Tri-State Rock - Latest Updates

Soulfly, who have been in the news of late due to the combination of the new material that they just released and the recent bout of Bell's Palsy that frontman Max Cavalera has experienced, are embarking on a spring tour and will be hitting the Tri-State area next month! The band, known and loved for their thematically-charged lyrics and signature sound, have had shaky but consistent success. Over the years the band has gone through several roster changes, with with drummer David Kinkade and bassist Tony Campos both joining the band less than a year ago, back in July and August 2011, respectively. 

A few weeks ago, Dan Briggs of Between The Buried And Me called into Tri-State Rock to talk about both the BTBAM writing session, as well as his exciting new jazz fusion/progressive side project known as Trioscapes, the archive of which can be viewed here. Consisting of Dan Briggs on bass, Walter Fancourt on Saxophone and flute & Matt Lynch on drums, Trioscapes is a fury of musicianship that will both perplex and satisfy simultaneously. 

Currently, only two tracks are available from the instrumental trio, entitled "Blast Off" and "Wazzlejazzlebof", both of which are remarkably complex and fun. However, it seems that those fans out there who have been pining for more music from the North Carolina three-piece won't have to wait much longer. In fact, a somewhat cryptic recent post via the group's official Facebook account seems to be indicating that Monday may be the day that eager appetites are slaked:

I feel like I’ve been listening to so much SERIOUS music lately. It seems I’ve spent so much time analyzing time signatures and thinking about music mathematically, stuck on a long (but rewarding) prog-kick, that I’ve forgotten how to just have fun with an album. Thankfully, both for myself and those around me, Go For Launch’s new album “Frequency Change” ended up in my inbox one evening – and boy am I glad it did. Don’t get me wrong – these guys have got some serious chops, but they also know how to let each other shine.

From the moment I started up the album, I was repeatedly taken aback by the deep, rich, & most importantly fun grooves that this album gets into. What feel like momentary digressions from the main song structure actually work to tie the entire tune together and end it with a feeling of finality that just feels good. I don’t know if I can quantify it in words, but I am finding myself trying to intersperse my listening with “Frequency Change” all week – simply because it is serving as something of a reprieve from other music that is lacking some of the…dare I say “swagger” that this album has.

On Wednesday night, Chevelle & 1,200 of their biggest fans spent a few hours packed into a SOLD OUT Irving Plaza in NYC. The impressively large capacity crowd didn't give off the laid-back vibe that a weeknight crowd often does at Irving, though - quite the contrary in fact. 

It's good to see a band like Chevelle coming to town & selling out a venue like Irving Plaza. It was over a decade ago that Chevelle was making the rounds on an opening slot on anearly iteration of the  SnoCore tour, so it is only fitting that after the massive success their 6 full-length studio albums have garnered that they'd be coming to town as the headliner. 

Throughout the sets of both support acts, Middle Class Rut & Janus, the energy level and intensity in the room remained high. By the time the Illinois based 3-piece took the stage around 9:45pm, the droves of sweating & alcohol-saturated rock fans were ready to let it all out - and that's precisely what they did.