I went out to see Slick Idiot last Tuesday here in town. Had a good time and En Esch is as good a frontman as ever, even if to only 30-40 people.
But it turns out the highlight for me was one of the openers. They were scheduled to have 4 opening bands. Of the four, I was only familiar with Seven Cycle Theory, a local metal/industrial band who are actually pretty good - so we figured we’d have to sit through 3 high school bands to get to the good stuff. One band must have gone on before we got there and another didn’t show up, so after sitting through only one unfamiliar band, the Seven Cycle Theory guys start setting up. Only I don’t see the singer anywhere. And then none other than Gary Call from USSA shows up. I figure he’s there to watch the show, but then I hear him tell the sound guy that he’s going to use his own mike. Turns out he’s singing for those guys now under the name Blackwood Fields. They put on a tremendous set, which I’m pretty sure was the first public performance of this stuff. I really liked the USSA disc, so I enjoyed it wholeheartedly - especially being such an unexpected surprise.
Anyway, check them out at http://www.myspace.com/blackwoodfields