In honor of the revision of my site and newly created brand, DESTRUCTION X DOLL, which I am completely ecstatic to finally show off to you all following along and the rest of general public, I decided I'd like to kickstart something I've had storming in my brain for quite some time now! A series I'm thinking of titling, "DESTRUCTIVE REVIEWS," in which I recount and give my personal reviews on certain events I have the pleasure of being in attendance for two-three months at a time. Since my first time working on this (and trust me it's been a little while) you couldn't fathom just how much I have to say about some of these events from past few months alone. Starting from December 2023 to January 2024, I was able to document several raves and few hardcore shows to give you a small glimpse into my life while providing my cold, hard, brutal honesty on my experiences. This includes what I went through while attending and thoughts on the artists and performances. If you haven't noticed already, I was also able to setup a page on the site where I will start posting all my personal pictures, videos, and other sources of media from my outings for you all to enjoy! Now, without further ado, let's start all the way back from the 4th of December 2023 with — Deadmau5.
DECEMBER
DEADMAU5
Deadmau5 was just the beginning of hectic weeks to come for me. Fresh off the excitement of Dom Dolla and Odd Mob a month or two ago, Deadmau5 would become the first DJ of (literal) legendary status that I would finally get to see live. I have my own biased opinions against Deadmau5 consisting of several instances and comments he’s made from the generalization that all DJs play pre-recordings to his legal actions against $uicideboy$ sampling “I Remember” for their song “Antarctica” (again, a bias against me as a $uicideBoy$ fan -- yes, I'm that petty!). That being said, I’m allowing my experiences with his live set and the positivity I endured contradict my Deadmau5 vendetta. Now, I do have something to admit okay – in typical raver fashion, I consumed one too many psychedelics (of which I cannot name) and thus find my memories a little fuzzy from that night. I may not remember everything surrounding me, but the feeling of Deadmau5’s 128 bpms will stick with me forever. It was as if I could feel every little note, hum, and tick in my body which still manages to encapture my soul to this day. The instrumentals of each and every song blended together perfectly like an amazingly orchestrated symphony, guiding me through what felt like the waves of time while running me into an even more trance-induced state with my favorite songs – “Escape”, “I Remember”, and “Ghosts N’ Stuff”. Hearing them live was like listening to them for the first time all over again and words truly can’t describe how many emotions I felt at once. In this moment, as corny as it sounds but in the best way I can describe it; I felt like I was in front of some type of religious temple AKA the stage and Deadmau5 was my High Priest.
The energy was intoxicating, I felt such genuine love from other attendees, reminding me that the ideal of PLUR (Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect/Responsibility) was indeed alive and well. Ravers of all [legal] ages were in attendance just as I was and was even privileged enough to talk to a veteran of the scene! He, at the age of 48, and his wife with several others, conversed with me on the most interesting topics which consisted of his time as a raver in the 90s where raving was still illegal, having to navigate directions to shows so as not to get caught by the authorities, having clubbing icons such as Lady Miss Kier and Deee-Lite who often traveled to Baltimore to perform and party with the other kids, the crossover of Indie bands, fans, and the rave scene, and giving me suggestions to other DJs to listen to like Porter Robinson (who would coincidentally be making an appearance in the next weeks) and festivals to visit. Deadmau5’s intricate set and the night as a whole was something I will never forget and for sure set the vibe for the rest of the shows we would come to visit.
TROYBOI
Troyboi isn’t my usual go to when it comes to EDM but to say I didn’t enjoy myself would be a bit of a lie. Troyboi lies under the category of Trap EDM which I quite honestly have not heard from or went out of my way to seek since like 2016 and even then, it wasn’t willingly (sorry okay!) If you don't already know, I have the absolute privilege to help promote a lot of the bigger raves in my city, which also benefits me being able to get in free (not a flex just the truth)! This was a night I wasn’t planning to work but just so happened to unintentionally get my name on the guest list, and you know I couldn’t pass up a free rave. In the dead of the night, 1am to be specific, I headed to our local venue to see what all the hype surrounding Troyboi was about. Not even a few seconds of him appearing onstage did the crowd go crazy, screaming as loud as you could manage to stand while a huge pop of confetti shot from the sky. The music in itself was really vibey and something I didn’t really mind dancing to, the classic T-R-O-Y-B-O-I tagline ringing throughout each song. Not to sound like an old head, truly, but it was actually pretty groovy considering again it wasn’t my type of EDM. What REALLY caught me by surprise was Troyboi adding in a little Dubstep later in his set and this got me GOING! Not too much to say on this set but I personally feel that if Troyboi stepped a little bit outside of his typical music and leaned more into something like Dubstep and give us an insane Basshead era, I’d for sure become a fan and I know he’d be great at it seeing what he produced. He was recently announced for Project Glow’s 2024 fest lineup so who knows, maybe we’ll see an even bigger and better set to come!
ZEDD
Oh Zedd, where do I even begin. If I come off a little bratty and nitpicky so far, I promise any criticism or disdain I have for some particular people or events are just a personal thing! I have no hate against Zedd, quite frankly I think he’s a good DJ and has given us HIT after HIT consecutively in an insane amount of time since he first popped up on the scene. One thing I have and will continue to live by though, is my hatred for mainstream EDM. Not necessarily when DJs blow up and gain massive stardom all across the world, that’s a completely different scenario. For me it's the DJs who make music that sound too trendy, who push out music that sounds like it was solely made to top the charts, i.e. Marshmello (who, as I've been writing this, has dropped some unexpected Riddim tracks with Svdden Death? Who would've thought?!). It coincides with an incoming wave of new gen ravers who are going to these shows and festivals for everything EXCEPT the music and the experience, aka the ones that don't know nor take the time to research anything about the scene. I don’t mean it in a bitchy way, but I feel the more watered down an EDM song or artist is the more we lose the values of PLUR and what the EDM scene has built up to become– but that’s a rant for another time. This may not be the case for a lot of mainstream DJs, but the sound just isn’t for me. Keeping this in mind, I do have a lot of mixed feelings for the Zedd set but don’t let this interfere with however you feel about him. I enjoyed the first two opening DJs, Aytonh and Dochat TREMENDOUSLY. This is may be a little controversial for some, but I honestly enjoyed them more than Zedd's set. French Disco and TechHouse are two of my biggest weaknesses so the fact they also did a back2back towards the end show might as well have completely ended me. It was like an absolute trip without any substances! Once Zedd set foot on stage, this is where my mixed feelings would come into play. He definitely piqued my interest when he decided to open his set with John Summit’s “Where You Are," one of my favorite slow TechHouse songs that’s enough to make a grown wo-man cry. In fact, surprisingly (or unsurprisingly) he played A LOT of bangers and classics in between! Daft Punk’s “One More Time, Rhythm of the Night, Baddadan, Gimme Gimme Gimme, Sandstorm, Heads Will Roll, Summertime Sadness (remix)” – Listen the setlist was endless. Of course he played his classics as well; “Clarity, Stay the Night, Break Free" to name a few, which is another time I became conflicted. I loved these songs back in the day when EDM Pop was EVERYWHERE and you couldn’t escape, but now I can't say I’m too fond of them. I know, probably weird. Despite this, Zedd still put on a pretty decent set, you know I have to give credit where credit is due! He really knows how to move an audience and give the people what they want, especially considering how crowded the venue was. Like TroyBoi, Zedd is set to appear this year at Project Glow 2024. It wasn’t exactly my favorite, but we will definitely see if I end up giving him another try and my opinion for mainstream EDM gets swayed even in the slightest.
BOU
Imagine my excitement when I found out DC was getting some real UK Drum N Bass in the mix to shake things up, UGH FINALLY!! America doesn’t get a lot of UK-based DJs, and the ones we do get are the same few in rotation (no hate I still love them!) In DC it's even harder for us to get any Jungle, DNB, and ESPECIALLY Hardstyle. Shockingly though, for the past few months we’ve seen a surge of American DJs playing more of these UK originating genres onstage and it makes me incredibly happy seeing them being brought to light. Bou’s inclusion on one of the most popular DNB songs out right now, “Baddadan," is what got me hip to the Algerian-born Manchester native and I’ve seriously been in love ever since. You know I had the time of my life when even the opening acts were causing such a commotion on the dance floor (which, side note, I LOVE seeing opening acts just as much as the headlining DJ - it makes no sense to me why people choose to come to the shows later exclusively for the main event. These openers are literally FIRE). The way he opened up with “Gold Dust” had me in shambles UGH! Such a classic and one of my absolute favorites. Everyone in the place had a great time, I even saw venue workers jamming to the music for a good majority of it -- it was THAT GOOD! Just as good as Bou's live mixing, his hype man/ Emcee was even better. I wish I could remember his name because he deserves the recognition entirely, he was REALLY the definition of a hypeman. The entire performance for sure exceeded the high expectations I already placed in my head. One thing for sure, the lackluster of certain genres that we fail to get (mainly on the East Coast/DMV) makes for an amazing time when we do get blessed with it and I'll continue to stand on it! I wish I had more to say on the matter, but I’d honestly just be going in circles talking about how incredible everything turned out this night.
SUBTRONICS
Like I’ve been trying not to do throughout this entire article and let my biases takeover, listen, this has to be one of the best sets that I’ve been to since I first started raving and sorry not sorry but that’s no exaggeration! I haven’t been this excited since I saw Dom Dolla on day 1 of his DC visit and to say Subtronics did not disappoint would be way more than words can exemplify. Like Dom Dolla, his set was split into two days due to his huge demand, almost EVERYONE in the DMV area were dying to see him as much as I. Back on the subject matter of opening acts, the DJs I got to see on the second day really held their own and, again, exceeded my expectations. A Hundred Drums and FLY really killed it during their sets. Just vibing and headbanging to their mixes made me forget Subtronics was the main attraction we were there to even see! One thing that stuck with me is how important seeing A Hundred Drums was for me as a Black girl not just in EDM but in the Dubstep realm. I had recognized A Hundred Drums’ name before but never really thought to put much research into her sets or released music. Honestly, thank God I didn’t because she reeled me in so quickly, I swear I was addicted the second she came onstage. More shocking to me was the fact while being a Black woman, she plays one of my favorite subgenres of all time! It’s already disheartening to see how we hardly get representation in EDM, let alone Alternative spaces, especially when so many of these (typically white, male) DJs use our voices and music for their own art of the taking. Seeing A Hundred Drums work her shit and make people of ALL backgrounds move really healed that side of me that never got to witness much of that alternative Black girl representation growing up. It especially moved me because for all the time she was up there, it reminded me that we [Black women] can really succeed in any arenas of life, especially in the artistic, entertainment industry where we deserve to make room for ourselves, hold spaces for each other, and be allowed to show off our talents without any judgment. I couldn’t help but notice a certain visual that was posted behind her as well. It was a graphic picture of her with the names of various fallen Black men and women that were victims of police brutality. It really struck something in me that, to this day, I can’t tell if it was pain or appreciation. Pain for the realization that even when we make our way in spaces that should give us a chance to express ourselves, we (as Black people but more specifically Black women) are oftentimes reminded of the prejudices we may face in the world and in these same spaces because of the color of our skin. It does get tiring whether we consciously acknowledge it or not that sometimes not even our places of solace that we run to escape the violence, racism, classism, etc. can’t help us for this reason – but this is what gives me appreciation. For the understanding that despite a lot of these challenges, we’re still able to overcome them and not see our issues as doors of opportunities that we’ll never be able to breakthrough. We kick down barriers and give memoriam to those that came before us and representation to those that come after us – a la A Hundred Drums being my new personal inspiration! I don’t mean to sound all preachy about this, but it really needed to be said, and I PRAY I get to see her live once again sometime soon. Going back to the star of the show, Subtronics really put his everything into this performance and brought his A-game immensely. I've never seen somebody so ecstatic about their area of work, even having done it thousands of times from one corner of the world to another, you can practically tell he never gets tired of it. So many good songs ran through this set, my favorite of the night being his collab with Rezz, “Black Ice,” that he remixed with JID’s “Surround Sound” – UGHHH TALK ABOUT PERFECTION (literally an eargasm)! A little unknown fact about me, when I first started raving in 2021, I would always fluctuate between Techno/House/TechHouse shows and Dubstep shows STRICTLY, always one never the other for a period of time. I’m not sure if it's a coincidence but since this specific live experience, that mindset has gone out the window never to be seen again. Dubstep has definitely made its way into becoming my top 5 favorite subgenres again and it's not even close. I can have Subtronics to blame (or thank) for making me fall in love with Dubstep all over again.
JANUARY
MAX STYLER:
Max Stylerrr, my Rhythm Machine man! I first found out about Max Styler coincidentally in October during Dom Dolla’s set where he premiered a song that sounded like nothing I had ever heard before in all my time of raving (and isn’t it crazy how I’ve mentioned Dom Dolla like 5 times already throughout this article?). Entranced by the robotic vocals, an intoxicating TechHouse beat, and perfectly placed dial-up tone effects, I was instantlely hooked from the get-go. After hearing such an earworm, I just HAD to know the name of the track that wouldn't stop bugging me and who produced it. Using my A1 research skills, I began obsessively looking for the anonymous track ID and just my luck! It hadn’t even been released yet! Months would go by but as January rolled in, I discovered Westend’s Tik Tok account by accident where I heard the familiar song and INSTANTLY perked up. “THAT'S THE SONG FROM THE DOM DOLLA SET!” I was so excited because at this point, I genuinely thought it would become just another distant memory in my mind. Thank God for Westend interacting with his fans via social media because as I searched thoroughly through the comments, I finally found the name I'd be looking up and down for — “Rhythm Machine” by Max Styler and WestEnd. Such a song deserves much more recognition than its gotten and knowing Max Styler was one of John Summit’s proteges under his (now rebranded due to cease and desist?) record label explains a lot after seeing him. The same week the DJs FINALLY decide to drop this banger, you'll never guess who comes into town. MAX FUCKING STYLER DUH! All of it was coming into place way too well, it's like the stars conveniently aligned for it or something! So, using my little privileges to have my name guest listed, I full sent it for another outrageous night of Techno and partying! I did enjoy the opening acts once again, no shocker there. They put on an amazingly warmed up performance, and I could tell others in the crowd were feeling it too. Again, not typically unusual but it's always a tossup depending on the crowd. With Tini Gessler, I loved her TechHouse style and absolutely DIED when she played my favorite 50 Cent remix “Candy” by Torren Foot (who I ALSO saw open for Dom Dolla hello?!). Gessler for sure set the mood for the rest of the night because from there I expected nothing but legendary Techno-House flips, to which I’m proven right about. As soon as Max Styler shows his face, you’ll never guess what he decides to play first…
Max Styler’s electro voice rang out in the venue walls and my ears perked up so quickly, you would've thought I was a canine! OF COURSE HE OPENS HIS SET WITH RHYTHM MACHINE! I swear it's like they put a chipping device in my brain because every particular song that was played throughout this entire night was so up to par with what I wanted I quite literally have no complaints about the show, and if I did you know they’d be SO nitpicky. This was such a great night for Techno-House fans like myself. One minute I’m dancing to my absolute favorite Mau P track “Your Mind is Dirty” and the next is a Gorillaz “Feel Good Inc” track?! Don’t even get me started on the atmosphere the place emulated. If you were to tell me I'd somehow magically transported to a warehouse rave circa late 90s (similarly to another event I would attend this month), I would've probably believed you. Styler ended his set in what I thought was one of the best way possible, playing such a renowned popular classic like “Murder on the Dance Floor” by Sophie Ellis-Bextor. As if it couldn’t get any more old school! Definitely an unforgettable set between the two months. And not to make this whole section surrounding “Rhythm Machine” but come on, it's literally THE hit that sticks like grits! Listen, argue with your mother about it. I mean, seriously, just go listen to it once and tell me you wouldn’t be obsessive about it either! My constant blabbering about “RM” gained me a huge advantage though, as I got the absolute privilege to even MEET MAX STYLER HIMSELF! He was such a sweetheart and luckily didn’t mind me obsessively talking about my discovery of Rhythm Machine from Dom Dolla and how many days I stalked the progress of the song up until its release! Looking back at our pictures together was so adorable and cute seeing him have to bend down to my level just to hear me in the tremendously loud venue. I love him to death and really enjoyed his company with the little time I spent with him. I hope (as I said in his DMs when he replied back to me) that he keeps DC on his radar for more shows!
The Baltimore Warehouse
Have you ever seen the film “Kids” (1995) by Harmony Korine? “Nowhere” (1997) by Gregg Araki? What about the true-accounted masterpiece about 90s Club Kids, “Party Monster” (2003) by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato? If you haven’t, clearly, I'm not doing my job in exposing y'all to some of the best cult-classic pieces of cinema in history. If you have, keep these classic cult films in mind as I walk you through my first ever attendance at a warehouse rave and how big of an influence these movies had on me throughout the entire experience. I had never even been to a rave in Baltimore let alone a WAREHOUSE rave in my entire life. For years I'd practically dreamed of going to the coolest underground raves in the most outrageous locations, before I even began my raving adventures. I would’ve never imagined it took me 2 years to get to this point but hey, it's much better late than never! And I refuse to complain especially with the time I had. Upon first entrance, I and some others were face to face with these storage units that appeared way too small on the outside but way larger on the inside, really optical illusion like (but what could I expect from a storage unit). The walls were plastered with posters of other rave promotions, bands, and artists as a red light shined throughout the halls. There were several rooms in the storage unit, at least two where you could sit down, chill, and talk to one another and the other two consisting of two entirely different DJ sets and lineups. One room was hosted for House heads while the other held it down for all Drum N Bass/Jungle heads and whatever their hearts desired. Both rooms were REALLY dimly lit, and that's being generous. I tried to get pictures and videos, but it was so dark you couldn’t even see the silhouettes of others in the room! It was pretty jam packed throughout the place too, but was just enough space to move around freely which I really appreciated (very opposite from the venues that I'm used to that are WAY larger. The DJ sets I were able to catch , it wasn’t necessarily what usually fires me up, but it was good to sit down and listen to while chatting. My best description of the well-put-together underground rave goes back to my referral of “Kids,” “Nowhere,” and “Party Monster”. Each film contains a scene or several scenes involving similar underground raves as they were extremely popular in the 90s and 2000s due its illegal nature. Being in this warehouse felt like a callback to that time, almost like an (unintentional? Maybe more traditional) homage to the ravers that came before us. I even made one too many references throughout the night about it because it was such an accurate description of the environment! I for sure have more plans to visit the underground more often and luckily, there've been some upcoming opportunities I get to know of by ear so lets PRAY I get the chance to!
The RECORD RELEASE PARTY: Kaonashi, Problem Solver, and more
Kaonashi is a Philly-based Hardcore band who you may know by their song “I Hate the Sound of Car Keys.” The track’s heavy riffs, provided by lead singer Peter Rono’s screeching vocals, began to catch the attention of active social media users, ultimately gaining the band some major momentum. Ironically, I ran into Peter after the Metro Gallery show while bar hopping to one of Baltimore’s well-known bars, the Ottobar. To MY dismay, I didn’t realize Kaonashi had played hours before! I had never seen or met Peter in person but I did know of him through an old mutual friend so to meet by accident while he wasn’t performing, was TOTALLY coincidental yet out of the ordinary. He was surrounded by other people, more than likely friends, so I didn’t think it too much to bother him. While heading towards the doors out the bar and Peter reentering at one point, we practically collided head on with each other! It was funny really, we first apologized for basically running each other over and then proceeded to have the most casual conversation not a second after, like it didn’t even happen.
A real account of the conversation that I can remember (after being vaguely intoxicated) consisted of:
Him complimenting my cow print bucket hat.
Complimenting my cut-out sleeveless Deftones shirt
My exclaiming how crazy it was I even managed to get the Deftones shirt considering Hot Topic’s trashiness over the past decade or so.
Trying to figure out if any restaurants were even still open and serving at 1am for at least 5 minutes.
And several back-to-back dry humor jokes spanning the entire time that I wish I could remember as I curse my drunken brain.
Okay, maybe it's not as funny written out in bullet point, but you just had to be there okay, take it from me.
I brushed it off as another nice memory and kept it at that – which luckily for me didn’t last very long. Someone should make a counter of how many coincidences have occurred during these 2 months alone because I swear, I’ve mentioned one in each recount! Evidently, I found out via Instagram that Kaonashi was coming BACK to town for the celebration of their newly released EP, “The 3 Faces of Beauty: A Violent Misinterpretation of Morgan Montgomery”. However, this isn’t even the craziest part. Not only were they coming to Baltimore to play, but one of the bands they got to open for them was none other than close friends and up-and-coming Baltimore-based Hardcore band – Problem Solver!
Believe it or not, this is another first in events for me along with the warehouse rave as I’ve never been to a record release show nor party. I know, crazy considering my supposed line of work, right? The lineup from this night would be composed of other Baltimore-based bands, from Pinkshift and Pulses to Sunny Monday and Problem Solver as stated previously. A lot of the songs weren’t really to my taste, but I still love showing support no matter what. This is another turnout where I can genuinely say interactions with friends and strangers had me just as excited as the show itself. I went around the whole venue too many times to keep up with and count, both inside and outside, while connecting with so many new people and participating in the best conversations, even in my drunken stupor. Kaonashi being outside of my regular music taste allowed me to bring an open mind to their live performance and see if their type of music would be something I’d go on listening to consistently, which I really appreciate with artists I'm not always familiar with. Whether I know the entire discography of a band or artist or know nothing at all, I go to these shows for the exposure of interacting with the community along with being receptive to something different that I may never expect to change my life. The energy of the crowd was nothing like I had seen probably since Tribes of Da Moon 2023 Fest. It was totally unexpected albeit insane to see everybody, especially the mosh pit, go so crazy for Kaonashi as someone who again, wasn’t knowledgeable with their fanbase or live shows. Their crowd work alone was enough to convince me to give their music a more serious try instead of just listening to one or two songs here and there. They for sure won me over with their cover of “Tom Sawyer” by Rush with it being one of my FAVORITE Classic Rock songs of all time (and don’t get me started on its comeback through “The Iron Claw” as a huge wrestling fan). Peter’s voice fit the covering vocals of Geddy Lee so well I was in a state of admiration. Do you know how talented of a vocalist you have to be to parallel with the likes of Geddy Lee of all people?! I was so impressed you couldn’t turn my eyes away from the stage if you even tried. I was lucky enough to talk to Peter for a second time after the show and it was so nice seeing him again! He’s such a sweet, kind person and the best guy to make jokes back and forth with. I even pinky promised him I’d wear my favorite cow bucket hat to every show I’d attend! Let's hope I hold up to my end of the bargain -- fingers crossed like they always say.
HVDES
I was surprised to see Dubstep and Metal influenced DJ/Producer, HVDES, return to DC so soon after just seeing her a little while ago in the beginning of 2023 around this time. I found out about her through an old friend, and while not listening to any of her original songs, I thought I’d give her live set a chance just to expand my musical palette once again. I don’t remember the name of one of the previous openers, but the one that did catch my eye even to this day was Philadelphia-based Dubstep DJ, Hexxa. Hexxa shook me to the core with her performance so bad it for sure instilled in me to NEVER miss an opener's set, and this was just during my 1st marked year of raving. Now, almost 3 years in and with a little more experience, I was so excited to see what this tour would have in store for us, same venue and all. At first, they hadn’t announced another opener besides Hi, I’m Ghost who was on tour with HVDES so I didn’t expect anything out of the ordinary, but in the back of my mind I was praying to see Hexxa once again after missing her at the Hijinx Festival after party I skipped out on. As the day of the show arrived, I hopped on Instagram to get more details on set times and final statements on who would be playing. This whole article must be full of blessings because of course, for the SECOND TIME IN A ROW, Hexxa would be playing with the two DJs once again!I was so indescribably ecstatic I literally HAD to be the first in line at the door to get first dibs on the rails. Thank God I wasn’t running late because as soon as I walked in, I could feel the walls shaking from the sound system that would carry the music from Hexxa’s current playing tracks. I don’t know if it's just me, but Hexxa definitely seems like she improved even more than the last time I had seen her, which is saying a lot considering her last set was GREAT. Don’t even get me started on Hi, I’m Ghost. I hadn’t known anything about him prior so you can imagine my shock as I was listening to one of the heaviest Metal x EDM crossed sets I’d ever come to witness, UGH so good. If you were an Emo kid back in the day or even Scene, you for sure would’ve appreciated this entire lineup but his set especially.
HVDES was no exception, she put on a good show which I honestly liked a little more than her last. I LOVED her visuals, the Silent Hill nurses stumbling in the background with Saw series references really struck me as a horror fan. Her rendition of Rammstein’s “Du Hast” and Motley Crue’s “Girls, Girls, Girls” almost knocked me over (I say exaggeratedly) and the whole night was entirely filled with dramatic headbanging. I’m surprised I didn’t walk out with whiplash or a sore neck to be honest because I definitely gave it all that night. Believe it or not, at one point during the night as I hid out in the bathroom’s stall on the phone to resolve a personal issue, I felt a push on the door as I had forgot to lock it (luckily, I wasn’t doing anything) and as I walk out, what would you figure – HEXXA runs directly into me! Yes, I know, as I stated my things just get even more insane as this article goes on. I began fawning over her the little bit of time we were talking, and she was so nice about the whole encounter. She told me she was going back on a few minutes after HVDES and to catch her after the show, so you KNOW I had to follow through. It's so full circle seeing just last year I got pictures with HVDES and now, after following Hexxa for a year, I get pictures with my underground fave! We even discussed her coming back to Project Glow in April so here’s to hoping we run into each other again! All in all, if you’re looking for an excuse to get out the house on a random Wednesday night, HVDES, Hexxa, and Hi, I’m Ghost are definitely the sets to see and I, for one, wouldn’t mind seeing them all for a third time.
DISTURBIN’ THE PEACEEE!
Looking back on it, I can’t believe I waited as long as I did to make my return back into the Hardcore scene after being in my rave craze for so long because if its any consolation, being in the community reminded me of and restored my passion for art, Hardcore itself, and music in general. The 2 day festival properly named "Disturbin' The Peace" was put on by historic Hardcore label Flatspot Records who’re known for signing such legendary and rising bands like Scowl, Zulu, Trapped Under Ice, Kill Your Idols, and those featured on the festival ticket. Flatspot for sure knows what an audience wants and needs to hear and have been doing so for the past 2 decades. The lineup for both Days 1 and 2 was so killer it was almost too good to be true:
DAY 1;
KHARMA
H20
BACKLASH
BUGGIN
JIVEBOMB
OUTBURST
LIFE’S QUESTION
SECTION H8
NAYSAYER
END IT
Day 2;
BIOHAZARD
CHOICE TO MAKE
REDEYE
COLD TIMES
RAW BRIGADE
GUT INSTINCT
THE CHISEL
REGULATE
SUBURBAN SCUM
Be honest, do you think I'd really pass up an opportunity for a lineup ticket like this? I mean come on. No matter how long I was away, its shows like this that manage to rope me back in every time. Day 1 of the fest was an absolute wild ride from start to finish, no doubt about it. I made it just in time for Kharma who I was DYING to see after experiencing their live set for the first time at Tribes of Da Moon. Their performance always pulls me in and it was like heaven all over again. Their performance hit all the right notes, and I was in my element soaking it all in. On a random note, their vocalist, Jordan Moten, has a stage presence that can't help but remind me of that of Chino Moreno from Deftones. This could explain a slight bias but that doesn't discredit how amazingly they rocked the stage! I was even more ecstatic to see Jivebomb, a set that was long overdue. I don't even have to say too much on the matter with them because, like a lot of their fans know, they can't help but to put on a wicked performance. Its honestly unfair how talented they are! Another Baltimore-based Hardcore band I can't help but appreciate. So much talent coming straight out of the DMV, and especially in talks with Baltimore and the Hardcore-Punk scene going back to the 70s yet for some reason we get overlooked! That's a rant for another day though. I had seen a good majority of bands on the ticket at least once before so for me it was like revisiting an old friend you're getting the chance to catch up with again.
For Naysayer and Section H8, it just so happened to be my first. They for sure had me tuned in because those are two sets I'm sure to not forget. I had seen H20 coincidentally not to long before the fest when I went to see Suicidal Tendencies live for the 40th anniversary of their self-titled album (where End It opened up for too! Ugh I'm still pissed I missed their set). I loved looking at their set for the second time -- it was like the band just emitted such a warm aura that reached everyone in the audience in a weirdly auspicious way I can't really explain. I know, it's crazy! That had the old heads and the new gen kids going crazy and I thought that was sick. Don't even get me started on End It's set, the grand finale of the night. I was hyped for the entire night waiting for these motherfuckers to come onstage and with a response like that you HAVE to be that incredible. Akil hit the stage like a ton of bricks, which isn't out of character for him. He has such a charismatic personability that he, along with the rest of End It, know how to command an entire, and I mean ENTIRE venue filled to the brim with fans of any and all ages with just their presence. Its an uncanny ability a lot of entertainers aren't able to provide yet they do it so effortlessly. It's sincerely never a dull moment with them and out of all 5 shows I've gone out of my way to see with them perform, they manage to outdo themselves more and more every time. I mean, the amount of people I saw flying off the stage was insane, people that weren't even moshing prior wound up in the pit at some point -- the whole place was buzzing with energy! You wanna talk about unforgettable performances, its been months since this occurred and I still have yet to get their January set out of my head to this day. Despite an unpleasant encounter with a certain vocalist who was upping the elitism ante and had a noticeable attitude towards a little too many of the women apart of the audience but had a different attitude towards the men there, "Distrubin' The Peace" left a mark on me I'm sure to not forget for a pretty good while.
Have you seen any of these artists before? Did you have similar experiences and/or opinions when seeing them? Did they differ? Are you guys interested in this becoming a new series featured on the blog? I feel it could be a nice palette cleanser in between other content while allowing you guys to see a little bit inside my experiences going to these events, and we all know I got to A LOT. Stay tuned because I can't wait to give some content about what's been going on, what's new, and what's old. Check out the forum while your at it and leave any comments or thoughts you might have. Til next time!
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