The Company and the Music
By Rose Lamela
It's an obvious thing in my inner circle and from past posts on this blog that Screaming Females have been my favorite band this year. I have never seen a band seven times, let alone six times, in one year. Their performance at Warsaw last Friday was like most of their shows, full of power-driven beats and Marissa's amazing lead guitar performance. She is my favorite shredder, and the fact that she is a female guitarist makes this "Year of the Woman" feel serendipitous.
We were welcomed by both Big Huge and Kitten Forever as a well put together primer for the main event. Big Huge had a well received retro style to their music which can be considered, in many ways, a new sound coming back in. Kitten Forever's performance was a great example of musical talent as the group members switched instruments throughout the show and used a phone receiver as a microphone adding some grit to their lyrics and sound. They also showed the audience that rock music is not only about the sound but also the camaraderie of touring with bands and the appreciation for the behind the scenes people that help them on their journey as they travel from one venue to another.
Screaming Females, of course, played hard and brought in a list of their best songs. They played quite a few songs from Rose Mountain, which will always be one of my favorite albums of all time. This was the first time I heard them play "Triumph" and according to CoolDad's recollection the first time they played "Wishing Well" with us in attendance. They even delivered on "Doom 84" from Ugly which remains my favorite song to hear live. They closed the night with "Hopeless" which was what I needed to hear at the end of a tough week.
One of the things I love to do as a music lover is nag people to listen to bands I discover. I harassed many people to “Get with” this band. I was able to gather some converts; and, not only were we together for the first Screaming Females' show this year at Monty Hall in Jersey City, but we also ended up together in Brooklyn for the last local Screaming Females show of 2018. We all remember our favorite shows; but, along with those memories, are the people we shared them with. Let rock and roll be full of that, and don't forget to thank those other music lovers that join you on the journey.