Backstage at Sonic Temple Festival, Henry and Ash of Boston
Manor take some time to talk about touring in the US with Good Charlotte and A
Day To Remember, some upcoming plans for 2019, Skittles, their performance at
Sonic Temple Festival and more.
New Album Love Is Dead And We Killed Her To Be Released June 28, 2019 Via Hopeless Records
Doll Skin have shared the latest single off their upcoming album, Love Is Dead And We Killed Her, out June 28, 2019 via Hopeless Records. Fans can watch the visual video for “Empty House” here: smarturl.it/emptyhousevisual
Doll Skin announced their signing to Hopeless Records last month, and shared the music video for “Mark My Words“, the first single off Love Is Dead And We Killed Her.
The album, which was recorded with Mike Green and Will
McCoy, is available for pre-order now at smarturl.it/lidawkh. When fans pre-order digitally via
iTunes they will receive “Mark My Words” and “Empty House”
as instant grat tracks.
Doll Skin is a powerful breath of fresh air. The band is
composed of four, incredibly talented, badass, multi-colored hair females all
under the age of twenty-two. Meghan, Nicole, Sydney and Alex are working
towards GIRL DOMINATION.
Speaking on the new album, Doll Skin explain, “This
album was written about traumatic or extraordinary events that have impacted us
as humans and wanted to share those emotions with people who can relate. We
want to be vocal for those who may feel like they don’t have a voice. Lots of
these songs tackled issues that upset us and we want to put out a message that
we feel matters and to have a point behind all of our songs.”
Doll Skin is confirmed to tour this Spring with New Found Glory, Real Friends and The Early November. They will tour the UK this summer with Trash Boat. A full list of upcoming dates are below. Tickets are available here: www.dollskinband.com
Upcoming U.S. Tour Dates
05/30 – Charleston, SC @ The Music Farm
05/31 – Atlanta, GA @ Heaven at The Masquerade
06/02 – Franklin, TN @ Liberty Hall at The Factory*
06/04 – Charlotte, NC @ The Underground
06/05 – Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa
06/06 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage
06/07 – Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall
06/08 – Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
06/09 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues
06/11 – New York, NY @ Playstation Theater
06/12 – Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom
06/14 – Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
06/15 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall**
06/16 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrew’s Hall
06/18 – Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room at Old National
Centre
06/19 – St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall
06/21 – Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater
06/22 – Milwaukee, WI @- The Rave
06/23 – Chicago, IL @ Concord Music Hall
06/25 – Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theater
06/26 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
06/27 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Union Event Center
06/29 – Berkeley, CA @ The UC Theatre
06/30 – Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues
07/02 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Belasco Theater
07/03 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
07/05 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
07/06 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
07/08 – Dallas, TX @- Gas Monkey Live!
07/09 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s Austin
07/10 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues
07/11 – New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
07/13 – Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House of Blues
07/14 – Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution Live
* BreakFEST
** No The Early November
Doll Skin formed in 2013 in Phoenix, AZ. They have performed
on the Vans Warped Tour and have toured with the likes of The Dead Kennedy’s,
Creeper, Flogging Molly, Lacey Sturm and more.
Photos of Shvpes at Sonic Temple. All photos taken by Luke Spencer in Columbus, OH on May 17th, 2019.
Shvpes at Sonic Temple 2019
In the early afternoon on day one of Sonic Temple, Shvpes helped welcome everyone on the temple grounds. This is a band that is now getting consistent airplay on SiriusXM and although there is a relation to metal royalty, it sounds like these Brits are carving their own identity.
This was my first time seeing this group perform live and I’m starting to understand why they are gaining a following. They have a unique sound with good melodies in both guitar and vocals. It’s not the same strum and riff band that is plaguing rock radio.
This was the type of performance that made me want to hear more of the band. Shvpes latest album Greater Than is supporting several singles and paired with the live performance, it’s hard to ignore the effort they are putting in.
Shvpes will be heading back to EU/UK to perform festivals there. You can keep up to date with the band on their Facebook page here: Shvpes on Facebook
Click on any photo above to open the gallery. Click below to watch the music videos for “Afterlife” and “Undertones”.
Photos of Parkway Drive at Sonic Temple. All photos taken by Luke Spencer in Columbus, OH on May 18th, 2019.
Parkway Drive at Sonic Temple 2019
This was the second time I had seen Parkway Drive live. Just about everyone who had seen them live told me that their festival performances are much bigger and better than their concert shows.
After seeing the band perform at Sonic Temple, it sank in for me. McCall and company sounded amazing and incited a riot at the main stage. It was a hot day in Columbus but no one seemed to care as crowd surfers took flight while Winston McCall screamed at them.
It has been one year since Reverence came out and after many international tours, Australia’s metal heroes are still riding that wave. The band has wrapped up an extended EU/UK tour and here’s hoping we will hear new music from them soon.
The band’s latest four albums have reached the top 10 of the Australian ARIA Charts, with Ire reaching number 1 in October 2015, and Reverence in May 2018.
Photos of In This Moment at Sonic Temple. All photos taken by Luke Spencer in Columbus, OH on May 18th, 2019.
In This Moment at Sonic Temple 2019
Earlier this month was the news that In This Moment would be releasing Mother in fall of 2019. Advertisements were spread throughout the Sonic Temple grounds at MAPFRE Staidum to hype the mystery surrounding Mother.
The album cycle for In This Moment’s previous album Ritual has gone long and successful. Along with this, the band has reinvented and created new stage designs to make their live show unique. Seeing the new black cutout “Nightmare Before Christmas” set worked great and added to their appearance with the purple video background behind them.
We know that In This Moment usually includes one cover song per album and at Sonic Temple they performed a dooming rendition of “Fly Like An Eagle” by Steve Miller Band. Whether this song will be on Mother or not, it’s clear that In This Moment know how to take something wildly out of the rock scene and make it work for themselves.
Setlist: Fly Like An Eagle (Cover) River Of Fire Natural Born Sinner Big Bad Wolf Blood
In This Moment will be joining the Evolution tour with Disturbed later this year. You can find upcoming tour dates on their Facebook page here: In This Moment on Facebook
Click on any photo below to open the gallery. Scroll down to watch the music video for “Black Wedding (featuring Rob Halford)”.
Photos of Halestorm at Sonic Temple. All photos taken by Luke Spencer in Columbus, OH on May 17th, 2019.
Halestorm at Sonic Temple 2019
What I love about seeing Halestorm live is looking at the crowd and seeing how impressed they are while watching. The discography and biggest songs do not do justice on how good of a show this band delivers.
In the first few minutes, Halestorm’s biggest fan at Sonic Temple was brought on stage and handed one of Lzzy’s custom guitars. After that, Lzzy was throwing out cardboard hotel keys while performing “Do Not Disturbed”. Each song became more of a jam session where Lzzy and Joe shredded repeatedly through the remainder of the set.
From the opening drum solo by Arejay and “Freak Like Me” to the closing of “I Miss The Misery”, Halestorm earned new fans at Sonic Temple on the main stage.
There is something in Halestorm’s live sound that can’t be captured on the band’s past albums. If ever there was a group that needed a live album released, it should be Halestorm. Hopefully we hear a new one soon because they have something special when they are in front of a crowd.
Setlist: Freak Like Me Love Bites (So Do I) Do Not Disturb Amen I Get Off Chemicals Uncomfortable I Miss The Misery
Halestorm will be going on tour with Alice Cooper later this summer. You can find upcoming tour dates on their Facebook page here: Halestorm on Facebook
Click on any photo above to open the gallery. Scroll below to watch the music video for “Vicious”.
Russian Circles Announce Their New Album, ‘Blood Year,’ & North American Tour
Russian Circles
“Russian Circles have made great use of post-rock most familiar’s dynamic tricks—loud and quiet; stop and start, swell and subside. But they’ve never had qualms about splicing elements of everything from metal and noise-rock to krautrock and post-hardcore into their darkly dramatic, instrumental compositions.” – Pitchfork
There are few things one can be sure of these days, though one truism that remains is that Russian Circleswill continue to reign as one of instrumental music’s supreme champions.
These masters of sonic tension and release plan to deliver their seventh studio album August 2nd on Sargent House. Dubbed Blood Year, the LP is less a musical exploration and more a statement of authority, lest there be any doubt that Russian Circles remain a force to be reckoned with on the stage and in the studio.
Russian Circles – “Arluck”
The Chicago trio have always explored the dynamics of volume and timbre, with their albums often vacillating between caustic attacks and blissful respites. Russian Circles returned to the studio with Kurt Ballou to record Blood Year, but this time they tracked it in Chicago at Steve Albini’s world-famous Electrical Audio.
From guitarist Mike Sullivan’s riff-fueled assaults, to Dave Turncrantz’s war machine rack and floor toms and Brian Cook’s meat grinding bass lines, the sound of Blood Year is that of a band unafraid to flaunt their hard-earned prowess.
Sullivan, Turncrantz, and Cook made a conscious effort to
approach the songs on Blood Year with the same organic
feel of a live show. In an age where rock records are often built on a
computerized grid, Russian Circles chose to track the
foundations of the songs together in one room as complete takes without click
tracks. The human pulse and unmetered energy is woven throughout Blood
Year, a presence that can be felt with each bone-rattling minute.
Blood Year will be released via Sargent House on August 2 and Russian Circles will be on tour in North America this September, October and November in support of it. FACS and Windhand will appear on select dates — check out all tour dates listed below.
Russian Circle 2019 Tour Dates
RUSSIAN CIRCLES – ON TOUR: May 31 Chicago, IL @ Do Division Fest September 11 Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon * September 12 Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Culture Center * September 14 Bozeman, MT @ Rialto Bozeman * September 16 Seattle, WA @ Neumos * September 17 Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom * September 19 San Francisco, CA @ August Hall * September 20 Ventura, CA @ Discovery Ventura * September 21 Los Angeles, CA @ The Teragram Ballroom * September 23 Mesa, AZ @ The Nile * September 24 Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf * September 25 Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater * September 28 Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall * October 18 Grand Rapids, MI @ The Pyramid Scheme October 19 Detroit, MI @ El Club October 20 Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace October 21 Montreal, QC @ Theatre Fairmount October 23 Portsmouth, NH @ 3S ArtSpace October 24 Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair October 26 Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw October 27 Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer October 29 Washington, DC @ Union Stage October 30 Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry November 1 Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall + November 2 Charlotte, NC @ Neighborhood Theatre + November 3 Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade + November 4 New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jack’s + November 6 Houston, TX @ The Secret Group + November 8 Austin, TX @ Levitation November 9 Dallas, TX @ Deep Ellum Art Company + November 11 St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall + w/ FACS * w/ Windhand +
Backstage at Sonic Temple 2019, Amigo The Devil took some
time on his day off to talk about an upcoming tour with Dropkick Murphys,
performing at DWP festivals, reactions to his songs about death, and more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFOixHf8Cg0
If you’ve ever heard a room full of people yelling “I hope your husband dies” in a some harmoniously sloppy, drunken unison, you’ve probably stumbled into an Amigo show.
Danny Kiranos, better known to the masses as his musical counterpart Amigo The Devil, has been challenging the expectations of traditional folk, country music purists, and rock/extreme metal fans alike with his morbid, yet oddly romantic, take on folk that has amassed a dedicated and cult like fan-base.
Photos of Gojira at Sonic Temple. All photos taken by Luke Spencer in Columbus, OH on May 18th, 2019.
Gojira at Sonic Temple 2019
After Gojira finished their set on the main stage at Sonic Temple, they proved to everyone just how metal they are.
That’s a big cliche to lay out as you hear many bands talk about how metal they are, but Gojira has raised that bar by a mile. What started out as a great show including a surprise appearance from Randy Blythe, turned into an immolation to the metal gods.
During bursts of pyro on a windy day in Columbus, Christian Andreu was engulfed in flame and caught fire mid song. After the song was over and seeking the attention, Joe Duplantier took to the mic asking if he was OK.
After a few slow riffs and nervous waiting, Joe asked that the crowd get Christian back on stage through chanting his name. A few moments later Andreu returned and finished the entire set with Gojira.
Whether it was Christian’s return or the band just being on their game, this was by far one of the best performances of the entire festival. The mosh pit and crowd surfers for “Stranded” looked like a crash test dummy testing site. No one could stay still and Gojira had every Temple patron’s attention.
Setlist: Oroborus Backbone (with Randy Blythe) Silvera Stranded Flying Whales The Cell Vacuity
Gojira will be going on the Knotfest Roadshow with Slipknot. You can find upcoming tour dates on their Facebook page here: Gojira on Facebook
Click on any photo below to open the gallery. Scroll below to watch the music video for “Stranded”.
Compilation GoPro footage of Sonic Temple in Columbus, OH on May 17-19, 2019. Photo pits, crowd footage, artwork, and backstage stuff. Everything we experienced at MAPFRE Stadium.
Sonic Temple Festival is part of the Danny Wimmer Presents (DWP) festival company. Formerly known as Rock On The Range, Sonic Temple Festival took place at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus, Ohio May 17-19, 2019. #SonicTemple #SonicTempleFestival #GoPro
