Dredg, Key To Arson, Tenfold & 7th Standard

It’s amazing to me how you come to these shows, buy your ticket, have a few drinks, find a place to stand and look upon that stage at the performer and whatever it is they’re doing with such admiration. It seems like the natural, personal opinion of the average audience member is that these performers are musical gods that embody some kind of knowledge and ability of defined artistic production that the viewing listener cannot possibly comprehend; this leaves the singer and the musicians up there on the raised floor as persons without personality. That way of looking at the performer lets their realism slip away as they are automatically, accidentally perceived as empty bodies displaying a public addiction. I was observing the crowd screaming and hypnotically molding around each other in a sea of writhing drunk and stoned meat when I couldn’t help falling into the aforementioned train of thought; I found myself bobbing my head with wide eyes, mindlessly having a good time. Then I separated myself from what I presumed was the overall convictions and personas of everyone else and thought deeply about what the bands were doing. It was then obvious to me that each and every one of these bands was full of unseen inspiration and drive; they appeared to be exhaustingly killing themselves in front of the audience with each song in order to share with the crowd, their outlook on the life we all suck at.
Key To Arson held the eyes and ears of the beginning, smaller crowd by sweating and prancing around while projecting a heavy, edgy, energetic onslaught of metal noise. Full of socially conscious opinions and feelings, the openers blasted into the minds of audience members ranging from what appeared to be ten years old to sixty years old.
Then, looking a lot like Disturbed, Tenfold bounced up on stage and gave me a forty minute display of how anger, sadness, happiness, violence and the concept of drowning can be fun when you accompany the grievances of them with loud, bitchin’ heavy metal. The Sacramento band is anything but your average, empty fad cut to look like what idiots think are “perfect.” They’re honest, talented and according to their very friendly manager, they’re coming back to Chico in about three weeks...check ‘em out.
7th Standard hit the stage next and although it could be the beer forming my opinions, they fuckin’ rocked. Obviously young and on the brink of their careers, they most likely haven’t had to deal with the shit bands deal with as long as most of the other bands out there in the world, but when they do, they simply look like they’ll be able to handle it; as if the life of a rock star won’t phase them in the least. Throughout their entire set they seemed relaxed at kicking ass; they readied the growing intensity of the crowd.
And so, Dredg took the floor after minutes that burned like hours of the fans screaming, cheering and jumping up and down. I’d never heard them before but after only the first song, the only comfortable series of words I could personally, mentally label them as were “Radiohead with balls.” Don’t get me wrong; I love Radiohead, but if their constant, respectable attention to soothing intelligence were to have a little more backbone, it would be Dredg. I don’t know much about them; where they’re from, where they’re going, why they are whoever they are, but they completed a great night.

- Andy Harvey

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