Fuzz Fest 7

Fuzz Fest returns to the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor June 18-20, 2020. So far, no bands have been announced, but the organizers have asked for suggestions as recently as December of 2019. It's possible they may still be accepting requests. You can contact them on their FB page to find out more.

New Hӓllas Album for 2020: Conundrum

It's too early for us to offer a review, since we're chosen to wait for the hard copy, which won't be available on 20th March. However, we can tease you with this. It's proggier, more synth packed, and retains their retro-psychedelic, anthemic, adventure rock sound.

We recommend checking out the track, Fading Hero:

They have an official video for the song, Tear of a Traitor, also on Youtube:

Hamtramck Music Fest 2020

Today, Hamtown's annual festival celebrating local music kicks off a three day weekend. One wristband gives its wearer access to all venues and bands for all three days, and each is only $15.  Wristbands can be purchased at mutiple locations, all listed on the HMF website found here. Some shows are 18+, but there are also several daytime shows that welcome all ages. The website also features a map of participating venues, schedules for all three days, and other information.

According to their website, Ant Hall is hosting Kind of Animal, Sold Only as Curio, Cosmic Light Shapes, DUDE, and Sextez &the Vibe beginning at 8pm tonight. 18+

Ghost Light is hosting Panda House, After Dark Amusement Park, Ladyship Warship, and Valid, beginning at 8:30pm tonight. 18+

Here's a fun sampling of After Dark Amusement Park:

And Panda House:

Spring and Summer 2020

In stark contrast to 2019, this year has a wealth of concert listings. It's as though musicians around the world have suddenly remembered the existence of the Midwest, and the fact that this is where the serious rock fans live. While there's no way we'll be attending all of these, several upcoming shows caught our attention, and we think it's worth listing them here. Some interest us more than others, and we've highlighted our favorites. The commentary is complimentary.

• Carnivore A.D with Sheer Terror at The Sanctuary, March 5 at 7pm

• Cactus at the Token Lounge, March 13 at 7:30pm

• Haken (opening for Devin Townsend) at the Crofoot Ballroom, March 13 at 7pm

               If you're there to see Haken, don't dick around. They are not headlining, so if you're late, you could miss them, and that would be sad.

• Sepultura at Harpo's, March 29 at 6pm

• Bad Religion with Alkaline Trio at the Fillmore Detroit, April 15 at 6:30pm

               Sometimes, it's a relief when the opening act doesn't interest you. You can grab a late dinner and a cheaper drink elsewhere, then skip the line while Alkaline Trio plays.

• King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard at the Royal Oak Music Theater, April 25 at 7pm

• Dead Can Dance and Agnes Obel at The Masonic Temple April 28 at 6:30pm

               DCD are always outstanding, and fans are fortunate that they are together again. Enjoy it while you can.

• Here Come the Mummies at St. Andrew's Hall, May 7 at 8:30pm

• Testament at St. Andrew's Hall, May 14 at 6pm

• Black Flag at the Machine Shop, May 29 at 7pm

               Is this real? Is it really them? Which singer is on this tour? Presumably, it will be Greg Ginn with a group of young'uns, fronted by Mike Vallely. That's what their website says, anyway.

• Primus with Wolfmother and The Sword at the MI Lottery Theater at Freedom Hill, June 26 at 7pm

               We'll happily skip Wolfmother, but Primus and The Sword are a fun combination. According to their website, Primus plans to honor the late Neil Peart with their performance: 

          "This summer, Primus will pay homage to prog-rock legends Rush with a "Tribute to Kings," a           cross-country tour that will feature the iconic 'A Farewell to Kings' in its entirety. Special                     guests Wolfmother will be joining the tour, with The Sword and Battles opening select dates.

          A special pre-sale, including VIP upgrade options, will go on sale, Wednesday February 19 at              10am local time. General public on sale Friday, February 21 at 10am local time."

• Megadeth and Lamb of God at DTE Energy Music Theater, July 1 at 6pm

          We're not LoG fans, but someone likes them.

• Ministry, KMFDM, and Front Line Assembly at the Royal Oak Music Theater, July 10 at 6pm

               The last time we saw Ministry, the opening act was pitiful, and we've never seen such an obvious split within an audience. It was abundantly clear which fans were there for the respective bands, and there seemed to be little, if any, overlap. This time, we have to thank Ministry for touring with KMFDM. That not only makes sense, it completely transforms the bill. We can hardly wait.

• Kansas, Europe and Foreigner at DTE Energy Music Theater, July 28 at 7pm

• Krokus at the Token Lounge, September 30 at 6pm

• Faith No More with Korn at DTE Energy Music Theater, September 10 at 6pm

               They're playing with Korn. We are torn. Korn is absolute fucking garbage. What do we do?

• Einsturzende Neubauten at St. Andrew's Hall October 24 at 9pm

Opeth at ROMT

On Saturday, we finally took full advantage of an opportunity to see Opeth at the Royal Oak Music Theater. It should be mentioned that this venue has hosted some of our favorite concert experiences. Whether it's their size, the elegance of the atmosphere, or the people who tend to attend, we don't know, but we have had many a good time here.

We missed them on their last pass through the state, and have regretted it since. We hope they make plans to return soon.

Graveyard

The opening band was Graveyard, which was an excellent choice. They, too, have a rich variety of sounds, with a strong blues element fused into their heavy, occasionally Soundgarden-esque sound. While previewing them on the day of the show, our first thoughts were that they bore a resemblance to Deep Purple and Motӧrhead with a whisper of Greta Van Fleet and Bad Company.We had checked them out previously, but hadn't really given them a full listen, as happens when you're chasing a particular flavor of sound and aren't really ready for some of the things you encounter along the way. This made their set a pleasant surprise, and earned them some new fans. They warmed up the atmosphere and left us wanting more.

Opeth

Opeth began with the opening track from their new album, In Cauda Venenum, perfectly fitting for the tour in its support. They played a range of material that satisfied both older and newer fans, and also took a handful of requests. Midway through the show, Mikael Åkerfeldt announced that he was ill, and had come very close to canceling, so we felt extremely lucky that he'd chosen to perform. Of course, we hope that touring musicians make their choices in such a way that respects their own health. We'd much rather they cancel when necessary than risk permanent damage to their voice by trying to soldier on regardless. Still, we extend our thanks to him. In spite of his challenges, this remained one of the best shows we've seen in our 30+ years of concertgoing. Everyone put forth their best effort, and it was evident that they were enjoying playing the songs they'd selected for us. You could feel their emotional participation in the music's energy. Their stage show didn't overpower their music, but the background screen and foreground screens brought us through rain, snow, the eruption of flames, and toured the cosmos. It was such an adventure that it felt more like what another audience member described was practically a, "religious experience." While that's not terminology that we'd use, it did feel like the only thing missing was Carl Sagan.

Thanks to Mike Hartigan for sharing this on Youtube.

Summer 2019

Summer concerts in 2019 were slim pickings, so we ended up seeing Weird Al and little else. He puts on a good show, and we were lucky enough to catch him touring with his full costume presentation.

We also caught Mephiskapheles opening for Streetlight Manifesto (counterintuitively; SM should have been the opener). While we enjoyed ourselves at the sold out show, there was an enormous gap in their sound where a keyboard should have been. From talking to one of the original members, we got the impression that there was a hint of animosity there, and that's a real shame. Their sound was largely defined by their keyboard player, and accentuated by the horns. Without that element, it had really lost everything we came to see, after years of them not touring at all. We hope there's an amendment, so we can see them live the way we have always heard them.

Streetlight Manifesto played a tight set, but we skipped out early, since they weren't who we were there to see. It's probably unfair to give a full report as if we'd seen the whole thing, so we'll leave it there.

At the Sanctuary, we caught a show featuring Voyag3r, a local, instrumental trio who aim towards prog, but end up playing something more digital and spacey than what you expect when a band describes themselves as progressive. They're quite good, and have a lot to offer film soundtracks. Given the lingering elements of the movie industry here in the state, we hope they make a connection.

So, what's next? 2020 is a big year. It's momentous. It's full of promise. In fact, we kicked off the new decade's concerts this past weekend, to be featured in tomorrow's entry.