by BluesDawg on Sun Jun 21, 2009 12:35 pm
Just calling 'em like I see them, but once again there was a problem with an opening act at The Laredo Grill.
Mr. Wheelen was late to begin with, did not do a proper sound check, and to be quite frank...simply did not belong in this line-up of acts. An acoustic act opening up for two heavy bands didn't sound like a good idea in the first place, but the show was A Plea For Mercy's, and he was there by their invitation. Unfortunately, the crowd response was very negative, & the patio cleared of people quickly, only to return when SufferKate took the stage.
SufferKate put on a helluva performance, & the crowd was certainly into what they were doing. I've seen this band twice in El Dorado before at the old Einstein's location, & once in Little Rock at the Warehouse. There have been a couple of line-up changes since those shows, and this band has reacted well to those changes. The chemistry seems better between the current members, & their stage presence has improved tremendously. They've been doing gigs recently in Memphis at the New Daisy, & have been well received there, as well as in Monroe. They've got all the elements in place to step up to a regional level in a big way...they just need more exposure. A very personable group of musicians, & they carry themselves well. They've got my recommendation...check 'em out if you have the chance!
A Plea For Mercy finished out the night in fine fashion, and they were very entertaining to watch. Vocalist Destiny Baxter was simply awesome, falling somewhere in between Amy Lee of Evanescence, and Otep Shamaya, of OTEP...LOL!
Their songs were very technical, with intricate little fills & flourishes as accents to their hard-driving ryhthms.
This band is as visual as they are aural, and obviously well rehearsed. They're poised right now to make a push & start gigging more outside of Arkansas, and I look for them to do well in larger metropolitan markets.
If you're into harder edged melodic metal with a little throat vocals thrown in for good measure...you'll most likely enjoy this band.
Here's a video for their song "Insanity" :
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fusea ... d=33096715
