The Veer Union/Shallow Side/Righteous Vendetta – The Masquerade, Atlanta GA 7/14
By Leslie Elder Rogers
As I walked up to the venue entry doors, it was apparent that this was not like any concert I had been to. The scene I witnessed was not uncommon for this area from what I’ve been told but being my first time to this venue, I was unsure what to expect. There were no long lines to stand in, no plethora of “loud music hungry” fans crowding the streets or concealing the doorways. It was a serene and calm scene with a minimal amount of fans crowded around the entry way, unlike the vast majority that I’m accustomed to. This made me nervous, nervous for the bands who were performing tonight. It’s easy to judge at first sight but that judgement was not warranted, I soon found out.
Though the crowd may’ve seemed small in magnitude, the energy and sheer excitement of the fans in attendance was outstanding for the bands playing tonight. First up was “The Shallow Side”, a band I was not familiar with at all. I was immediately impressed at their ability to draw the crowd in. Most of the crowd didn’t seem to know their music, but I did see a choice few who knew every word to each song played. I look forward to their rise to fame, as I am certain they are headed for great things after what I heard.
They were followed by “Righteous Vendetta”, a band that I barely knew at all. I’d heard their song ‘This Pain” from their new album ‘The Fire Inside” played on Octane and liked it a lot but I had not done any research on the band so I didn’t realize they were as good as they are. The lead singer controlled the stage and the crowd. He had them eating hanging on his every movement during certain points of the performance. His facial expressions and ability to please the crowd as he sang were absolutely awesome and left us wanting more when they were done, but this was NOT why I was here tonight. Though I look forward to seeing these guys much more in the future, my reason for being here tonight was yet to hit the stage. I was anxiously awaiting “The Veer Union”!
As Crispin and the rest of the band took the stage, there were apparent sound problems that they were trying to overcome before they started playing. We all stood, waiting patiently, quietly, but very anxiously, as they worked on the issues, and after realizing that they just may not be able fix the issues they were facing, Crispin just decided to give us his best anyway as he seemed to take the approach “screw it, we’ll perform without it if we have to”…and then, an awesome performance began. From the moment he took that microphone and began to speak, to sing, the crowd was in awe, myself included. His confidence and ability to gain your immediate admiration was what I was hoping for. He did not disappoint. I had been waiting for this concert for a while now, since my interview with Crispin a couple of months ago. It was obvious that the crowd was completely involved in this concert right away, as if their night had now finally begun, and believe me, it had. This concert was one of many stops on their tour to promote their newly re-released album “Divide the Blackened Sky”, so I was very ready to hear and see what was offered up close and personal by the band at this performance.
The band truly played an outstanding set. They rocked the venue with their performances of “Seasons” and “Darker Side of Me” from their album “Against the Grain”, but it was the new music that really got the crowd going. As they belted out songs from “Divide the Blackened Sky”, like “Borderline”, “Bitter End”, ‘Buried in the Ground”, each and every body in that room was throwing their hands up, jumping and moving their bodies with each note that was sung. The band was so into the music themselves, it was obvious that these guys love what they’re doing. The guitar riffs were awesome; what happened to the possible sound issues? No one heard them if they existed at this point. The purposely distorted sounds played by the guitarists truly gave character to this live performance’s already noted perfection. During the rhythms and the solo moments, the guitar was flawless. The bass; ok, all I can say is that he impressed me completely. Most bassists are fairly solemn and don’t command or draw attention; they are typically the ones who stand still on stage but perform their part without fail because their talent is necessary. Not this night. If ever a bassist drew attention to themselves, it was tonight as he continuously rounded the stage playing as strong as any lead guitarist possibly could. The drum rolls were performed with such passion and vigor. The drum solo that became a true show came when Crispin was brought over to accompany on the drums. It seems his talent isn’t just vocal ability. It was a sight to see, and not a sight you see every day. During the night, he was ever moving on stage, staying mobile, not lingering in one spot for long, a very fast paced show that entertained the fans fully throughout the entire set.
As the concert proceeded, the energy in the room escalated immensely. With every song, every step out onto the edge of the stage, the fans grew more and more involved with this band and the band welcomed it, craved it. They were driven by the growing responsiveness of the crowd and the obviously increasing appreciation for their music, the hunger to hear more, and hear it louder and harder. As the concert came closer to its end, the band pumped up the fans once again by involving them in a sing-along that encompassed three bands, two of which “made a baby”. Let me explain; “If members of Rage Against the Machine and members of Soundgarden got together and made a baby, what would that baby’s name be”? AUDIOSLAVE! It was explained that he may not remember all of the lyrics and would need the crowds’ “help” to sing the song. The crowd roared with anticipation. The low sound of the intro chords that could not be mistaken, began to play. We all found ourselves screaming in sheer delight of the song being played as we were embarked in a competition of who could sing the verses the loudest as “Show Me How to Live” was played loudly and with as much heart as if it were their own song they were playing. A continued smile on the faces of each band member throughout the entire concert made it so easy to want to be there, to be a part of this outstanding evening. I was glad I had come. The worry about the “smaller” crowd was no longer bothering me because this “smaller” crowd had given them just as much respect and attention as a crowd double its size could have. There was no denying that this night was a huge success for this remarkable band as the crowd shouted and applauded at the conclusion of the concert. Whether you were a fan in the beginning or not, in the end, once the concert was over, you left knowing positively who “The Veer Union” was and you left with a hunger and desire to learn every piece of music they have put out to date.
Official Veer Union Site
Official Righteous Vendetta Site
Official Shallow Side Site
By Leslie Elder Rogers
As I walked up to the venue entry doors, it was apparent that this was not like any concert I had been to. The scene I witnessed was not uncommon for this area from what I’ve been told but being my first time to this venue, I was unsure what to expect. There were no long lines to stand in, no plethora of “loud music hungry” fans crowding the streets or concealing the doorways. It was a serene and calm scene with a minimal amount of fans crowded around the entry way, unlike the vast majority that I’m accustomed to. This made me nervous, nervous for the bands who were performing tonight. It’s easy to judge at first sight but that judgement was not warranted, I soon found out.
Though the crowd may’ve seemed small in magnitude, the energy and sheer excitement of the fans in attendance was outstanding for the bands playing tonight. First up was “The Shallow Side”, a band I was not familiar with at all. I was immediately impressed at their ability to draw the crowd in. Most of the crowd didn’t seem to know their music, but I did see a choice few who knew every word to each song played. I look forward to their rise to fame, as I am certain they are headed for great things after what I heard.
They were followed by “Righteous Vendetta”, a band that I barely knew at all. I’d heard their song ‘This Pain” from their new album ‘The Fire Inside” played on Octane and liked it a lot but I had not done any research on the band so I didn’t realize they were as good as they are. The lead singer controlled the stage and the crowd. He had them eating hanging on his every movement during certain points of the performance. His facial expressions and ability to please the crowd as he sang were absolutely awesome and left us wanting more when they were done, but this was NOT why I was here tonight. Though I look forward to seeing these guys much more in the future, my reason for being here tonight was yet to hit the stage. I was anxiously awaiting “The Veer Union”!
As Crispin and the rest of the band took the stage, there were apparent sound problems that they were trying to overcome before they started playing. We all stood, waiting patiently, quietly, but very anxiously, as they worked on the issues, and after realizing that they just may not be able fix the issues they were facing, Crispin just decided to give us his best anyway as he seemed to take the approach “screw it, we’ll perform without it if we have to”…and then, an awesome performance began. From the moment he took that microphone and began to speak, to sing, the crowd was in awe, myself included. His confidence and ability to gain your immediate admiration was what I was hoping for. He did not disappoint. I had been waiting for this concert for a while now, since my interview with Crispin a couple of months ago. It was obvious that the crowd was completely involved in this concert right away, as if their night had now finally begun, and believe me, it had. This concert was one of many stops on their tour to promote their newly re-released album “Divide the Blackened Sky”, so I was very ready to hear and see what was offered up close and personal by the band at this performance.
The band truly played an outstanding set. They rocked the venue with their performances of “Seasons” and “Darker Side of Me” from their album “Against the Grain”, but it was the new music that really got the crowd going. As they belted out songs from “Divide the Blackened Sky”, like “Borderline”, “Bitter End”, ‘Buried in the Ground”, each and every body in that room was throwing their hands up, jumping and moving their bodies with each note that was sung. The band was so into the music themselves, it was obvious that these guys love what they’re doing. The guitar riffs were awesome; what happened to the possible sound issues? No one heard them if they existed at this point. The purposely distorted sounds played by the guitarists truly gave character to this live performance’s already noted perfection. During the rhythms and the solo moments, the guitar was flawless. The bass; ok, all I can say is that he impressed me completely. Most bassists are fairly solemn and don’t command or draw attention; they are typically the ones who stand still on stage but perform their part without fail because their talent is necessary. Not this night. If ever a bassist drew attention to themselves, it was tonight as he continuously rounded the stage playing as strong as any lead guitarist possibly could. The drum rolls were performed with such passion and vigor. The drum solo that became a true show came when Crispin was brought over to accompany on the drums. It seems his talent isn’t just vocal ability. It was a sight to see, and not a sight you see every day. During the night, he was ever moving on stage, staying mobile, not lingering in one spot for long, a very fast paced show that entertained the fans fully throughout the entire set.
As the concert proceeded, the energy in the room escalated immensely. With every song, every step out onto the edge of the stage, the fans grew more and more involved with this band and the band welcomed it, craved it. They were driven by the growing responsiveness of the crowd and the obviously increasing appreciation for their music, the hunger to hear more, and hear it louder and harder. As the concert came closer to its end, the band pumped up the fans once again by involving them in a sing-along that encompassed three bands, two of which “made a baby”. Let me explain; “If members of Rage Against the Machine and members of Soundgarden got together and made a baby, what would that baby’s name be”? AUDIOSLAVE! It was explained that he may not remember all of the lyrics and would need the crowds’ “help” to sing the song. The crowd roared with anticipation. The low sound of the intro chords that could not be mistaken, began to play. We all found ourselves screaming in sheer delight of the song being played as we were embarked in a competition of who could sing the verses the loudest as “Show Me How to Live” was played loudly and with as much heart as if it were their own song they were playing. A continued smile on the faces of each band member throughout the entire concert made it so easy to want to be there, to be a part of this outstanding evening. I was glad I had come. The worry about the “smaller” crowd was no longer bothering me because this “smaller” crowd had given them just as much respect and attention as a crowd double its size could have. There was no denying that this night was a huge success for this remarkable band as the crowd shouted and applauded at the conclusion of the concert. Whether you were a fan in the beginning or not, in the end, once the concert was over, you left knowing positively who “The Veer Union” was and you left with a hunger and desire to learn every piece of music they have put out to date.
Official Veer Union Site
Official Righteous Vendetta Site
Official Shallow Side Site
