Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Concert Review: Teenage Bottlerocket & Urge Overkill Riot Fest 2011

I honestly had no intention on attending any of the shows for Riot Fest 2011. That was until I caught wind that Teenage Bottlerocket were playing a secret show on Friday Oct. 7 at Cobra Lounge in Chicago. Then I changed my mind. This is one of my favorite bands, and always deliver the goods live. So I was in!

The boy's in the band, singer/guitarist Ray Carlisle, singer/guitarist Kody Templeman, bassist Miguel Chen and drummer Brandon Carlisle hit the stage running at around 12:30 am, shortly after the Danzig Legacy show let out at the Congress Theater, opening with a barn burning rendition of "Skate Or Die" from their last studio album They Came From The Shadows. And for the next hour or so it was hit after hit from these Laramie, WY natives. The crowd welcomed them with open arms, singing along to such TBR classics as "Radio", "Bigger Than Kiss" and "Bloodbath At Burger King". The energy level was set to explosive proportions! And why not? This is, after all, one of the greatest live bands to come out in the last few years.

Kody hit his usual blistering riffs, not missing a single note. And even Ray got in on the action showcasing his own soloing chops on songs like "In The Basement" and "Don't Want To Go". And Brandon and Miguel, one of the best rhythm sections around, kept the bottom end flowing as smooth as soft butter. These guy's interact with the crowd with humor and smiles and genuinely enjoy playing live. And it honestly shows. Some bands go through the motions, but not these guy's.

Late in the set the band played a spot on, if not better, version of "Henchmen" by Bad Religion which is featured on TBR's newest 7" single "Mutilate Me". The band closed with a wonderful version of "So Far Away" that Kody dedicated to my wife and myself for our wedding anniversary. As always the crowd left cheerful, sweaty and little bit tired from slamming, rocking out and singing along.

Fast forward to Sunday night. TBR were at it again, opening up for Weezer, along with White Mystery and Urge Overkill, for the 4th and final night of Riot Fest 2011. I didn't see enough of White Mystery's set to honestly say if they were good or not. What I CAN tell you about them is it's a brother/sister guitar/drums duo that featured LOTS of red curly hair.

Teenage Bottlerocket hit the stage at around 7:15 and did a slightly shortened version of Friday's show. But again, the energy level that they put into their live show was blistering. The kids in the crowd didn't have a chance! I would have to say that a good 80% of the crowd was there for Weezer, and very well may never have heard of TBR. But by the end of the night I think the band won some new fans.


The suave gentlemen of Urge Overkill started their set at 8pm on the nose with "Effigy", the first single from their newest album, and first in 16 years, Rock And Roll Submarine. The band, singer/guitarist Nash Kato, singer/guitarist Eddie "King" Roeser, bassist 
Mike Hodgkiss
and drummer Brian Quast were tight, sounding fresh and ready to rock. They blasted through such UO classics, new and old, like "Positive Bleeding" and "Bottle Of Fur" from their breakthrough album Saturation, and "The Break" from their last album from the 90's, Exit The Dragon mixed in with "Mason/Dixon" and "Poison Flower" from RARS. The band seemed to be having a blast, even though the audience seemed to not quite GET them. Too bad for the kids in the crowd. If they would have given this band a fair shake, they would have enjoyed the set as much as I did. UO were always a big band for me. And having them back after so many years away makes me not take them for granted. Kids these days...it's all about what's trendy and not about the music itself.

By the end of UO's set the crowd was getting anxious to hear Weezer play the Blue album front to back, and let it be known by throwing up their hands in a W shape, completely disrespecting UO as a collective unit and their fans in the audience. UO have been a Chicago institution for too many years to be short changed but the 16-21 year old demographic that was there for Weezer. By the time UO left the stage it was time for this reporter to leave. I'm not a Weezer fan. I can respect their catalog of songs, and was genuinely shocked to hear of the passing of former bassist Mikey Welsh earlier in the day. But their just not for me. I can respect the band, but not the fans.

In the end, the Riot Fest 2011 shows I saw, for ME, were all about TBR and UO. 2 bands I love and admire. I know all to well that life is short and to appreciate the little things like good friends, family and music. TBR and UO, like fine wine, just get better with age. I'll be a fan of both bands til the end. Both bands are class acts and I can't thank them enough for making this past weekend a time I'll not soon forget. To them, I quote the great Milo Aukerman, another RF'11 performer, "Thank you for playing the way you play!"



25 comments:

  1. I can definitely see why the audiance didn't like UO. It's a punk rock festival geared mainly towards 15-25 year olds. UO hasn't been a name in modern music in what? 15 years? I'm still not sure what the festival organizers were thinking. I don't how or why they thought they would go over well... especially in the slot they had. Weezer might not be a punk band, but at least they have some cross over appeal...

    I'm in my 30s. I remember UO from way back when. They didn't do anything for me then and then didn't do anything for me Sunday. Sure they were solid, but they really were too slick and showy... especially for a crowd like that. To me, they've always reminded me of a bar band that cashed in on the alt rock craze of the 90s.
    During a few of their new songs I actually turned to my girlfriend and said 'this sounds like shit my dad would listen to.'

    There were so many more logical choices... the smoking popes for example. I really just don't get it.

    Anyway... Teenage Bottlerocket was even better than they were the last time I saw them. One of the most entertaining bands in punk rock.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What's up colleagues, its enormous piece of writing about tutoringand entirely explained, keep it up all the time.
    Also visit my site :: www.bhgalleries.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's genuinely very difficult in this active life to listen news on TV, therefore I just use web for that reason, and get the most up-to-date news.
    My web page - free teen porn videos

    ReplyDelete
  4. When I originally commented I clicked the "Notify me when new comments are added" checkbox
    and now each time a comment is added I get four emails with the same comment.
    Is there any way you can remove people from that service?
    Many thanks!
    Here is my site - www.crazyteenpics.Com

    ReplyDelete
  5. When I originally commented I clicked the "Notify me when new comments are added" checkbox and now each
    time a comment is added I get four emails with the same comment.
    Is there any way you can remove people from that service?
    Many thanks!
    Also see my web page > www.crazyteenpics.Com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks in favor of sharing such a good thinking, post is
    pleasant, thats why i have read it completely
    My web site ; teenpornsexpussy.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. I think the admin of this web site is genuinely working hard for his website, since here every information is quality based
    data.
    Also visit my site - Indigo Augustine DP

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm impressed, I must say. Seldom do I come across a blog that's both equally educative and interesting, and let me tell you,
    you have hit the nail on the head. The problem is something that too few
    folks are speaking intelligently about. I am very happy that I
    came across this during my hunt for something relating to this.
    Take a look at my webpage wake up bitch

    ReplyDelete
  9. Without the internet, this is not possible to play these novoline games online and even
    they can't live online that they perform now with public for additional characteristics and completely attractive in a delusion earth to participate in a game. If you want to enjoy the game thoroughly then you need to get on board of a reliable online bingo site to get the maximum enjoyment as well as benefit of the game. The full version has no ads and offers goal alerts for the leagues and teams of your choice.

    Here is my web site - youtube converter

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hurrah, that's what I was searching for, what a data! existing here at this webpage, thanks admin of this site.

    Also visit my web blog - gratis spiele spielen

    ReplyDelete
  11. Aρpreciation to my fatheг ωho tolԁ
    me on thе topic оf this websіte, this blog is gеnuinely
    remarkable.

    Feel free to visіt my site :: click through the next web site

    ReplyDelete
  12. Yet another first person shooter game this time around, but the first Far Cry was
    quite good. Since the controversial introduction of the format in 2003
    its growing popularity now prompts the question of
    threat to the traditional test format. Hometown Retired households are
    comprised of retirees, two-thirds of whom are over 65; nonetheless,
    don't assume that these people don't do much more than hang around
    the house and watch TV all day. you ask with softness coming
    back into your voice as you sit on the sand beside me.
    Of course, the layout of the apps is completely customisable, so you can place your most commonly used apps and widgets
    within easy reach, so they can be instantly accessed after unlocking the screen.
    IMPORTANT NOTE: When shopping for a sound card, make sure you do not accidentally purcahse one that
    is "Low Profile. This was the time when broadband internet was still in its infancy and uploading the revised pages could be nothing short of tedious with a slow phone line connectivity. I'm the kind who smokes and judges people' Vanda pretends to demonstrate a yoga pose with a cigarette in her hand' 'Whoa, THAT guy's out of shape''. * You're realistic about what you expect from others. We have witnessed this first hand in this business.

    Here is my web site: Moodle Social - TU COMUNIDAD GRATUITA DE APRENDIZAJE ONLINE

    ReplyDelete
  13. Although you can't go back to any songs, you can skip songs, mark them as ones you like or dislike, and browse the names, bands, and CD the song is on of all the songs that have played already. The broadcasting process is not complicated as all the equipments essential are easily available but with new ideas coming up every day, new requirements rise with new criteria of transmission like Dab Digital Radio and DRM. Even today, I go big game hunting and all this, and the more dangerous something is, the happier I am.

    my web page www.deafpeek.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. 1. This means you tend to be copying it through file sharing websites like rapidshare, megaupload, hotfile, etcetera.
    This is what professionals do. Naturally, they will flock to your competitor who does.
    Organic SEO uses valid and safe techniques to rank your site for its keyword.
    There are so many good blogs out there, and if you're one of those writers, you definitely know how important it is that your site gets heard through all of the noise. Domain Authority is influenced by:. Having realized that it is practically not possible to combat with SEO Next in terms of services and offerings at this point of time, rivals have started thinking of an easier alternative of being successful in their mission. Moreover, some companies are not able to get the desired results and their techniques might even have bad effects on the business's website.
    For those of us who are using the internet to make money,
    we all know that it is absolutely essential to get visitors out
    to our websites. Arrange the H1, H2 and H3 tags serially with proper hierarchy.

    ), watching movie trailers or other people's funny animal videos. Basically, if you create links to your website with "ink cartridges" or "printer cartridges" in the anchor text, it will help move your website up on the search results for those key words. You can find several internet marketing companies across the world. Learn from other people's mistakes and experiences rather than destroying your own skills and
    wasting your time on experiments. It has been designed
    especially for business purposes and it holds biggest importance for your B2B online marketing strategy.
    With most visitors noting the first 3-5 web links of the first page, further
    sustained SEO efforts bring the company web link to that web positioning high up as much as possible.
    But be aware of the traffic issue. Such companies know the best
    about industry and market trends. Yahoo style guide.



    My web page :: http://heri.kr/index.php?mid=publications&document_srl=13315&sort_index=regdate

    ReplyDelete
  15. Rather,all the applications keep running in the background although in a low power state,utilizing both processing power and memory that leads to a lower battery life.

    If you don't want to use Safari to navigate to pages, zoom in, and read articles, Byline may be just the app for you. Both Intel and AMD contain information built in the processor to allow the processor to be used efficiently with mobile computing saving on battery life while giving the best performance.

    my web-site youtube videos downloaden

    ReplyDelete
  16. Tennis balls, wiffle balls, ping pong balls, and golf balls can also be used.
    Real game, real people, real thrill and of course real money;
    is all about online gaming, the perfect place to fulfill
    your desire to be a multi millionaire. However, make sure that your phone is equipped with
    a powerful processor to enable deeper searches and devise a strategy to give a challenging game of chess.


    my weblog ... youtube converter

    ReplyDelete
  17. With so many uses for olive oil there are most likely some that would please everybody.
    As an aside, I’m going to say that you are already beautiful, but you may be one of these people who just don’t realize it.
    They can help clients to enhance their look by finding
    there right personal style, makeup, accessories and
    clothes.

    Here is my web-site :: beauty

    ReplyDelete
  18. This particular CD will be the bare bones of songs my fans might never get the chance to hear otherwise.
    Nonetheless, what I did learn from this tutorial is that by being gentle with the
    false lashes & washing the glue off of them after wearing them will lengthen its useage, thus, saving money on having to replace the lashes.
    There are several beauty product distribution agencies
    all across the world and to ensure fair competition each
    one of them caters to a particular region and to a particular type of distribution channels.


    My site :: aegyptenheute.com

    ReplyDelete
  19. In the four tournaments since his first of the season, he.
    Don't leave the landscape designing and terrain optimization to the last moment. We carry R4 SDHC, DSTT, R4i SDHC, Acekard 2i, EZFlash Vi, M3i Zero, and now the i - Edge.

    Also visit my weblog: Email Console - www.musicnapavalley.org

    ReplyDelete
  20. When you open it, music starts playing, and you do not have to do anything else but
    adjust the volume and close it when you want it to be
    done. Her first movie was Holiday in the Sun in the year 2001, Help in the year
    2004. You can in fact lend your ears to varied musical programs on rock music, jazz, country music and many more.


    Also visit my webpage ... http://www.online-radioportal.de

    ReplyDelete
  21. Howdy! I just want to give a huge thumbs up for the good info you have got here on
    this post. I will be coming again to your blog for extra
    soon.

    Here is my blog ... 10 best laptop computers 2009

    ReplyDelete
  22. Good day! I just want to give a huge thumbs up for
    the good info you’ve right here on this post.
    I will be coming again to your blog for extra
    soon.

    Feel free to visit my homepage ... outdoor privacy screen panels

    ReplyDelete
  23. Good day! I just want to give a huge thumbs
    up for the good info you will have right here on this post.
    I might be coming again to your blog for more soon.


    My blog: high school musical 2 sheet music piano free

    ReplyDelete
  24. Hi there! I simply wish to give an enormous thumbs up for the nice data you might have here
    on this post. I can be coming back to your weblog for extra soon.


    Check out my web site; ray watts home improvement specialist

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hiya! I just want to give an enormous thumbs up for the good
    info you could have right here on this post. I will likely be coming again to your weblog for
    more soon.

    My web page: high school musical 3 songs free download in hindi

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.