I know, this is not a metal show. BUT I brought metal to the Post Malone show. My best friend loves Post Malone and so her and I had a girl’s night out and went to the show! This tour was supporting Post Malone’s new album, Beerbongs & Bentleys, which is really good. It is one of my favorite non-metal albums of the year. He brought 21 Savage with him to open up for him because their song, Rockstar, is really popular (trust me, you have heard it at one point or another).
For those of you who are not as familiar with Post Malone, he is a 22 year old singer/rapper from Texas. He hit the spotlight with his song White Iverson and he then went on tour to open up for Justin Bieber. He then dropped his first record, Stoney, in 2016 and realeased his second album, Beerbongs & Bentleys, in April of 2018. Some of his most popular songs are: Déjà vu, I Fall Apart, Congratulations, Better Now, Rockstar, and Psycho.
Post Malone is also a metalhead!!! He used to be in a metalcore band when he was in high school, and there are videos of him with some metal bands! There is a video of Post Malone with Knocked Loose singer, Bryan Garris jamming out on a tour bus. He also has big fans within the metal community such as: Levi Benton from Miss May I, Chris Fronzak from Attila, Myke Terry from Volumes, and Seth Blake from Wage War (Seth is such a big fan, he dressed up as Post Malone for Halloween).
I enjoy Post Malone’s music, and I support fellow metalheads, so I was super excited to hang out with my best friend and see Posty! But we all know that I will bring The Saw’s Butcher Shop to any show that I go to. You see, your Master Butcher has different types of aprons that I wear to shows. I have one specifically for rap shows. But the story about my different aprons is for another time. With that being said, I looked the part as a heavy metal kid. No, I didn’t wear an extremely offensive band shirt or corpse paint (even though that would’ve been really funny), I wore the attire that is in every metalhead’s closet (besides band shirts), leather. And let me tell you, I stuck out like a sore thumb.
My best friend and I
Literally every girl there looked the same. All of them wore high waisted shorts, a tank top, and black converses (you can see two pairs of black converses in the picture above). So, it’s easy to say that I was really easy to spot.
And oh my god, there were so many teenagers there!!! Like they all looked like they were sophomores/juniors in high school and they were all in huge groups of people. I swear, I would turn around and there would be a group of like 15 girls screaming and jumping on each other when they would see one another. C’mon now… I know y’all saw each other literally 3 hours ago at school. I could easily spot the older people (and by older, I mean people in their twenty’s and in college) because there would be a group of two or three people glaring at the group of 15 girls (me and my friend are included in this older group).
A DJ came on first and got the crowd hyped up! He kinda made me mad because he wouldn’t play full songs and would cut the song off RIGHT WHEN THE GOOD PART WAS ABOUT TO COME ON! It’s like he was personally trolling us. During the DJ, some guy threw a full beer can in the air and homeboy beside me caught it, drank it, and then threw the empty can in the air. We all started hollering, “WOOOOO!!!!!” and hyping him up during this. It is safe to say that nothing beats crazy rednecks no matter what the setting is.
21 Savage was next and of course, it started pouring down rain. But that didn’t stop us from jamming out!! We were all dancing in the rain, getting soaked but it just made the night more fun! My friend and I made some friends and we were dancing with them and rapping along with 21. He commented on how many people were in the lawn (aka us) and said we were crazy. For this show, I didn’t try to get close seats to the stage (because those are $$$$) and lawn is wayyyy more fun! There is no point in getting close while in lawn so, we were just having a blast singing and dancing in the back! 21 Savage played some of his most well-known songs such as Bank Account, Mad High, Dip Dip, and Bartier Cardi.
21 Savage
And now, what we have all been waiting for: POST MALONE!!! While we were waiting for Posty, people were literally crowd surfing in the lawn. I would see all these people going up and since this isn’t a show that would usually have crowd surfers (like a metal show), the majority of the people were dropped. I have no idea where the crowd surfers thought they were going because you literally can’t go anywhere in the lawn section, but hey, A+ for effort! This one girl was in a lawn chair, and crowd surfed while sitting in the lawn chair. That girl is my spirit animal.
Post Malone opened up with Too Young and everyone was vibing with the music, jumping around, and singing every word. On his records, Post Malone’s songs are really chill, but live, they still had the chill aspect but were more hyped so people could sing and dance. He also played some of my favorite songs such as Better Now, Candy Paint, No Option, Stay, and Go Flex. When he sang I Fall Apart, everyone was singing along with him way louder than any other song. He dedicated that song to “the bitch that broke his heart” and we all started chanting “F*** that bitch.” He ended the show by playing one of his most well-known songs: Congratulations. I swear no one was still during this show. Post Malone also commented on how many people were in the lawn and said we were some crazy mother*******.
Post Malone
The Post Malone show was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed myself! It was way different than a metal show, but it was a great experience! If you are thinking about listening to Post Malone, DO IT!! He has some really great music! I hate that someone broke his heart, but damn, some great music came out of it. I would also suggest watching videos of him, he is a real funny guy.
Overall, the show was a success and I wouldn’t mind seeing Post Malone again!
I was so excited for this show because one of my favorite bands, Upon A Burning Body, was playing! I am also really good friends with Joe from Upon A Burning Body and Myke from Volumes. So, I was looking forward to catching up with my friends!
The last time I saw Upon A Burning Body was at the Blind Tiger in Greensboro, NC.
At that show, I met the entire band and Danny Leal (the lead singer) gave me a hug and dedicated Texas Blood Money to me. Danny is a big fan of golfing, and I work in Pinehurst, NC which is one of the biggest and most popular golf locations in the United States. I promised him that the next time I see him, I would bring him some Pinehurst gear. So that is exactly what I did! I met up with him when I got to the venue and he was so excited and happy to see me. He was also really surprised when I gave him two golf shirts and a hat.
After hanging out with Danny, I met up with their bass player, Joe, and we also caught up. They were all really excited that I showed up to the show and kept asking me if I would be in the front again singing all of their songs. Is that even a question? OF COURSE I’m going to be in the front jamming out.
I bought a VIP ticket to meet Volumes and I got to hang out with the entire band. They were all really nice guys, and they were so excited to meet some of their fans. One of my friends is in the military and he was getting deployed that day. So, I asked Volumes if they could sign something for him and they did! Gus ended up sending him a video saying what’s up and Myke Facetimed him while my friend was on the way to the airport.
Volumes
Myke Terry (Lead Singer) for Volumes
After the meet and greet, Myke went with me and some friends to Zaxbys. Shoutout to Myke for paying for my food, you are the real MVP. Once we got back to the venue, I got in the front and was ready to jam out!
A couple of local bands played first, and they were pretty good! They were jamming out and trying to engage with the crowd, but like most shows, the crowd did not really get into the opening acts as much. Convictions was the first band from the tour lineup to play and they were really interactive with the crowd. There was some movement from the crowd and they did put on a great show! This band were Christian’s because the singer apologized to the fans if some people from that religion ever judged them. He also said that what those people do is not what they stand for. I thought that was pretty cool. The White Noise came on, and wow. They put on an amazing performance. The singer was a wild man! He got on some guy’s shoulders and was running around in the pit. He really got the crowd pumped up for the rest of the show.
Upon A Burning Body (UABB) was up next and you already know that I was hyped to see them! They came out playing Red Razor Wrist and the crowd exploded! Everyone was jamming out and there were people running around in the pit. UABB has amazing energy and I love seeing them live. Everyone in the band waved at me at some point during their set. They played my favorite song, Scars, and during that song, Danny was in front of me and he squatted down, ruffled my hair, and gave me a hug. There were two little kids in the front and Danny noticed them getting squished from the pit, so he pulled them on stage and let them watch the rest of the show from stage-side. They played all of their hits, such as You Don’t Own Me, Already Broken, Intermission, and Texas Blood Money. Danny dedicated their song, Sin City, to me. Joe gave me a guitar pick after their set and then it was time for Volumes!
Picture by: Rosario Gutierrez
Can you spot me in this picture??
Volumes came out playing Left for Dead and the entire place was rocking! They also have great energy on stage and Myke has some sick dance moves. Everyone was singing and dancing to their songs. They played my favorite songs back to back. They played Finite, Feels Good, The Mixture, and Waves Control. After Waves Control, I went to UABB’s merch booth and hung out with Danny and Joe for the rest of the show. The guitarist for Volumes was walking around the venue while playing. He was at the bar and taking shots with fans, and he would go up behind people while playing. He was just hanging out having a great time. It was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. Volumes came out and did an encore and played Vahle and Intake.
All of the bands put on a great show and I was really impressed with the turnout! The venue really surprised me, it turned out to be a really cool place! I got to meet new people, hang out with some bands, and to top it all off, Danny said that I am UABB’s favorite fan! This show was worth the 4 hour drive!
1 TT LoveLaws Love Leaks/Caroline 2 ICEAGE Beyondless Matador 3 CUT WORMS Hollow Ground Jagjaguwar 4 BUZZY LEE Facepaint [EP] Future Classic 5 FORTH WANDERERS Forth Wanderers Sub Pop 6 SOFT KIL LSavior Profound Lore 7 NO AGE Snares Like a Haircut Drag City 8 OCEAN HOPE Rolling Days Hush Hush 9 CAMP COPE How To Socialise & Make Friends Run For Cover 10 FRANKIE COSMOS Vessel Sub Pop 11 MOANING Moaning Sub Pop 12 NIHILIST CHEERLEADER Riot, Right? Perfect Attendance 13 CURRENT JOYS A Different Age Danger Collective 14 HOP ALONG Bark Your Head Off, Dog Saddle Creek 15 EZRA FURMAN Transangelic Exodus Bella Union/PIAS 16 AMEN DUNES Freedom Sacred Bones 17 SHOPPING The Official Body Fat-Cat 18 BEACH HOUSE Seven (7) Sub Pop 19 LADY LEGS Holy Heatwave Communicating Vessels 20 SHACKS, THE Haze Big Crown 21 DRINKS Hippo Lite Drag City 22 DURAND JONES AND THE INDICATIONS Durand Jones & The Indications Dead Oceans/Colemine 23 SOCCER MOMMY Clean Fat Possum 24 ED SCHRADER’S MUSIC BEAT Riddles Carpark 25 GENGAHR Where Wildness Grows Kobalt 26 ANNA BURCH Quit the Curse Polyvinyl 27 CORNIGLIA Corniglia Self-Released 28 LEBANON HANOVER Let Them Be Aliens Optika 29 DR DOG Critical Equation We Buy Gold/Thirty Tigers 30 GUM The Underdog Spinning Top
1 COURTNEY BARNETT Tell Me How You Really Feel Mom + Pop 2 PARQUET COURTS Wide Awake! Rough Trade 3 PRISM TATS Mamba Anti- 4 POPTONE Poptone Cleopatra 5 TOMEMITSU The Cave (Deluxe Edition) S.A.D. 6 PROFESSOR CAVEMANVol. 4 [EP] Sniffling Indie Kids 7 DEEPER Deeper Fire Talk
TOP 30
1 CUT WORMS Hollow Ground Jagjaguwar 2 ICEAGE Beyondless Matador 3 TT Love Laws Love Leaks/Caroline 4 FORTH WANDERERS Forth Wanderers Sub Pop 5 BUZZY LEE Facepaint [EP] Future Classic 6 SHACKS, THE Haze Big Crown 7 AMEN DUNES Freedom Sacred Bones 8 EZRA FURMAN Transangelic Exodus Bella Union/PIAS 9 HOP ALONG Bark Your Head Off, Dog Saddle Creek 10 SCREAMING FEMALES All At Once Don Giovanni 11 US GIRLS In A Poem Unlimited 4AD 12 LEBANON HANOVER Let Them Be Aliens Optika 13 ANMLS ANMLS Slovenly/Algo 14 GOAT GIRL Goat Girl Rough Trade 15 NIHILIST CHEERLEADER Riot, Right? Perfect Attendance 16 PENDLETONS, THE Funk Forever [EP] Bastard Jazz 17 KISSISSIPPI Sunset Blush Bug Crusher 18 BRIEF CANDLES Retreater Guilt Ridden Pop 19 DURAND JONES AND THE INDICATIONS Durand Jones & The Indications Dead Oceans/Colemine 20 POST ANIMAL When I Think Of You In A Castle Polyvinyl 21 BOYO Me, Again Danger Collective 22 GUM The Underdog Spinning Top 23 ANNA BURCH Quit the Curse Polyvinyl 24 HINDS I Don’t Run Mom + Pop 25 CURRENT JOYS A Different Age Danger Collective 26 FRANKIE COSMOS Vessel Sub Pop 27 SOFT KILL Savior Profound Lore 28 UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA Sex & Food Jagjaguwar 29 SPEEDY ORTIZ Twerp Verse Carpark 30 INSECURE MEN Insecure Men Fat Possum
1 KING TUFF The Other Sub Pop 2 STIMULATOR JONES Exotic Worlds and Masterful Treasures Stones Throw 3 SOFT KILL Savior Profound Lore 4 LA LUZ Floating Features Hardly Art 5 RF SHANNON Trickster Blues Cosmic Dreamer 6 HALEY BLAIS Let Yourself Go [EP] Self-Released 7 TRACYANNE AND DANNY Tracyanne And Danny Merge 8 LAS ROSAS Shadow By Your Side Greenway 9 LADY LEGS Holy Heatwave Communicating Vessels 10 TT LoveLaws Love Leaks/Caroline
top 30:
1 GOAT GIRL Goat Girl Rough Trade 2 CUT WORMS Hollow Ground Jagjaguwar 3 FORTH WANDERERS Forth Wanderers Sub Pop 4 ICEAGE Beyondless Matador 5 BUZZY LEE Facepaint [EP] Future Classic 6 SHOPPING The Official Body Fat-Cat 7 NO AGE Snares Like a Haircut Drag City 8 YOUNG FATHERS Cocoa Sugar Ninja Tune 9 SHACKS, THE Haze Big Crown 10 MOANING Moaning Sub Pop 11 HALEY BLAIS Let Yourself Go [EP] Self-Released 12 SHANNON AND THE CLAMS Onion Easy Eye Sound/Nonesuch 13 LEBANON HANOVER Let Them Be Aliens Optika 14 INSECURE MEN Insecure Men Fat Possum 15 HOT SNAKES Jericho Sirens Sub Pop 16 PENDLETONS, THE Funk Forever [EP] Bastard Jazz 17 SOCCER MOMMY Clean Fat Possum 18 BRIEF CANDLES Retreater Guilt Ridden Pop 19 NO THANK YOU All It Takes To Ruin It All Lame-O 20 US GIRLS In A Poem Unlimited 4AD 21 FRANKIE COSMOS Vessel Sub Pop 22 WENDY RAE FOWLER Warped Plug Research/Round Trip 23 SCREAMING FEMALES All At Once Don Giovanni 24 HOP ALONG Bark Your Head Off, Dog Saddle Creek 25 ANNA BURCH Quit the Curse Polyvinyl 26 SPEEDY ORTIZ Twerp Verse Carpark 27 UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA Sex & Food Jagjaguwar 28 PREOCCUPATIONS New Material Jagjaguwar 29 GENGAHR Where Wildness Grows Kobalt 30 MELAINA KOL Bird Kill Worm It Takes Time
Now that we’ve all been able to recover from the weekend, it’s time for a recap of this year’s Moogfest. 15 miles of walking around Durham + at least 5 meals consisting of free sandwiches from the media lounge + 17 shows = one unforgettable weekend.
The first show I went to was Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith. Maybe it was because I had gotten several free drinks at the opening party beforehand but I left Carolina Theatre absolutely sobbing, which was a good start to the weekend.
Next we checked out Madame Gandhi. Her performance was dynamic and multifaceted, ranging from drum solos to rapping to reading poetry.
I only caught a bit of Jamila Woods’ set but I enjoyed what I was able to hear. I really loved her recent album HEAVN and highly recommend it.
I ended night one on a high note with Kelela, who put on a captivating performance. I was a little bit concerned when I heard she’d be playing Carolina Theatre- a seated venue- but they opened up the pit so people were able to dance.
On Friday afternoon I stopped by the Raund Haus local producer showcase (check out my interview with Raund Haus a little further back on the blog!) Pictures is Double Barrel Benefit alum RGB.
I headed back to Carolina Theatre for Jon Hopkins, which I wasn’t really feeling to be honest, but had a great light show.
After quickly realizing I had lost my phone and retrieving it from the nice people at the Caroline Theatre front desk, I saw Suicideyear, a producer best known for his work with Yung Lean. This was honestly a weird show, complete with very unsettling visuals, but pretty fun.
I LOVED Yves Tumor’s performance- it was the perfect kind of abrasive and weird. My friends all complained about their ears hurting afterwards and didn’t want to stay for the whole time but I highly enjoyed it.
Next up was Shabazz Palaces. This was a really fun set and the crowd was absolutely loving it. I didn’t witness this myself but apparently there was a man in the front row dancing like crazy and swiping left on Tinder enthusiasticall during the set, which rocks.
I actually ended the night by checking out new Moogfest venue Fruit and Company and then going to an afterparty, but I didn’t get any pictures because both locations were too crowded.
I was THRILLED when Moses Sumney was added to the Moogfest lineup mere days before the festival. I’m honestly a bit of a stan of his.His show was the first I saw on Saturday and it was a beautiful one. Very different from when I saw him at Moogfest in 2016- this time he had a full band with him!
Pete Rock was another artist added last-minute (and as part of the free programming).
I was really excited about Psychic TV! None of my friends wanted to go with me to this show but I still enjoyed myself. Their bassist was wearing one of their own T-shirts, which absolutely owns.
Jenny Hval killed it as per usual. I’ve been lucky enough to have seen her three times and each time has been amazing. She always incorporates weird performance art into her sets, and this time it consisted of a gigantic inflatable clam and a few inflatable pears that she had her collaborators blow up while she performed.
Later in the night I caught excellent sets by Fatima Al Qadiri and DJ Stingray but unfortunately didn’t get photos due to poor lighting.
Overall, I had a great time and caught some sets by artists that I wouldn’t expect to be in North Carolina for any other reason- even if some of the bigger names dropped off the lineup this year.
Another Carolina Rebellion in the books for this year! And what a year this Rebellion was! No matter what the lineup is like, I always have a great time every year. This was my 5thRebellion and I’m going to be honest, I wasn’t feeling the lineup this year. I was only there for a handful of bands: Parkway Drive, Bullet For My Valentine, Stone Sour, Alice in Chains, Emmure, Hatebreed, Trivium, Breaking Benjamin, Godsmack, Cane Hill, Code Orange, and Incubus. But I ended up seeing some bands that I didn’t plan on seeing, and WOW!!! All the bands that I saw really impressed me.
I reunited with some of my homies at the Carolina Rebellion that I go to other shows with, and I also made some new friends (like always). A big shout out to my boys from Havelock, NC and Greenville, SC for jamming out with me. I hoped that the people that attended the festival followed my tips and tricks. I also saw every person on my list of people you’d see at a metal festival. I got tons of stories to share and bruises to explain after this past weekend. Were you at the Carolina Rebellion? Did you see me in the pit or crowdsurfing? Who was your favorite band from that weekend?
Did you see me at the Rebellion?
Man, these sunglasses I wore to the Carolina Rebellion are the real MVP’s. They survived multiple mosh pits and tons of crowdsurfing. I didn’t lose my sunglasses and they didn’t break. 10/10 would recommend.
Friday, day 1:
I arrived at the Carolina Rebellion around 1:40. The first band I wanted to catch, Pop Evil, came on at 2:50. I had enough time to plan out my day and walk around before I started moshing and crowd surfing. I ended up buying a bandana because the mosh pits that weekend turned out being dirt pits. So, I tied a bandana around my nose and mouth. I looked pretty cool if I do say so myself.
I was behind the pit when Pop Evil started, they were one of the first rock/metal bands that I got into in my young, teen years. Like always, they put on a great show. This father had his son on his shoulders and the crowd “Woo’d” them as they went to the front. The lead singer for Pop Evil let the little boy yell “Rock n’ Roll” in the mic and said that they are the next generation of this great music. I ended up crowd surfing out to the song Trenches.
After crowd surfing, I waited at the stage for one of my favorite bands to come on: Parkway Drive. I saw them at the Rebellion two years ago and I also saw them when they played in Charlotte with Miss May I and Thy Art Is Murder. I ran into one of my good friends while waiting for Parkway Drive to come on. To entertain ourselves, we were hitting inflatable balls around the crowd. You’d be surprised how easily entertained a group of metalheads are. Parkway Drive came out to Wishing Wells, which is a song that is off their new record, Reverence, and the crowd exploded. People were jumping around, moshing, crowdsurfing, and singing. Their set was live on Sirius Octane and man, did the crowd get rowdy. There was this one guy, (and his name is supposedly Pat), and he crowdsurfed to them in a giant rubber duck float. 10/10 for creativity. Parkway Drive is a great band to see live because their presence is so entertaining. They played some of their other popular songs such as Crushed and Bottom Feeder. I got a pretty gnarly brusie on the side of my thigh during their mosh pit. But hey, battle wounds are the best. My philosophy is that if you don’t come back sore and covered in bruises, you didn’t go hard enough. I crowdsurfed durung Bottom Feeder and I ended up meeting Jeff and Luke from Parkway Drive after their set. They are really cool guys, and they said that they really liked my sunglasses (I got that compliment a lot this past weekend).
As the day went on, I also saw Bullet For my Valentine, Stone Temple Pilots, and Stone Sour. All of these bands put on a great show. I don’t know what it is, but music always sounds better live and I realized that people at the Carolina Rebellion will literally mosh to anything. The last band that I saw that night was Alice in Chains. I have been looking forward to seeing them for years! Everyone was jamming out when they came on. People were crowdsurfing, singing, and dancing to every single one of their songs. I told all my friends that I would crowdsurf to Rooster, and GUESS WHO DID IT, YALL?! That’s right, The Saw did. My life was complete after crowdsurfing to that song.
Alice in Chains
Crowdsurf count: 4
Bruise count: 3
Saturday, day 2:
The second day of the Carolina Rebellion was easily my favorite day. There were so many bands that I wanted to see and I was planning on getting my crowdsurf count up and dying in the Hatebreed mosh pit. The first band I saw was Palisades and they put on a really good set. I only knew one song, Through Hell, and they played that song first. They are a smaller metalcore band and I enjoyed their set. I was jamming out beside a dude that was dressed up like a Viking. I also saw a dude dressed up like a penis. He was very popular when it came to taking pictures. I then saw some of Bad Wolves set, and boy did the crowd really like them.
Palisades
I then left to get a drink and I thought I was in line to get a Monster Energy Drink but come to find out I was actually in line to meet Asking Alexandria. They were pretty cool, and they all complimented my sunglasses. I had to throw it back to my middle school days and go see Asking Alexandria once again. But I left their set early because I was looking forward to seeing Trivium. I was 4 rows of people back for Trivium and I was already prepared to get pushed around in their mosh pit. I met up with some friends and once Trivium hit the stage, the entire crowd was a mosh pit. The lead singer said that we were the craziest crowd that he has seen on tour. They played my favorite song, In Waves, and I ended up crowdsurfing to that song as well.
Now, the next band I saw was… Black Veil Brides (BVB). I’m not a big fan but I wanted to see their live show. I made friends with a group of Marines that I hung out with and they were really cool. One of them was a big Asking Alexandria fan and this was his first Carolina Rebellion. So, I gave him my signed Asking Alexandria poster. He was so happy when I gave it to him. It was the least I could do. BVB’s set was really good, they put on a great live show! There was a baby pit for them and tons of crowdsurfers. I kept laughing because there was this guy beside me who kept commenting every time a crowdsurfer came by. He would say things like “Oh my god here comes another one,” “TIMBER!!!!!,” or my favorite “I have literally been eating ass all day.”
Black Veil Brides
I saw In This Moment again and if you haven’t seen them live, you are really missing out. They put on a great live show as well! And the singer’s voice live is amazing! I saw a girl in a wheelchair crowdsurfing and another girl with a sign that that said, “stop assaulting female crowdsurfers. I came to rock, not to get grouped.” I then went and saw a little bit of Emmure’s set and they are another band that is really good live. I heard them play my favorite song, Flag of the Beast, and then I went to get a spot for Breaking Benjamin. They played Darth Vader’s theme song and the inner nerd in my freaked out. They played some of their most popular songs such as Failure and Diary of Jane. I was on a guy’s shoudlers for Diary of Jane and I had a great view of the mosh pit and the band.
In This Moment
Breaking Benjamin
I ran over to the Gold Stage to see my boys in Hatebreed. There was a huge crowd, so I hauled ass and made my way to the pit. Yeah… the pit for Hatebreed was INSANE!!! Everyone was getting pushed around, there were crowdsurfers, and people on their friend’s shoulders. I’ve never seen a more rowdy crowd. The last time I saw Hatebreed was when they played with Cannibal Corpse years ago. I absolutely loved their stage show and how they interacted with the crowd. Everyone literally went crazy for them. I was bummed that they didn’t play Destroy Everything, but they did play one of my other favorite songs, Looking Down the Barrell of Today, and I moshed so hard. I then crowdsurfed out to catch Five Finger Death Punch.
I was in the way back for Five Finger Death Punch, and somehow, pushed my way to the barricade. The mosh pits for them were crazy, like always, and he talked about how much he loves America and the American Flag. That got A LOT of cheers from the crowd. The lead singer then brought a little girl with cancer on stage and sang to her. It was the most heartwarming thing I saw all weekend. I hauled ass out of the front to catch one of my favorite childhood bands: Godsmack. The first time I saw Godsmack was at the Carolina Rebellion a few years ago, and I was excited to see them again. I was dancing and singing the entire time and I made everyone around me dance with me as well. I got on one of my buddies shoulders for Something Different because Sully told us to. He played some of my favorite songs such as Keep Away, Whatever, and I Stand Alone. I crowdsurfed the entire time during I Stand Alone. It was awesome.
Five Finger Death Punch
Godsmack
Crowdsurf count: 6
Bruise count: 4
Sunday, day 3
The final day of the Carolina Rebellion is upon us and it is a very sad day. I saw some very interesting things on the last day. For example, there was a slip n’ slide where they used a tarp and soaked it with soap and water and then guys would slide into a girl’s butt. It was quiet entertaining to watch. And I am a strong supporter that rednecks are awesome and I want to spend every waking moment with them.
The first band that I saw was Cane Hill even though the mosh pit wasn’t as crazy, the band still put on a killer set. I made some friends that are from Greenville, SC during their set and I ended up hanging out with them for the rest of the day. They were some really cool guys and I enjoyed hanging out with them on the last day. The only other bands that I really wanted to see on the last day besides Cane Hill was Code Orange and Incubus. I just walked around and looked at all the tents that were set up while I waited.
I met back up with my homies that I met during Cane Hill and we saw the rapper Jelly Roll. He was interesting to see, even though I wasn’t a big fan, the crowd seemed to love him. I went with my friends to see Greta Van Fleet and they impressed me. They remind me of Led Zepplin and the pipes on the lead singer are impressive! I was also shocked to find out that everyone in the band are family and they are all around my age. See! There is hope for my generation! During their set, I got asked to get on my friend’s shoulders and pose with a Yoda doll. So I did it, it was pretty cool.
Then We all went to the Black Stage to see Code Orange and I became the hardcore kid of my dreams. Code Orange was my favorite of the day and their pit brought the heat! I ran inside the pit here, at one point I got on my friend’s shoulders and we ran around in the mosh pit. But for the most part, I mainly crowdsurfed. This is where I crowdsurfed a total of 9 times. My friends just kept throwing me up and there I would go, flipping and rolling around in the air. We started running around in the pit and then I would run to my friends and I would jump as they threw me in the air to crowdsurf. It was the most hardcore kid thing I have ever done and it was a GREAT time. I had a guy come up to me after their set and said that my hair is like a mop and that my hair brushed his sunglasses and then he lost his sunglasses.
We then went and saw The Fever 333 and wow, they put on a great show!!!! Their stage show was crazy and the pit was insane. I just kept getting pushed up against people the entire time but hey, we’re all family! It’s all good in the pit ya feel me? Their guitarists ended up getting in the mosh pit with us and it was one of the coolest things that I have seen.
Incubus was the last band that I saw at the Carolina Rebellion and it was another impressive set! Again, the people at the Rebellion will literally mosh to anything so there was a pit for them as well. There were tons of crowdsurfers too. I was on my friend’s shoulders and I swear it was like I was a magnet for crowdsurfers. They all came out of nowhere, but shoutout to my boys catching all the bodies for me and made sure I didn’t fall off my friend’s shoulders. I crowdsurfed myself and I got a really bad handprint bruise that is very visible on my inner thigh. But hey, go hard or go home right? Incubus ended their set with their cover of Pony and I was shook to the max. The mosh pit turned into a grind train and everyone was dancing and grinding on each other showing off their best stripper moves. It was a great time. This guy in front of me was just throwing his ass in a circle on me and he had rhythm so it wasn’t too bad. After their set, I left with my friend’s and went back to the camp grounds to chill out and eat. I was exhausted from getting pretty beat up from crowd surfing and moshing.
Incubus
Crowdsurf count: 10
Bruise count: 8
Carolina Rebellion 2018 was a complete success. I have a great time each year no matter what the lineup is. The people you meet, the things you see, and what you experience is what makes the festival great. I am truly the happiest when I am at the Carolina Rebellion and it is always the highlight of my year. I saw a bunch of blown up sex dolls, people dressed up as penis’, Stormtroopers, bananas, and a piece of bacon. Saw a lot of girls (and guys) flash their boobs and met some great people. Thank you to everyone who made this year’s Carolina Rebellion one for the books. I will miss you all.
In the past, I’ve heard some criticisms that Moogfest didn’t do much in the way of supporting local talent- but it’s looking as though they’ve listened to complaints. Raund Haus, a Durham-based beatmaking collective, has secured its own local showcase at this year’s Moogfest. I actually met the group’s cofounder, David Huber, while volunteering in a warehouse at Moogfest in 2015- the festival’s first year in Durham after moving from its previous home of Asheville.
I spoke with Raund Haus ahead of this year’s festival about the local music scene, the festival itself, and more.
WKNC 88.1: How did you end up getting involved with Moogfest? RAUND HAUS: Raund Haus’ formation was in-part inspired by Moogfest. In December 2015, Moogfest hosted its first official event in Durham called Dialtones at The Shed. After a workshop and an experimental set by Made of Oak, a series of local performers including Gappa Mighty, Trandle and other Triangle-based musicians played mini-sets. A few months later, this format of forward-thinking electronic and beat-music artists performing short sets at the Shed was used by the founders of Raund Haus for the first event. Since then, Raund Haus worked closely with Moogfest over the past few years with many of the members working directly and indirectly in the production of Durham edition of the festival. 2018’s Raund Haus Stage is the culmination of this partnership which allows the collective to exhibit a wide range of talent from throughout North Carolina to reach the national and international audience of Moogfest.
WKNC: How do you find promising local musicians? How did you select artists for your local producer showcase? RH: As soon as the idea to create a place for bedroom beat makers and producers to play in public here in Durham was put into motion, people just kept popping up in all honesty. There were artists who wanted a stage to perform on and that is what Raund Haus gave Durham. As soon as the first event happened, it created an excellent, not only scene, but community for beat makers in the area and this allowed for connections to be made and introductions to more artists came naturally. Luckily, artists wanted to be a part of it as well and many people, upon hearing what was going down, even reached out to us. So, it’s better to look at it largely as the talent found the stage and Raund Haus worked to build that platform. This has continued and we look forward to growing in that same open and organic way. The artists we selected this year were largely a collection of artists who have worked closely with Raund Haus over the past years and some that popped in for an event or two and really brought a good time. An entire festival could be comprised of the vast array of talented artists in the area who could fall under the electronic genre, but we mostly stuck with some of the usual suspects and folks who have rocked with Raund Haus in the past.
WKNC: In your opinion, what has Moogfest’s effect been on Durham’s music scene or the city in general? RH: Moogfest has brought attention to electronic and experimental music that would otherwise be overlooked in the area by hosting some pretty insane talent in Durham which any fan of that genre should be extremely grateful for. The focus of the festival on the future has also brought up some really interesting conversations on what the future of Durham as a rapidly growing city could and should be for those participating creatively in shaping the Bull City. With the local-focused Raund Haus Stage, we hope that some people from outside the community, but also those within it who just haven’t been exposed to our experiment yet, will appreciate what we are trying to accomplish with beats, electronic and forward-thinking music and subsequently support us.
WKNC: Tell me a little bit about what visions you have for Raund Haus in the future RH: Raund Haus has strived to provide an outlet and platform for artists who may not have found a home in the Triangle music scene otherwise, so hopefully that has served Durham in some way that didn’t exist before and we hope to continue that goal. The Raund Up events hosted at at Bull City Records where producers are challenged to create a beat or production out of vinyl from the bargain bin has been a way for producers to meet and congregate and has been extremely rewarding to all involved, so look out for more from that series. Raund Haus is going to continue to release some really exciting projects throughout this year through our label that has already seen quality records from FootRocket, RGB, Treee City, and Calapse.
WKNC: What artists (part of your showcase or not) are you most looking forward to seeing this year? RH: Jon Hopkins just put out an amazing album and his multiple sets should be nothing less than stellar. JRocc is one of the most talented DJ’s out there and it’ll be quite the treat for anyone who catches his set. Waajeed is a criminally under-recognized producer and will kill it in the spatial sound venue at the Armory this year. Suzanne Ciani has offered an incredible experience and journey in sound in past years, so excited to see where we get to go this year. Shabazz Palaces is an incredible look into evolution in hip hop and music in general, so it will be fun to get shipped into the future while reminiscing over nickel bags of funk. Anyone who missed Sun O)))’s set, which was a wild experience, can catch Stephen O’Malley this year and we can’t wait to get lost in that sonic canvas. The list goes on and on as its near impossible to see such a wide range of musicians all in one place; with electronic music being a genre that has spanned in all directions and crept into most other genres of music, the possibilities are endless and it will be exciting to learn and experience the artists we are unfamiliar with as well.
The Raund Haus Stage will be hosting its free local producer showcase at Parts & Labour located at 723 Rigsbee Avenue in Durham. For the full schedule, go to Moogfest.com.
