Grangler Weekend: Volume Two

Before heading over to ClubMed we stopped at the Triple Rock Social Club for some tea. It was dopeness. Sat firmly in a bar stool, I admired the odd penis statue, proudly presenting itself before the bar. Why are you playing with your genitals, fine statue figure? Perhaps to "rock out, with your cock out"?

Heavy Focus 4

Lineup:

• Vertonen
• Queening
• Ison Sucks
• Prostate
• Blessed Sacrafist
• Mr Fuckhead
• Father You See Queen
• Grainbelt
• Gnawed
• Custodian
• Kr Grauwacke
• Crusader No Remorse
• Freeboyz
• Soaking Rasps

The fourth annual Heavy Focus Festival was held on Saturday, April 30th.

Some highlights:

Queening (NY) was very impressive. The duo (guitar, drums) produced quite the rawkus. The vocals were pleasant albeit shrill at times.

Prostate was a clear highlight. The drum setup was unique - utilizing found objects (trash can, gas can) in liu of the more traditional drum set, which sounded fantastic. Seth's stage presence and microphone stance reminded me of Trent Reznor (in a good way).

Father You See Queen was my favorite performance of the evening. The down-tempo ambient beats were hypnotic and relaxing. Mona's vocals fit the backdrop perfectly. Angelic and soothing.

All the other acts were good, but none compared to the three called-out above. The band Seth Vanhorn was in ruled too, but I fail to remember their name. Toward the end of the show Stef (P.O.S) showed up. It was nice to see him again. I haven't been to a Doomtree show in some time - too long. My feelings toward shows change once they lose intimacy. Seeing Atmosphere back in the late 90s was an incredible experience. In similar fashion, Doomtree's early shows blew me away, even moreso. Once the college crowd piles-in, and talking during the show becomes the norm, I lose interest. It might be a shitty thing to say, but hey, it's true. This brings me to a reason why I attend small shows like Heavy Focus. They're intimate.

I need to call-out Seth Ryan for organizing the annual Heavy Focus festival. He's a talented and passionate dude. It can not be an easy feat to organize an event that wrangles eclectic acts from around the country. Hats off fine sir.