Trees was hosting what has become an annual tradition at the venue this night, and that was a benefit show for Toys for Tots.
This was the fourth consecutive year they’ve done said event, but the first one that featured some bands I really liked which made me want to attend.
I deliberately got there a little later, because I had no interest in seeing the Dallas based, Maleveller. I had caught them once nearly two years ago, and that was more than enough for me.
They seem to have a decent following when it comes to fans of Metal music, but they’re the type of Metal where their singer screams incoherently all the time, and that is something I can’t stand.
The Austin trio, American Sharks, were setting up when my dad and I arrived, and got started shortly after.
I didn’t much care for them, either, but at least they weren’t painful to listen to like the first act would have been.
They interacted with the crowd a lot, mainly through joking, like before their third song, which their singer and bassist said they had just written from the time they walked from their merch booth at the back up to the stage. It didn’t sound to believable, but it worked, as they proceeded to crank out an aggressive little song. “Now Dallas, you’re not going to believe this, but I wrote another song, just as I was coming up those steps.” He said, barely able to keep a straight face. “They don’t want me to play it…” he mentioned, pointing at the drummer and guitarist. The audience wanted to hear it, though, so they did it. “Now I know y’all believe in magic… ‘Cause I wrote another song just now.” He couldn’t keep it together any longer, laughing while he noted that joke had probably gotten played out. “But seriously, this is a brand new song we just did.” He finished as they tore into it.
They had a few songs after that, and clocked in at a little under 30-minutes. It’s not like they were bad in my opinion, they just weren’t my style of music. Check them out, though. You might like them.
Both them and the next band had been on tour with The Sword since late October. I had caught one of those first shows of their tour up in Denton, and while I missed that last act, I had seen the one that was coming up next, and was a bit indifferent to them.
That band was Gypsyhawk, and they would prove to be much better this time around.
“…We are from Van Halen’s own backyard. And that is Pasadena, California…” roared singer and bassist, Eric Harris, before they band ripped into the first song of their 33-minute long set. Before their second song, Eric pointed out someone at the front, calling him out by name and saying, “…He’s one of my best friends.” He also made it known that the guy wore some glasses, which made him look “sciency”, and that was what their next song was about. “It was a track from their newest album, “Revelry & Resilience”, and was called “The Fields”. Hands down it was the best song of their set, and they were in perfect synch with each other. It was followed by a song about a book series that they said had influenced them as a band (I couldn’t understand what it was), and Eric asked if there was anyone else here who liked to read. A few people made some noise, to which he responded, “Well congratulations, ‘cause half this country is fucking illiterate…” Banter like that really made their set flow, as they told enough information about the song to give you an idea of what it was about, without being stretched out or seeming unneeded. Going with the theme of books, they then gave the crowd a “choose your own story” option. I don’t recall what option B was about, but option A was a song that dealt with sex, drugs and the other stereotypical vices a musician indulges in. So, which one do you think the crowd picked? It was A, which ended up being the song that bears the band’s name, “Gypsyhawk”. After some more originals, they did a cover of Ram Jam’s “Black Betty”, before closing with “Commander of the High Forest”.
I was in complete awe of them this night. They were a well-oiled machine on that stage and were absolutely flawless. The other venue I had seen them at is smaller, and it was evident they really liked and utilized the larger stage here at Trees. Eric moved around a lot more, as did guitarists, Erik Kluiber and Andrew Packer.
The band’s sound has tinges of Metal to it, but also consists heavily of a Classic Rock sound (say, the 70’s), with some raw instrumental parts thrown in, and I was much more smitten with that mesh of music this time around.
You could feel the electricity in the air while they were on stage, and that is a rare feeling. And while some may disagree, there’s no question in my mind that they upstaged The Sword this night.
They don’t have any more show dates scheduled at the moment, but they will no doubt be coming sometime soon. And while you wait for them to come and rock a town near you, check out their two full-length records HERE.
Before The Sword began their onslaught of rock, one of the marines who was here this night got on stage to thank everyone for coming out and supporting the great causes. They had already exceeded their goal for this year, and the final count was 1500 toys collected for Toys for Tots, and nearly $5000 which would be split between that cause as well as Wounded Warriors. Yeah, it turned out to be an excellent night.
It wasn’t long after that, that the bands intro music started, and the crowd at this seemingly sold-out show shouted with excitement.
The curtain opened as bassist, Bryan Richie, drummer, Santiago Vela III, singer and rhythm guitarist, John Cronise, and lead guitarist, Kyle Shutt, descended the staircase.
I was as anxious as the next person, but again, I had seen them not too long ago, and assumed the setlist would be exactly the same. That would have been okay, because it was a great setlist, but I quickly found out they had revised it since late October.
As soon as they got situated, the sample track for “Apocryphon” began to play. The electronic sounds caught me off guard, because I was not expecting it so early on, but it proved a great opener. The band instantly had a swagger about them as they ripped into the song and proceeded to rock out on the lengthy intro, and that was something that stayed with them for the duration of the show. It may not be as heavy as some of their other stuff, but it really was a great opener. Since their songs are based largely on Norse mythology, there’s a otherworldly feeling you get when attending a Sword show, and that song really perpetuates that feeling. The song came to an end, but they didn’t stop, as a mix of hefty bass lines, thunderous drumbeats and soaring guitar riffs segued them into their next song…
Review By Jordan
Hey, my name’s Jordan. I write concert reviews (though I prefer to call them overviews) of bands, predominately local Texas based groups. I began doing it just for fun when I got into the local music scene in early 2006. Then adopted the TME moniker in late 2008, and eventually began to take these blogs a little more seriously. I do them in a “play-by-play” format if you will, by running through the bands setlist, though I do add my own opinions as well. I know that’s an unconventional way of doing it, but that’s how I’ve always wanted to read concert reviews. http://themusicenthusiast.com/