On Thursday, September 13th, September Mourning came to Count's Vamp'd in Las Vegas for a free concert, along with supporting acts Kaleido and Charcoal Tongue. This was a very solid lineup, with the headliner being fairly established as one of the more interesting and exciting live acts in rock music today. Their supporting act, Kaleido, is also getting a lot of recognition, having appeared in support of national touring acts such as Seether, as well as on festival stages, including the final Van's Warped Tour.
The first band to take the stage was Charcoal Tongue, an american rock band from San Antonio, TX, that features Chris Mora on Vocals, Christian Mata on Bass, Matt Guajardo on Guitar, and Jordan Flores -on Drums. They formed in 2015, shortly after front man Chris Mora attempted suicide,which obviously heavily influenced their 2017 debut EP 24 Hours: My Deterioration, as it has a very dark theme, and addresses the subjects of depression and despair. Their latest release, another EP titled 48 Hours: Monster in the Mirror became available at midnight on the night of this Vegas performance. Their music is hard-hitting and heavy with periods of slow, softly spoken or melodic vocals which often culminate in harsh screaming, expressing the anger and frustration felt by Mora during his troubled times. If you like KoRn's earlier hard-hitting style of music, you may very well like this band. I know I've really enjoyed getting familiar with their music, and seeing them perform it live was a pleasure. I had the chance to talk to Mora between sets and he seems genuinely likeable. I certainly hope that his music continues to be a catharsis for his depression and wish him the best of luck with his music career. It definitely looks like he's onto something. Check out Charcoal Tongue on iTunes, Amazon, YouTube and Spotify through the link HERE !
Charcoal Tongue Setlist:
My Deeds on Display
Monster in the Mirror
Inside Out
Choke
Don't Follow Me
Fix Me
Charcoal Tongue photos from Randy Udell / R U Rocking' Photos
Kaleido was next up and I was anxious to finally get to see them perform live, as this would be a first for me. Kaleido is a rock band from Detroit, and formed in 2011, with Christina Chriss on Vocals, Joey Fava on Drums, Cody Morales on Bass, and Ronnie Rosolino on Guitar. They were on Shiprocked Cruise back in January, and I heard great things about them from friends who caught their perfomances, so they have been on my radar for a while now. I've had the chance to check out several of their music videos and they strike me as a hard rock band with a large dose of pop. Much of what I have heard from Kaleido seems to start with Christina singing in a delicate, melodic tone (sounding a lot like Gwen Stefani), but then she cranks it up a notch and comes through with a bit of a growl, switching back and forth seamlessly between these styles. On this night Kaleido decided to perform a lot of new music, so I was only familiar with a couple of their songs, but their new music seems to have adhered to this formula. Christina is a very charismatic front-woman with a beautifully voice, but also exudes an air of toughness - she can sing sweetly but don't mess with her because she won't put up with it! I think the title of their second song from this set summmed her up perfectly, "No More Little Miss Nice Bitch"! Kaleido did not disappoint and lived up to every expectation, they definitely have headliner talent and sound, and I am glad I was finally able to see them perform live. Follow the band and tour HERE .
Kaleido Setlist:
Unbreakable
No More Little Miss Nice Bitch
My Enemy
Pretend
Blood
Eating
My Fire
Kaleido photos from Randy Udell / R U Rocking' Photos
September Mourning headlined the evening and, after a prolonged intermission took the stage. Once the curtain was pulled back it was apparent why the load-in seemed to take a while. Even in such tight quarters as the Vamp'd stage they had an elaborate set-up, with a large projector screen, light-up pedestals with fog machines, and giant black, tusk-like thorns protruding upward from the stage. For those who are unfamiliar with September Mourning they are a self-described "Hard Rock Graphic Novel Art Project" created by front-woman Emily Lazar and comic book artist, Marc Silvestri. "The character of September Mourning is a human-reaper hybrid, who feels the need to give some human souls a second chance, and thus toys with Fate." -via the band's Facebook Page.
In between songs, a vocal track of September narrated the story shown on the projector. The storyline is expressed both through their music (an EP titled Volume I, and full length album titled Volume II) as well as a series of comic books, and is enacted during the band's live stage performances. Their shows are a visual delight, as well as a musical one. Front-woman Emily, as the character September, wears an elaborate costume of a white leather corset, white leather boots, white leather gauntlets, and has her face fully painted kabuki-like with white paint and black lips and eyes. She brings the comic book character to life with authentic cosplay and fully embodies September. She has a powerfully haunting voice that perfectly suits the theme as well. Fellow reapers, guitarists Riven and Wraith, and drummer Stitch, also portray characters from the comics. Although, on this night, Stitch did not wear his customary black leather mask (reminiscent of a Slipknot or Mushroomhead character).
From beginning to end this show is entertaining. As I have noted in the past, I am fan of well-executed concept albums, and I really love the idea of tying the graphic novel into the storytelling aspect. Coheed and Cambria have been doing this same thing for a while now and I absolutely love it! September Mourning, while using a very different theme, seems to be following in those footsteps and doing a fantastic job of it. Follow the band news and tour dates HERE .
Cast of Characters:
September - Emily Lazar - Lead Vocals, keyboards
Riven - Rich Juzwick - Guitar, backing vocals
Wraith - Patrick Romanelli - Guitar
Shadou - Bass
Stitch - Josh Fresia - Drums
September Mourning Setlist:
Angels to Dust
Eye of the Storm
Stand by Me (Ben E. King cover)
Heart Can Hold
Skin and Bones
Til You See Heaven
Empire
Children of Fate
20 Below
(encore)
Before the Fall
September Mourning photos from Randy Udell / R U Rocking' Photos
All three bands put on exceptional performances, sounding excellent, and displaying lots of energy. I am glad that I was able to attend. I certainly have a greater respect for what September Mourning is doing, and I had the pleasure of hearing a very good up-and-coming band from Texas, Charcoal Tongue, as well as an exciting touring band Kaleido from Detroit! As usual, Korie Koker and Count's Vamp'd put together a quality lineup for a no-cover show. Check out the Vamp'd website for more incredible upcoming events at