The Pit Stop: The July Edition
Power Metal Invasion @ The Den
Well, sort of… a show that originally had Brazilian power metallers Hibria as the headliner had the hard-working folks of Scarab Productions scrambling last minute to find a replacement after the quartet’s van broke down somewhere in B.C. But, as us musician’s can well attest to, the show must go on. And with nary a minute behind schedule. Kudos to Terese and your quick-thinking team for putting on a great show that saw not just power metal, but a variety of sights and sounds with Calgary acts Divinity, Kilyakai, Sacred Ally and newcomers Viathyn and Kobra and the Lotus, and a high-energy visit from Edmonton metallers Striker.
Victoria’s Archon Legion was also scheduled to perform, as part of their cross-Canada tour with Hibria. But there were definitely some highlights to make up for it: Divinity indulged the crowd with a number of new tunes that will be on their follow-up to 2007′s “Allegory [Nuclear Blast], while Kilyakai introduced a few tracks that will be on their full-length debut, set for fall release. They even gave a little sneak peak into their guest vocals by inviting Phantom Limb / Exit Strategy multi-instrumentalist Greg Musgrave on stage for a song. In one word: awesome! - Porosky
Les Claypool with Capillary Action
Les Claypool was a little bit strange and just plain delightful at MacEwan Hall in Calgary, Alta. June 28, just the way we like him. Watching the extraordinarily talented bassist, best known for his days in Primus, it’s easy to see why he’s considered one of the most unique bassists on the planet – and easily one of the best. The manipulation of his Carl Thompson basses is more like an extension of his being, though truly an epitome of technique permeating through his finger tips. He makes it look easy, but it’s easy to hear his timing and taste for sound would make even the most seasoned jazz bassists think an extra beat or two. With a three-piece band backing him up – and keeping up with class and style – the four musicians made a funkadelic journey through songs from Claypool’s solo album “Of Whales and Woe” [Prawn Song, 2006], such as “Iowan Gal” and “Vernon the Company Man,” as well as a few new ditties from “Of Fungi and Foe” [Prawn Song, 2009], including “Mushroom Men” (one of my faves). Claypool also surprised the crowd with songs from his experimental Flying Frog Brigade catalogue, and even some Primus tunes to boot.
Pennsylvania’s Capillary Action opened with a weird and wonderful set, at times intriguingly abrasive, while mellow and honest at others. And who doesn’t love the accordion? - Porosky
Metal Maidens: Behind-the-Scenes in Calgary
The month of June also marked the third Metal Maidens photo shoot, this time comprising of five lovely ladies from southern Alberta, including Pitch Black’s Director of Advertising Tricia Bauer and frequent contributor Monika Deviat. Deviat managed enough energy at the end of the shoot to go out and cover the Rise Against/Rancid that same evening. What a trooper! She alsotook a lot of these behind-the-scenes pics and we thought you’d get a kick out of seeing what kind of hijinx really go on behind-the-scenes at an Alberta Metal Maiden photo shoot. And keep a look out – you just might see some of the girls in our upcoming fundraising calendar.
A special thank you goes out to Bob Richardson, owner of Slaughterhouse Studios, for the generous use of your facilities. I hope we left it in the same condition we found it in, although I’m not sure how much work your staff got done with all that fishnet runnin’ around… - Porosky
Rancid with Rise Against
Touring with Rancid had always been a dream for frontman Tim McIlrath of Chicago hardcore act Rise Against. And on June 7, McIlrath and his bandmates were in the beginning stages of their tour with Rancid at the Corral in Calgary, Alta. Rise Against came out to a backdrop of two inverted U.S. flags and behind the drummer ran a slide show which punctuated their political and anti-authority lyrics with strong and pointedly chosen imagery. The crowd loved the intense performance singing along and moving to the emotional and raw-powered songs.
Opening the show were the Riverboat Gamblers from Texas. Rancid’s set included songs spanning from “Let’s Go” [Epitah, 1994] to their latest album, “Let the Dominoes Fall” [Hellcat, 2009]. During their set, vocalist/guitarist Tim Armstrong thanked Rise Against for inviting them out on the tour, stating that not only are Rise Against a good band, but also good friends. Below are photos of Rise Against and Rancid. - Deviat
Pam that shot of you on the stairs is SOOOOOOOOOO frikkin cute, kils me!!
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