The Southwest Terror Fest in Tucson, Arizona just concluded this past Sunday (Oct. 19), and for the third year in a row, the organizers of the festival brought in various acts; in some cases, bands that had not played in Arizona, much less Tucson, for years, or if ever.
The festival’s first year was in 2012, and it wasn’t until the second fest when it finally came to my attention, due mainly to the band Subrosa being part of it. The lineup wasn’t too intriguing, but I love Subrosa, so I knew that I had to go. However, come October 2013, I was going through medical issues dealing with a herniated disc in my lower back. I wasn’t able to attend the festival that year (as well as missing out on the Alcest/Anathema show a few weeks prior), so I was restricted to waiting for this year’s lineup to be announced instead.
The wait was worth it. Acts like Goatsnake, Neurosis, and the mighty Sunn O))) were enough to make me buy tickets. The rest of the line up was icing on the cake. Suffice to say, I got to experience something new to me in more ways than one.
This was the first festival I have experienced. Sure, Arizona gets the Summer Slaughter, and we would get Ozzfest in the old days and various other shows, but none of them interested me enough to go. Most of those bands came to Arizona on a regular basis, and the festivals only seemed “convenient” for having them all in once place. However, again, I was never interested enough in the line-ups to actually go. That’s what makes the Terror Fest, and especially the 2014 edition such an experience, and something I knew I HAD to be part of.
For my first festival experience, and the first time experiencing many of these bands, I felt it would only be appropriate to do a write-up on my experience. This will not simply be a review of the shows, but rather a recollection of the entire experience I had, including the bands, their performances, the venues, and whatever other comments, criticism, compliments, and random thoughts that went through my head this past weekend. Also, the fest was heavily based around sludge, doom, stoner bands so describing each band’s sound in detail seems to be pointless, as a lot of bands had very similar styles, so I’ll stick to the details on specific performances and what seemed to be most important concerning the shows. Now, let’s get started:
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16: THE KICK-OFF SHOW
The kick-off show was set to begin at 10 PM on a Thursday night. I was familiar with the area, being in downtown Tucson, and myself being a Tucson native, but I had never been to the venue of choice for the show. The District Tavern located on Congress in Tucson was a deceptive place. It was not very “wide” as the outside made it seem like quite a small place, but once inside it expanded back a ways and it felt more open that it seemed. I arrived when the doors opened at nine. Having never been to a festival show I wasn’t sure of how many people would be there from Tucson, or Arizona, or even from out of state. I figured, if nothing else, I could have a few drinks before the show began. On the way to the venue, I did run into a couple form upstate in Prescott, which was interesting to see as I’m usually the one traveling for shows, and not the other way around.
Once we got to the venue, I went to the merch table, which was specifically for the Terror Fest, but they were still setting up. I decided to go to the bar and order a drink, and I sat down to enjoy it. Slowly, more and more people began to come in. There was a lady at the bar who was already drunk (she had been there before I had gotten there) and was screaming loudly and being obnoxious. I would see her a few more times that night. After about a half hour, I was able to get some merch. I managed to get a shirt with the Terror Fest line up from this year as well as the last remaining one from the prior year.
Finally, at around 10 O’Clock give or take, the opening band Conqueror Worm took stage. I was on a couch in the venue having another beer while the band played. Conqueror Worm was a pretty standard affair. I do not remember being blown away by them or super interested, but I did nod my head here and there. The band sounded decent live, which is good since they only started doing shows about a year and a half prior. It was a fairly standard stoner/doom show from the band. After their performance I met a local guy, who I will refer to as Backpack Guy, as he will be around a few times. He and I talked and we waited for the next band.
Another local (Phoenix) band, Twingiant, took stage next and they were certainly better than the prior act. I hadn’t heard them before so I certainly don’t know any actual songs they played, but it sounded really good. The crowd seemed to loosen up a bit at this point as well. The band had a nice upbeat sound, sounded tight live, and definitely earned a new fan in me. Again, pretty standard fare for the genre, but something to keep an eye on as they seem like they have the chops to be really good sooner than later.
After the set, Floridian artist Amigo the Devil took to the top of the bar to play an improvised set. A one man act, he was set to play various random sets throughout the four day weekend, but this was the only one I actually watched. The music was a nice change of pace; being more of an Americana, folk style which was pretty entertaining. Not having a full stage set up I think hurt the show overall though, as the sound could have been better. It didn’t help that the crowd was quite drunk and loud at this point, as the metal bands were in-between sets. The music itself is good, and has some good melodies and vocal lines, but it was killed by the woman helping him. The drunken lady from earlier in the night was holding the microphone for him, and would often yell at us “Mother fuckers” to “shut the fuck up,” which doesn’t seem like a good way to talk to your audience, and certainly not a way to make new fans. It was a poor choice to present the Amigo the Devil brand, but musically he was entertaining. However, I was just soured on the experience and had no desire to see him any more that weekend. I’m sure in the long run it will mean nothing, but this is one potential fan lost due to poor interaction with the audience. Presentation/representation is a very important part of the concert experience.
Next up was the band Oryx based in New Mexico. Featuring only a guitarist/vocalist and a drummer, this was the first two-person group of the weekend, and wow, was it great. I had moved up near the stage at this point; mostly to get a close spot for the headliners, but figured I’d see what Oryx had to bring to the table as well. For two people, they were very solid live. The sound was heavy as hell and tight and everything sounded good up close. The drumming was very impressive, and drummer Abbey Apple did not take it easy. Vocalist/guitarist Tommy David had some really impressive vocals, and his guitar playing, while not the most original by any means, was solid, providing some really good riffs. I would say Oryx surprised me the most out the bands up to this point and I will be checking them out further.
Finally, we got the headliners of the kick-off show, and the only band I had listened to before that night, -(16)-. I knew what to expect sound-wise, but I had never seen the band, so I was curious to see how it would translate. Simple answer: amazingly well. The band took what felt like 35-40 minutes to get set up, and it seemed like less than a great start to the show. However, once things began I was enthralled. The music was boisterous, groovy, and the band was very in-sync, needing little to no communication with one another between songs or during. The coordination and smooth play-through was very appreciated after a long wait for them to start. Vocalist Chris Jerue seemed to be sick as he left the stage quite a lot between songs, one time going to the restroom, and looked to be in less than perfect health. Nevertheless, he provided an energetic, engaging performance and gave no less than 100%.
Seeing the band live made the entire night, and it crushed their sound on the records. I liked the band before, but after the show they put on (about 45 minutes or so) I can say I am a real fan now, and will see this band whenever they come back to town. -(16)- gave the show some much needed energy at this point (being nearly 2 AM) and I recommend anyone to check them out if you get the chance.
All Pictures courtesy of Valerie LittleJohn for Violent Resonance at www.violentresonance.com except The Terror Fest logo and flyer pictures courtesy of www.facebook.com/southwestterrorfest
