Irvine, California
Epicenter Festival - Part I: Drive A, Crossfade, Middle Class Rut
Last week, I headed to Irvine to catch my first ever California rock experience at the Epicenter Festival for its second year. From the moment I touched down at LAX, it was apparent that I wasn’t the only rocker in town for the show. Fans galore, decked out in their finest band apparel and cameras in hand, lined the same baggage claim as me. It was my first indication that, while many of the fans to fill the 20,000 seat Verizon Wireless Amphitheater were from Cali, many others were “just visiting.” I even met one guy who flew over from France!
The frequent flier miles racked up for this event were not only a testament to the festival’s reputation, but also to the performing bands. While some acts were making their home state return, others were “just visiting” from other areas of the country, just like the fans.
Arriving in L.A., I was expecting a lot of delays with this being my first big cross-country trip alone. But my flight was on time, my bag was the first off the carousel, the rental car was ready with keys in the ignition and the hotel was awaiting my arrival with a fresh-baked cookie and a smile. The drive from my hotel down the 605 (and then the 405) was a breeze. It was almost too easy, an excellent precursor to my overall experience.
At the amphitheater, the weather was anything but what I expected from Southern Cali. Overcast and lightly misting, I made my way inside and straight up to the rail of the Monster Energy Drink stage. To be honest, I was surprised there weren’t more fans hurrying to grab prime real estate at the stage as was usually the case at most shows I’ve been to. Perhaps it was just to the laid back Cali attitude. But it didn’t deter from how hard they rocked as the day went on.
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| Bruno Mascolo, lead singer for Drive A. |
First up were the California-based rockers of Drive A. Going on first didn’t deter this young group from giving it their all. They seemed truly appreciative for the opportunity to perform during Epicenter. Decked out in all-black matching outfits, they seemed to be a blend of today’s young rock and punk bands of the past, getting the fast forming crowd into action with the catchy call-and-repeat of “Let’s Have a Wreck (Trainwreck)” .
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| Crossfade on the Monster Energy Drink stage. |
Next to take the stage was Crossfade, whose latest album We All Bleed is said to be the band’s battle cry for conquering their demons. This is the band’s third album and triumphant return to the rock world after a three year hiatus. Crossfade first hit the scene in 2004 with their platinum selling, self titled debut album. The 2006 follow up album Falling Away was considered to be a disappointment by industry standards, and the band was dropped by their record label in 2008.
To say that Crossfade is back on the map would be an understatement. Their new album has already broken the Billboard 200 and continues to have forward momentum. The band performed their first single “Killing Me Inside” (see below video fro Epicenter) and what will be thenew album's second single, “Prove You Wrong”. Both were well received by the crowd, right along with other hits from their past like “Cold,” “So Far Away” and “Colors.”
Personally, I spent a lot of time during high school and college listening to Crossfade CD’s from start to finish. I’d like to say that I was the only one in attendance that knew these songs so well. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth. It was great to hear the crowd singing along so strongly during Crossfade’s entire performance, as well as the resulting smile of lead singer Ed Sloan. It kind of made me feel like a proud sibling watching from the sidelines.
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| Middle Class Rut... yep, it's just two of them. |
After Crossfade was the alternative rock band called Middle Class Rut. I use the term “band” lightly. Imagine my surprise when only two guys took the stage. I think they were well into their second song before I finally accepted that nobody else would be joining them. But once I got over the shock of a duet (and the “For Sale” sign that drummer Sean Stockham drew on his chest in marker, I hope) I realized how much this group was NOT lacking. In fact, I would go so far to say that they showcase more heart in their live performance than many other bands three times their size. At several points, vocalist and guitarist Zack Lopez was red in the face from exertion. His expressions during each song clearly portrayed the emotions behind the lyrics.
I only recently heard of Middle Class Rut, also known as MC Rut, through the song “New Low” (it sounded just as good live as it does on the CD.) But the crowd reaction to these guys should have tuned me into several things: 1) they’re another hometown group that the crowd was VERY familiar with and 2) they’ve been around and paid their dues, which is why the crowd was VERY familiar with them. Come to find out that “New Low” was actually released in 2007. Huh. Guess I’m not what you call an early adopter. But I guess better late than never right? All the more reason to get out there and experience live shows, to discover new bands (or at least new to me) just like Middle Class Rut who will blow your mind.
Want to see more of my photos? Check them out on my Flickr page.
Stay tuned for Part II of my Epicenter coverage when I’ll wrap up the Monster stage bands: Redlight King, Asking Alexandria and P.O.D.
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