Posted on by johnny

Random Rumble Ramblings: 2014 (Part I)

This is Anngelle. She's pretty good at this whole Rumble thing.
This is Anngelle. She’s pretty good at this whole Rumble thing.

We’re half way through Rumble prelims week. I hope you enjoyed your Day of Rest. Things get going again tonight. Here’s the schedule for the rest of the week. In the meantime, these are some thing I’ve been chewing on…

Old Favorites

GD Drax attack!
GD Drax attack!

Airport continues to amaze me. Based on the crowd response, I wasn’t the only one in awe. Sinnet played “Year of the Whale” like it was the last song on earth. So good. After catching the band a couple of times minus a member, I finally got the full Doom Lover experience. It was everything I hoped it would be. Arena-rockers-in-training The Life Electric played like TT’s was The Centrum. How good were Goddamn Draculas? You knew it was their night by half way through the first song.

New Faces

Z*L has a sound inspired by the man who inspired the naaming of The Rumble. Did you follow that?
Z*L has a sound inspired by the man who inspired the naming of The Rumble. Did you follow all that?

Lots of good stuff from new-to-me bands in the first half of the week. Z*L was a visceral experience. Their guitar reverb is still decaying. Tigerman Woah and Guillermo Sexo came highly recommended and delivered inspired sets. Rebuilder were the first band of this year’s event. They set the bar high.

Bubbles Vs. Feathers Vs. Confetti

Barricade blasts bubbles.
Barricade blasts bubbles.

Sidewalk Driver sent confetti flying when they played The Rumble. White Dynomite famously filled the air with feathers as part of their pillow sacrifice to the Rumble gods. This year, it was bubbles floating by. Barricades broke out the bubble gun during their Tuesday night win.

Fun With Numbers

Airport: Six Guys In Ties
Airport: Six Guys In Ties

  • The Fightin’ Fifty-Four: 54 performers have taken the stage to Rumble this year. Seven were part of quintets. There were also a pair of quartets, one trio and one duo. Airport trumped ’em all as a sextet.
  • Ties On The Rise: Two years ago, 5 different performers wore ties during The Rumble. Last year it was 8. We’re half way through the preliminary round and 10 performers have already donned ties (2 of the bow variety) in the 2014 Rumble.
  • I Can’t Count That High: How many notes did Emma Ate The Lion play during their set? Heck, how many notes did they play during a single song? Wowza.

Play Me Out
When Particles Collide were having a pretty good set Monday night. Then they played “Constant Disaster” and the place went bonkers. Below are a few of the songs that have stuck with me so far. Now get thee to TT’s!