Bad Copy

You know what’s really fucking awesome? Seeing your friends perform their music together all in the same stacked line up. I got lucky to catch several of mine on Saturday, August 11th at Cobra Lounge in the West Loop neighborhood of Chicago. This show was the conglomeration of the yearly return of Dead To Fall as the well as the split release show for Thieves and The Ox King and the singer of The Ox King, David Klingenberg’s 37th birthday celebration. I know. So much happening all at once, right?

Opening the show was Sarin, a hardcore band with members from both Chicago and Northwest Indiana. Their sound is best described as dark and unholy. They play blistering fast Hardcore with a wall of sound and noise from various effects pedals that singer Mike Lundin operates through out their performance. Highly recommended!

Following up was Something Is Waiting, a super group of various Chicago veteran musicians playing what seems to be groove oriented Metal and Rock ‘n’ Roll with genuinely ferocious vocals and fast sounding guitars. This music will make you want to put on your favorite Hawaiian shirt and pour several Pina Coladas down your face like Stone Cold Steve Austin. I look forward to hearing more from these guys in the near future.

Next up was The Ox King, a great hard-hitting Chicago band. They have, what I would like to think of as, a Neurosis inspired sound with a mix of ambiance that transcends a cosmic drive right through your ear holes. This band is made up of musicians I have known since my youth and I must admit, it’s so fucking cool to see how their creativity has evolved. It was the 37th birthday celebration of vocalist David Klingenberg and this was definitely the right setting among the company of friends. The Ox King and Thieves have been hard at work for a little while for their much anticipated release of their split on Hand of Death Records. You can purchase your copy now!

Speaking of Thieves, they were the next band up. These guys are always insane to see live. Vocalist Rudy Schultz is not shy in the slightest with getting into the crowd and screaming in your face. They play pulverizing Dark Hardcore. Here’s a little piece of history: I was actually a guitarist in this band when they started in 2006. They were a much different band that reflected more of straight forward tough guy Hardcore style where camo shorts and military caps were still very much relevant and cool. Thank god that shit died. After a series of line up changes and redirection, this band has since become something fierce. Do yourself a favor and buy that split with The Ox King. You can thank me later.

Closing out the night was everyone’s favorite Dad band, Dead To Fall. The band currently consists of the original line up. All of them but their singer Jonathan Hunt have become dads since starting the band, hence the nickname Dad To Fall. Haha! I have been photographing them since 2002 and I couldn’t be more stoked that they’re performing again. The band has always had killer shows in Chicago. Their set consisted of several songs from the first two albums, Everything I Touch Falls to Pieces and Villainy & Virtue. The crowd was hungry to eat the microphone at every given chance. I lost my shit and my voice while they played “Eternal Gates of Hell,” and just the amount of stage diving I witnessed during the song “Bastard Set of Dreams” was like watching synchronized acrobatics. Shit was off the hook. The band even performed a new song called “Short Runaway.” I also got word they have plans to write and release some new material in the near future. I can’t wait for that, neither can you. It was a great show from start to finish among the company of friends.

Check out the pictures from the night below and be sure to check back on news and updates on these bands and so much more.