Release Party Recap

I got down to the Sandy Hut early, about half an hour before the official load-in time. I know that's not very rock 'n' roll, but I like to be able to find parking (I got a space right next to the front door), settle in, and soak up the vibe of the venue. Plus, I had band merch to set up.

Shortly thereafter, a couple of the guys from Laurelhurst arrived. We hung out at the bar and talked music and Trailblazers basketball for a while, and then the rest of my band showed up, as well as the guys from Kings and Vagabonds. After a short meeting with Jimmy, the booker/soundguy, we proceeded to load in our gear as well as the rest of the merch.

Once that was done, I was sitting at the merch booth fiddling with my phone (I have to take off the case in order to use the credit card reader) when a familiar guy walked in and sat down. At first, I was like, "hey what's up" before a split second later, I realized that the guy was my good buddy and ex-bandmate from Hawaii, who had made a surprise trip all the way up to Portland! Turns out, the other guys in my current band were in on the surprise as well, so we all had a good laugh. It was definitely a very cool way to get the night started.

The show began soon after, with Laurelhurst taking the stage. I had never seen them before, but I had heard the one song they had up on their Reverbnation page and I really liked it, so I was looking forward to hearing them live. They didn't disappoint. They played a fun, rocking set of pop-punk tunes that included a cover of "She" by Green Day which I shouted along to.

The next band up was Stab In The Dark, a heavy yet melodic hardcore punk band that we had played a bunch of shows with before. They are always awesome and I enjoy being on the bill with them, because then I get to rock out in the audience.

After Stab was some band called Second Player Score.

Finally, closing out the night was Kings and Vagabonds, an eclectic, funky, super-tight group that is reminiscent of early Chili Peppers. They really brought the energy (I headbanged so much to their set that I had a good old-fashioned neck ache the next day) and were a great way to cap off what was an awesome and fun night.

Much mahalos to Jimmy and the Sandy Hut, all the bands, and everyone that came out to celebrate the release of Fortress Storm Attack with us.

See you at the next show!