Easter weekend served a dual purpose as three bands from Clarksville celebrated the beginning of spring by renting out the ampitheatre at Rotary Park and playing their music well into the night. A last minute change in plans (the event was scheduled to take place at Hastings) forced the organizers of the show to scramble around and rent out the ampitheatre; they couldn't have picked a better spot. Located more or less behind the K-Mart near the intersection of Madison Street and Ashland City Road, the ampitheatre provided the perfect venue for FSN, Reflex, and Flood to showcase their musical abilities. Nestled away off of Denny Road (actually, Old Ashland City Road, but who's counting) at the bottom of a slight hill, the ampitheatre came complete with a bonfire circle to the left of the stage, plenty of seating and parking, and enough firewood to keep the fire lit until after the show was over (it was expected to turn cold as the show went on, and the stage was backed by a forest full of dead trees to feed the fire). The all-night celebration attracted a crowd that ranged in age from sixteen to forty-something, and by the time the night was over the audience numbered in the high-seventies; not bad considering the last minute venue change.
Things weren't looking so good the day before the show as it rained pretty much all day; the day of the show (Saturday, April 22) things looked much better. The rain clouds had moved out sometime during the night, leaving sunshine and bright green grass in its' place. People began showing up at the park at around five or so, but the first band wasn't going on until seven. Some quick thinking kept the crowd from getting restless as the PA was set up to play CDs, and someone set up a horseshoe court. Pretty soon the music of the Deftones, Korn and Slipknot (among others) flooded out from the speakers as the crowd enjoyed the awesome weather. Central Pizza agreed to come out and sell some refreshments, so the only thing that was missing was the live music - something that FSN took care of when they began playing.
FSN got the show off the ground around seven or so. The four-man, one-woman band from Clarksville - vocalist Alexis, bassist Jason Owenby, guitarist Dustin Wright, drummer Ben Ross and guitarist J.J. Hankins - has been together for close to a year now. The band, ranging in age from seventeen to twenty, proudly sports one of the very few women vocalists in the area. Tattooed with green braids in her hair, Alexis has an awesome voice that meshes well with the other musicians. During their first set (they played another set later on in the evening) they showed off a versatile sound that ranged from metal to slow rock, and they managed to hit a few levels in between. Two of their songs that I thought really stood out were "Strange" and "Fated Hate", the latter of the two being my favorite. Apparantly penned about a relationship gone sour, Alexis sang with such emotion as to leave her crying after the song was over. Depite the occassional technical difficulty (Alexis' mic went out several times, and they had some timing problems), FSN battled through the adversity and showed off a lot of promise. Give them another year or so and they'll be tearin' it up.
Reflex was the next band to take the stage. The quintet from Clarksville (vocalist Clint Elliot, guitarist Brett Marves, guitarist Adam Elliot, bassist Brad McWhorter, and drummer Chris Jerles) started their set as the last rays of the sun disappeared, taking with them the warmth of the early spring day. Someone sparked the bonfire as Reflex started their set. This band has come along way since the first time I saw them play at Hastings last August. Clint Elliot is coming into his own on the mic, and Brett Marves has the potential to be among the best guitarists to come of of Clarksville in a long time. Their musical ability, combined with the chemistry of the rest of the band, enabled them to put on a blistering show. Their sound utilizes a lot of effects on both the guitars and vocals, and you can't put it in a definite genre. Three of their songs really stood out in my opinion: "Pissed", "Mask", and "Torn Apart". "Mask", written about people who hide behind fronts, is my personal favorite. The last song of their set, "Torn Apart", motivated the audience to form the first mosh pit of the night in front of the stage. All in all, it was a very impressive peformance by the organizers of the event.
Flood was the third band from Clarksville to play. Vocalist/guitarist Mark Slaughter, drummer Jason Payne, and bassist Taylor form the three-man band. Slaughter grabbed the microphone and asked the crowd (who, despite the five-minute moshing frenzy at the end of Reflex's set, had been mostly content to watch the show from the not-so comfortable wooden benches) if they came to see a show. Twenty to thirty people got his point and made their way in front of the stage as Slaughter and company began their set; from that point on Flood was in charge of the show. Pure metal is the best way to describe their sound. Slaughter provides both the guitar lines and the vocals, making one him one of the few musicians in the area who do. They played a couple tracks off of their upcoming CD, including "Grey Area" - undeniably Flood. The song was one of the set closers. The highlight of their set came when the band was joined onstage by around twelve people (Slaughter invited them to get on the stage during "Grey Area"). They played their last two songs with the dozen fans jumping around on the stage. The applause after the set was awesome. Flood put on one helluva show.
FSN and Reflex played another set a piece, but I had to leave about fifteen minutes after Flood was done. The show was a huge success in spite of the circumstances. Plans are already in the works for another event on the first of July (a saturday, in case anyone was wondering). The park has already been reserved, and at least five bands have been put on the bill. Come out and support the best in local music in Middle Tennessee.
