[Photos + Review] Cinemechanica, Manray, Lazer/Wulf @ 529 (1/29/11)

All photos by Clint Miller

Saturday, I went to see Athens based, Cinemechanica at 529 in East Atlanta. I had never seen them live before, but had heard that cardiac arrest and brain aneurysms were key components to their live show. There was no way I was going to pass up an opportunity like that even if my life, or more realistically, my ears, were at stake.

The first band to play, Lazer/Wulf, was a three-piece, and my expectations were low. They looked like typical frat-guys who decided to ditch the tailgate party and start a band that wears warrior-style face paint. Although, it was the fact that they were the first out of three unknown bands to play that led to my low expectations, not their appearance. I was pleasantly surprised as soon as they took the stage and began to play. I found myself compelled to move with the music and stare open-jawed at the guitarist who was playing notes faster than I previously thought was humanly possible.

They alternate between traditional metal and speed metal, although they make the sound their own. I was surprised at how well they sounded live while having only three members. The guitarist was the best part of the show via getting the crowd amped and making strange faces, although, what really helped was the fact that he is insanely proficient at playing his instrument. The bassist and guitarist both entered the crowd several times while playing extremely technical solos. The only drawback to seeing this band live was the semi-annoying fan-base that had followed them from Athens. (I knew they were from Athens because every time one of the bands mentioned they were from Athens, multiple people shouted “wooo! Athens, Yeah!” )About 2/3 into their set, an impromptu mosh pit broke out, reminding me why I stay away from 90% of all metal shows. Luckily this was the ‘friendly’ mosh pit and not the ‘punch everything that moves’ type pit. Still, though, its never fun to have beer spilled on your face.

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Live Review: Indian Jewelry, Tree Creature, Gold Painted Nails (5/18/2008) Eyedrum


Indian Jewelry setting up for their show.

The Sunday night before last, I went down to Eyedrum to catch this one. No matter how many times I go to Eyedrum for shows, I almost always forget where it is and get lost for a minute. This time it delayed me just long enough to get caught in a downpour of rain. After entering the venue and quickly glancing over the art hanging in the gallery, I made my way to the concert venue in the back. There were chairs set up on the floor area this time and on a table by the wall, Indian Jewelry had their merch displayed under a trifold board like kids use for the science fair. I grabbed a seat and a few moments later someone announced that Gold Painted Nails was going on up front. The crowd slowly made its way to the tiny gallery in the very front that I didn’t even realize existed to catch a short and sweet set from GPN. The one man project from Chris Attack was a somewhat minimalist approach to electronic noise jamming. Industrial-esque beats and dog barking-type vocal loops are always a great combo.

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