Concert Reviews: October 1994
Archived
Drown
Sept. 6th @ The Cinema Bar
OK, straight up. This was one of the best live shows I’ve seen all year, no bullshit. This was Drown’s second time in Salt Lake. They opened for White Zombie at Saltair a few months back, and you can bet your pierced nipples I kick myself for not being there! Drown finally hit the stage at approximately 12:25 a.m. They opened with “I Owe You,” the song that starts out their fairly new disc, Hold on to the Hollow. When the first chords were struck I didn’t know whether to run for cover or to take my chances and ride out this terrifying wave of sight and sound. I opted for the latter, and what a ride it was. The stark white lighting was behind the band and on the sides. No direct lighting was used, so all you really witnessed were exaggerated silhouettes and distorted shadows. The eerie atmosphere was in direct contrast with their full throttle, in-your-face brand of music, and it worked great. Drown’s live sound has got more of a raw bite to it than on the CD. It seems like the guitars and the vocals are pushed right up front. I thought the whole set was great, but “Pieces of Man,” and “What It Is to Burn” really amazed me. Drown is going on tour with Clutch and Prong later this fall and rumor has it they’ll make a stop in this pretty great state of ours. Do yourself a favor and check out Drown before they get really huge and untouchable, because with this band, it will happen. –Royce
Stone Fox
Sept. 20th @ The Cinema Bar
Stone Fox, aah yes. I know this band is from San Francisco and I know that this was their first time in SLC, and that’s all I know about them. Four women kicking it out and one dude on drums, what a killer combination. I loved watching the lead singer, man she could move, (maybe gyrate would be a better verb phrase here). And the bass player, I think her name was Janis, she could not only play, but she could sing great, too. She took the lead vocals on two songs. Stone Fox opened with a nice, mellow acoustic song, then they went into some kick-ass, thrash song and then later on they did a Metallica cover of “Seek & Destroy.” On the chorus it seemed like they were really saying, “She Can Destroy.” (I’m not a big Metallica fan, but my friend Nick was, once, a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away and he claims the guitar solo was exactly like the Metallica version!…Amazing!!!). At one point they did a song called “Candy,” and threw candy out to the audience, (what a thoughtful thing to do). Anyway, they were really good and really varied and a hell of a good time. By the way, Spanky’s has been booking some great shows. If you’re not hanging out there … where are you? –Royce