Twitter
Facebook
Reddit
Digg
Tell us what you think!Send a letter to the editor about this or any other article in The Maine Campus.
This weekend, Ushuaia catered to one of the biggest fan bases around – that of the local favorite, Emptyhead. As a part of WTOS’ first “Pure Rock Showcase,” they performed with Ransom and Ra. Also scheduled to play between Emptyhead and Ra was Hotwire, but a member of their management canceled prior to the event.
Opening the late afternoon show was hard rock band Ransom. Ransom has been around for a while and it is evident in their playing. They mesh well on stage and their no-excuses brand of heavy guitar blew everyone away, led by their lead guitarist who would set off on high speed solos at the drop of a hat. Unfortunately, the sound mixer seemed to be asleep, as it was nearly impossible to hear any of the vocals, which was particularly annoying during their closing song, an amazing cover of Nine Inch Nails’ “Head Like a Hole.”
Following Ransom was Emptyhead, well-known in Orono, especially after playing Bumstock last year. Some came from as far as Portland, having just seen them play a show earlier in the day. As soon as they took the stage, it was obvious who almost everyone had come to see. It was also the debut for their new drummer, Adam Nichols, after original drummer Mark Dugal left due to the stresses from being in a touring band. Closing with “Not Property” and “No Real Americans,” it was a tight-knit set from beginning to end. From vocalist Bryon Clapp’s stunning melodies to lead guitarist Keith Martin’s smoking solos, Emptyhead delivered a show worth much more than the $12 it cost to get in. The sound problems, however, continued through most of their set as well.
After Emptyhead finished, a large portion of the crowd left, only having come to see them, but many people still remained to see the band that left such a splash the last time they visited, Ra.
Kicking things off with “Sky,” Ra rocked the house with their new bassist, PJ Farley. Thankfully, the sound problems were taken care of by the time they started. Having had much more air time since the last time they were here, their performance at times seemed more of a sing-along than a concert, breaking down the walls often constructed between “rock stars” and their fans. Cruising through their set at a comfortable pace, Ra covered their entire CD, ending with fan favorites “Do You Call My Name” and “Skorn.” Near the end of the show, vocalist Sahaj took the time to announce that they will soon be going back into the studio to begin recording the follow-up to their current album, “From One,” and hope to return in the spring when it is released.
Despite the technical difficulties of the night, it ended up being a great rock show with great rock bands and, as Ushuaia gets better at handling their problems as they come up, more and more people will be waiting at their door.
