Wednesday night's 5-band extravaganza at the Agora was one that took me awhile to wrap my head around. Not a negative outlook, but the diverse range of music on one bill...well, took me awhile to come up with the right kind of adjectives to label this show (Still don't think I got it).
First up, Olathia opened up with their typical, hard hitting balls-to-the-walls performance which got a lot of the people in the doors and to the stage. Always seems like a great night when their name is on the bill, regardless of position. Chris and I thought this would be a great opportunity to shift their music onto a slightly different audience. With success they had a buzz over by their march table with praise and compliments.
Olathia (Cleveland, OH)
At this point of the evening, things slightly took a change in music.
The kids dressed in black with an attitude of, "To hell with it. We don't care". Dr. Dreadful, labeled as 'Horror Rock', certainly can back up this new genre with dark lyrics, fun catchy guitar strings, and...ZOMBIES! Right from the Akron area, they brought a slew of fans up to the Agora and played an amazing show that got me hooked on their music. Love their titled song, "The Dead Regime". Can't wait to check these guys out again soon!
Dr. Dreadful (Akron, OH)
A young band out of Phoenix, Arizona called Run 2 Cover shifted the tone from a dark, eerie setting, to an upbeat pop/rock locale with music you would typically find on the Vans Warped Tour or on your little sister's iPod playlist. Run 2 Cover had the boy band vibe that you would typically find yourself closing your ears, because the girls around you were screaming at the dudes in the band. That wasn't the case as much of the audience definitely was mellowed and well, goth'd for One-Eyed Doll. Not my type of music, but I enjoyed the energy and enthusiasm they brought and how they worked the stage.
Run 2 Cover (Phoenix, AZ)
Two of the bands that stuck out were...well you know the first, and this band, Stitched-Up Heart. When the stage lights went up, you were greeted with this cute, brightly blonde-headed chick covered in tattoos who immediately changed the energy for the night. Most of the guys in the band were slightly glammed up in makeup and rip torn jeans. For some reason, they sported a resemblance to a young Motley Crue with a more of a modern look. Mixi harmonized the mic with a awesome performance from one of their top hits, "Finally Free". You can check out the video here.
Stitched-Up Heart (Los Angles, CA)
I'm not sure if I can accurately describe the tone of One-Eyed Doll or even their music, but the only way I could explain it was if you can picture a young girl who talks to invisible people and communicates with a ouija board in her parent's bleak attic. Maybe there's a full moon in that picture somewhere. Rock-N-Roll is too vague to classify this art. By all means, this isn't a bad thing I'm comparing as she put on a damn good show all equipped with 4 foot hair whips (which I was the victim of about 4 times), powerful high kicks, and cliché Halloween props. Kimberly, the lead singer in this duo-band from Austin, TX, had a very charismatic demeanor as she involved much of the audience as part of her show. There's also a sweetness to her as well. Once you get past the demonic creatures and stories she loves to tell between songs.
One-Eyed Doll (Austin, TX)
I would like to thank the Agora for having me and also like to thank Olathia and the other bands for a unique, but entertaining evening. Cheers!