On March 22 I made the thirty-mile drive to Clarksville’s The Warehouse to catch a show by FSN, Abraid, and Lowboy. Seeing as how it was going to be the second to last show at The Warehouse by Clarksville favorite Lowboy, I was expecting a really good show. I arrived with a friend shortly after 9:30, and the place was already packed. FSN took to the stage first as the opener (more than likely you’ll notice the lack of pictures...in other words, I really need to find a photographer).
Alexis began the show by dedicating their set to Lowboy and then began to rock out. The crowd was already pretty full, and as many as fifty people packed themselves in tight to watch FSN play. Pretty soon people were moving around and bouncing up and down to the sounds of this up and coming band. Vocalist Alexis Brown, guitarists Teads and JJ Hankins, bassist "Stymes" Huggins and drummer Ben Ross were on top of their game throughout their set. Huggins, in only his fourth show with the band, showed off some major talent on the bass. Teads got all dressed up for the show, playing in a white button up shirt, a red bow tie and white and black face paint. Alexis - red hair and all - provided her usual stage antics, keeping the crowd involved in their performance all night. JJ and Ben kept the pace of the show moving forward, and both of them played a helluva show. Their new song, "Mind Fuck" (a hypnotic little piece that features tempo changes and swings from heavy to melodic), was one of their highlights. After their set ended there was several people screaming for an encore. All in all, FSN did a good job of throwing down the gauntlet for the next two bands.
Up next was the band Abraid from Murfreesboro. I had heard a lot of good things about this band, although this was the first time I’ve been able to catch one of their performances; they definitely lived up to the hype. This five-man band from south of Nashville - vocalist Tom Burns, guitarists Steve Ritchey and Mason Dixon, bassist Mark Anthony and drummer Preston Pickrell - put on a really good set in their first showing at The Warehouse. The crowd seemed to get into their music a lot, as several members of the audience banged their heads and jumped around throughout their set. Burns has a really good voice for their type of music (New Metal). His screaming voice and singing voice showed off a lot of practice and hard work. What I thought was cool about this band was the fact that Pickrell supplied the backup vocals from his spot behind the drum kit. That’s something that not too many bands from around here do. Both of the guitarists, Ritchey and Dixon, supplied some killer riffs and displayed some mature song writing skills. Anthony on bass rounded out a really talented line-up. I’m not familiar enough with their songs to remember names, but their set was outstanding. I can’t wait until the next time I can hear these guys play.
Taking the headliner slot in the line-up was once again Lowboy. By this time The Warehouse was fully packed, and a huge majority of the audience packed themselves in tight in front of the stage to see Lowboy play. Vocalist Scott Trotter, guitarists Brian Williams and Matt Beadle, bassist Charles Irwin and drummer Charley Grubbs began their second to last show at The Warehouse with some new material. I could tell from the get go that this was going to be one of their best shows that I’ve seen. The crowd participation was phenomenal, and the guys from Lowboy set a blistering pace as they mowed through their set (Charley was playing his drums so hard that he knocked over his cymbal/tom drum combo three separate times). By the end of their set not a person in the house was sitting down (that I could see), and everyone was having a good time jumping around to the beat of the music. Trotter was on top of his voice, screaming out the lyrics with an intensity that few can match. Williams and Beadle showed why they are among the elite players in the area with their performance, Williams especially. His energetic stage presence set the tone for the show. Irwin’s bass playing was outstanding, as usual. Grubbs and him layed down an intense foundation throughout their set. Several songs stood out, including "Zoo Mob", "Gimp Inside Me" and "Watermark". The guys from Lowboy definitely played one of their best shows, leaving a fully-packed Warehouse wanting more.
This was an outstanding show. FSN, Abraid and Lowboy each played at the top of their game. They combined to put on one of the best three-band shows in recent memory. FSN keeps getting better and better, and Abraid definitely left me with a good impression. Combined with the energy that Lowboy brought with them, these three bands played their hearts out and left everything onstage. What more can you ask for?
