After a long absence from the venue, the herald finally received an invitation back to The Cobalt, where in their darkened cavern, three offerings have been laid before Him, poised to be collected by the herald to ease His eternal hunger.
The lineup aims in the stoner/prog direction, which the herald always enjoys exploring. The chilly evening is quickly left behind as the herald enters the venue, where the opening offering has already begun.
STRATHCONA
Making their second offering in just a few months, this quartet brought forth a killer opening set of hard psych rock where everyone in the band shone at various parts, starting with the singer, who unleashed a more robust performance this time. Had a lot more oomph and strength behind their voice, cutting through the music nicely.
As it tends to happen, the guitarist had a few tech issues that frustrated them. Still, once they settled in, they found their groove and their sexy tone offered a whack of squiggly good times that had me moving.
The bassist got stronger as the set went on, as they got more comfortable up there. Some prominent killer riffs in the last couple of songs matched up with the magnificent drums, which were the primary source of my flailing.
Such top-notch skill is coming off that drummer. Dynamic and smooth, exciting and tight, they move around that kit gracefully and effortlessly, always catering to the song’s needs. Such a blast to watch.
It was a decent-sized crowd to start, with more engagement from them as the set went on.
CHARLES MANSION
The premier stoner rock band in the city, it is always a treat to the earholes to get a dose of MANSION up in there. This quartet always delivers a groovy, stoner rock vibe incomparable in the city. With such a slew of songs in their catalog, it is never the same show twice with them, and this being their sixth or seventh offering, it still sounds fresh and exciting.
The bassist is one of the best in the city and my personal favorite. Always playing barefoot, they find the perfect groove to service the song and hit it every time as they play all over their fretboard, making full use of that sexy, sexy instrument. Sometimes, they play the melody, and others, something totally different. I love it.
The lead singer is always charming and amusing, never failing to keep the flow going despite any hiccups or delays that inevitably occur along the way. Whether seemingly random thoughts or planned statements, they always put a grin on my face and connect with the crowd.
Their groove was on point, and as the flailing got a little thicker, I flew and twirled all over that floor, along with a few more folks. I love a good smashing and banging pit, but there is something special about a pit of flailers, all avoiding each other but still giving it all.
AUTOGRAFT
Finally, it was the band who invited me out. They brought a psych-rock vibe with a dash of stoner to our holes for consumption. This quartet, featuring the drummer and bassist from REVEREND APE, offered up a gorgeous weave of sound for the remaining flailers to flail.
The lead guitarist, giving all sorts of Kim Thayil vibes, had the sexiest tone they shred into my heart. It was just that perfect sound, crisply entering my earholes and bringing delight and joy to squiggle to.
The lead singer/rhythm guitarist fronted the band, was engaging, and interacted well with the crowd, and it turns out they are the father of the bassist. As a father to two young lads myself, this evokes a lot of dad feels in me as watching a father and son kick ass on stage together makes all the warm fuzzies course through me.
They did several guitar changes/swaps, and instead of silence, the bassist and drums would do a little something funky in an impromptu jam. It did not have to be much, or even anything coherent, really, but having something to entertain is miles better than awkward silence.
The drummer brought all the smashy smashy to get my legs moving, and with the thinned crowd up front—most folks squeezed in at the back—there was ample room to get my spinning flail on. It was a killer set to end the night and a hell of a lineup.
He was pleased with tonight’s offerings.