Normally we don’t get out during the week. Our daughter who lives with us works nights and we are left to babysit our 18 month old granddaughter. Not that we mind, she is a little peach, but sometimes it’s nice to be able to get out and raise a little hell on a weeknight. So when we had an opportunity to get out on a Thursday night and check out some bands, we jumped!
Thursday night shows at JR’s Bourbon St Rockhouseinside Mardi Gras Multiclub in Cranston, RI are free. The bands hand out tickets and they get paid based on the number of people bearing tickets with their name that come through the door. Pretty simple…if your band draws, you do OK!
We arrived after the first band CADhad started. CAD is a 3 piece indie/alt rock band out of Smithfield, RI. As a closet indie pop fan I (Ken) have to say that I enjoyed CAD very much. They are a nice change of pace from the bands we normally cover.
Next up was a band that has been around the RI scene for a while, but this was our first chance to catch them. We were duly impressed with Rhode Kill, a band that really offers something for everyone. Mixing a blues based thrash sound with a punk attitude and an energetic stage show made Rhode Kill a blast to shoot.
Closing out the night was our buds in All For Blood. Unfortunately we had to blow out mid set due to the pesky little thing called getting up early for work, but we still managed to stick around long enough to hear some of our favorite AFB songs!
Our original plans for the weekend were to just stay in and chill out. This however changed when we saw Acerose post on Facebook that the show on Friday would be their last show ever. Having been following the band for the last three years, we decided we wouldn’t be staying in after all and made our way over to the Met.
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We arrived right after Shred Of Salvation finished up, and just in time to catch Isis Wept. Just like the last time we saw them a few weeks before, Isis Wept sounded even tighter.
Next up was another solid young band out of Rhode Island, By Land And Sea. This was our first time catching them and they sounded pretty good. We’re looking forward to hearing more from these guys in the future.
Hope Before The Fall lied to us again and played another show when they were supposed to be on break to record a new album. We don’t mind though because the new stuff is pretty damn brutal! Sorry guys, we didn’t get any audio of the set for some reason, so therefore couldn’t do any videos.
Acerose was next with their final set ever. Even though their bass player was AWOL, the fact that all three guitarists were able to play this show made his absence unnoticeable. Opening up the set with the monstrous intro “Valhalla’s Gate” and closing out with “storming The Citadel”, Acerose reminded us why they were considered one of the best metal bands in RI and why they will be sorely missed. Check out the videos…Lisa taped every song from start to finish!
Thy Will Be Done closed out the bittersweet night in style with a short but brutal set. We are eagerly awaiting a new disc from these guys. The new stuff we have heard sounds fantastic!
We had not been to the Cranston Ball’s in a few years and were happy to see that they had done some remodeling. There is now a small stage area, a better sound system, some halfway decent lighting and a pretty good sized dance floor area. Add these things together with pretty reasonable drink prices and Ball’s is a great place to hang out.
Ray’s band All For Blood opened up the night with a solid set that featured James Adams from Isis Wept filling in on bass.
Isis Weptkicked ass and took names. It’s nice to see that Sarah is really starting to get some stage presence. No more shy girl singing back towards the drummer. Way to go Sarah!
Forgotten After February sounded killer, especially when you consider that it had been months since they last played. The highlight of the set being a brutal cover of Dio’s Holy Diver, which we didn’t get on video, but trust us it was awesome!
Closing things out was Mucklers Circlewho made the trek all the way from West Townsend, Ma to rip it up at Ball’s. If you haven’t heard these guys before, do yourself a favor and give them a listen. Mucklers Circle is a great mix of old and new school thrash metal that we’re sure will appeal to a wide range of metal fans.
Rock Karma Promotions has been around for several years doing shows in RI, MA, and CT.
We are small and family oriented. What we promise is a community for metal bands who are just starting out or who are just looking to get back to basics.
Normally we don’t get out during the week. Our daughter who lives with us works nights and we are left to babysit our 18 month old granddaughter. Not that we mind, she is a little peach, but sometimes it’s nice to be able to get out and raise a little hell on a weeknight. So when we had an opportunity to get out on a Thursday night and check out some bands, we jumped!
inside Mardi Gras Multiclub in Cranston, RI are free. The bands hand out tickets and they get paid based on the number of people bearing tickets with their name that come through the door. Pretty simple…if your band draws, you do OK!
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