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REVIEW: MUSHROOMHEAD, ONE-EYED DOLL, UNSAID FATE, IONIA, & ELETE 12/7/2013
Gweedo
Dear Mushroomhead,
Please plan your next Colorado concert in temperatures above freezing. Thanks.
This concert was the longest 30 min. I have stood in a line at Summit Music Hall. Last I saw, it was three degrees while the dedicated waited to see Mushroomhead, One-Eyed Doll, UnSaid Fate, Ionia, & ELETE. One-Eyed Doll walked down the line talking to people and handing out stickers. There was a good merchandise area where all the bands were peddling their wares. Mushroomhead had a lot with shoes, a wall of shirts, vinyl’s, and CDs. Everything was reasonably priced, and you got a free poster to get signed with a purchase. There were very few people to start and the balcony was closed. This was a very special night celebrating Mushroomhead’s 20th anniversary. JMann was performing with the band and returned to Denver after nine years.
Gweedo
Dear Mushroomhead,
Please plan your next Colorado concert in temperatures above freezing. Thanks.
This concert was the longest 30 min. I have stood in a line at Summit Music Hall. Last I saw, it was three degrees while the dedicated waited to see Mushroomhead, One-Eyed Doll, UnSaid Fate, Ionia, & ELETE. One-Eyed Doll walked down the line talking to people and handing out stickers. There was a good merchandise area where all the bands were peddling their wares. Mushroomhead had a lot with shoes, a wall of shirts, vinyl’s, and CDs. Everything was reasonably priced, and you got a free poster to get signed with a purchase. There were very few people to start and the balcony was closed. This was a very special night celebrating Mushroomhead’s 20th anniversary. JMann was performing with the band and returned to Denver after nine years.
Our opener was local Denver band, ELETE. I was impressed with this band. It is a four member band with a singer, guitarist, bass, and drummer. The drummer also used a drum machine. ELETE had a sound and look similar to Mushroomhead that they call industrial strength rock ‘n’ roll. All the band members wore molded masks and the lead singer put X eyes on his mask mimicking Mushroomhead’s X face since they were opening. I thought the masks and appearance looked really good compared to the local bands that perform in what they put on that day. Their performance was a little hindered by having barely any room with all the other bands’ equipment, but they adapted well. The floor was about a quarter full, and people were digging them. They were able to get a moshpit going once. After a couple songs, they built up some good energy but killed it with a clothes shedding break followed by a slow song. The slow song sounded good, but to keep the energy flowing, I would ditch it in the small sets or move it to the front so you can keep everyone’s attention to the end. They gained the crowd back in a couple songs and then ended with everyone cheering them. A decent crowd formed at their merch booth while they signed and took pictures. I see this band doing well in the future as long as they keep polishing their songs and perfecting their set.
The New York band Ionia was the next up. Their sound check went WAY too long. It came off that their lead singer was a little egotistical because he was not even out there for the sound check with everyone else. Once the lights dimmed, they had a monologue playing that was setting the mood, but that also went for entirely too long and left people wondering what was supposed to be happening. Ionia has five very talented guys, but they need to work on their songs. You could tell each person could play and sing very well, but something was not gelling with some of the songs. The lead singer was a good front man. He was all over the stage, had good presence, and a good rock star appearance. The rest of the band was just in plain clothes and could use a wardrobe reboot. There was not much room on the stage for all the members, and one of the guitarists was off to the side of the stage not even facing the crowd. I feel like there should have been a better way to fix that situation. With all that said, they are not a terrible band at all. If they tweak a few things, I believe they could be really good. For all I know, this was just a bad night for them. The majority of their set had strobe lights going that really distracted from the music. Unfortunately, it seemed like they did not intend that because the lead singer had to ask the lighting guy to hold off on all the strobbing. They did have a couple good songs where all the members clicked and the crowd got into. They did not seem to get everyone as energized as ELETE. So, I think ELETE should have played this spot instead. These guys also hung out at their booth later.
UnSaid Fate came out and picked up all the slack; this band rocks. Thanks to Mushroomhead for introducing me to this Cleveland gem. They have a smokin’ hot lead singer with a strong voice and great stage presence. The whole band played well and moved around the stage. Backup vocals were handled by the bass player and added a great dynamic to the songs. Their lucky drummer got to play on the Mushroomhead drumset still masked in a sheet. They were very energetic and got the crowd moving and moshing. As their final song, they played a fantastic cover of The Offspring “The Kids Aren’t Alright”. Of course, that will get any crowd going crazy. They were happy to talk to fans at their merch booth any chance they got. More great things should be coming with this band.
Next was the most entertained I have ever been by a drumset and a guitarist. One-Eyed Doll is a very interesting goth punk band from Austin, Texas that took over the stage. They have a simple theatrical set that is very interactive. Lead singer and guitarist Kimberly Freeman rocks out wielding various props and hats and addresses the audience as if they were a group of children. She spins comical stories that lead into each of her songs. Jason Rufuss Sewell a.k.a. “Junior” just hammers away on the drums the whole time. At this point, Summit Music Hall had filled in to about three quarters full. One-Eyed Doll spurred a lot of moshing. Freeman is very talented at keeping the crowd’s attention the entire time, laying down some solid riffs, and being active and flexible. She often did kicks over her head and arched back while playing the guitar. At one point, she even crowd surfed with her guitar. She is a very witty and crazy individual. Freeman would refer to the audience as Austin Denver, Texas. You know how those Texans get about their state. Towards the end, I was getting a little tired of the story telling because some of it drug on a bit before the song would start. To finish the set, Freeman jumped into the crowd and led everyone over to their merch booth.
The finale and celebration arrived. Mushroomhead took the stage in their 20th year as a band. It was fantastic to have Jeffery Nothing, J Mann, and Waylon singing. They sang some of the old songs with just J Mann, and there were some where all three singers sang. Their drumset was nice and big with a lot of cymbals. As expected, there were a lot of water drums going, which I love about their show. J Mann had his face painted, and everyone else was wearing great new X face masks. The floor was a little less than full and had a mosh pit the whole time. There were people crowd surfing, and everyone was ecstatic to finally get to see Mushroomhead. They sounded awesome, and everything about their set was great. A decent encore ensued, where they all came out wearing snowman X face masks. The masks were white with carrot noses, blue X’s, and blue icicle teeth. I am so jealous. I want one so bad. After their set, most of the band came out and signed posters and took pictures. They were surprisingly very nice.
Overall, it was a fantastic show. I got out of there at 12:30am, and it was nine degrees. The opening bands were good. I am sure I will be seeing ELETE opening for some more shows. UnSaid Fate was great, and I cannot wait for them to get out and tour more. I recommend you catch them and One-Eyed Doll. One-Eyed Doll is very unique and worth seeing live. It is impressive that Mushroomhead have been able to do something they love for 20 years. They are always worth seeing live with their energetic and unique show.
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