End of [Summer] Days Fest
End of [Summer] Days Festival: Photos by Kimphotog.com
August 30th 2009 at The Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana, California
Right on the outskirts of the OC area lies a pretty intensely hot, extremely attractive, venue called The Galaxy. It was my first time at the venue and in the area so I was stuck continuously asking everyone, “what city is this again,” to which they frustratingly answered, “SANTA ANA!” Once I got it down to where exactly I would for the next 9 or 10 hours, I prepped myself for an exciting day of good music, shenanigans, and absolutely no chill time. Sounds like my kind of weekend.
Up first were a few local bands that didn’t exactly catch my ear: a breakdown here, a breakdown there, pigsqueal here, pigsqueal there. However, Riverside, Ca natives Planes Crash set themselves apart from the pack and brought the crowd a little screamo/post hardcore feel. Although playing fairly early on, not to mention to a crowd of many “too cool to give it up to a sick band” type kids, Planes Crash held their own and then some. I find it personally hard to believe these guys aren’t signed and touring the nation already. Their style is genuine, enjoyable, (and honestly above all) marketable. They own some intense stage presence right along with a little thing called being able to play your effing instruments.
With that said, I have to add that the show didn’t really kick off for the crowd till Rancho, Ca metal band BRAVER hit the stage. Talent, long hair, guitar solos, and an amazing batch of guys just comes to mind when thinking about these boys. Infectious personalities and an amazing stage performance have helped this band gather a legion of supporters over the years. Not to mention gathering the crowds attention and respect by challenging them to crowd surf up to the stage and give vocalist Mikey Powell as many high fives as possible. They’ll be touring from September 17th –October 1st hitting plenty of California dates, Nevada, Idaho, Washington and also Oregon. If they’ll be anywhere near you, I strongly advise you to do yourself a favor and catch them live.
Up next on the roster was Chicago natives Oceano. First off, I didn’t know bands from Illinois could be so intimidating! I was under the impression Chicago has some wholesome little pop bands and were just dandy. Oceano is a band of fiercely (cliché I know) brutal musicians. From what I was watching, the crowd had every reason to enjoy themselves. However, the crowd participation wasn’t what I thought it’d be for them. Of course you could spot the die-hard fans in the crowd singing every lyric, but there were still more than enough wall flowers. My advise for next time, instruct the crowd to demolish any kid standing still next to them. Emmure did it and it worked wonders.
Following Oceano was a band I was personally more than excited to see. Iowa’s very own For Today is a band that I’ve specifically only gone to shows for at times. Mixing a medley of songs from their latest release, Portraits, and also throwing in a few older fan favorites from their album, Agape, makes for a very pleased audience. Another thing to love about this band is their personable approach and outreached arms for the crowd. They present themselves relatable, humorous, and more than willing to sit and chat with any fan about faith.
Next up on the bill was Orange County, Ca hardcore punk band, Stick to Your Guns. I’m almost positive that the most blood through out the day was shed during this bands set. It has to be the electrifying energy bouncing off each band member as they hold true punk roots and put on a quite a stage show. These guys display true showmanship by taking every single second on stage to instill an impression in the audiences’ minds.
As the night was drawing to an end and fans anxiously piled into the main room of the Galaxy Theatre, Emmure was prepping to get on stage. From what I hear, people find themselves pretty intimidated by this band. I’ve personally seen them multiple times and yeah, can’t lie, I know what you mean. There’s a burning flame in vocalist Frankie Palmeri’s eyes that draws you in and makes you want to rage right along with them. Even being all the way from Connecticut, they still get incredible respect here on the westcoast (which can’t be said for many bands.)
Ending off the night was Riverside, Ca’s own Suicide Silence. As a very recognizable band in the Southern, California scene, SS carry the torch as one of the few bands to make it to a fairly high level by sheer word of mouth through out the scene. You truly don’t even have to be a fan of the band’s music to respect their live sets and the passion they put into one show. Along with the kids in the audience, the band was drenched in sweat still pouring out their tunes to have the words screamed back at them by fans. In all, this was probably a show you wish you were at, enough said.
Post Info
- Posted by: Kimberly.Johnson
- Posted on: Thursday, September 3rd, 2009
- Category: Articles
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