Weekend of local rock volume 28

Jan 23, 2010

My first concert of 2010 involved some pretty hard-hitting stuff. The fancy poster tells it all.

In fairness, these handwritten posters promoted all of Coyote's upcoming shows. It's generally rockin' on Saturday nights.

The four-band bill consisted of three bands I hadn't seen before and a headliner I'd had limited exposure to. First was a five-piece band of young guys who dubbed themselves Too Legit To Quit.

Like several other modern metal bands, Too Legit To Quit uses two lead vocalists who alternate between lyric lines.

I was starting to get a good feel for them, but sadly the bassist broke a string and their legitimacy stopped four songs in. Good thing I didn't wait for pics.

Next up was the heavy sound of Gravelight.

Another five-piece outfit, Gravelight combined elements of death metal with a surprisingly melodic sound.

The thing I liked most about Gravelight was how they wrote songs with bridges very reminiscent of early '80's rockers like Iron Maiden or Judas Priest - stuff I grew up with. I think it would be interesting to hear these guys in the studio with a cleaner sound system and see how that compares.

Good thing I got these early too, since the makeup was starting to run just a bit by the end of the set.

Something I can't figure out about these guys, though, is why just two (the singer and drummer) wear makeup.

Next up was Virginia-based Bitter. They came prepared to earn their gas money home.

The award for best marketing goes to these guys. I didn't pick up a CD because I wanted to hear them first and by the time I was ready to they had split the scene.

Boy, was I glad they were from Virginia. That guitar on the right was definitely at home there.

I suppose I'll know it when I see these guys again - if I don't see it on the drum I'll know the 'Stars and Bars' guitar.

Musically, they put on an enjoyable set - maybe not as adventurous as Gravelight but still a very good effort nonetheless.

Of the four bands, I would say these guys were the most 'professional'. Maybe the one drawback is that they have a similar vibe to a lot of other bands out there and it's hard to find a place like that.

One thing I liked about all three bands heretofore unseen to me was that they played all originals (or if they weren't I wasn't familiar with the original song.) Order 6-D6 played a stray cover or two, but overall that was the best part of the night.

I don't know if body shape has anything to do with it, but my favorite aspect of Order 6-D6 is the vocals.

You may not be able to read the shirt, but I found it amusing: 'Fat People Are Hard To Kidnap.'

I had seen these guys just once before, when 96 Rock had a 'Battle of the Bands' at Pork in the Park last April. They did an impressive three-song set there so I put it on my mental checklist to see them again when I had a chance.

The band feature soulful vocals backed up by some hard-rocking guitars. Soon they'll be adding another guitarist.

I found out one thing at the show - I need to pick up their latest CD to see if they sound as good there. Even their choice of covers was interesting - a song by the Misfits and one by The Doors. (That was done with their future second guitarist, he'll come on board in the next month or so to make the band a five-piece.)

If there's one thing I dislike about Coyote's as a venue, it's having that mirror directly behind the stage! Maybe a second guitarist will help by crowding the stage some more.

As a start to 2010, it was a good show to get the rust off after a month away and something a little more heavy than I'd seen in awhile.

Last night I saw some old, familiar friends and that's my next installment of Weekend of Local Rock next weekend.

Weekend of local rock volume 28

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