Thursday, April 14, 2016

Otep: Generation Doom tour, and album's out tomorrow; check out Doll Skin!

Otep
Otep, The Boardwalk, Orangevale: Generation Doom tour
One of the things I love most about Otep tours--apart from Otep's own performance, of course--is that I'm always introduced to at least on superb band, who, without the Otep tour, I might not be lucky enough to hear, or find out about.

Sydney Dolezal, vocals, Doll Skin
Sydney Dolezal, Doll Skin, at The Boardwalk, Orangevale
A couple of years or so back, it was One-Eyed Doll (who will be back at the Boardwalk themselves soon). Last year, Downfall 2012 were new-to-me and memorable. Seeing Otep in 2014 is memorable for another, sadder reason--Wayne Static was headlining, and it was only a few months before his untimely death. But this week, at the Boardwalk in Orangevale again? Otep introduced us to Doll Skin, and they put more hard rock musicianship, energy and sheer musical presence into less-than-an-hour onstage than most grown-up dudes do in a lifetime of garages. Sixteen, seventeen and nineteen years old, these young ladies have a long and successful career ahead of them. It's not gone unnoticed: they are under David Ellefson's (Megadeth) wing, and released their debut album, In Your Face, on Megaforce in October last year.Doll Skin are Sydney Dolezal (16), vocals; Alex Snowden (16), guitar; Nicole Rich (17), bass; Meghan Shea Herring (19), drums.

Nicole Rich, bass, Doll Skin
Nicole Rich, Doll Skin

Alex Snowden, guitar, Doll Skin
Alex Snowden, , Doll Skin
Look out for Doll Skin. They are stealing the show.

Meghan Shea Herring, drums, Doll Skin
Meghan Shea Herring, Doll Skin
Also on the bill on Tuesday was September Mourning, seen last year at Aftershock festival in Elverta, with the unique mix of graphic-novel caricature and hard rock, It will be interesting to see what this band develops into over the next couple of year; how will the characters and music grow?

September Mourning
September Mourning, The Boardwalk, Orangevale

September Mourning
September Mourning
Main support for Tuesday's show was Lacey Sturm, previously lead singer with Flyleaf (and with her fellow Flyleaf band member, and husband, playing guitar in her band. Her first solo album, Life Screams, is available now, and includes a really nice, different, cover of the Police's Roxanne.  Also in Lacey's setlist: Flyleaf's Chasm and All Around Me, plus songs from Life Screams, the entire album being well worth attention. Lacey will be supporting Otep on several more, but not all, of the tour dates--check here.

Lacey Sturm
Lacey Sturm, The Boardwalk, Orangevale
And then Otep! Leading up to tomorrow's release of Generation Doom (Friday 15th April), the album has been streaming this week on Billboard; some very recognizable Otep-metal-poetry-song, some more melodic, even a cover of Lorde's Royals... Generation Doom, in its entirety, a much-awaited, anticipated and worth-the-wait follow-up to 2013's Hydra. (I'm eagerly awaiting my colored vinyl which arrives tomorrow, release day, while listening to the streamed version while writing this... it's good. It's very, very good!)

Otep
Otep, Generation Doom
From the emotion and melody of In Cold Blood to the poetic fight of Equal Right Equal Left, Generation Doom is both provocative and memorable. Otep Shamaya's voice, one moment a screaming banshee, the next, as beautiful as sunrise. Yes provocative. Yes, memorable. Yes, articulate indeed.

Articulate, activist, Otep, in the house at the Boardwalk. Very good show; very good tour. Catch a date if you can: its a long tour, across most of the USA. And it's only just begun!

Photo galleries:

Otep: (seriously, seriously low light): http://www.alisontoon.com/-/galleries/music/otep/otep-boardwalk-apr-16
Lacey Sturm:  http://www.alisontoon.com/-/galleries/music/lacey-sturm
September Mourning: (seriously low light): http://www.alisontoon.com/-/galleries/music/september-mourning/september-mourning-apr-16
Doll Skin (lights!!! thank you!!!):  http://www.alisontoon.com/-/galleries/music/doll-skin

Otep
Otep, The Boardwalk, Orangevale
(Otep: "He called me a dyke, I called him an ambulance.")  I'm still laughing about that one.

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