The place was pretty packed - hopefully this event showed the GW management that no cover = more attendance = mo' money, mo' money, mo' money.

5 Minute Sin was onstage when we arrived, doing their metallic take on classic/southern rock-rooted jams. Lotsa energy and enthusiasm were the hallmark of their performance, with plenty of raunchy, whiskey-flavored rock & roll to go around. Could've been a bit louder in the back (probably due to the number of bodies between there & the stage - not a usual situation at the ol' GW), but up front, it sounded loud enough, alright. A strong set it was, to be sure.

Left Brain was up next, and the front of the stage stayed pretty packed for most of their set. Left Brain's sound is a complex mix of progressive and postpunk metal that broods, seethes, and periodically goes postal on yer azz. Tristin's clean vocals are more flowing & melodic than those in similar acts, keeping the compositions focused and interesting - that is not to say that he can't grunt, bellow, and shout - he does it all. LB's complex rhythmic patterns intertwine, shift, and mutate throughout the songs, batted back & forth between the players like a hot potato. Even so, the compositions are seamless sonic collages with lucid, albeit variegated, directions.

Amid attacks of sillystring and other birthday antics, Left Brain kept the crowd packed up front, although there was a sudden gap that formed when most of the female population (along with a few males) fled the front as a riding crop was brought onstage ). Steve's drumming was spot-on, driving the bus while allowing the 5-string bass (piloted with expert grace & contramelodic precision by Dr. Thunda) and John's guitar (slabs of riffage alternating with brief, blindingly-fast runs and pick-squealing shrieks) to go about their business.

We had to split slightly before LB was finished (apologies to them & the Simfonic boys) because one of Neb's eyes became irritated and began to resemble a red-hot coal, but the place was still hopping - again, I hope the Golden West sees how well things can go without a cover charge. Lots of crossover traffic from the Launchpad was in effect, but I'd be willing to bet good money that most of 'em wouldn't have sprung for a 5 buck cover.

Edit: I was sure it was spelled "Tristan," but I wuz wrong.

Thanks to everyone who came out and helped make one of the local music scenes goals successful. As everyone knows, The Golden West has always been an issue with everybody involved with that venue. Thankfully; because of all the support, that place was fucking packed. I personally hadn’t seen it that filled in a long time and I’m always downtown promoting or watching other bands play.

We were able to pull some weight and work out some fantastic compromises with Kathy and The Golden West. It was just a matter of actually communicating to her and letting her know the reasons why things aren't doing well at all with her venues. To see what we could and couldn’t do to bring people in there and stay. Obviously, no cover, killer drink specials and an entertaining atmosphere created a very fun and populated Golden West.

We received a lot of great feedback for pulling off what we were able to do and also received a phone call from Kathy thanking us for the successful night. Hopefully, this will be a more common situation for The Golden West and we all hope they realize that eliminating the cover charge can bring them more shows and business.

Thanks to all the bands and people who came out. Thanks to Five Minute Sin and Simfonik Plague for playing a killer set and helping bring people in to the show. The best part of the night was seeing people able to walk in and out of there without having to pay anything.

That made my night... = )

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Thanks to Five Minute Sin and Simfonik Plague for playing a killer set and helping bring people in to the show

Counting our roadie and our guitar player's girlfriend and her cousin, there were 8 people there to see us! If for nothing else, it's a pleasure to jam with these guys for the amount of honeys they bring! Excellent performances from all, and hats off to Steve LeftBrain for kicking up his drumming skills yet another 6 notches since we last saw them! Cheers!

Thanks for the psychedelic review Racer! We've been waiting for ours. It was cool that you guys made it out. If you need inspiration for another review, I can probably help you out with some mushrooms or peyote.

Btw, who provided the MacGregor-like shots? We owe you one...

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If you need inspiration for another review, I can probably help you out with some mushrooms or peyote.

Mmmmm....

Peyote...

Salivating....

From another thread-

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Originally posted by RacerX:
I ran outta mushrooms writing that review.

Weeeeeeeeeeee....it was fun. Well, until my eye turned evil. I really hated missing the Plague. They put out some great energy. 5MS was puttin out the rock star grooves as I knew they would. Left Brain...I bow in thanks to yous for layin down the rhythm that kept me movin until my evil eye took over. Mvto.