Last Wednesday night (11/11), I was introduced to a new, historic venue; the Odeon, in the Flats of downtown Cleveland. The place re-opened their doors this past May since its closure in 2006. They keep the music variety open, but mainly focus on rock, country, some metal, and indie-rock. Being one of the top venues back in the day, it's so cool to know that bands such as Iggy Pop, Metallica, Marylin Manson, and Nine Inch Nails have left their footprint on this stage.
The melodic metal group from Sweden, Amaranthe headlined the evening with the Butcher Babies setting the tone with an energetic, fist pumping set, where the fans felt very much involved with their set. It's not without mentioning opening acts from Lullwater, a rock/alternative group out of Athens, Georgia, and Cleveland's own, Olathia.
Overall, it has been a thoroughgoing night from 'rock' all the way to the neck swaying 'metal' genre.
Olathia
There were numerous openers from that night, but Olathia stuck out and proved they could handle a bill of this caliber. I don't just cover and write this to boost their popularity and because I've become really good friends with them. I really accept their talents and passion for music. AND I also believe they'll be opening more and more ears as a music video is on the horizon with an east coast invasion early next year to break into the mainstream.
If there's one song to get your virgin ears with this band, check out "Seven Deadly Sins" off their 'Hunters' album. The lyrics and harmonizing guitar melody represent the anthem of this group.
Lullwater
Butcher Babies
The two cunning front women, Carla and Heidi were super tough to shoot, but for good reason. Their music is very agile and heavy, therefore, numerous hair whips and fast movements made it difficult to lock on with my camera. I didn't care at all, considering they worked the stage left to right and feeding their fans aggressive energy making my shots very interesting. Oh and they were very photo friendly, giving my camera some love. The challenge was definitely there and happily accepted. They still intimidate me a tad.
Amaranthe
It's unusual to see a band with three lead vocalists, but Amaranthe pulled it off as I was constantly switching my focus every 2-seconds to see what new action was in front of my lens.
