The Venue -
Vancouverites seem to have a fond liking for Portland and
lately everything that has been popping out of its crispy, sweet, music filled
city. Red Fang is no exception and people flocked to see them perform at The
Venue on a Wednesday night.
We Hunt Buffalo started off the evening right with some
awesome rocking tunes. This Vancouver based stoner rock threesome cover their
riffs with enough fuzz to make your ears turn into peaches. No complaining
here.
Black Mastiff might be a breed of a dog but it’s also a name
of an awesome soulful rock band from Edmonton. Ruled by the bass and drums,
Black Mastiff created groovy 70’s inspired songs soaked in gritty guitar and it
had me swooning, literally.
Red Fang was up on stage in a matter of minutes after Black
Mastiff finished their set and Red Fang set up their gear. No rock star status
here. They continued on in their humble
tradition of shaking hands with each other before getting into it. The
comradery of this band seeps into the community of fans they attain. A down to
earth band playing good old heavy metal infused the crowd on Wednesday and had
people shouting out the lyrics to “No Hope”.
“Doen” was played and people got the heavy sound they so desperately
wanted and moshing ensued. Several folks found their way to the stage to crowd
dive and subsequently someone hit the lead vocalist, Aaron Beam, in the mouth
but it didn’t faze him and he kept singing. Crusty and catchy, David Sullivan
started the “Wires” opening riff and the excitement of the crowd started to
build. Aaron’s beautiful singing lead to the crescendo of the evening and
consequently to my ears ringing.
- Serena Navarro
