2nd annual Sweet Leaf Festival

live review

Home | Interviews | Live Pictures | Reviews | News | Tourdates | Message Boardz | Links | Search | CD Store | Trade Index | Mailing List | All Photos: Wolfie/AbsolutMetal ©2005 The 2nd annual Sweet Leaf Festival was at Evo's Arts and Tavern, a little bar with an inviting brick interior and alot of Pothos plants. There's a bar at one end, and a small stage at the other end, facing the windows outside along the sidewalk (so if you're outside you can see who's playing, and if you're inside watching the bands, you can see the street). There was another stage upstairs, but we'll get to that later. Things kicked off on the downstairs stage around 5pm with Suicide Contest, who were in the Scissorfight-style weed rock vein. I sat at the bar and chugged a Corona while they bashed out chugging riffs and bar brawl vocals. Extra points for the singer who was rocking a Sleep shirt. Bury the Needle was up next, bringing some very punk-inspired, groovy rock...reminded me of old QOTSA, but angrier. Prestley started off the stage upstairs around 6:30, (a white room with alot of trippy artwork on the walls and a stage at the back). Prestley are a three-piece that play atmostpheric, moody, complex, noisy instumentals...and they're damn good at it. Septic Youth Command took to the stage downstairs, giving me another chance to take to the bar and consume more beer. Septic Youth Command are crazy, they go from Misfits-fast punk to Eyehategod-style sludge with a sprinkle of doom. Killer. Heritic's Fork was on next upstairs around 7:30, I missed some of their set because I was still outside smoking a joint when they went on. When I did get upstairs to catch them, I heard some slow doomy groovedom with hints of southern rock, and some bluesy soulful vocals. Good stuff. On the downstairs stage around 8:05, the 3 madmen in Ogre began pummeling us with a heavy taste of the 70's. Kind of like a collision between The Hidden Hand and Clutch with some serious 70's rock, Ogre are groovy, and have an obvious love for old AC/DC and Pentagram. These guys are from Maine, and if you live in NE, I suggest to try to catch them whenever they play, because they rock. Climbing the stairs was just a pain in the ass at this point in the evening, having to concentrate and move and whatnot. When I got up there, Ichabod was on the stage doing their slow, doomy, thing with some strange optical entertainment behind them on a screen. I think it was running behind all of the bands upstairs actually, it set the mood for Ichabod's heavy as hell set. Eldemur Krimm was then on downstairs, they had a really tall frontman and we're firing out some Orange Goblin-esque groove rock. More beer and another joint break ensued... When I went back into the club, Sumo were on upstairs making some crazy sounds. Listening to Sumo live was intesnse, like being whipped repeatedly with your own worst nightmares...but in a good way. For some reason they reminded me of early Tool. Around 11...or 12...like I remember...Maryland's own Wooly Mammoth took to the downstairs stage. Soooo Heavy. Wooly Mammoth are 3 skinny guys who combine Electric Wizard-like heaviness, and Kyuss-ish groove and soul, with some serious blues. Badass. We're All Gonna Die followed on the upstairs stage, damn stairs. These guys are definately a live band, they bring the beer-fueled mayhem and go all out. Rock 'n roll the way it should be done, heavy and loud, stomping riffs, pounding drums. I missed Today Is The Day, but heard they were awesome. I'm surprised there weren't more people at this fest, more of you bastards better show up next year. This fest is not to be missed if you're into stoner rock. Reviewed by: Wolfie AbsolutMetal ©2005