Water Street Music Hall was hot and steamy for some multi-band hard rock hi-jinx last night. I rolled up as The Letter Black took the stage. The band was tight but the combo of female vocals and the band’s hard rock struck me as a little stiff. Regardless, the audience loved ’em.
Love and Death followed, and though nu-metal ain’t always my thing, these guys rocked. Front man (and former Korn guitarist) Brian “Head” Welch howled like a maniac sans the guitar for the most part, and other than the low-down rhythmic grind that chugged beneath the vocals, there wasn’t much in the way of soloing. It was compelling,riveting, and even a little fun when Welch donned a Devo flowerpot hat and tore through a rough and ragged version of “Whip It.” It had teeth. In my ongoing belief that a performer can say anything to an audience and get a positive, collective “woooo” Welch gave a shout out to Jesus and the crowd erupted. I mean you could say “Here’s to Jerry Sandusky with your kids on a camping trip” and folks would cheer.
Thousand Foot Krutch followed with a slick, driving set for an audience that was clearly there for the band. Chants of “T-F-K, T-F-K!” preceded the band’s set. It was loud and metal but had a lot of its own unique motion.
This article appears in Feb 27 – Mar 5, 2013.
