Saturday May 11th, Great Day of Shows and plants!

(8am-4pm) On this day I visited the Bronx Botanical Garden with friends, got some photos before my incredibly awesome and well-functioning batteries promptly died. Then resurrected. Then died. Then dickered around deciding which they wanted to be. I got some delicious free breakfast and Garden passes from my aforementioned friends and we just beat a storm on the way home, which added satiety and fortuitousness (respectively) to the trip.

(4pm-LATE) I returned home, ate some more foodstuffs (this time courtesy of my skilled wife because I am lucky enough to get fed often). Following this, I embarked on concert extravaganza. Firstly, I made my way to Manhattan's Webster Hall for Ghost (B.C.) and Ides of Gemini (highly recommended if you like doomy occult-laden Heavy Metal bands. Highly talented female bassist/singer and drummer = BONUS.

 Reminds me of something like Royal Thunder mixed with Devil's Blood to use modern comparisons). This was of course mind-blowingly awesome. I am still absorbing Ghost's new album (which is certainly good and a competent sophomore outing), however I so far like the debut better. While not only having a terribly clever title, Opus Eponymous had thicker guitar sounds and better slow, doomy guitar slides that I love in some classic sounding rock/metal of primordial 70's sounds.

My evening not yet completed, I scurried over to Brooklyn's Saint Vitus bar for some LEGENDS. That is, I saw October 31st (for the second time!) AAAAND....(drum roll, please) OZ! Both bands sounded awesome and rocked my socks clean off. I was super worried that I would miss one or both bands as the show got announced AFTER I bought Ghost tickets so I was glad I didn't have to choose. I did miss some opening bands at the second show, but I have already seen and supported most of them.

Oz blew me away, of note having 2 very new and very young members which did NOT stop them from being awesome or cracking jokes, such as the new guitarist stating, "We wrote this one about 2 years before I was born..." I have been a fan of Oz for sometime, long having destroyed my cassette of "Fire In The Brain" through listening (not that it was in great shape for starters, that tape was battle-worn, and for good reason!). Which, I might add Marc Ruffneck signed after giving me one of his drumsticks. Mega-bonus!!! I met a different friend of mine for this show and that added a great bit for me as I stupidly grinned and headbanged away with many a fistpump, etc. even though he didn't dig either band much. However, I did get to see 2 rabbits and a cat that he was sitting, even petted one rabbit plus had one beer so this closed a fantastic, packed, well-rounded day of majestic victories!

*Review and photos (except flyers!) copyright The Samnambulist, 2013*