Overall, I was pleasantly surprised and quite impressed. Not that I thought they would suck, but I had yet to hear their stuff, and it was excellent. Which equals me, pleasantly surprised.
Even though the room the actual show was in consisted of a single, normal size doorway and about 400 square feet, with about 30 people packed into it, and the acoustics were less than stellar, it was still a pretty well performed show.
Being a longtime friend of Will, it was difficult not to pick up on slight hints of Haze Grey and From Morning On's vocals, but that's not a bad thing by any means. If tonight's show was any indicator, he has definitely progressed and matured far beyond my memory of his role in those bands. His vocals were not polished, not pristine, but instead were an enjoyable full and passionate, laced with a sense of depravity. I can't wait to hear him once they record something.
Nog and Andy's background vocals were daggum amazing. That's a professional term which means WELL DONE. A lot of times background vocals can seem superfluous or unnecessary, but each time they stepped up to the mic, there was a pleasant harmony or cacophony with whatever Will was singing. They also threw in some gang-type vocals, technique I've always loved.
Dave was, naturally, going crazy on the drums. From where I was standing I could only see his arms as he bashed out a pleasant medley of heavy-hitting drums, but it was enough to see the intensity with which he was playing. The drums were another aspect that did not overpower but rather supported the rest of the instruments, a surprising feat for the venue.
I'll admit it was difficult to hear the guitars simple because of the confines of the building, but that's my only criticism about their contribution. I really enjoyed the volume of Nog's bass, and the variety of what he was playing--it wasn't a typical monotonous bass line. I was also unaware that Will played keys as well as guitar, at least in the band--a worthy contribution and again, enjoyable.
Basically, I went because they were friends but I'll be going back because they put on a pretty bangin' show.
Commenting on back up singers: Augustana's back up singer, who is also the bassist, adds so much to the vocals! I would actually prefer the bassist to sing lead rather than the lead singer, but that's because I don't really like how the lead singer looks.
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