09/02/2013
WIIL ROCK FEST ~ 2013
BY: GMPlanell
A beautiful, green canvas and the artists are none other than FM Entertainment and radio station, WIIL Rock of Kenosha, WI. Once these musical superpowers put their mind on something, you'd better be sure to take notice. After the musical artistry was finished, it indeed became another gorgeous work of art, inspiring music lovers from all over. This festival, in its third year, was nothing short of incredible. If you were hungry for music, you got your fill today.
Twenty Five high-powered bands in all completed 20 and 30 minute sets on the smaller platforms. The focus concentrating on the national acts' entry to the main stage where the sets grew longer as the musicians took their places.
Three platforms lined the perimeter of Shadow Hill Ranch along with a vendor strip of stores. The WIIL Rock stage sponsored the early morning music of Brand New Machine from Texas, (sporting also a whirlpool bath hot tub on stage right, which later was filled to capacity by the WIIL Rock girls and Duco), then a very comfortable interview setting for WIIL Rock hosts, Marija and Jen Marr, to have frank discussions with the artists featured to perform.
The Reverb nation Stage featured some of the best local music from the Chicago/Wisconsin area including 'Last One Standing', WIIL Rock's 2013 Bandemonium winner and also several, hardworking, regional greats such as: Mind Merchant, A.D.D., Fist to the Sky, and Slow Burn to name a few.
The Jagermeister Stage hosted rock greats: Wayland, Art of Dying, Soil, Airbourne, Red Line Chemistry, Smile Empty Soul and Hurt. The Main Stage acquired a well needed rest during this time as later in the day; it garnered a pounding like hell on wheels. Legendary acts Lovehammers featuring Marty Casey, Trapt, Nonpoint, All that Remains, HIM and VOLBEAT really put the boots to it and gave it an asskicking as the night wore on ripping apart the most avid of music lovers, myself included.
I had the opportunity to experience first-hand discussion interviews with Marija and Jen Marr as they encouraged the performers to tell their tales of the road and give more information about upcoming events, new projects and discs either in the making or just being released. I came away with a wealth of information.
Some of the highlights included music nomads Wayland who indicated that they were pleased to do 'these' kinds of shows because, 'You get to see everyone at lunch time', said Mitch Arnold/vox, reflecting on the musicians gathered at this days event. They talked about how the song 'Reno' was inspired by worn brakes in Las Vegas, a series of mishaps followed. From that point, the song just gelled. They talked about how appreciative they were to all of their fans for guiding their way during constant touring.
Our Canadian friends, The Art of Dying arrived to screaming girls and rooting metal heads. (Really Handsome) Jonny Hetherington/vox, Tavis Stanley/guitar and Cale Gontier/bass came on stage to speak with Marija. Mentioned was the fact that Adam Gontier canceled his appearance at the last minute, which drew a series of 'boos' from the audience. I am going to make a guess here but I'm pretty sure that the AOD members were as disappointed in that 'situation' as were their fans. They explained that there were 'management issues' and left it at that. Extraordinarily professional, kind and loveable- and in just a few moments the sultry, powerful vocals would fill the arena leaving a trail of smoldering, broken hearts. Another band I really loved.............'Die Trying' - one of my favorite live performances of the evening. (btw, Cale Gontier hugged me.. just sayin').
Soil members came on next to a crowd of excited fans. Tim King, Adam Zadel and Mitch Gable with Ryan McComb. Their set had been officially over and Ryan seemed rested after a short nap. During his performance, he told the crowd, "The music starts with you and the music ends with you. You make this happen." He was right. The fans appreciated him and now were able to witness a frank discussion with host, Marija. They also appreciated the fact that Soil's new release came out this past week, August 20th to be exact. 'WHOLE' is currently available in stores for purchase.
I noticed Red Line Chemistry by the vocals and harmonies. They were rocking hard on stage. Formed in 2004 and from Kansas City, they connected with the crowd seemingly on a familiar level. Singer, Brett Ditgen, sounded great! The songs were catchy and hard driving. Riffs by Tyson Leslie were effectual, impressive and commanding. I had a hard time walking away from this stage after they were finished, I was hoping for more. “Unspoken” is a great song. “Sucker Punch” kills ! Watch out for this band…. I have a feeling… Loved them!
Austrailian rockers Airbourne proved that they are just as legendary as their coincidental counterpart, AC/DC. When asked if they were affected by the fact that everyone asks them about the comparison, vocalist, Joel O’Keefe explained that he didn’t think they sounded alike at all but were proud to have shared that resemblance. Brother, Ryan O’Keefe was a blistering drummer and made the crowd voracious for more. They are just as mischievous as the fabled rockers. I was really impressed and admired their set! I loved the singles, “Ready to Rock”, “Live it Up”, and “Runnin’ Wild”- video features my favorite guy, Lemmy ! I’m bought and sold on this group.
Lovehammers, Marty Casey was psyched and completely ready for this interview. He digressed about his travel through music and was very gracious about the opportunity to play such an exciting festival. His smile ravaged the crowd and made long time admirers swoon. Ever the gentleman, Marty autographed for the fans took pictures and expressed a serious love of his home town. He was a crowd favorite. Shortly after the interview ended, you could hear his vocals predominately echoing throughout the ranch as people rocked all around the stage. The Lovehammers were a great addition!
Trapt seemed relaxed, playful and fun! They waited for their interview time by playing a bit of 'soccer' with the oversized beach ball and allowed me to play with them. When it was their time to interview, they expressed that their desire to become musicians were preceded by just 'making music and drinking beers-that's all'. That’s a very modest assessment from a band that is working on their 6th record. Chris Taylor/vox indicated that they 'write, all the time' and usually the songs are based off of 'cool riffs'. They were typical 'naturals' and really nice to talk with. Their stage show was NOTHING like their kind persona. They were downright ‘mean’ up there! Awesomeness.
Smile Empty Soul bass player Ryan Martin, Jake Kilmer and singer Sean Danielsen entered and was greeted with an encouraging crowd. They had spoken about how that they had formed a label called Two Disciples Entertainment in connection with Pavement Entertainment and will release "Chemicals" in fall of 2013. Their set was definitely a hard rock, grunge groove. The crowd was waiting for this one. The audience was singing with Sean Danielsen to “Bottom of the Bottle” VERY loudly and they seemed to relate to the hit “Nowhere Kids”. They had the audience in their pocket. This is a really captivating live show! I will be looking for them.
Nonpoint was no nonsense. No kidding. Classified as Alternative Metal from Ft. Lauderdale, they raged in that arena! Hit after hit – killing it !! Metal rap, “Bullet with a name on it”, remastered Phil Collins hit, “In the air tonight” polishing this classic with Latin drumming and metal flair. My current, very, favorite song; “That Day” was FANTASTIC live !! hen,“Recoil” metal aggressive, Latin smash hit. Elias Soriano vocals were powerful, in-your-face; Robb Rivera drummer kept pulverizing time while the crowd jumped up and down and an occasional crowd surf. Smoking guitarists Rasheed Thomas and Dave Lizzio shredded the faces of the entire first row of fans. Rampage bassist, Adam Woloszyn kept it heavy, with driving riffs of metal. Wow!! Authentic metal at its finest! Bravo, Nonpoint!!!
From Massachusetts, the group All That Remains quickly became another favorite of mine. Matter of fact, I would have to say one of my top three from the entire show. Phillip Labonte/vox, Jeanne Sagan/bassist and Jason Costa/drummer arrived for their turn in front of the interview mic. I was completely in awe of their unassuming, level-headed demeanor. They talked candidly to Jen Marr about life on the road. You would never know that these three people speaking would ultimately tear up the stage in preparation for HIM and show stoppers, VOLBEAT. They brought it. Phillip Labonte raised and lowered the volume of the crowd with a wave of his arms. They obeyed. It was magnificent, and then sparked by his approval of horns! Fantastic LIVE performance!!!
It seemed like we had waited for quite some time for the members of HIM. I noticed a lovely couple waiting patiently off the backstage area. The front of the stage was literally filled with fans that went out a few hundred feet. I honestly hadn't heard many songs from HIM and had to deliver a personal message to singer, Ville Valo from a mutual friend and so I waited to greet him. He arrived. From the first moment that I met Ville, he seemed kind, subdued, and handsome in a way I couldn't describe. He engaged in a personal conversation with me for several minutes and his accent seemed quite pleasant-magnetic, in fact. He was very sweet and engaged, not distracted and very respectful. He smiled and allowed me to photograph him drinking an O'Doul's Beer and then proceeded to speak with the couple waiting. Almost immediately, she collapsed into tears. I was shocked. I've never seen that before and after observing the conversation, I could tell that this Finnish front man was unlike anyone else. She took several photos of him and professed her undying love as her husband snapped more pictures. He exited their grasp graciously; I might add and headed for the stage and Jen Marr's meeting. The greeting from his fans was deafening. You could barely hear him speak as he tried to answer Jen's question of how his fans became so enraptured in HIM. Honestly, I can't rightfully tell you what he said. He was very appreciative for the opportunity to play. I can tell you that his performance was bewitching. “Soul on Fire” distinguished drumming and guitar!! “Kiss of Dawn”- sizzling vocals, guitar-haunting ballad. “Love you Like I Do”, Eerie “For You”. A flash of Jim Morrison raced through my mind… you don’t think he…. never mind. His hit 'Wings of a Butterfly' had the crowd completely spellbound. The sexiness and melody was making a comeback. I liked his voice. I still have to tell you, I've never seen a front man mesmerize an audience like that before on stage... ever.
I was not a fan of Volbeat before this day. In fact, I didn't want to cover them. Seriously. I know, you can't like everyone ... and I was trying to figure out how to constructively describe them for this article without my personal opinion getting in the way. This Danish/American, heavy metal, punk rock, rockabilly sensation that had the entire ranch packed almost to capacity. What the heck was I going to write about other than the only song I knew, "A Warriors Call". It didn't make sense to me. Let me tell you something, I went to 'school' that evening. I don't know how; but I'm hooked - insanely hooked!! Michael Poulsen's vocals were effectual and dominating! The guitar riffs of bassist Anders Kjolholm and former ANTHRAX guitarist Rob Caggiano's impressive leads ripped through my heart and blasted my mind. I almost couldn't stand. Not an exaggeration - complete truth. I found this 'groove metal' exactly what I needed to continue my 11th hour onslaught of music. I was ready for more. They produced some of their greatest recordings, "The Hangman's Body Count"- (guitar insanity), "Still Counting", "Heaven nor Hell", "Fallen", acoustic hit "Sad Man's Tongue" which caused a moderate mosh pit, crowd favorite "I only want to be with you".... it was crazy. I was reminded of the Michael Schenker riffs of the 80s, Motorhead, Elvis - It was unique, rejuvenating. This band is timeless! They did it; I'm an immovable fan! They encored with "A Warriors Call", of course. Everyone was put in their place, especially... me. What a sensational live show!! Go get their new release, “Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies”. You’ll understand everything then.
I didn't think the night would get better... then the After Party arrived! Current Chicago residents, Psychostick took the stage! Originally from Tempe, AZ; they fit right in with the night time crazies! "Welcome to the show", "My car is a piece of sh*t", "Numbers", "because boobs"....and of course, psychotic hit "BEER!" I couldn't contain myself! I laughed so hard, my sides were hurting. What a great way to end the evening! I was exhausted and felt lighthearted (or was that light-headed) all at once.
The blend of musicianship at this festival was astonishing! They were pure professionals, kind and caring! During the live interviews, I had heard repeatedly how the artists were very grateful. They were again playing with bands they’ve performed with at other arenas along their journey. Most everyone was happy to see each other. You could catch band members roaming the crowd, enjoying the ambiance and checking out one anothers bands! They were literally fans of each other!! It was a gathering of a ‘family’ nature. You cannot miss a year of WIIL Rock Fest! This is a chance to have a sensational time showing love to all the bands supported by the great people of WIIL Rock all year long. They work incredibly hard to create this event and are always trying to come up with world class shows... With the help of FM Entertainment; they are certain to hit the mark - every single time. Bullseye !!!
