:Concert Review: Twin Cities Massacre – Day Two

Twin Cities Massacre – Day Two
April 28, 2012
Austin , Texas, US @ Elysium

With both J and I running on about 4 lovely hours of sleep we got ready for day two of the Twin Cities Massacre. J’s lovely wife Jen had a tattoo appointment, so she had to drop us off at the Venue in Austin at 11am. Thankfully load in was at 12pm so we were hoping to sneak in and relax a little. Around 11:30am this blue van rolls up, and some guys and gals file from it. J and I are sitting, staring and wondering “who the hell is this band”? I pulled out my trusty android phone and started researching! We found out it was the band Synapse. You guys… if you are reading this, I know I told you this story already, but I still feel bad. SORRY! We love all ya’ll! We started chatting with them, and I gotta say they are some cool ass people. You guys made the morning so much fun!

So we got into the venue and got the merchandise set up. Thankfully we got there early enough to hear the sound checks! Thank you J for singing along with me to Die Krupps! CROSSFIRE! I must say that the venue, Elysium, is amazing. Frankly, I am very glad it was held there, and not the place next door. We got to do our interviews with Solemn Assembly, and and TJ from DMWI before it all started. Thanks guys!

Black Tar Heroine was the first band to take the stage. Sadly I was in and out of the venue stalking bands so I only caught a few songs. I must say they do have quite an interesting Punkish cover of Safety Dance that left me giggling. Joe from Solemn Assembly even took the floor and started doing the Safety Dance! Ha!

We sadly missed the Firefly Nostalgia, as we had to grab Bradley from CHANT for an interview while he had some free time. Bradley, thank you so much for sitting down with us since we missed you in Phoenix! We then grabbed MyParasites for an interview. They are some CRAZY Mothers. I have to say that was one of the most hysterical interviews I have ever watched. The interview went so long we missed the first two songs by Solemn Assembly, but we managed to catch the rest of the show! This was my first time seeing the boys and I have to say it was amazing. For all of you who think you don’t know who they are, you may just be wrong. They did that LOVELY little song… oontz oontz oontz for your BOOM BOOM BOOM. Do you know it? It’s kick-ass. I promise. Look up the YouTube video. I’m pretty sure you’ll recognize some of the people. Ha! Anyways, The show was amazing. Brandon has these red metal drum things. I don’t even know what they are. The sound they put outâ€”itâ€™s pure doom. Joe wrote a song called “Amnesia Pill” about his brain tumor. Yes, Tumor. He mentioned that it’s hard on him as he forgets things a lot. Well halfway through “Amnesia Pill” he gets pissed, throws the mike down and cuts the song short. I’m not sure if this was an act, or genuine anger, but it was damn funny and made for an awesome show. Solemn Assembly puts on an amazing show, and if you get a chance to see them live you had better do it. It will NOT disappoint.

Up next was Art Versus Industry, a band that our lovely Mary knows. I knew nothing of them, and was excited to see them play. Now, I will tell you that they are far from your typical “Industrial” band. Frankly, they can’t be labeled. They are very guitar based, and have a live drummer. Anyways, when they stepped onstage I almost lost it from giggling. Two of the boys were in white shirts and short shorts, and the others looked like lost members of NIN. I will admit I rolled my eyes and thought “oh great”. However, I was BLOWN AWAY. I cannot even begin to tell you of my new found love for Art versus Industry. Avi has the vocals of an angel and Matt is frankly one of the best and most energetic guitarists I have ever had the privilege of seeing live. I have to say, they were one of my favorite bands of the Austin night. I adore guitars in my Industrial and they brought them! We grabbed the boys right after the show for an interview so look for it soon!

MyParasites was on next. Like I said before, CRAZY mothers. A blend of EBM, punk, rock, grunge and a whole lot of other things thrown in. They are really quite good. They do a cover of Justin Timberlake’s “Cry Me A River”. I warn you now, itâ€™s not what you think it is. When they told me they were playing it I almost panicked. Yes, I like that song. I know I know. It’s a guilty thing from my past. It’s fun, and catchy as hell. Make you sure you check them out. They drove around 1600 miles to the show, without knowing it had been canceled, and were really great sports about it. Buy some merch too. They need the gas money!

Then it was on to Synapse! I adore these guys, and gal! They drove down from Colorado despite the cancellation, and I’m glad for it. Honestly I feel these guys stole the show. A wonderful blend of Synthpop and EBM they took to the stage with a presence that drew people from the bar and outside. If you’ve not heard of them please, please look them up. They sound similar to Covenant or Assemblage 23, but throw in a powerful female voice to break it all up. The light show was amazing, and when we were talking to the boys earlier they said they had for more lights at home. I can’t wait to see the full light show one day! The highlight of the show was their cover of “Bad Romance”, which they lovingly dedicated to COMA. Sara is an amazing vocalist, and did the song so much justice. I actually like it more than the original! They also let us in on some news. They just singed a contract with Glory & Honour Records! I await the new album!

J and I were about dead on our feet at this point. No food and lack of sleep were killing us slowly. Jen was awesome and brought us food, and after eating we were ready to take on the crowd that had formed for C-Lekktor.

C-Lekktor took the stage around 10. The floor was packed. I don’t know if ya’ll know, but this was Markko’s FIRST show ever in the United States. You guys, the fans, banded together and raised enough money to get him down here and I must say a big Thank You for it. Markko has a stage presence unlike any Harsh EBM vocalist I have ever seen. Very precise with his actions, yet utterly fluid in motion. His clothing had LED lights sewn in and they throbbed in beat to the first few songs. I lost myself in dancing so much that I don’t even remember how long he played, or what he played. I do remember WRAITH from Souless Affection filled in on keys for him, and that I almost died from dancing too long. C-Lekktor will be at Kinetik this year and if you are going I advise you to check them out. Markko is an amazing vocalist and a very talented musician who has the ability to blend elements of hardstyle, Harsh EBM, techno and even hard-dance into his music, and somehow make it all work.

Die Krupps ‘All Stars’ was the last band of the night. J and I both share a major love for Die Krupps. Now, for those of you who don’t know this was a one off show with 3 musicians not from the original Die Krupps lineup. Our good COMA friend Bradley from CHANT was doing the drumming that night. I feel pity for all of you who missed it. The energy, the pure raw surge of Industrial. Oooh it was amazing. They played all my favorites. To The Hilt, Fatherland, Crossfire and even Bloodsuckers. Jurgen managed to whip J in the eyeball with a mic cord in the first song, then proceeded to pull his hair. I think J may have had a fanboy moment. Just a little one. Jurgen never stopped moving once during the show, and frankly I was amazed. The energy that man brings far exceeds the showmanship of men half his age! This is why Die Krupps will never die.

We were lucky enough to get interviews with both Markko of C-Lekktor, and Jurgen from Die Krupps after the show. Thank you both so much for waiting around and interviewing!

Austin was amazing. This Festival was amazing. If you missed it, decided not to go, or just didn’t know about it I feel bad for you. The closeness of all the people there was something I haven’t felt in this scene in a very, very long time. The fact that these bands showed up and played, despite everything that went down, despite knowing they might not get one dime was what made it so special. I was almost at the point of quitting and leaving the scene for good, but after this I just can’t. You all renewed my faith. This scene isn’t dead, or even close to dying. It’s just waking up and heaven help us all when it does. It’s going to be a beautiful thing.