#shredfest

[nocklebeast]

Surf City Shredfest Santa Cruz Gromshells vs Cherry City 29 April 2023. Scotts Valley, CA. by Mark Nockleby

[ocean-sands]

Fictober 2024 - Day 21

Prompt number: 21 - We've done worse Original fiction: Cello Rating: G Warnings: n/a

It is a slow morning at Sound & Score and Brooks, Jax and Moose sit behind the register while Moose reads aloud their critics review from the Shredfest website. 

Last night’s performance by Midnight Rush at Shredfest was undoubtedly solid, but it left a sense of missed potential hanging in the air. The performance itself was tight and well-rehearsed, but there were few moments where the band truly commanded the stage. While Midnight Rush has potential, their lyrics lacked depth, and they seemed hesitant to fully step into the spotlight and deliver the kind of electrifying performance that leaves an audience buzzing long after the final chord fades.

Moose pauses when a young woman with dark hair walks into the store. “Welcome to Sound & Score.” The three say in unison. The woman nods and walks to the song books section. 

Moose continues reading:

Midnight Rush is a band with a lot going for them. Their musicianship is evident, however, the absence of a bass guitar was a glaring omission that could elevate their sound to the next level. With a fuller, more layered sound and a little more confidence on stage, they could easily go from “good” to “great.” For now, though, they remain a talented band in a pool of equally talented bands who struggle to attract attention.

Moose sighs and closes the laptop. “Okay, not great.”

“We’ve done worse.” Brooks says, without care.

“We’ve done better.” Says Jax. “Back when Steve was still here.”

“Don’t you say that name!” Brooks points a finger at Jax. “I don’t want that lazy, unhinged, psycho lunatic anywhere near this band.”

Another woman walks into the store with a boy who looks like he’s crying. She marches up to the counter and nearly throws it on the counter.

“Can I help you?” Brooks asks, as he carefully picks it up.

“What happened to the trumpet, Jimmy?” the woman addresses her son.

The boy rubs his eyes. “I broke it,” he says between sniffs.

“Aw, that’s OK,” says Moose. He bends down to look him in the eyes. “We’ll fix it right up and get it back to you in no time.”

“Don’t bother,” says the woman. “It’s been nothing but a nuisance, just like his father.” The woman grabbed her son and dragged him out of the store.”

“That’s too bad,” says Jax, inspecting the instrument. It’s a really good trumpet.

“Ahem,” the dark-haired young woman tries grabbing their attention. “I’m ready.” She places two songbooks on the counter.

“Ah, yes.” Brooks quickly checks her out. “And with your purchase today,” He held up a small flier, “you receive two tickets to Midnight Rush’s exclusive concert.”

The woman takes the flier and looks at it, “I’ve heard of Midnight Rush. They’re sound is…” She looks up at the boys. “I’ll pass.” She slowly hands the flier back to Brooks and leaves the store.

“Fine,” Brooks says, “I’ll hold auditions for a bass player.”

[theghostpinesmusic]

Back in '22, there was a bit less specific hype about Goose and free 4K concert streams were less of a thing, so even though I saw nine (!) shows that year, there aren't a lot of jam videos out there to write up. I technically could link to some of the full-show videos the band has shared since and dig into those, but I do have an actual life, too, and not doing so puts an artificial limit on how many jam posts I write, which is good. But this is why I only posted that "Rosewood Heart" video from my February '22 PNW run, and why I'm only doing a few posts from the Colorado '22 run.

Long story short, there were lots of neat things about the 8/16/22 Dillon Amphitheater show that made it more than worth driving to Colorado from Oregon and then braving the rain and wind and cold to attend. The first set had an extended "Time To Flee" that was...fine. It also featured the debut of the then-new "80s vibe" arrangement of "Indian River" (I'm an all-versions "Indian River" fan, they're all great) and personal favorite and ultra-rarity "The Labyrinth." The set closed with a massive, sunset disco-jam version of "Hot Tea." The second set had a short but amazing take on "Drive," as well as a solid set-closing "Pancakes." But none of that is on YouTube.

One sequence that is on YouTube and that I did want to talk about from 8/16/22 is this combo of "A Western Sun" -> "Moby."

"A Western Sun" is one of my favorite Goose folk/ballad-type songs, and it's one of the first songs that got me into the band based on its lyrics rather than its guitar fireworks. That said, it had a brief period in '22 where, after the song proper there was a drop into a sort-of-unrelated jam, which was pretty cool. Arguably, the best version of this configuration of the song came on 8/16, though I'm biased because this was the first night of the Colorado run I gushed about so much in my previous post. Anyway, add that jam and a segue into the Ted Tapes 2021 instrumental "Moby" and you've got one of the highlights of this run for sure.

You should listen to "A Western Sun" through if you haven't heard the song already because it's great. But the song ends at 7:00 with a segue into a really mellow space. Immediately the rhythm section is a highlight here, with Rick and Peter adding accents around the edges. There was a real Dead-y feel to a lot of the improvisation during both of these Dillon shows, and this initial space is a great example of that.

Also, as I've already hammered a few times in my last couple of posts, I tend to get grumpy about Peter getting relegated (or relegating himself?) to just playing a repeating pattern on the piano during jams, and here he's contributing a lot of melodic ideas that make the jam more interesting than it would be otherwise.

By 10:15 or so, we're in a legitimate groove, with everyone working together to build momentum. Some chording from Rick at 10:55 builds up the intensity, and Trevor jumps on shortly after, launching us into a straight-ahead shredfest. At 11:57, though, Rick backs off again and the rest of the band follows, with he and Peter both exchanging staccato riffs. Pete moves to an electric piano sound, and all of a sudden we're in a space that makes me somehow think of the underwater music in Super Mario 64.

That lasts all of a few seconds, though, because at 12:42 Rick hits on a big ol' bluesy riff and Peter echoes it almost immediately. This pulls everyone else along into another new space. I've been saying this a lot lately, but Trevor is the star here to my ears. Everyone else is building intensity in the background by repeating the same bit, and he's the one improvising over top of it all. It's great.

We stay on this theme, but things open up a bit starting at 14:30, with Rick and Peter both deviating from the main riff more and more and the drums building in energy. Eventually, Rick decides to Burn The Entire Venue Down With Everyone Trapped Inside It, so he does.

At 16:48, we start winding down a bit, and based on Rick's chording, it sounds like we might be headed into another jam portion, but Peter also starts up the Vibe part from "Moby" at the same time. It seems like there might have been a little miscommunication here, because the segue is a little rough, but we land in "Moby" at 17:31, so who's complaining?

As I mentioned above, "Moby" is an instrumental from the Ted Tapes 2021 album, so there's no real "jam" here, per se, but the band obliterates the tune for a few minutes. Rick never quite reaches the full Hendrix-like bodyslam levels he sometimes reaches on this tune during this version, but it's a satisfying landing pad for the big "A Western Sun" jam.

[lakelandg]

SHREDFEST COMMUNITY SHREDDING EVENT

WHO:              City of Lakeland Division of Solid Waste WHAT:            ShredFest 2023 – Community shredding event WHERE:           605 Evelyn Avenue, Lakeland, 33801 WHEN:            Saturday, November 4, 2023 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. WHY:               Citizens can securely shred up to five file boxes of material The eighth annual ShredFest 2023 will take place Saturday, Nov. 4, from 9…

[grateful-pasta]

My Brother Esau 7/24/87

Stellar shredfest. Staccato layerings of perfectly seasoned shenanigans on the side, xtra sauce.

- BeggarsTomb48 via Headyversion

[odinsondesign]

Shredfest 2021 shirt design #odinsondesign #illustration #darkart #horror #thrash #thrashmetal #art #drawing #dark #metal #deathmetal #blackmetal #grindcore #heavymetal #macabre #shredfest #metalofhonor #shredfest2021 #brisbanemetal #brissometal https://www.instagram.com/p/CMOnuiNpd9w/?igshid=hzjd216cr9ss

[oldgamemags]

Video Games Magazine #89, June 96 - Preview of the cancelled ‘Shredfest’ on the PSone and Saturn. @Unseen64 

[divinechaosband]

You heard the man! #practicemakesperfect #shredtillyadead #shredfest #guitar #drums https://www.instagram.com/p/BtgG8WglvED/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1jhtuga4iepqa

[nocklebeast]

Surf City Shredfest Freaky Fridays vs Columbia 28 April 2023. Scotts Valley, CA. by Mark Nockleby

[sakerecordsllc]

#repost @narcoticwastelandofficial Detroit grab your tickets for this sick show happening on April 28! https://bit.ly/3Ki6YLe #30yearsofretribution #thrashmetal #metal #deathmetal #newmusic #tourlife #shredfest #Brutality #GetPrepared #sanctuary #detroit #malevolentcreation #narcoticwasteland #ashleytalentinternational https://www.instagram.com/p/CbTyrEygZnV/?utm_medium=tumblr

[andreanblack]

#repost @narcoticwastelandofficial Detroit grab your tickets for this sick show happening on April 28! https://bit.ly/3Ki6YLe #30yearsofretribution #thrashmetal #metal #deathmetal #newmusic #tourlife #shredfest #Brutality #GetPrepared #sanctuary #detroit #malevolentcreation #narcoticwasteland #ashleytalentinternational https://www.instagram.com/p/CbTyqiyuRcR/?utm_medium=tumblr

[ymiruv]

It’s Not Just Metal All week I was excited A gig was on the cards The opportunity to see great friends And to party hard. The music was great and varied Bands brought their A Game They ripped up musical boundaries In a manner far from tame. The songs were about resilience About looking out for mates For when it comes to care for others We should not hesitate. And whilst the music is the thing The message that comes through strong These nights of mates and mischief Make me feel like I belong. Greg Noble For 21 August 2021 #shredfest #metal @pistonfist #drivebypoetry #poem #poetry #instapoet #poetsofinstagram #noblepoetry #poet #poetrycommunity #words #creative #creativewords #instapoems #prose #thoughts #poetsociety #micropoetry https://www.instagram.com/p/CS2-KfMlFlL/?utm_medium=tumblr

[lmmattia]

So stoked 🤙🏻 gonna be #LivingTheDream tomorrow @epicsurf_ , #roadtrip #soexcited #beyoundfrothing #shredfest (at New Jersey) https://www.instagram.com/p/CRmXKLPBudL/?utm_medium=tumblr

[jonpienkowski]

New OneTail+ for my OnewheelXR+, from the fine folks at @craftandride! Stoked to rip it up on it! #onewheel #onewheelxr #snowboardonland #heavymetalhiker #trippleeight #vancouverwa #cascadia #skam #skamartist #craftandride #onetail #shred #shredfest #onewheelanddestroy (at Pacific NorthWest Computers)

[odinsondesign]

Quick retrospective of the last three years of Shredfest shirts I drew #odinsondesign #illustration #darkart #horror #thrash #thrashmetal #art #drawing #dark #metal #deathmetal #blackmetal #grindcore #heavymetal #macabre #powermetal #tradmetal #skull #shredfest #shredfest2017 #shredfest20 #chaos #lovecraft #cthulhu #battlevest #brisbane #metalofhonor #brisbanemetal #brissometal #backroombne https://www.instagram.com/p/CBNLbBNBvU6/?igshid=192psjjvxfx3x