Musically speaking

One of my favorite things to do is go see a band live in concert. It doesn't really matter who they are, what they play, or where it is. There's something about the way music sounds when it's being pumped through giant speakers. And best of all, it never skips. I've been watching live music for a long time. In some of my brother's first videos of Dave and the Roasted Peanuts, you can see my little rat-tailed head running around in the crowd. Some of my best memories have to do with a show... shit some of my worst memories do too (note to self, remember to blog about cool show stories). One of the greatest drawbacks of going to a semi-rural college was there was practically no music going through town, yet another reason I am glad that chapter has ended and I'm setting up shop here: In a town with an incredible pulse of music.

I am a metal-head, amongst other things. When some people find this out, they are like "ugh, how can you listen to that?" Then they turn around and put on some country whine-fest or the same pop shit that has been repackaged over and over again. And they ask me how... Going to a live metal show is fun and exhilarating, intense and scary. Some people like to go and stand around and watch the band. That's fun. Metal is a spectacle all to itself. But I don't like standing in one place when I see a fast aggressive show. Moshing is like the crowd's way of communicating with the band all at once The crowd is thrown into a frenzy from the fury of the band; the band is thrown into a frenzy from the raw energy of people expressing their rage in a semi-focused way.

This is Dave. I work with Dave. Dave is holding his fat cat.
Dave knows a thing or two about a thing or two when it comes to metal. Without him, I wouldn't have seen half the shows I have. Dave is getting old, and when he talks about metal you can definitely tell. He talks about the way metal used to be, back when Earl was on the Root, and when bands really knew how to head bang. We are going to see Amon Amarth next Sunday, a band we both agree can head bang with the best of em . Amon Amarth is a death metal band from Sweden. They're on their first North American tour as a headlining act, so they're already pretty big. Here's the hook, their music calls heavily on Norse mythology and symbols. The lead singer carries an elk horn, they bring armor clad warriors on stage during their set, they're a bunch of Vikings playing Viking metal. Name of the Tour, Wrath of the Norsemen. Kick ass huh?
Some of their songs tell stories of raiding and plundering villages, stoic figures riding high on a horse's back. The epic guitar parts make you pump your fist in the air triumphantly, and with the rip of the double bass drum, you can feel the horses hoofs pounding in your chest as they ride down a hill towards an unsuspecting village.
But it's not all fun and games. This is thoughtful stuff (as far as metal goes) and I like how some of the songs address honor, history, life and death. This is one of the instances where I enjoy a metal band without ever seeing them live, but I'll know if they are a great band based on how much they impress me at the show on Sunday.
I've been banging my fist with a can of soup in my hand to make sure I'm strong enough to last the 90 minute set Amon Amarth has been playing on this tour. They were planning on playing normal sets, but then the members of Decapitated who were supposed to be on the tour, were in a bad accident in Russia. One of the guys died (rip) and they canceled their tour. Too bad too, they were supposed to be pretty cool. But I'm not complaining, longer sets and the band has been doing meet and greets before most of the shows. The show is at Station 4 (formerly the Lab) in downtown St. Paul. It's not my favorite place for a show, I've hit my head on that damn pole too many times to count, but you can't argue with the quality bands they always have rolling through there (recently Dying Fetus, Bohemith, etc ).
This is not the last time I will be writing about music. It is something I really like to think about, live music especially. If you have any tips for shows I should check out, let me know. But until then, Dave and I will see you at the show on Sunday.

http://www.myspace.com/amonamarth