12 November 2014: One Last Blast With Fear Control: Dirty Dog Bar- Austin, TX

“Well, my brother says Hello. So, hooray for speech therapy.”~ Emo Philips

I made it out to Dirty Dog Bar tonight and back in one piece. And even though we are experiencing what seems to be our first freeze of the winter months, which honestly doesn’t happen until the first week of December, I made it out and came back and I was more than happy to have done so.

Another show. But one last hurrah for FEAR CONTROL at least for 2014. And I battled whether or not I was going to go to begin with but lead singer Kash Sarkaria talked me into it, mentioning that it would probably be the last time FEAR CONTROL played live in Austin for the year.

Most recently, my adventures saw me going to the last live performance of CASKET OF CASSANDRA, it made sense to go to FEAR CONTROL. Plus hey, I love FEAR CONTROL!

I think that going back, that I have gone to see FEAR CONTROL play live the most out of any other musical acts in the state of Texas in the year of 2014. I’ll have to go back again and just count, but I know its more than just a couple.

The weather however was very much threatening to be a serious factor which dictated just how late I would be able to stay downtown before having to come home. And yet it came to be that the headlining band, 36 CrazyFists, is actually from Alaska. So if they were going to be out, then certainly Texans could come out to the show.

So I rolled out into the streets to get to the bus stop, not really knowing just how long I would be dealing with the elements first hand. I did dress in layers and was quite warm. I even took a shot of whiskey for good measure, and everyone who reads this knows I don’t really “drink” so… that was that.

To my personal dismay, the southbound bus stop was engulfed in construction. I had to go north just to get turned around and go south so I could head downtown. It took me an extra fifteen and about three miles extra before getting put in the right direction.

My biggest concern was the descending, colder temperatures as I spent the evening with music that I can appreciate and enjoy. Thankfully there was no precipitation expected.

I rolled on inside at the Dirty Dog Bar and had been kicking back for about fifteen before I actually and literally got kicked OUT.

It was 6:15 PM. Doors were posted to be 6:00 PM. And I’m being told I had to go back outside. Back into the cold. Back out into the impending darkness. What the hell, people?!??!?!?

I saw then on the doors that they had printed a time of 6:30 PM for the doors to be open and the show starting promptly at 7:00 PM.

I’m getting really sick and tired of these times getting screwed around. I’m tired of sitting outside- for no good reason- when door times are posted at a certain hour. I do not know who’s fault that is… but if I ever find out, LOOK OUT!!

So then FEAR CONTROL hit the stage as the second scheduled act.

FEAR CONTROL has new material, new songs. And through the sharing of privately marked YouTube videos, I was able to get a taste of the new stuff when others were not able to. I was excited. Their new song, “Masks” rocks to the center of your core. I was thrilled and pumped up to hear it live. 

But I had to get inside first. That didn’t happen until about ten minutes before seven. Absolutely stupid and retarded.. I swear!!!

FEAR CONTROL took over on stage and kicked it into overdrive. I mean, it was expected to happen but you never really know just how far Sarkaria is going to take things.

Guitarist Frankie Rodriguez allowed himself into consumption with the metal gods as he wailed on his instrument.

The band just compliments one another to bring forth the entertainment in heavy metal music as one has never seen before. They do so well with one another on stage.

“Masks” was played live early on. Its in the beginning stage of becoming one of those tunes that sticks with you to the end of time. Much like “Off With His Head” has done with me. I really cannot wait for their second appearance inside the recording studio to hear what these new songs are to be like. Its one thing being played live, its another when its recorded.

One thing that I have come to know about and admire about FEAR CONTROL is that they play with the same level of energy and passion no matter what the size of their audience is. It could be a packed venue or a filled up parking lot or it could be about fifteen people inside the same building and they still come at you hard and strong. 

But going back, “Masks” was an absolute treat for me personally. I cannot wait to hear it more and more and more.

FEAR CONTROL is one of these bands that I stumbled across.

Ever since then, I’ve been stuck and surrendered to their invoking metal powers.

I found myself just lost and not really caring much about the cold and bitter outside world that was just a few feet behind me through the double doors which led to Historic Sixth Street.

Needless to say that I have never been disappointed with FEAR CONTROL. Even when they got snipped at to cut things short and they played a shorter version of “Off With His Head” at the end of their set a few months ago, it still was entertaining and fun for me that I just melted away from the world just for a little while.

What was rather amusing was the impromptu game of “Let’s Fuck With The Time Keeper” as they were told that they had time left for one more song and they fully intended on playing “Off With His Head” but would it be the shortened version or the full on seven minute epic version?

The band blazed through and Kash Sarkaria kept his eyes peeled and what happened can only be described as the “speed metal version” of “Off With His Head” which was performed from beginning to end in its entirety but instead of taking a little more than seven minutes, it took just under five.

The brotherhood of FEAR CONTROL off the stage is through the roof and phenomenal. I dare say: off the chain. It honestly hasn’t taken very long since I first saw them play live at SXSW 2014 to the point where I’ve had the opportunity to know the members of the band personally. It is awesome, awesome stuff. 

“Masks” and “Off With His Head” are going to probably end up being those two great songs that can identify the band as their journey continues. My younger brother and I still believe that they have the sounds of Death Angel and both my brother and I still believe that FEAR CONTROL needs to contact Death Angel to get together and do some work together whether that is a tour or whatever.

If you like Death Angel, you’ll like FEAR CONTROL, hands down. No second guessing.

But as I had feared, the outside weather and temperatures were dropping like it was hot. Er, cold.

So I left, almost ditching their merch girl Sam as I was hanging out with her after the set. I’m not sure if that will prove to be a mistake and if so, if it will be fatal. One moment I am there, the next moment I am out the door without saying much at all in the ways of a farewell. Sam was looking quite fetching!!! That could have spelled DANGER for those who can’t handle it!

Thankfully my journey across downtown led me to the bus stop and I didn’t really have to wait long at all before I boarded the bus heading back up north and got home before 10:00 PM. Nice!

Just a couple of days shy of the very intense event of my highest honor of meeting fetish model, Red Vamp, as she will be in town. I did write about it briefly in a previous blog post. I’m trying not to flood this blog with my nervousness and excitement about it before it even happens.

So chalk up another show for me and FEAR CONTROL. I cannot wait to see what they will bring to the table in 2015!!!!!

 

20 September 2014 – Living The Warrior Life With Fear Control

“Battle is the most magnificent competition in which a human being can indulge. It brings out all that is best; it removes all that is base. All men are afraid in battle. The coward is the one who lets his fear overcome his sense of duty. Duty is the essence of manhood.”~ George S. Patton

I don’t know what’s going on with this composition as it won’t indent for paragraphs so screw it.

Well I made it. My third visit to the Dirty Dog Bar in all of seven days.

FEAR CONTROL was on the bill and I had already paid for my ticket inside, but the day would prove a challenge to get there.

The whole of downtown was completely shut down and I had no idea as to why.

What was going on? I started to get subtle hints by the various people climbing on board the bus that I was riding on to get to the Dirty Dog Bar.

It apparently was something big. But I wasn’t 100% sure. I would find out for sure in the most humorous of ways.

I got to the venue and I had notified half the band that I may not make it due to problems earlier in the day. But there I was strong as ever.

LIVING THE WARRIOR LIFE.

When FEAR CONTROL  got on stage, I was literally shaking with excitement. And I would not be let down. FEAR CONTROL is known for taking chances, adapting, and moving forward to find what is right for them and their audience. Whatever it was that they did, they did it hard, fast, and correct!!

“Toe Cam”

There was this feeling of never wanting to drop down The Horns. You always wanted to have them up in the air. Or a fist or whatever. And if they asked to see something in the air, everyone willingly obliged.

It was fantastic to watch. There hadn’t been this much energy at a FEAR CONTROL in a while. It was a sigh of relief to know that it was there again.

After CASKET OF  CASSANDRA burned down the place on Wednesday night, FEAR CONTROL took hold of the reins and destroyed everything else that was still standing until it was nothing but smoldering ash.

My younger brother once said that FEAR CONTROL sounds like the band Death Angel and that they needed to contact Death Angel about maybe doing some shows together. And I finally see what he was talking about.

The best moment coming from when guitarist and vocalist Kash Sarkaria got up on his (what I call light box) and I had positioned my camera by his feet. He kept his pose while playing guitar until the flash went off.

“OFF WITH HIS HEAD”

I have never heard a crowd go so insane for FEAR CONTROL like that before. It was intense and the energy flowed throughout everyone. Both band and audience.

But I wasn’t feeling well. FEAR CONTROL exploded everything when they played my favorite song of theirs, “OFF WITH HIS HEAD” and before I knew it, I was blowing out my own voice to sing the chorus OFF WITH HIS HEAD, BLOOD MUST BE SHED.

Its kind of a way of communicating with guitarist Frankie Rodriguez. I will say the first part when I first see him and he’ll reply back to me with the second part. I love it.  Now if I can only get the new nickname that I came up for Kash to actually stick!!

After their set, I left feeling miserable and in pain. So I took off. I took photographs with most of the band and then I was gone.  What caused such misery will coming up soon in a future blog post.

Many thanks to these guys for putting up with my whining last night about how I might not make it. Thanks for them for being such a elite group of badasses. Until the next time!!!

LIVE THE WARRIOR LIFE

16 March 2014: Blood Must Be Shed With Fear Control @ Dirty Dog Bar

“Never stop yearning. Never stop learning. Never stop fighting. Never stop trying.”~ Kash Sarkaria of Fear Control

Minutes after CASKET OF CASSANDRA and immediately after Echoes In Oblivion came a band that I was able to see the Friday before for the first time at the HoT Rock Fest stages. 

These guys totally captured my attention. 

And this is the exact reason why I say that there’s no harm or foul in going to these kinds of shows where many bands are playing and to check them out instead of just seeing who you want to see and then leave. 

Supporting the music industry is what it is all about. 

So on Friday the 14th of March here was this local band called Fear Control. They were hard. They were fast. And most importantly they were completely brutal. 

Damn. Who are these redheads that you draw to your stage? And the rest of the party animals too???

I had never heard this kind of metal before. At least not live.  Fear Control got up there and everything was passion-fueled and full throttle, balls to the wall heavy metal music. 

People who had been out there for hours and probably most of them drunk or drinking lost their minds and just went into their own little worlds and enjoyed the crap out of the show. 

Several times for my own safety, I had to roll far away to the left of the stage because impromptu mosh pits kept popping up and I didn’t want to get hit by anyone. Especially if they were drunk or drinking. 

Nonetheless the music alone captured my attention and I was hooked and reeled in. And yes, the eye candy was pretty good!! 

Kudos to Fear Control on that one. And my apologies if I am offending anyone’s girlfriend/wife. 

For a good half hour was hardcore and thrashing music. Something that I hadn’t heard all day long. And knowing that I was going for a band that wasn’t that hard… it was different to my ears but it was a GOOD different. 

After the show I just felt so compelled to talk to them. Or at least to the lead singer. I threw the horns up at the bass player and then the head nod and then the thumbs up. He reciprocated. 

Ladies and gentlemen: That right there is a full conversation from beginning to end, in the heavy metal world. 

The weather started to suck but Fear Control made it through. Their headbanging style was incredible. Their musical abilities and talents were beyond what I had even thought possible. I really was liking this friggin’ band. And I was still going to be around for a while. 

So I had my five minutes in the sun with Kash Sarkaria and I felt like a childish dork with words stumbling out of my mouth. Thankfully he probably realized that I was still in awe of the band’s music and was relishing every moment of it and he gave me a break. Kash is a rather nice man. Funny as shit too!

At the end of our conversation he gave me a t-shirt, for FREE. His only rule was that I wore it. Well when I found out that they were going to be playing along with CASKET OF CASSANDRA two days later, that was a no brainer. 

These two bands together at one show? How fortunate could I have been??? 

Frankie Rodriguez (left) and Kash Sarkaria (center) of Fear Control playing at Dirty Dog Bar.

I really have enjoyed Fear Control’s music live though. I rolled on throughout the rest of the week and I remember passing by Kash and he asked if I had even left the stage area.. and I jokingly told him that I had slept on stage overnight. You know, because that would be so metal. 

Sunday the 16th at the Dirty Dog Bar it took a couple of passes by Kash for him to realize that I was there. The rest of his band mates noticed me and said hello as well. It was like a funky groovy family reunion that had only been separated by 48 hours. But that was okay. 

It was more of the same goodness that I had heard on Friday. 

The exception was that I was again front and center on the stage. I remember giving Franke and Kash both the horns and they flared them back at me. It was so awesome. I love it when I am able to interact with people on stage one way or another. It just shows that they are seeing and caring about those who have come out to hear them. 

I sat there with my new Fear Control t-shirt and just soaked it all in. Until they got to the end of their set and then Kash was giving lyrics for singing instructions for their final song called “Off With His Head.” 

However someone struck a guitar chord during the explanation of the lyrics and I could not hear what they were so I could not really sing along. 

Off with his head …
……… something. 

Whomever played that chord? Step into my office, ‘cuz you’re fuckin’ fired!! 

I jest. As well as digress. I asked after the show what the lyrics were. But by then it was too late to sing along. 

I looked over and saw members of CASKET OF CASSANDRA screaming and headbanging and raising their beers into the air off to the left of me and I thought about how that was cool of the band members to come over and support this new (to me) band. 

Kash gave me their EP, and I could’ve just hugged the man. But hey, keeping it metal…. 

Now I’m addicted to the song “Off With His Head” and I haven’t stopped playing it today. 

I cannot wait until they know when their next show is going to be. Apparently they play at the Dirty Dog a lot. And since I kinda know the place it won’t be that difficult to manage. Just sucks having to take that long 30+ minute bus ride each way. 

But Fear Control was a band that I picked up during the SXSW Festival this year. I think that they’re going to stick just like POC NATION did. 

Rock on and always UP THE HORNS!!!!!! 

Fear Control’s Facebook Fan Page