You know those nights: the ones where you are fresh off work, tired, bored to death, needing a beer, and wishing something was going on. You get home and decide to do a random sweep of the local venues to see if any shows are coming up worth checking out. You then notice that a great band is playing THAT NIGHT, door have already opened; you say 'hell yes', and head downtown. This was me last night, and as it turns out, I was able to catch an amazing show thanks to my random internet sweep.DEADHORSE are an Erie, PA-based post rock band utilizing heavy piano riffs layered on the standard guitar-heavy post rock sound. While this by itself makes for a great concert, they are touring with William James, a Pittsburgh-based slam poet. James delivered a ten minute long slam poem opening, as Deadhorse layered sounds underneath. James's words ranged from vaguely religious to suicidal to hopeful to depressed and back to hopeful again. He told stories of broken homes, broken dreams, and fighting back. He was an imposing figure; his voice hit like a sledgehammer. I have never seen slam poetry in such a setting, and it's incorporation was amazing.
When James finished, Deadhorse went immediately into 'No Particular Night or Morning', the opener from their 2010 full-length "We Can Create Our Own World." Live post-rock is an amazing experience because, unlike many other genres, the emotions drawn out by the music vary greatly from moment to moment in the songs. Deadhorse weaved their sound around the minds of the audience, lulling them into trances one moment with calming ambiance and then bringing the waves crashing back with tremendous crescendos that shook the floor. Their cohesion was amazing. After Deadhorse trekked through several of the tracks off their album, James came back on stage, again delivering a poem over walls of atmosphere (I believe it was the track 'The Long Rain'), before they all ended the night with thanks and cheers.
This was an incredible, unique concert experience, and if this tour is swinging near you, be sure to check it out.
http://www.facebook.com/deadhorsemusic
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