We’re most of the way into May, but this was the first show all year where I showed up wearing a t-shirt, not a long-sleeve or a hoodie. This hot, muggy night brought a fistful of heavy bands into town, including one from just up the road–stoner-rockers Sierra outta Kitchener Rock City. As for Weedeater, I don’t think they’ve played here in about five years, and it seems their legend has grown since the last time I’ve seen ’em. There were all sorts of bearded weirdos in attendance that I’ve never seen before–and the crazy crowd made for a rather raucous performance!
I was a bit bummed out when Lord Dying dropped off the tour, being that they’re basically the best sludge/thrash band from east of Oakland…but Sierra was a solid replacement. They sounded a bit sludgier and heavier than the last time I saw ’em, but suffice to say they may contain traces of Kyuss. No photos from me, but certainly worth a shout-out.
The last time I saw Today is the Day was actually at the Hard Luck, in September of last year. A Wednesday-night gig on the eve of The Amazing Race Canada finale, twas a spirited, if poorly attended performance. And while they’ve seemingly lost their headlining status, TITD was a very solid secondary support act, as sludge and grind collided in their heavy noise-rock concoction.
Now, I had heard of Author & Punisher before, and maybe even listened to a couple tunes online, but I still wasn’t quite sure what to expect. This one-man project uses a system of levers and an accordion-shaped drum machine, along with keys and pedals to create some chilling industrial doom a la Godflesh. And as far as one-man shows go, this was a lot more interesting than some DJ with his laptop…
This was the first time I’ve seen Weedeater since they replaced their original drummer. The Three Stooges of Sludge had stuck together for over a dozen years until then, but I gotta say, this new guy is pretty darn entertaining. With his kit facing sideways, the stick-twirling, high-kicking skinpounder brought a new level of showmanship to one of the most fun live bands in stoner/sludge/doom. And with all the stoner bros moshing behind me, I narrowly missed getting a foot to the face on a couple occasions…which might be the first time in sludge-metal history that someone’s been kicked in the head by a drummer. (It’s bound to happen by the end of the tour though, I tell ya!)
