Concert Review: 10 Years

Cutting Like Knives Tour
The Trocadero Theater – Philadelphia, PA
October 22nd, 2012

Let’s pretend it’s 2006. I’m a Junior in college, and just getting into the hard rock and metal scene. I walk into one of my first festivals early in the day, and head to the little bitty side stage, with no expectations what-so-ever. The first band walks out, with a dude that has dreads hanging below his shoulders leading the way. I have no idea who they are, but immediately I like their sound. By the third song, I was hooked, and their last song (Wasteland) would soon become one of my all time favorites.

Fast forward 6 years. I now know that band is called 10 Years, and I have been listening to them ever since. In fact, I’ve learned that for the past decade, they have created quite a name for themselves in the mid-market hard rock genre, and they are only getting better. Earlier this year, they released their strongest album to date, called Minus the Machine, which highlights their signature intense yet reserved vocals, but with a much heavier spin than albums in the past. The album also features an increased usage of backup screams that works very well, and overall, the album sticks out as one of 2012’s best.

Music Pill Update: October 2012

Greetings and Salutations!!!

Well, it’s been a really, REALLY long time since I’ve posted anything on this blog. My wife and I were blessed with our first child on July 20th, an awesome baby boy named Luke, who is already a rocker at heart. While it’s been one of the most amazing thing that’s ever happened to me, it has left little time for blogging. SO, my goal over the next few weeks is to get caught up and release some blogs about the shows I was able to sneak out to.

But first, I wanted to post about what’s been going on in the last few months, and what I’ve been listening to. There are several really good albums that are out that have been active at The Music Pill during midnight feedings and through headphones while walking Luke to sleep. 🙂

Concert Review: Chiodos

The Return of Chiodos Tour
The Egyptian Room – Indianapolis, IN
September 15th, 2012

Chiodos became sort of big when I was in high school, although I was never a huge fan. However, in the past couple years, I have been following lead singer Craig Owens story – he helped start Chiodos in high school, and then enjoyed early success with them before struggling with bi-polar disease, substance abuse, and depression. He was let go of Chiodos in 2009, due to undisclosed reasons, and started a “supergroup” called Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows (D.R.U.G.S.). This is when he came onto my radar…because the first D.R.U.G.S. release was absolutely incredible. I was able to catch them live, and they put it on a great show.

So, when it was announced in early 2012 that Craig Owens was leaving (…essentially disbanding) D.R.U.G.S. and re-joining Chiodos, I was a bit disappointed and intrigued at how Chiodos would come out of the whole fiasco. Their reunion tour came through Indy, and I couldn’t miss it. Chiodos – lets do this.