FYI, they're coming along great! Despite being plagued by some sound problems (things coming unplugged, some infernal feedback that took the sound guys a while to sort out), they sounded even better than last time! I was especially pleased to see that Anthony is starting to loosen up and get crazy with that guitar!! My only complaint last time was that I wanted to hear more guitarwork from him because I know he's good, but I also know that when everyone is dancing you can't really stop and break into a guitar solo. I think now he's found just the right balance, throwing some great riffs into the songs without breaking the rhythm. (Still bet you could throw some Satch into the first set when no one's drunk enough to dance yet!)
Speaking of everyone dancing, these guys really know how to keep that dance floor packed! I had a difficult time getting pictures - I had to be ready at the beginning of a song and try to snap one before all the dancers got in my way! Unfortunately this time I couldn't get out there myself because I hurt my back and I knew I'd regret it in the morning if I danced. It was really hard to stay in my seat when they played "Killing in the Name Of" - that one always gets me!
The singer (I really need to write down everyone's name next time - or they could get that bio page up on their web site!) is great fun to watch. He's so full of energy, all over the room, jumping up on chairs, talking to people between songs, like the guys who had just gotten in after a 17-hour trek from Houston to escape Rita (I think those guys got a bunch of free beers!). And waving this HUGE bra around - don't know where it came from but I'm happy to not be the chick who has to wear that thing! And here I'm complaining about my back! I don't know if you can really fathom the dimensions of it from this picture, but that's the mic stand it's hanging on:
Sorry to hear that Xavier will not be playing with them for a while, but you gotta do what you gotta do, I guess. I understand that Pete Perez, who has played for Riot and Halford, will be filling in for a while, so I might have to go check that out. But can he sing The Romantics?!
So, we got some STP, Creed, Jet, Modern English, Puddle of Mudd, Korn, Weezer...and the room was really pumping when they whipped out some Drowning Pool (Let the Bodies Hit the Floor - can't hold still for that one!). Billy from the band Seven took over for Xavier for "Killing in the Name Of" and Chris from 10Stick got up there and did a great job singing Radiohead's "Creep". There were so many musicians there from other local bands, it was cool. A guy from Craving Amy...some others, I can't even remember all of them now! Great to see bands supporting each other like that.
We had a really good time, drank too much beer, had fun talking to everyone. And bless you, Anthony, for pointing out that there's a button on here where people can help support SA Rocks by donating through PayPal!! It's over there on the sidebar, it says "Support SA Rocks" (Hint, hint).
If you haven't seen SpitFire yet, they usually play a couple shows a week, so make sure to catch them! They'll be at The Trap this Thursday, and at Galaxy Billiards Saturday. Check their calendar for more dates.
Added Note: According to an e-mail I just got, the singer's name is Dan Escamilla.