Friday March 12 the second See Spot Rock Tour plowed into Tipp City invading The Avenue featuring five bands ranging from rock to rap. The auditorium was packed with loud, bouncing kids screaming to the onstage energy. This year’s line-up packed even more musical wallop with Big Dismal, Grits, Pillar, Skillet and 12 Stones.
Promptly at 8 the lights went out, the roar began and the opening band was intro’d and the mania began. From sunny Florida came Big Dismal with 6 songs of sound rampage. Each heavily tattooed member did their best to make body heat rise and warm the hands and feet for the frantic three hour plus cardio party to ensue. They were the first to make crowd pleasing use of the large meet and greet booming speakers. Songs Just the Same and Reality gave the desired effect and response.
The turntable was uncovered, records readied to be scratched and the mic’s tested for multiple lyric spreading. Representing rap with a semi old school look, Grits emerged from back stage ready to education and celebrate musical style saying you don’t need loud guitars and screaming vocals to make Spot rock. Their stage show brought back memories of a young LL Cool J and Run DMC. They filled the stage with piles of lyrics the minute their feet hit the floor and they never stayed in any place very long. They gave smooth delivery with street aggression along with some physical comedy and positive charisma supporting their two-part upcoming CD’s Dichotomy A in June and Dichotomy B in November.
The first of the evenings favorites poised ready to hit The Avenue stage for the veterans fifth time. Thunder rumbled, the intro played, steam waited to bellow out into the open air. The rock continued with Pillar pounding out crowd favorites including Hypnotize and Fireproof. Supersonic screams put the stamp on the rock tunes with a metal stank. June 15 launches their new CD as the crowd will welcome them back.
Front row attendees screamed for the veteran techno rock band from the first moment the road crew set up Korey Cooper’s keyboard. Eight songs of raw, intimate energy were played including several from their new ground breaking Collide CD. There’s little to be said about them that hasn’t been etched into the minds of fans. They’re on the verge of their greatest success recently signing with Lava Records mixing moving ballads with hard rock anthems epitomizing what good positive music should sound like while harnessing the best out of the crowd with excellent stage presence and honest delivery.
The sweat was flying by both band and crowd as hands rose as hundreds of hoarse vocals gave their all to the headliners making their debut on the sacred Attic stage. 12 Stones played a bass heavy, evolutionary set taking the music to the crowd in true stage jumping rock star fashion inspiring a quick appearance of the outlawed mosh pit. Stones played with rapid body movement giving the liquid deprived kids enough sound ephedra to keep them alive and nuts until the last note faded away.
