Tag: Ruby Rose Fox

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I Went To Every Night Of The 2013 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble And All I Got Were These 799 Pictures*

A well deserved celebration.
A well deserved celebration.

The 2013 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble is in the books. This one won’t soon be forgotten. Anngelle Wood did a tremendous job. The Rumble requires gargantuan effort to pull together under ideal circumstances. This year? The way Angelle, Richard Bouchard, Kerri-Ann Richard and the rest of the Rumble crew navigated this Boston institution through uncharted waters was commendable. A careful balance of tact, compassion, flexibility and understanding the need for normalcy made the Rumble whole. I’m glad I got to be there.

Congratulations to Eddie Japan on their 2013 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble win! They were stellar in every round, never taking a single moment up on the TT’s stage for granted. Thanks to all 24 bands that participated. The talent in this city is inspiring. You kept me thoroughly entertained, even when I wasn’t sure I wanted to be.

I hope I was able to capture some of those special Rumble moments…

Finals:
Eddie Japan (2013 Rumble Winner)
Glenn Yoder And The Western States
Twin Berlin
The Dogmatics (Special Guest)

Eddie Japan are the 2013 Rock 'N' Roll Rumble Champs.
Eddie Japan are the 2013 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble Champs.

Semifinals:
Camden
The Daily Pravda
Eddie Japan (Semifinal Night #2 Winner)
Lifestyle
The New Highway Hymnal
Twin Berlin (Wildcard)
White Dynomite
Glenn Yoder And The Western States (Semifinal Night #1 Winner)

Lifestyle had people dancing in the Semifinals.
Lifestyle had people dancing in the Semifinals.

Preliminaries:
Blackbutton
Camden (Prelim Night #2 Winner)
Cancer Killing Gemini
Coyote Kolb
The Daily Pravda (Prelim Night #6 Winner)
The Deep North
Eddie Japan (Prelim Night #3 Winner)
Endation
The Field Effect
Ruby Rose Fox
Herra Terra
Jack Burton Vs. David Lo Pan
Lifestyle (Prelim Night #4 Winner)
Mount Peru
The New Highway Hymnal (Prelim Night #1 Winner)
The Okay Win
Parks
The Suicide Dolls
Supermachine
Twin Berlin (Wildcard)
Velah
Whitcomb
White Dynomite (Prelim Night #5 Winner)
Glenn Yoder And The Western States (Wildcard)

White Dynomite's set in the Prelims won't soon be forgotten.
White Dynomite’s set in the Prelims won’t soon be forgotten. I’m still finding feathers in my camera bag.

* Oh, and a t-shirt from Audio Cotton.

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Random Rumble Ramblings: 2013 (Part II)

Anngelle will get us rumbling again.
Anngelle will get us rumbling again.

OK. It’s time. Let’s talk about the Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble. The 2013 prelims are in the books. The semifinal round will be held at TT’s on Thursday (Glenn Yoder and the Western States (wildcard) / White Dynomite / The Daily Pravda / Lifestyle) and Friday (Twin Berlin (wildcard) / The New Highway Hymnal / Camden / Eddie Japan). For now, here are a few quick thoughts on the second half of the prelims.

Old Favorites

The Field Effect. Love these guys.
The Field Effect. Love these guys.

The Field Effect and White Dynomite squared off in a Battle Royale on Friday night. These were two of my favorite performances of the whole shebang. White Dynomite prevailed. Another favorite was The Daily Pravda’s winning set. Ruby Rose Fox put on one heck of a show that same night. Lifestyle took their night with after providing “the grossest Rumble moment” ever.*

New Faces

Parks are good. Real good.
Parks are good. Real good.

I had never seen Parks before, but I felt like I knew them so well. I love their first two singles. I’ve seen each of them play in other bands. No surprise that I walked away eager to see them again. Whitcomb and Jack Burton vs. David Lo Pan were the two heaviest bands in this year’s Rumble. They both captured the spirit of the event and had me pulling for them. Coyote Kolb and The Suicide Dolls contributed to a stellar Friday night lineup. Mount Peru made some beautiful music. Twin Berlin rocked their own pants off and earned a wildcard spot.

Chicken or Egg or Feather?

White Dynomite beered and feathered the late-night crowd.
White Dynomite fired up the late-night crowd.

Earlier in the week, it seemed like the crowd may have been experiencing some fatigue as each night wore on. Not so in the second half. The late-night crowds became much more animated as the weekend approached. In fact, all of the bands that played last on their respective nights advanced (White Dynomite and The Daily Pravda with wins, Twin Berlin with the wildcard). Night #4 winner, Lifestyle, came from the number 3 slot. Did the bands drive the crowd or did the crowd drive the bands? Who cares? It was a blast.

Fun With Numbers

Mount Peru were one of the magnificent seven.
Mount Peru were one one the magnificent seven.

  • Seven and Seven: There were two acts with 7 members on stage during the second half of the week.**
  • Fours and Fives: There were 4 quartets and 5 quintents. That worked out nicely.
  • I Can’t Count That High: Feathers.

Play Me Out

Let’s go anywhere but home normally sounds like fun. Right now, home seems good, though. I think The Field Effect would agree. Here are a few of the songs rocking my brain after the second half of the Rumble Prelims. See you at the Semis.





* Those were Sean T. Drinkwater’s own words regarding his onstage demulletization. I tend to agree with him.

** Mount Peru and Ruby Rose Fox

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24 Reasons Why I Can’t Wait For The 2013 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble To Start

It’s Rumble season. Every year around this time I’m filled with an equal mix of anticipation and nostalgia. That’s the kind of event The Rumble is. You get to check out 24 of the best bands playing around town in one* fell swoop while making memories that will haunt you you’ll remember for a very long time.** With that in mind, here are 24 reasons why I can’t wait for the 2013 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble to get underway on Sunday night. These are in no particular order, but I numbered them 24 to 1*** because that’s what all important lists do. Oh, and here’s the full schedule in case you missed it.

  1. Opening night is going to be awesome. The lineup of The Okay Win / Cancer Killing Gemini / The New Highway Hymnal / Velah is as good as they come. You’d be hard pressed to find a better way to spend a Sunday night all year. It’ll be better than the Mad Men premiere.
  2. The Rumble is known for eclectic bills, but this year takes the cake. Saturday’s Parks / Jack Burton vs. David Lo Pan / Ruby Rose Fox / The Daily Pravda lineup is certainly in contention for most diverse night of this year’s event. Thursday night’s Mount Peru / Whitcomb / Lifestyle / Twin Berlin bill is in that conversation, as well.
    3. Ruby Rose Fox is part of the crazy-diverse Saturday night lineup.
    Ruby Rose Fox is part of the crazy-diverse Saturday night lineup.
  3. There’s almost no stage banter. With only 30 minutes to impress the judges and win over the crowd, most bands have fine-tuned their sets. That makes a good line all the more memorable. My favorite came from 1998 Rumble winners The Ghost Of Tony Gold: “Vote The Ghost. We need the cash.”
  4. Pre-show beer at the back bar while shooting the breeze with some increasingly tired friends who keep coming out night after night? Yes please.
  5. There’s always a good story. Old Jack had quite the memorable run a couple of years ago. Last year Tommy Lada competed against himself in the semifinals playing with Ghosts Of Jupiter and Garvy J. And The Secret Pockets Of Hope And Resistance on the same night. We also had The Grownup Noise as the special guest band after they had to drop out of the competition due to injury. I’m looking forward to watching this year’s event unfold.
    6. OldJack's run was something special.
    OldJack’s run was something special.
  6. Anngelle Wood is going to cry. It’s inevitable. She just cares so damn much. This town needs more people like her.
  7. It’s always fun to see a band a second time. You’ve got an idea of what to expect, but you certainly don’t know all of their tricks. I get to do that 3 times on Monday (Endation / The Deep North / Camden) and one more time on Tuesday (Blackbutton).
  8. Editing photos at 3 o’clock in the morning is awesome. I think. I can’t really remember. I mean, half of the time I black out and can’t remember doing it. Sometimes I just fall asleep with my eyes open and my hand on the mouse, waiting for my brain to decide if the exposure needs to be nudged up a bit or… zzz…
  9. Bow Thayer And Perfect Trainwreck won The Rumble last year. Cask Mouse had a stellar showing as well. Girls Guns And Glory won it all a few years back. A touch of twang seems to go over well with the judges. Coyote Kolb and Glenn Yoder & The Western States would probably like to see that trend continue.
    10. Bow Thayer And Perfect Trainwreck twanged their way to a Rumble victory last year.
    Bow Thayer And Perfect Trainwreck twanged their way to a Rumble victory last year.
  10. I love seeing live bands.
  11. The Rumble is a living, breathing thing. It adapts over time. After a particularly contentious semifinal round in 1998, the wildcard was added to advance to the finals. Since then, three of those wildcards have won the whole shebang. The spirit of the event has evolved, as well. What was once a true competition is now more of a home grown music festival. Change can be a good thing.
  12. I have no idea who is going to win.
  13. I saw some of my current favorite bands for the first time in The Rumble. I’m looking at you Sidewalk Driver****, Mellow Bravo and The Susan Constant. Am I going to become obsessed with The Okay Win, The New Highway Hymnal, Herra Terra, Supermachine, Glenn Yoder & The Western States, Coyote Kolb, The Suicide Dolls, Mount Peru, Whitcomb, Twin Berlin, Parks or Jack Burton vs. David Lo Pan? I wouldn’t bet against it.
    14. Mellow Bravo won me over at The Rumble.
    Mellow Bravo won me over at The Rumble.
  14. I love Eddie Japan. It’s movie music where I get to make up the movie in my mind. I don’t know who will advance from Tuesday night’s lineup, but I’m pretty sure everyone will walk out of TT’s with the trumpet line from “A Town Called Nowhere” in their head.
  15. White Dynomite members have participated in more Rumbles than all of the other bands combined. Hell, my band even lost to one of these guys back in 2002. Will all that experience give these guys an edge? Find out next Friday.
  16. Looking at the list of past Rumbles makes me wish time travel was real. If I could go back in time to see one Rumble final that I missed it would be 1996. Trona and Quintaine Americana? Are you kidding me? So good.
  17. I need to see Parks live. I’m in love with their first two singles, but I haven’t been able to catch a show yet. This all changes next Saturday night.
  18. What about heavy music? Motherboar made it all the way to the finals last year with some brutally amazing sets. Sherman Burns tore their way into the semis as a wildcard. Jack Burton vs. David Lo Pan, Whitcomb and Supermachine are likely hoping for similar success.
    19. This.
    This.
  19. The time between the last band finishing their set and the night’s winner being announced is gloriously awkward.
  20. The Rumble is never boring. The American Measles wore Kiss makeup. Cracktorch could jump really high. Keith Pierce finished Mellow Bravo’s preliminary round set on top of a car in front of TT’s.***** What’s next?
  21. For the bands, The Rumble is a great way to get in front of people who may not have any idea who you are and win them over. Rumble crowds are good like that. I’ve seen The Field Effect take on some pretty diverse audiences in the past six months. Their enthusiasm is undeniable. Win or lose, The Field Effect is going to walk away with a boatload of new fans.
    22. The Field Effect will undoubtedly win over the crowd, but what about the judges?
    The Field Effect will win some new fans, but will they win their night?
  22. I’ve seen a lot of Rumble shows over the years, but last year was the first time I was able to attend every night. It was a blast. I can’t wait to do it again.
  23. Have I mentioned that The Okay Win, Cancer Killing Gemini, The New Highway Hymnal, Velah, Endation, The Deep North, Herra Terra, Camden, Eddie Japan, Supermachine, Glenn Yoder & The Western States, Blackbutton, Mount Peru, Whitcomb, Lifestyle, Twin Berlin, Coyote Kolb, The Field Effect, The Suicide Dolls, White Dynomite, Parks, Jack Burton vs. David Lo Pan, Ruby Rose Fox and The Daily Pravda are playing? That should be reason enough.
  24. Rumbles are unpredictable. There will be “upsets.” Bands will be “robbed.” Allegations will fly. Someone might get glitter bombed. Life will go on. A good time will be had by most. Friendships will be made. Future shows will be set up. Somone will leave with a tiara on. We’ll all have a good laugh about it in the morning.

Is it Sunday yet?

* Well, nine fell swoops, I guess.

** Personal experience tells me at least 15 years.

*** Oops. That list reversal attribute in an HTML5 tag. some of you may be seeing this 1-24. Isn’t technology fun?

**** Technically not the first time I saw them, but that’s a story for another time.

**** I missed this show. Sad face. Thankfully there’s this video.