(Last week our friend Ben Manzella attended the Anaheim stop of the American Observance MMXXV tour with Primitive Man, otay:onii, Today is the Day, and Guiltless, and he sent us the following written report accompanied by his own excellent photos of the experience.)
While I needed to check the dictionary to confirm, patience and endurance are considered synonyms of one another. With a tendency to seek out music that focuses on darker themes or subject matter and is played at a loud volume, I sometimes describe my favorite music to seek out as endurance music.
Primitive Man is a band I’d immediately categorize as endurance music, and unlike a variety of things in life, the endurance is rewarded, in my opinion. Their latest full-length record, Observance, brings to mind a quote that has been a favorite of mine since high school, when I learned about it through the Machine Head record, The Blackening. The original quote by Jean Puget de la Serre is, “The mirror which flatters not.” I’d say the last thing in the world that is needed right now is flattery, and I welcome all musical reminders of that.
Returning specifically to the show, after an oddly long time between doors and the first band starting, Guiltless took to the stage. After missing their first shows in California, I was grateful to see them live. I was and still am a big fan of A Storm of Light, the previous band of guitarist/vocalist Josh Graham. In some ways, when I hear Guiltless, it seems like a natural progression from what I enjoyed throughout A Storm of Light’s discography.
Lively drums provide a thundering pulse, complemented by dense bass played by Sacha Dunable, who you all might know from the guitars he makes or the band Intronaut. With the rhythmic foundation established, Josh and fellow guitarist Dan Hawkins provide fitting dissonance to the overall sonic palette. I’m reminded of the lyrics from their song “One is Two”: “Are we destruction? Are we creation? Or are we both pure and aberration?” If you haven’t taken time to hear their debut full-length, Teeth to Sky, I’d recommend doing so, and don’t miss out when they tour as well.
Today is the Day was next in the lineup. I was a bit surprised by this, but it made sense overall to me as the night went on, and as I’ll describe more as we continue. I recall seeing somewhere recently where Ethan of Primitive Man mentioned that Today is the Day is an influential band for him, and that it is meaningful to have them on this tour.
When a documentary about you is titled, The Man Who Loves to Hurt Himself, as it is with Steve Austin of Today is the Day, it makes sense to me to return to thinking about endurance. Even in our current times, with so many studies about a lack of attention span, a band like Today is the Day doesn’t wait for you to offer your attention. Touring in support of the latest record, Never Give In, Today is the Day provided a blistering set that showcased the connectivity to more recent bands like both Guiltless and Primitive Man while also being distinctly their own force of nature.
Steve ended the thirty-five-minute set expressing deep gratitude to everyone in attendance and reminding everyone to look out for others in the selfish and disorienting times we are all currently living out together. Endurance becomes admirable when it leads to perspective beyond yourself, and I think Steve showed that through his parting words.
otay:onii came to the stage next once her piano and microphone were set up. Whether genre tags like electronic, noise, and similar sub-genres can be used, I’d say an otay:onii performance was a welcome change of pace and style this night. While the set started with her seated at the piano, about halfway through, she stepped down from the stage and asked one of the people standing at the guard rail to hold her mic while she joined all of us in the crowd. I greatly enjoy moments like this both as a fan and as a photographer.
The calm and equally vulnerable way this exchange begins, as opposed to a singer joining the crowd through a chaotic stage dive or head walk that you might experience at a hardcore show, exemplifies a commitment to the creative expression that I think is sometimes lost in the sound and fury that is more common in heavy music. It can also lead to reminding people that art is confrontational. Art can confront standards of society and also confront your personal comfort as otay:onii rolled on the floor and occasionally came close to some of the other people in the audience.
I’d like to make sure it is understood that, in using the word confrontational, her presence in the crowd was not at all invasive and was more a stripping away of the voyeuristic ways in which we often experience concerts or performances in general. At least, this is how I would understand it. The latest release from otay:onii is called True Faith Ain’t Blind, and was released in collaboration with WV Sorcerer Productions and No Gold Records.
Finally, as visuals similar to how I’ve seen and heard an acid trip described filled the back wall, Primitive Man made the room shake. For just over an hour, Primitive Man created a musical stampede that defies comprehension when you see the three musicians on stage. Reading from the lyrics of “Transactional”: “I do not want your camaraderie, companionship, associations, advice, or words. I do not want your empty promises or stories of your greatness. I do not desire acceptance. I want the laments and wails of the clowns that follow your every move. I choose to remain alienated and free. You cannot take what I do not desire.”
A song like “Transactional”, and overall the record Observance, is one of my favorites from this year. It is art, like the music that Primitive Man creates, that I seek out in a world that only makes less sense to me with every passing hour. A previous time when I saw Primitive Man play live, I purposely stood as close to the stage as possible and shut my eyes for most of the set. This isn’t just music that can conjure feelings, but I think it is best experienced when you literally feel the sound waves hitting you.
For those who are near the remaining dates on this tour, do not miss your chance to experience an hour-long set from Primitive Man. As I finish this review, they will be appearing at the Decibel Metal & Beer Festival in Denver and then head to Kansas City, MO, next at the Record Bar on December 7th.
Starting in Dallas, TX, the artists Buffalo Nichols and God is War will join the tour, and then on December 13th, Today is the Day will finish touring on their own, and Great Falls will join the tour lineup for the final week with Primitive Man.
With Buffalo Nichols, Today Is The Day & God Is War:
12/08 Dallas, TX – Club Dada
12/09 Austin, TX – Empire Control Room
12/10 New Orleans, LA – Gasa Gasa
12/12 Orlando, FL – The Conduit
With Buffalo Nichols, Great Falls & God Is War:
12/13 Atlanta, GA – The Earl
12/14 Raleigh, NC – The Pour House
12/15 Baltimore, MD – Metro Gallery
12/16 Brooklyn, NY – The Meadows
12/17 Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts
12/18 Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird Music Hall
12/19 Lakewood, OH – The Foundry
12/20 Chicago, IL – Reggies