ROCK N ROLL EXPERIENCE - Mushroomhead, Black Flood Diesel, Marazen

Having seen Mushroomhead a few years ago, I knew that the band was a band that wore masks & were kinda like a melodic version of Slipknot, except there's less members! I was quite surprised when I got there & the crowd was more gothed out than I had expected...it kinda looked like trash & vaudeville ala Hot Topic...lotsa black, fishnet, & I later realized that it had to do with the band Psychlon Nine, who are a San Francisco based industrial rock act that look like burnt-out club kids pretending to be Robyn Finc & Twiggy Ramirez clones, which is a cool thing!

Ok, so the first band up was Marazene, & they had that Industrial rock thing going on...lotsa dance beats, yelling, & tuned down, heavy-assed guitars! The bands singer had long black dreads that had to be partially fake, & I think they were a great opening band for this show because at times, they were more exciting, visually, than musically, & the bass player was really the element that held the band together from my view point.

Black Flood Diesel were 2nd on the bill & they kinda reminded me of Godsmack meets Hatebreed...they were heavy rock with loads of aggression & power & actually they were the oddballs on this bill...they didn't really dress-up, they didn't really put on a show, they just got up there & played ala the grunge bands of the early 90's, & their no-frills set was kinda lost on the crowd at times, since this was a crowd that was into visual acts, but I dug their set, & the last song in their very short set was actually their best...it had this bass chug/groove that just made you wanna move! I might add to that their new CD was produced by Skinny from Mushroomhead too!

Psychlon Nine were next on the bill, & for me, this was where things got VERY interesting! The band are comprised of a bunch of freaks who cover themselves in dreads, grime, platforms, & even though they play industrial rock, their music & image has this really sleazy, dirty vibe that reminds me of the excess the hairband stuff had....it's not to say that Psychlon Nine are ANYTHING like a hairband, it's just that the girls in the crowd went crazy for them, their looks are kinda femme, but in a very transvestite kinda way, & this was probably the most exciting moment of the night, because these guys ARE rockstars! I like to see bands get up onstage & just jam, but I also like to see guys who look weird & are NOTHING like me, & this was the band if you wanted a freak-fest! This was my first time ever seeing/hearing the band & all I can say is, if you want something totally different, this is your band!

The Human Abstract were next up & their guitar work was dazzling..they had Yngwie Malmsteen style riffs that border on classical & it's NOT something that a novice could do, by any means, which is a far cry from the Drop-D riffs that most bands play today! Musically, the band kicked ass, but the guitar solo's are what just made my jaw drop...OMG, their guitarists are beyond sick!

Mushroomhead were the headliner's for the evening & they played an 80 minute set that was as visual as it gets...the band had drum's that were filled with water on the top of the skins & when they played them, they splashed the front of the crowd, & the bands 2 singers shared vocals pretty well, but to be honest with you, the opening bands kinda stole the spotlight from Mushroomhead, I mean this was one of the more interesting show bills I've seen in a while...every band was distinct & had their own thing going on! If you missed this show, you missed a really fun time, & I'm still laughing that at the end of the show, I was in a conversation about bad b-movies, Godzilla, & Frankstein...it really kinda fit the show & initially I didn't expect this show to be as much fun as it was, but it was a blast! On a personal note, I was supposed to have a photo pass, but something happened & I was not issued a photo pass, so my pictures were taken from the crowd, but that's kinda what Rock N Roll Experience is all about...you get a show review & pics, regardless of the situation, & sometimes, the shots taken from the crowd are more interesting than the ones taken from inside the barricade because they have a different feel & look.