City Hall
March 12th, 2006
Well, it’s been a few days since the show and I’m just beginning to recover. What a night! 102.9 The Buzz outdid themselves with a lineup filled with great music that had the crowd on its feet the entire night. Of course, the fact that City Hall doesn’t have any chairs may have something to do with that, but we’ll get to that later. Unfortunately, I was stuck in line waiting to get in during ONE’s set. But, I heard many good things from some friends of mine that saw them. By the time I got inside, City Hall was about 75% full with numerous folks still streaming in.
WICKED WISDOM
I got up close to the stage to catch the beginning of Wicked Wisdom’s performance. If you don’t know already, Wicked Wisdom is one of the most controversial bands in metal today. They don’t do anything crazy like breathing fire or eating pigeon heads off. The controversy is attributed to their lead singer, Jada Pinkett-Smith, wife of one ‘Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It’ Will Smith. I’ve heard so much hype about this group, good and bad, that I braced myself for a train wreck. There is good news and bad news about this band. The good news is that the guys with the instruments absolutely played great, sporting a hard edged sound performed with tight precision. The bad news was Jada. She just can’t hold her own in this genre. I give her full credit for attempting such a daunting task but she simply doesn’t have the vocal ability to deliver in the metal arena. Plus, the songs, by and large, were very cliché and formulated for my taste. Wicked Wisdom gets points for having all the energy needed to get a crowd hyped. But, without a capable vocalist and a lack of originality in the songwriting department, they went down as an overall disappointment.
SOCIALBURN
The next act of the night was Socialburn. As many of you know, I interviewed singer, Neil Alday a couple of weeks ago. Their press people sent me a copy of their new CD, ‘The Beauty of Letting Go.’ As I listened to the CD in the weeks leading up to the show I couldn’t help but wonder how their style would fit in with the rest of the touring lineup. Don’t get me wrong, they are a very talented group but they come with a sound more reminiscent of the grunge era, only more melodic. My concerns were validated as the band played their hearts out to a room full of people that didn’t really connect with what they were doing. There’s no bad guy here. The crowd came for metal but Socialburn aren’t a metal band. It seemed as though the deck was stacked against them due to the lineup they are on. Nevertheless, they played great, opening with track one of the new CD, ‘Be a Man’ and received a very favorable response from ‘Down’ a radio hit from their previous album. I look forward to seeing them again the next time they come to Nashville on, hopefully, a more compatible bill.
NONPOINT
Following Socialburn’s performance was Nonpoint. Hailing from Florida, these guys have been at it longer than most people realize. With a number of albums under their belt and a stint on Ozzfest a few years ago, Nonpoint have been climbing the rock ladder steadily. Their climb turned into a guided missile with their new radio smash, ‘Bullet With a Name’ and the future certainly looks bright. I witnessed a very original, energetic performance by these guys and was impressed with vocalist, Elias Soriano’s command of the crowd, hyping them up between each heavy song. Drummer, Robb Rivera plays in a very unorthodox way, facing his kit sideways to allow the audience to see him bash his drums with reckless abandon. The crowd, panting for more after a few tunes, was worked into a complete frenzy when Nonpoint launched into ‘Bullet With a Name’. They sang along with Soriano so loud that it had the feel of a campground sing-along with metal music. If Nonpoint can continue to build on this recent momentum, I think you’ll be seeing more of them for years to come.
SEVENDUST
All that was left for the 7th annual Buzz Birthday Bash was the main course, Sevendust. I was thankful for two reasons. In my own selfish way, I couldn’t wait for this set due to the excruciating concrete floors on my feet. City Hall is a great venue but is in dire need of either seating or softer floors. It was perfect for the last event that I attended there, a 2-band bill featuring Staind but a five act bill was murder on the feet. I know that I’m not alone in that sentiment. But, the main reason I couldn’t wait for this set is the fact that I’ve been a fan of Sevendust for years and it was my first time seeing this Atlanta powerhouse in action. They’ve been through some recent rigors of the music industry going through issues with their previous label, TVT records. Rather than retreat, Sevendust spurred on, signing on with Winedark Records and self-producing their fifth studio album, aptly titled ‘Next’. This album is an earth shaker, combining the heavy aggressive tones and the sense of vocal melody that has become the trademark of the Sevendust sound. That wasn’t the only challenge that they faced. Original guitarist, Clint Lowery decided to strike out on his own forming Dark New Day. Sevendust quickly recovered by recruiting the capable skills of former Snot guitarist, Sonny Mayo.
The band exploded onto the City Hall stage in a hail of lighting that I can only describe as a wash of rainbow colors. Every few seconds, a backdrop that encompassed the entire area behind drummer, Morgan Rose would change colors. This created a very cool silhouetted effect of the band members onstage while taking care of business. Sevendust primed the crowd for a night of heavy music with two tracks off of Next, ‘Ugly’ and ‘Hero’. Front man, Lajon Witherspoon is a tireless worker spitting his message at the crowd with authority. Guitarists Mayo and John Connelly shredded out some fantastic riffs throughout the show while the rhythm section of Rose and bassist, Vince Hornsby slammed some pummeling lines that you could feel in your chest. The highlights of the set were the songs from the new album as well as such early Sevendust classics as ‘Wired’, ‘Black’, and ‘Bitch’. These guys played a long time but it rolled by quickly due to the fact that they showcased their heavier material, not allowing any time to catch your breath. It was a franticly paced metal show that was a great way to cap an already fun evening.
A special thanks goes out to Amanda Cagan from ABC Publicity, Great Big Shows, The Cromwell Group, and all of the folks at 102.9 The Buzz. Here’s to hoping we can do this again next year!
That’s all for now.
Until Next Time, I’m out like Belmont in the NCAA tournament.
Chris “Uncle Daddy Longlegs” Czynszak
Message from Uncle Daddy: Remember only YOU can prevent a lame local music scene.
To reach Chris Czynszak, e-mail at: cczynszak@nashvillerock.net