The biggest let-down since The Used latest album "lies for the liars" was Modest Mouse's performance at the Hard Rock in Orlando last night. After not getting any sleep, taking a Sociology final, and having to deal with the magical moron twins, i was looking forward to seeing a band that's in my top 10 all-time favorites.

 In my head i had pictured this intamitley, epic experience. I built up their performance to be a lot like their records: Dynamic, structured, and ultimately interesting. What i saw was a different story.

  Sitting in $70 seats, third row, centered in the balcony, bought using an unknowing mother's credit card, i waited in antisipation. While inhebrated over 30's with reserved seats for every show added to my pulsing head-ache i waited. Once the band casually strolled on to the stage, i was almost over it. I don't know if it was the unnessary volume of the PA system or the feed back that took the majority of every song. Whatever it was, it was taking away from my "epic" experience. The defining noise was cut short by Isaac Brock complaining about getting hit with a cigarrette. He then continued to talk about how uncool it is to throw a cigerarrette at someone. This went on in-between the next two songs. Getting away from stoggy throwing, the songs they played weren't what i was expecting to hear. Most of the songs played were off Good News for People Who Love Bad News and We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank. The set list was impressive, however the songs were either ruined by mass amounts of feed back from the PA or the songs played so fast that Mr. Brock couldn't keep up, losing the feel for the songs along with with his breath. All of the songs also lacked dynamics. Everything was played very loud. Even the songs that die down and get soft, the guys in MM kept wailing away.

  Inclosing, the show just wasn't at all what i had expected. For your average show go-er, it would of been a good time.

 Lesson learned. Always go into a show with low expectations.  

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I checked out Fall of Troy at the Social about a week ago with a buddy of mine. Since i had totally forgotten i was going, i was stoked to see Foxy Shazam! setting up their equipment. Foxy Shazam opened for Mindless Self Indulgence two years ago at Jannus Landing. They blew me away with a spectacle of utter chaos exploding on a stage while front man Eric Sean Nally was snorting his own mucus he had previously spat into the air and caught on the back of his own hand. This time there was less mucus and more insanity. The same ridiculous live set was topped off by a dramatic interpretation of the theme song to the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, which was performed by Nally using keyboardist Schylur Vaughn White as an imaginary keyboard. 

Next up was The Deer Hunter. I know next to nothing about them but it was a good first impression. The ambient riffs tied with the multiple delay effects was a calming, needed change from Foxy Shazam. My buddy Andy made friends at the show with a group of girls who went to high school with guitarist Erick Serna. This gave us the opportunity to go back stage and meet all the bands. I got pictures of Serna, Schylur Vaughn and Peter Pepper of Retatd-O-Bot who was hanging out with his friends Foxy Shazam.

The sold-out Social was waiting in antisipation for Thomas Erak to take the stage, seeing has how the other members had been on stage for almost ten minutes. The Fall of Troy's high energy stage show took a toll on the out of shape Erak. The all ready slow moving set was further prolonged by the five to seven minute breaks taken between many of the songs. As everyone waited for Erak to catch his breath and take shots of Jegarmiester, he rambled about internet cartoons. After making claims of writing T-Pains "Bartender" Erak covered "Big Me" by the Foo Fighters. He drug the two minute and thirteen second song into almost eight minutes of improvisation and stopping to talk to the crowd. The cover was the Highlight of their set.

After the show i spoke with Erak, who in his arragence, told me, to tell REAX to write more about him. He must have forgot the phone interview REAX did two days prior to the show.  

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I went down to the orpheum last night, ignoring my studies, to see a slew of "hardcore" bands.

The opening act was the reincarnation of underoath in the form of 16-year-olds. The quintet recreated "They're Only Chasing Safety", using similar octave chord progressions to mix breakdowns with the catchy melodic chorus. Don't be fooled by their age, these kids put on an energetic live performance although their age shows when trying to reach out to the crowd. My biggest surprise was frontboy, 16 year old Trevor Wentworth. Only 5'5, 110 lbs., Wentworth's small stature hides his exceptionally BIG "screaming" technique. Our Last Night was signed to Epitaph a few months ago, so expect to see them back in Tampa/St. Pete soon to support their debut album The Ghosts Among Us.

Next up was Lovehatehero. Being from L.A. they brought their cheap brand of flash and charisma in a desperate attempt to bring back glam-metal with a "My sunglasses match the Cocaine tray" attitude. If you have any respect for yourself you won't pay any attention to them. They had two guitar solos and made announcements when each one was about to begin. This bad ass also was humping his guitar and telling people how awesome he was while he was playing. All the kids ate it up. Everyone is 15 once.

Moving on...

The high point of the night came from my lowest expectations. I've been reading some of the hype surrounding Skyeatsairplane but wasn't impressed when hearing their songs on myspace, seeing them live was a different story. In my experience, hardcore shows are usually mixed terribly. Skyeatsairplane's set was perfect because they drowned out the electronic sequencing that brings down most of their songs. With the computer noise gone you get an intense, almost southern rock sound with the Dallas Taylor (Maylene and the Sons of Disaster) inspired vocals and the typical hardcore stuff.

 It was fun, but if you've seen one hardcore show you've seen 'em all.

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