Photos & Article By Jesse Huminski
The best part about being a fan of any sort of musical genre is a live concert. Concerts are a place to mingle with fellow fans who share your passion for a band as well as permit you to experience musical emotion in real time. Whilst I do thoroughly appreciate shows from big name bands, it's the smaller local shows that I enjoy a little more. Large venues don't give off an intimate vibe and usually, after a band is done, you won't often see them roaming around the venue drinking a beer, chatting up with fans, and enjoying the music of other local artists in the scene. These are the types of shows that keep our beloved genres alive. Without them, the bands of today won't be able to become the big names of tomorrow.
I'm new to the Pacific Northwest. Having barely been here for two years, I had no idea where to look for shows such as the one that occurred on June 4th at The Funhouse in Seattle. To be quite honest, I'm not even sure where I saw the tour poster above. I checked out the a few bands on the bill and immediately felt as if I needed to be there. I've been following the Doomed & Stoned blog for quite sometime and felt compelled to finally become apart of the local scene here in Washington. I grabbed my camera (well, my girlfriend's anyway) and headed down to Seattle, knowing very well that the next day I would probably regret staying up so late as I had to be up for work early in the morning.
Static Altars
Jake St. John // Bassist & Vocalist // Static Altars
Static Altars, a trio of musicians hailing from Wenatchee, WA, opened up their set at around
9:00 P.M. I had just walked into the venue and captured the above image of Jake St. John, the band's bassist and vocalist, prior to heading to the bar (I like beer. So, yeah. Needed one after the drive). I immediately fell in love with the band's style of ambient, atmospheric blackened doom metal. I felt Static Altars connected with me more and more as their set went on. I had briefly listened to their Self-Titled Demo they released last June on my way down I-5, though I couldn't really interlace myself with the music in mid-Saturday evening congestion.
Guitarist Kyle Folden put on a spectacular performance of spirited riffs and entrancing melodies that echoed throughout the venue whilst drummer Jake Henson rocked the entire building with his steady, rhythmic bass pedal and thunderous skill. St. John's voice resonated into the open ears of the spectators, enchanting the crowd and bewildering myself. A passionate performance overall, I would strongly encourage any and all fans of Russian Circles, Wolves in the Throne Room and Agalloch to give Static Altars a chance.
Static Altars
I'm glad to have been able to witness Static Altars live and sincerely hope that I have the opportunity to see them perform again. Their music connected with me in a spiritual way, captivating and enthralling me to focus on each beat, each note, each word. Their set was personally my favorite of the evening, sparking me to head home and make sure I obtained a copy of their demo for personal enjoyment. Here's hoping that I can get myself over to Wenatchee at some point for a performance in their hometown.
You can check out Static Altars' demo below, streaming via Bandcamp. And, while you're at it, go ahead and give their Facebook page a quick like, that way we can keep up with this phenomenal musical act from Eastern Washington together.
Upwell
Upwell
The next band on the bill was Upwell, a sludgy metal band from Seattle, WA. Front-woman Michelle Pavcovich's vocals were haunting and mesmerizing as her and guitarist Stevenflow Rosenstengel's amps billowed out resounding riffs and harmonious licks and melodies. Bassist Jack Endino grooved up and down the fret-board sporting a pretty epic Windhand shirt. I particularly enjoyed Endino's bass lines as they reverberated off the walls of The Funhouse.
Mikel Perkins sat behind the drum kit with a wrecking force capable of bringing the building down to the ground. Perkins played in a phenomenal manner, never missing a beat (which would probably be band for a drummer). Booming snare hits, strident bass kicks, clashing cymbals, Perkins brought the vigor and zeal to The Funhouse on Saturday.
I had not previously heard Upwell's music prior to the concert that night. But, I can tell you right now that they acquired at least one fan from their breathtaking and astonishing performance. Their album In Through the Outro was independently released in July 2015 and can be heard below, via Bandcamp. The album is definitely a must listen and any Upwell performance you can make it out to is well worth whatever you have to pay.
Upwell have a show upcoming on Friday, July 22nd 2016 at High Dive in Seattle. Tickets can be purchased here for $10 in advance or $15 at the door day of show. Go on and get out. Support this awesome fucking band.
Stevenflow Rosenstengel - Guitars & Backing Vocals
KLAW
KLAW
KLAW, also residing from Seattle WA, brought the fucking party to its knees from the moment they took the stage. From Ruben Lara Mozzochi's fast paced drum beats to Justin Williams' sludgy, fuzzy guitar riffs and licks, KLAW seriously raised the energy and power for the entire gig. Front-man Casey Cunningham livened up the entire place with his sporadic movements on such a tiny stage. His monstrous boom of a voice bellowed from the speakers, shaking the venue to its very core. Cunningham has the stage presence of a seasoned-veteran and was able to really ensnare the crowd and get them involved, which is something I personally loved.
Bassist Josh "Da Gorilla" Danford shined just as equally throughout KLAW's set. Delivering full, meaty bass riffs and a thoroughly radiating stage presence, Danford delivered a bass tone that was the equivalent to an mighty earthquake. KLAW were the band that brought hardiness to the venue and a severe tremor to The Funhouse.
Casey Cunningham // Vocals
Unfortunately, due to apparently strict time restraints, KLAW's set was cut devastatingly short. I was extremely upset at this because of how much energy the band exerted throughout their performance and it was pretty evident the crowd was pretty pissed about this, too.
Alas, such is the way of some shows and the night went on. Fortunately, for those who felt cheated by the lack of time KLAW was given, they have another show coming up on June 23rd at Substation in Seattle and will be embarking on a West Coast tour with Greenriver Thrillers in July.
KLAW & Greenrivers Thriller West Coast Tour Poster
KLAW West Coast Tour Dates and Upcoming Shows
6/23/16 Substation w/ NORDUS (album release), The Misery Men
7/16/16 Paulapalooza (2016) w/ To many rad bands to list!
7/21/16 Substation (Greenriver Thrillers and KLAW Tour kick off party!) w/ Kings of Cavalier, TBA
7/22/16 World Famous Kenton Club Portland OR w/ Cougar
7/23/16 The Colony - Sacramento CA w/ Peace Killers, Crimson Eye
7/24/16 Stork Club Oakland CA w/ TVSK, Red Sky
7/25/16 The Blue Lagoon Santa Cruz CA w/ Dickless Juli, TBA
7/26/16 The Doll Hut Anaheim Ca. w/ TBA
7/27/16 The Tower Bar San Diego CA w/ Nebula Drag, Burning Hammer
7/28/16 Blacklight District Lounge Long Beach CA w/ TBA
7/29/16 Back Bar SoFa San Jose CA w/ Kook, Mount Desert
7/30/16 Reno NV w/ The Sisters Doom
8/6/16 Louie G's Pizza Black Mountian fest 2 w/ too many rad bands
8/13/16 Darrell's Tavern (Sir Mark's 4th Annual Bikini Bash!)
9/17/16 Slim's last chance saloon (Earfest) w/ Rad bands
10/14/16 Wallys House of Booze Wenatchee Wa w/ Mos Generator
10/15/16 The Observatory Spokane Wa w/ Six State Bender
Justin Williams // Guitars
KLAW's self-titled debut album released on July 11th, 2015. You can stream in live below via Bandcamp.
Also, thanks for the album, Casey!
Greenriver Thrillers
Alan Alfano // Guitars/Vox & Gary Hughes // Bass
It was late and I was getting tired. But, there was no chance in hell that I was going to miss the Greenriver Thrillers, another Seattle based band that incorporates sludgy riffs with upbeat, almost punky style drum beats. After all, there the first band I actually listened to after seeing the poster for this show and I instantly fell in love with their album Retarder, which released in October 2013. And, boy am I glad I stayed for this set. Greenriver Thrillers are a ridiculously fun band to listen to live. Alan Alfano's guitar pumped some serious sound into the venue while Phil Smith's uptempo drum beats overflowed The Funhouse with a captivating and riveting presence. What also made their set a lot of fun to watch was Casey Cunningham of KLAW performing some guest vocals on two of their songs.
Casey Cunningham of KLAW and Alan Alfano
Don't you dare think I forgot about Gary Hughes and his monstrous bass lines. His amp was definitely in full force as it spewed out his groovy, beefy riffs bled out of the closed Funhouse door and into the streets of Seattle. Nothing was stopping these guys from putting on a kick-ass performance. And, sure as shit, nothing did. Greenriver Thrillers are the band that needed to headline to show and were a penetrating force wreaking havoc on an already spent Funhouse audience. These guys have been in the scene for quite some time with absolutely no indication of running out of gas. Which is perfect, because I need to see them again.
Gary Hughes // Bass
And, I know I will. As I stated earlier, they will be heading out on a West Coast tour with KLAW starting in July (dates above). They'll also be playing a show at Tim's Tavern in Seattle on July 8th. If you are in the Seattle area, Greenriver Thrillers are a band that you definitely don't want to miss.
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