Holiday Weekend Wrap-Up-Holidayton 12.22.07/Holiday Revue 12.23.07

...with the extremes of Ohio winter weather in full display and the throngs at home eager for something to do after the families went to bed, the stage was set for two amazing nights of Dayton rock n' roll...

...starting off this unseasonally warm Saturday night at Nite Owl for Holidayton was Mascot on the solo stage, followed quickly by the unapologetic synth-thrash onslaught of Stone the Mayor Sheriffs. While the density of the material suggests repeated exposure for maximum effect, the rush of the live show still colored us impressed...

...as we turned to the solo stage, Brandon Hawk carried on the festivities with a subdued acoustic set. While the songs held promise, Hawk was the first solo act of the night to struggle up against the swelling crows, finding it difficult to compete with the mayhem...

...with nary a moment to rest, The Sound For Language roared out with reunited members and pop/punk anthems fully in tow...

...as we swung back to the solo stage, the return of Tim Pritchard (from the dormant Flyaway Minion) to the stage was a welcome sight. While Pritchard also suffered from the ever-growing chaos in the room, his set demonstrated why his songwriting is some of the best in Dayton...

...as expected, The Human Reunion hit the stage reviving one of Dayton's finest musical legacies and still finding a warm reception. Although by the end of the set intonation became an issue, it somehow added something to the dissonance and chaos...

...by the time Joe Anderl took to the solo stage (joined on one song by Tod Weidner of Shrug), the crowd had grown to such a point that Anderl just abandoned the PA, singing out into the night air with passion and abandon, showing us what Joe Anderl is really all about...

...like the torch-bearers that they are, Luxury Pushers delivered a seminar on rock n' roll. With C. Wright's guitar histrionics in full display and Jamy Holliday's effortless delivery, Luxury Pushers still serve as a benchmark for every band in Dayton...

...closing out the solo stage, the wonder that is Nightbeast took the whole party up a notch with an incomparable set of retro dance/pop...

...as the night finally started to wind down, the hosts of the evening, The Story Changes hit the ground running with their power/punk anthems and energetic stage show. As one of the hardest working bands in Dayton right now, it was a treat to see them at home with all their friends in tow....


...as Saturday night rolled into Sunday, we moved over to Canal Street Tavern for the Holiday Revue show, hosted by Umbrella Men. Arriving what we thought was on time (the show began at 8:30, despite all ads saying 9:30 start), we missed The Jones Boys entirely and were only able to hear the last few songs by Andrew & the Pretty Punchers, due to a capacity crowd. Yes, we were shocked too.

After finally making it in, we muscled our way toward the stage to catch Umbrella Men, who delivered a fine set of bluegrass/folk-inflected tunes. In much the same way that the Byrds mastered the art of reinterpreting Dylan and other standards, Umbrella Men have an uncanny knack for the same sport. Their version of Dylan's "She Belongs to Me" was one of the highlights of their set. Although the duo has the material, we were left wondering if maybe augmenting the lineup with at least a bass player might take them to the next level...


...closing out an incredible run during the last part of 2007, Wild & Free ended the night with an exhilarating, life-affirming set, drawn largely from their debut release, Andiamo. As guitarist/vocalist Jake Geisege spun his tales of broken hearts and restless spirits, the crowd and band fed off each other, taking the evening to a climactic burst of pure rock n' roll joy...



...for more photos of Holidayton, go here. For more photos of Holiday Revue, go here.