“This Tour is Personal” 11/20/13

November 24, 2013November 29, 2013 Derek Soto Born of Osiris, Canon, Canon 24-70, Canon 6D, dead letter circus, Gramercy Theater, periphery, Sinestra, Sinestra Studios, sumerian records, The Gramercy Theatre, twelve foot ninja

Periphery "This Tour is Personal" Tour Flyer — Periphery “This Tour is Personal” Tour Flyer

“This Tour Is Personal” is more like “This Tour is INSANE” That, was the first phrase I uttered when I first heard of this bill. I could not believe my eyes. It was one thing experiencing Born of Osiris at Mayhem Fest this year, but to cap off with Periphery and Dead Letter Circus… I just could not say NO to this show. It was total nerves as I received my confirmation last minute for this event, but it was also one of relief and excitement. Both of my two favorite albums belong to Born of Osiris with “Tomorrow We Die Alive” and Periphery with “Periphery II, This Time its Personal”, a SOLD OUT result is what these two bands get. Bring in two really kick ass Australian bands like Dead Letter Circus and Twelve Foot Ninja and you have the happenings of a memorable night. Boy was it ever memorable. The show opened up with Jose Mangin (SIRIUS XM DJ/Radio Host) recommended Twelve Foot Ninja, a band I have not heard of before. Having received a promotional copy of the album by The Syndicates own Zach Shaw, I was interested in seeing this band live. NEVER, in the history of my music journalism career, have I experienced an Australian act with such bass power and groove…EVER. There was almost a reggae essence with this band. It was fun, catchy, and full of life. The on stage presence by lead singer Kin was jovial. He dressed the part as a ninja in essence with the outfit and was very active as he sang his tunes. Damon on bass was the most active out of the group, moving consistently and jumping around every chance he took. This was a difficult opening act to shoot. Throw in harsh orange and bright red ceiling lights and it became “noiseland” I say this because I had to actively switch up my ISO levels on my camera to make sure I got the right shots I desired. It was a mixed bag photo wise, but not after their set. I met the entire band and they signed my copy of their album with such happiness. Very welcoming people who managed to take in their FIRST tour in the United States. From the looks of it, they really enjoyed their time playing here. I hope they come back in 2014 cause I intend on being there! Check out Twelve Foot Ninja as much as you can.

Full band autographed copy of Twelve Foot Ninja's album " Silent Machine" — Full band autographed copy of Twelve Foot Ninja’s album “Silent Machine”

Onto Dead Letter Circus, which was a clear indication that stage lighting was getting better as the night went on. My first three songs shooting Dead Letter Circus was as fun as I could not imagine. I reached maximum level finding myself jumping along and participating with the audience as they performed on stage. Lead Vocal Kim Benzie was so photogenic. He stayed put in the appropriate places of the stage that held the best lighting (I.E he stood in front of the side fluorescent lights which eliminated all the shadows surrounding him) If you see his photos below, you’ll know what I am talking about. Their bassist was another jumping bean. Full of life and full of power, Stewart Hill was my biggest challenge in landing that perfect photo. I snuck in a few of him that I could not complain about, although a round two is desired with this band just to get perfection. Tom and Clint occasionally came out of their dark corners of the stage to play and be photogenic with the photographers below, but their lighting was sub-par. Luke Williams was covered in harsh red’s and orange’s. Only good shot I got of him was him shirtless as he stood up from the throne of his drum kit. Thanks for just the one Luke, I have the WORST luck with drummers yet I was satisfied with this picture. Their set-list is below and boy did it make an impression. Much like their personalities downstairs, they were all happy and welcoming people who took pictures with fans and I even got some photo ups with band members Luke and Kim. Great people. They have my respect for their music and their personalities. Check out their album “The Catalyst Fire” NOW on iTunes and all major retailers.

Me with Luke Williams, drummer for Dead Letter Circus — Me with Luke Williams (Drummer) of Dead Letter Circus.

Me with Ken Benzie of Dead Letter Circus. — Me with Ken Benzie (Vocals) of Dead Letter Circus.

B.O.O … turned more into O.M.G. My level of excitement knew no bounds. To see Ronnie and Joe sing together again in front of my eyes was an adrenaline rush. The front row was moving as if the carnival was coming to town. There was such fervor in their first two songs which OBVIOUSLY were “Tomorrow We Die Alive” and “Divergency” David DaRocha kept me challenged with his dreads as he continuously swung them into my camera and hands while I shot photos. On occasion, I managed to get some vocals out and even jump around the photo pit when I didn’t have people around me. If you can manage to enjoy your job and the music that feeds you the strength necessary, why don’t you? that’s what I usually say and I make every best effort of those 10-20 minutes I have getting new memories of the musicians I respect. Cameron Losch (drummer) had THE BEST drum lighting of the night hands down, my drum photos were so clear and detailed that it sealed the night photo wise, UNTIL I landed Joe Buras (Keyboard) jump off the steps. I felt like I knocked a home run out the park and was thoroughly happy with my photos this second time around. Crazy enough, I like these photos more than my Mayhem set even though it was daytime and I had an abundance of sunlight. They did not have a set-list on stage I can tell you that…

Me with David DaRocha (Bassist) of Born of Osiris.

Me with Cameron Loch (drummer) of Born of Osiris. — Me with Cameron Losch (Drummer) of Born of Osiris.

Periphery, my oh my how I have longed to see this band live. Spencer Sotelo, the “Fluoride Lobbyist” as he so eloquently nicknamed on his band Facebook page, is the real deal. The show began in the dark. Reminiscent to the recent stage settings of “I See Stars” from the “Started at The Bottom, Now We’re Here” tour last week at the SAME venue. The band started out with “Muramasa” with the crowd singing the tune more so than Spencer. Out comes the rest of the band in a furious barrage of cheers and salutations of the native New Yorkers and other patrons from the surrounding counties and cities in other states. It was unity, plain and simple. Periphery played most of their songs off the Periphery II song list. The kicker though, was their encore. Ex-Periphery singer Chris Baretto joined his fellow compatriots along with Spencer Sotelo (current vocals) to sing “Icarus Lives” co-existing chants were “Chris Lives” I applaud the crowds enthusiasm for this oh s**t moment. The lighting was difficult during Ragnarok. It probably wasn’t until halfway through my three song session that the lights got better. The house lights were kept on, exposing the faces of all the members of the band. Time was very short as the lights kept rapid changing from clear and no shadows to what I call “I can’t see a damn thing” Crowd surfing was present, but NOT in abundance (totally surprised by this) all photographers managed to get out their three songs and walk away with ease thanks to the efforts of Gramercy security. Their set-list was present, but it was tuned to the comedic styling of the band. You’ll see what I mean when you take a look at the paper set-list. Their OFFICIAL set-list is as follows “Muramasa”, “Ragnarok”, “Ji”, “Scarlet”, “Have a Blast”, “Jetpacks Was Yes!”, “Insomnia”, “Luck as a Constant”, “The Gods Must Be Crazy!”, “New Groove”, “Facepalm Mute”, “Make Total Destroy” and “Masamune” with an encore of “Icarus Lives”

This tour was worth the wait. Many of my colleagues in attendance were NOT missing this show. They said it in the past prior to the date of the show and they stuck by it. The For The Fans Tour” would have been more suitable in context. I firmly believe however, that this tour was named “This Tour is Personal” because it was meant to thank the people around the North American States for all the loyalty and support the bands on this tour have received. The feelings were reciprocated by the overall positivity that engulfed the show that night. To see such happiness and praise for both sides (bands and fans) is a memory that can only be differed by the writings in the book of the times. Thank you for reading. Check out the photos below and also the flickr gallery in the link provided.