Bad Copy

Tonight was my first time driving down to into the city of Chicago alone. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy Chicago. But driving from the suburbs to there or in the actual city is not my thing. I was a bit nervous, but miraculously I made it alive and in one piece. Parking was a whole different adventure in itself, but we can save that for another time. To be short, I was afraid I would come back to my car on cinder blocks.

This would be my first time ever going to the Beat Kitchen. Of course I did a little research and found that it was pretty small, which is great, making shows way more intimate. I entered and was asked for my ID, which of course is common. If you know me, you would know I get carded everywhere. I’m thirty-one, but look like I’m fourteen. I walked over to the door guy that handles tickets, checked in as the guest writer to Brian’s photo pass and we were all good to go. Brain and I walked to the back and got bombarded by a decorated wall of merch. Of course I purchased a few shirts; gotta support the bands. Then I set myself against the wall left of the stage to enjoy the ride of a Thursday night prog-metal and hardcore show.

At 7:30, the first band hit the stage. I wasn’t exactly sure who they were as the singer didn’t introduce themselves. So for all I know, it could have been four drifters off the street just jamming out. Anyway, they played their set and honestly better than I thought they would be. I still feel that the singer seemed out of place in the band but I will say the bassist put on one hell of show. Apparently this set of “drifters” weren’t actually “drifters” at all. The band was real. Tanzen is the name.

Comrades, a three piece out of Colorado, hit the stage. Fun fact: the bassist/lead vocalist and the guitarist are married. Since I first heard the band’s album, Lone/Grey, I’ve always wanted to see Comrades live. Laura’s voice is simply entrancing and the whole band performance was amazing. The overall stage presence was great and I could tell they fed off of each other’s performance. Of course, being the second act, you don’t always get a long set time. But for what they got, they nailed it. Sadly, it all went by way too fast. If you ever have a chance to see Comrades live, do yourself a favor and do so; you will not be disappointed.

Next was My Epic. Honestly, I have tried my hardest to get into them, but they’re just not my thing. To start things off, a short, hairy guy stood next to me during their set. He said to his buddy, “This is going to be epic.” Yeah. Ha ha, funny. This guy then goes ahead and head bangs, spinning around in a mosh pit of one in my personal space to the band the whole damn time. Now, My Epic isn’t a very heavy sounding band. Some songs are heavier, but most are seemingly soft and melodic where the singer basically serenades the audience. This audience member was the low point of my entire night. As I said, I just couldn’t get into My Epic. They put on a halfway decent show. While I do not know any of their songs, I did enjoy the two songs that they had two guest vocalists on that night, one being Silent Planet’s own Garrett Russell.

Once Silent Planet was about to take the stage, I looked around and noticed that the venue was pretty much full. The band started off with a new song from their upcoming album before moving into more familiar songs. Along the way, Garrett started to explain the meaning behind the songs and how they came to be. He commanded the stage the way a great frontman should. He made sure to get the whole crowd involved throughout the whole set. Throughout the bands hour long set, they brought numerous guest vocalists onstage ranging from their merch guy to My Epic’s vocalist Aaron Stone on the song “Nervosa,” to one of Garrett’s good friends. To say Silent Planet put on an amazing show would be an understatement. It’s honestly too hard to put into words the atmosphere that Silent Planet brings; it’s just something to be seen in person.

All in all, it was a great show. Mind you, as I get older I don’t go to many shows as I would like. But I am glad I was given the opportunity to see this one. Go support these artists by buying an album or some merch and be sure to catch a future performance. Without our support they would not have the opportunity to do what they love. And without them we would not have the joy of hearing all the wonderful art they bring.

Check out the photos from the show below and be sure to check back for updates on these bands and so many more: