Till Death, Jim Jones Brigade, American Standard, The Red Robot & The Americas

On the second stop of their self-proclaimed “Tour-ture” tour, The Americas opened the night and filled the hall with the joyous sound of pulsing drums and off-time guitar mutations that have made them one of the best live acts in town. Travis Weurthner’s sarcastic grin and bizarre chord progressions perfectly complimented drummer Casey Deitz’s wielding drum techniques once again. The Americas rule. Don’t ever miss them.
The group played a shortened set and made way for their tour mates, The Red Robot. Those not yet privy to the fury and talent that is ever present in this group’s live show are missing out. Newcomers and established fans alike sauntered up to the front of the stage and proceeded to engage in the synchronized head-bob that is beginning to, though it is appreciated, be all too routine at rock shows. The Red Robot’s vocalists screamed aloud their insightful lyrics, sometimes without the use of a microphone, and belted out the whole of their recent CD, Grun-tu-Molani. The energy dispensed by the band could have easily powered the pseudo-town that is Palo Cedro. Rousing applause took the place of squealing feedback as the group left the stage in favor of American Standard.
It seems that Redding has become the newest haven for post-hardcore bands as of late and American Standard readily indulged in this increasingly obsolete sound. The trio displayed a surprising lack of enthusiasm for playing such abrasive rock, but managed to incite a small slam pit near the stage that sent those of the curious persuasion running to the hills. After the group ended their set, the proverbial attendance drop that is synonymous with Redding shows took place (I have no idea why), even with two more bands left to play.
Jim Jones Brigade played a routine set of tunes that failed to capture the attention of the dwindling audience, but displayed furious energy. I stuck it out for some of their set and the beginning of Till Death Do Us Part’s set, which rocked the Casbah as usual, but soon retired into the bitter cold of Redding’s evening. I sincerely hope that you were able to catch some great shows at the Grange in the past few years because this may have been the last one.

– Ryan Prado
– Photo by Suzanne Gillis

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