fuckyeahkylesa:

These are beautiful <3

Live shots these beautiful make me swoon big-time.

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MASQUERADE MADNESS: THE SWORD, KYLESA, AND ZOROASTER IN ATLANTA, PART II

*To view photos and other content, please click to the MAIN PAGE of my blog*

Kylesa didn’t waste any time starting their set. Within 10 minutes of Zoroaster’s set ending, they were up on stage melting faces. For some reason, Laura was on the far end of the stage while Corey was front and center, so some of my photos didn’t turn out as well as I was hoping for. The band played staple tracks from Static Tensions and Spiral Shadow, and also dipped into some earlier material from To Walk A Middle Course. A big surprise was hearing “Distance Closing In”, partly because it’s a song Kylesa don’t break out much, and partly because this kid tried to rush the stage and lost his footing, and he almost fell on top of me in the process. In any case, it was an awesome set, and Laura even had some kind of weird Unicorn looking toy on stage (go figure).

After Kylesa’s set, I ran into Steve Brooks from Torche! Apparently Kylesa didn’t know he was going to be there either, because Laura gave him this huge hug. After spotting each other in the crowd, Steve gave me a hug, too. I bug him all the time on Facebook but we had yet to meet each other, so it was really cool to get to talk to him. He is honestly a big teddy bear, kind of like my friend Richard. You just want to squeeze him and never let go!

Also, I got to talk with Laura and Phil, who both actually seemed happy to see me. “The last time I saw you guys, I was really nervous, but now it feels like talking to old friends”, I said, “I’m a dork when I first meet people”. Laura just laughed and said “Don’t worry, I’m a dork, too”. Even Tyler surfaced for a couple of minutes and I got to properly meet him for the first time. I wish Tyler had stuck around longer, because…as much as I hate to admit it, I kind of have a little crush on him. He’s a nerdy metal guy, and metal nerds are my type. Drummers are hard-working people though, so he couldn’t stay around for long.

I was so wrapped up in hanging with Kylesa, Steve, and Jeff that I didn’t even notice that The Sword’s set was about to start! As a result, I lost my front-row position and had to see a majority of their set sitting down in the back. They put on a great set though, and I might add that JD Cronise’s voice sounds super sexy live. I lost my shit during “Tres Brujas” and their encore, “Iron Swan” - those are my two favorite Sword tracks. They also did a pretty cool Thin Lizzy cover as well. Sadly, I didn’t get to meet anyone in The Sword, because they quickly vanished after their set was done.

Once the show was over and people started filing out of the venue, I ran into Phil again. He asked me if I wanted another shirt, and of course I said yes! He gave me a free shirt the last time I saw them, and thanks to him and Sara (the merch girl and Phil’s main squeeze), I got another one, plus a “swag pack” with stickers, buttons, and other cool stuff. About this time, Adam and I ran into Zoroaster drummer Dan Scanlan, who is honestly one of the coolest dudes I’ve met in a long time. He and Adam especially hit it off, and I think that Zoroaster might be rolling through Chattanooga soon (YES!). He also hooked me up with Zoroaster’s first two CD’s, so now I have their full discography. I also got a rad poster from him as well. It was all completely for free as a “thank you” for my promotional services.

Lastly, Laura bid us a king farewell with a woman who I know is Brent Hinds’ girlfriend, who is also named Sara. I couldn’t help but laugh when she said “Peace out!” - it sort of made me feel like we had really had a good time together. Everything that happened last night was a huge confidence booster. It was the first time that I’ve ever attended the show and got to see a little bit of a band’s inner workings, not to mention that everyone was very nice to me, and not in a “we’re putting up with you” kind of way. I keep my head in reality and know that they don’t see me as a friend, but maybe, just maybe, they see me as somebody who is halfway cool. That’s good enough for now.

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DORO’S PIKEY PLEASANTS EXPERIENCE

PART II: MUSIC TIME!

The only other downer about the show is that Torche was not on the bill. I was looking forward to seeing them and felt disappointed that they wouldn’t be included on the Knoxville date. Local act Pick Up The Snake replaced Torche, and while they weren’t the worst band in the world, they weren’t that great either. I might have liked their set better if it was cut short by about fifteen or twenty minutes. It was amusing when the singer threw out some of their band shirts into the crowd and these two drunken idiots got into a tug of war over who would get it.

Next up was Kylesa. Since the crowd for this show was much smaller than the Mastodon show, I got to get up front and center for some really great concert photos. Laura was litterally towering above me the whole time, roaring her pretty little head off like the Goddess Freya bellowing from the heavens. The setlist was a highlight of fan favorites - “Hollow Severer”, “Running Red”, and “Scapegoat”, along with new tracks like “Forsaken”, “Tired Climb”, and “Don’t Look Back”. Overall a great set, even if the microphone volume didn’t do Laura or Phil’s vocals justice. The four-man drum breakdown at the end was amazing though. I have some footage of it you can watch HERE. After Kylesa’s set ended, Laura was unplugging her equipment and I managed to squeak out that their music was “amazing”. She just gave a very trite “thank you” and carried on with her awesome self. I tried adding “you’re my role model”, but some drunken idiot drowned me out with his “KYYYLLLEEESSSAAA!” scream. Le sigh…

Obviously High on Fire were the main attraction, and the floor became a little more crowded when they took the stage. I still got to keep my front and center spot, even though Pikey was off on the right-hand side (totally forgot about that!). My camera was nearly toasted by this time so it was impossible to get videos of their set, but I managed to get a few good pictures. It was very polite of Pikey to announce what songs the band was going to play before they ripped right into them. Standouts, in my book, were “Frost Hammer”, “Rumors of War”, “Bastard Samurai”, and the closer, “Snakes for the Divine”. Everything about their set was monstrously loud, so loud that Pikey’s guitar solos began to tickle my ovaries in a very peculiar way. I never realized just how sexy he is by looking at photos, but when you watch him on stage…if you’re even remotely female, you’ll get it. I think  20 consecutive orgams occured within me as I watched him writhing and spitting like a cobra in heat.

Now keep in mind that I had to go to work and school today and I haven’t slept in over 24 hours. Somehow I’m still functioning! A big thank you goes out to my friends in Knoxville, because even though they couldn’t come to the show, they helped me stay away from the “dangerous” areas and gave me numbers for taxi services. Also, a big thank you to the dude with the awesome Mastodon pun on his shirt (“Crusher Destroyer? I barely know her!), the drunk guy who was flipping the fuck out during High on Fire’s set, and another thank you to the drunk girl who kept yelling “IT’S MY BIRTHDAY!!!” whenever Pikey got too close to her. Overall, it was a fun as hell night, and I’m sorry to see it go!

Other photos from the show can be found on my FACEBOOK page. Videos can be found on my YOUTUBE channel ;)

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DORO’S PIKEY PLEASANTS EXPERIENCE

PART I: PRE-SHOW

First of all, I want to say that Greyhound buses aren’t nearly as scary as people have billed them to be. I had a nice ride up to Knoxville, even though my bus arrived waaayyy too early. I was the first person to show up at the venue! My friend Nicole couldn’t make the trip and I was worried about being alone for a whole hour in a city that’s still a little unfamiliar. After wandering around a bit, this dude named Steven and his girlfriend showed up, and I started talking with them to pass the time. At this point, Kylesa were rehearsing inside and I kept getting the giggles at Laura’s excessive mic checking. It was starting to get cold and we were all annoyed that the venue hadn’t opened up yet, but eventually the doors came open and the magic began.

So as soon as I walk onto the floor, who do I see heading towards the merch table? MATT PIKE. I was totally blown away that he would be right there as soon as I walked inside (Deja Vu?). In any case, I mustered up the courage to tell him how happy I was to finally see High on Fire live, because I missed seeing them last year. Then came the big shocker - Pikey hugged me! Seriously! I didn’t see that coming! “Aww, come here!” he said, giving me a big sweaty glomp of an embrace. Who was I to object? However, I didn’t want this moment to be just about me getting to meet one of my rock idols. The previous week, Myrsha had missed out on meeting Pikey and was pretty upset about it, so I asked him if he would leave a message on her phone…and he did. He already knew her name and knew who I was because of FuckYeahMattPike (WTF? These guys must google themselves frequently!). I was a little flustered talking to him, but overall it was a great experience. That and I got one hell of an awesome picture out of the encounter.

After getting a phone call back from Myrsha where she was practically in sobbing hysterics over my good deed (and understandibly so! I’m not kidding - no other girl out there has it as bad for him as she does!), I caught up with this Steven dude and his girlfriend again. During our conversation, he pointed out that Laura was talking with the girl selling High on Fire goodies at the merch table. I wanted to go up and talk to her, but she was eating dinner and I felt like it would be rude to interrupt her. Instead I just awkwardly stared at her eating from a distance (damn it, Doro!). Phil and Corey came out to Kylesa’s side of the merch table a bit later, and I managed to talk to Phil. Now he had already added me on Facebook and expected me to be there, plus Myrsha had told him about FuckYeahKylesa at her show, so he was kind of familiar with me. “You’ll have to excuse me, I’m kind of under the weather” Phil said. He did look sick, but he was still friendly nonetheless. Corey took a photo of us together, and then came the really cool part - Phil gave me a free shirt! Seriously! I’m not making this shit up! He really is a teddy bear!

A few more minutes of tedium followed, mostly filled with me talking to random people and starting at Matt, Laura, and whoever else from a distance. I stopped and asked myself a question: “Why are you so intimidated by her?”. I guess it’s because she’s somebody I really look up to, and I was afraid of saying something completely stupid and leaving her with a bad opinion. My conversation skills around Pikey and Phil weren’t that great either, but I didn’t feel nervous around them. Laura made me nervous. The whole time before the show, I couldn’t muster up the courage to even say “hello”. That will probably be my only regret concerning last night.

STAY TUNED FOR PART II

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