Show Review: Appleseed Cast @ Red 7 (7/11)

Twas a hot and sweaty night in Austin Texas on Saturday as we made our way over to Red 7 for a headlining show by Appleseed Cast.  The bill was full of bands that reminded us all of better days when musicians actually played guitars and knew how to keep a beat.  A great lineup indeed.

Follow the jump for thoughts and photos.

Let’s get my one complaint out of the way early so we can move on to better things…. The set times are a little ridiculous, Red 7.  Your headliner is going on at 12:45, the crowd is dispersing because people have jobs, and the closing act gets cut short on set times.  We came to see the headliner and it seems wrong to have the main draw play so late.  That is all.  Let’s talk.

First up was local band Phantom Lakes.  As far as first impressions go, these guys did a great job introducing themselves to myself and fellow friends in the crowd.  It’s clear that they might cite Appleseed Cast as an influence with their atmospheric tones and plucked guitar chords.  Not saying that’s a bad thing, just giving you a frame of reference.  Sound was impeccable for these guys.

We then moved on to the Lawrence, KS portion of the set with Muscle Worship.  After much debating, the comparison we finally came up with for this band was a mix of Cymbals Eat Guitars (1st non crap album) and early period Cursive sans the cello.  Incredible am I right?  Distorted bass lines.  Powerful screaming vocals.  Some of the best live drumming I’ve seen in years.  Personally, I think these guys might have been my favorite band of the evening.  Great stuff.

In our third slot, we were treated to fellow Lawrence residents The Life and Times.  To me, they are sort of like a Braid throwback and would be something I’d find really interesting in the late 90s or early 2000s.  That time has passed… Nothing against the band, I just wasn’t really feeling it.  The crowd seemed really into it so what do I know.

Finally, after multiple drinks and Topo Chicos, our headliner Appleseed Cast took the stage.  After getting over my weary state from having waited around for 3+ hours, the band busted into two songs from the new album including stellar track “Great Lake Derelict”.  We were then treated to the all too familiar intro to Low Level Owl product “On Reflection” which was unfortunately cut short due to a broken guitar string.  Back on track, the band focused mainly on tracks from latest album Illumination Ritual, Sagarmatha from 2010, and a couple hits from Peregrine.  Near the end of the set, the guys gave us a back to back treat with super old cuts “Fishing the Sky” and “Forever Longing the Golden Sunsets”.  Though those songs will never quite be the same as they were 13 years ago with the original lineup, it was still a major fanboy moment for old school fans in the crowd.  It was a shorter set, but satisfying enough for this veteran fan.

Photoguy Notes: After mediocre light for the first two bands, L&T busted out some simple stage-lighting that was, well, light. Then Appleseed went dark. Feast or famine, right? Plenty more pics at the photo site…