. Jake’s thundering bass lines continue to have me realizing what would happen if Queen’s John Deacon and Bootsy Collins lived in the same body. I smiled for the entire set, losing myself in the music. Yes, I was already a fan, but this show pushed it several notches higher for me. Before the show and between the bands, I talked at length with Graham, tour manager and merch dealer for Scorpion Child. He made a great quote:”Our day is coming. I don’t think people want to be pissed off all the time anymore. I think this constant sturm und drang music is on the way out. I see the crowds at our shows. I see the way people act when we play at festivals. People want to have fun again.” I had to agree whole-heartedly. I know I am ready for fun again. I like smiling for fifty minutes straight. I like headbanging to every song. I like being genuinely excited to see a band, not just going because friends are going or so I can tell people I was there. I thought about what Graham said as Scorpion Child hit the stage. This was not the band on the album I had bought (admission of influence: I learned of the band from THAT METAL SHOW). They have a new bassist and a new drummer in the fold. Graham said they had practiced for only two weeks and were improving every show. I didn’t know what to expect. The band hit the stage at 10pm sharp, opening with “The Secret Spot”. I was BLOWN AWAY. I need to stop and explain, if I may: I grew up listening to Led Zeppelin. For thirty freaking years, I’ve been listening to Zep. I despise Zep knock off bands. I hated Kingdom Come back in the 80s when they hit MTV. I hated it when hair metal bands would play Zep in their shows (yes, I even hated Great White’s version of “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You”). I know get the point- I hate Zep like bands. I WAS BLOWN AWAY BY SCORPION CHILD. Aryn Black reminds me of Robert Plant from the period between Led Zeppelin’s II and III albums. Machismo incarnate, swaggering across the stage, microphone in hand , voice wielded like a sword that vanquishes non-believers. As he led the band through eight songs, the crowd was his. The size of the crowd hit it’s peak at probably sixty people, each person ensnared in the web his voice spun, anchored further by Chris Cowart’s tasty riffs. I am ashamed to say I didn’t get the names of the new rhythm section. Whatever the new bassist and drummer’s names, their ability will keep them from anonymous for long. The drummer transcended the shadow of the great John Bonham and provided a ferocity when pounding the skins that is lacking from some of the heavier bands I have seen. His dexterity and timing pushed the limits and kept everything driving forward. And the new bassist was deceiving. A small guy, whose fingers didn’t seem big enough to fly about the fretboard with the ease he displayed. A soft spoken guy who called the bottom end to rise up and smack the ever loving crap out of the crowd. His fretboard gymnastics had me scratching my head, wondering,”How did he do that?” I ended the night congratulating all the bands on a job well done. Jake convinced me I needed some more of Crobot’s special brand of hot sauce (it really is good), Brandon legitimately laughed at my jokes and I thanked the band profusely for the set they played. I snagged a t-shirt from each band and headed out, ending up face to face with Aryn Black. I shook his hand and realized this young man is on his way to the top. As I drove home in silence, ears ringing, I contemplated the night and it’s affect on me. I felt recharged, as if I could make through not only the work week, but through any hardships. I have rediscovered the positive power of music to rejuvenate my soul.