Band Update: The Perfect Debut

Last night was the feature debut of Red Shift. The night did not, however, begin without its' troubles. We all arrived at The Stork Club on time (a rarity for musicians) only to find out that we had been bumped to a later time slot. Normally this would not be that big of a deal except for the fact that it was a Wednesday night and people had to get up early this morning. Originally it was just us and Evil Beaver (from Chicago), but over the last week an opener named Sinister Kane was added. Upon arrival at the club we were told that another band, Pigs & Dogs, had been added.

Sinister Kane were scheduled to go on at 9:30 but technical difficulties and bitch-fitting lead singers led to this 2 piece taking an hour to be "ready" to play. They began setting up at 9:20 and began playing at around 10:15; then bitched about how their sound sucked. It did, however it wasn't the sound guys fault that they sucked... They just sucked. The saving grace however was that the bartender cut them off after 3 songs telling them "hey, other bands wanna play tonight."

Next was Sinister Kane, a 4 piece with no vocals and a wall of sound. The set up with the drummer on the far left and guitar-bass-guitar full stacks all right next to each other. These guys have only been together for six months and showed a lot of promise. I think they will be great, but there repetition was a little much. I'd go see them again though in a few months.

Finally at around 11, we began to set up which took us about 15 minutes followed by some sound problems; but by 11:30 we were ready to start. We opened with Bastard Child followed by Power Drill to thunderous applause and screams. Honestly, I have never felt anything like that. This is my third band and I have never received the welcoming that last night's crowd offered; I felt like a rock star. Next came our cover The Misfits' Skulls which gave us some problems because the tempo was to fast for me to keep up with. But after that, it was all gravy. We went on to play Spacecase, Wolf, and Sulfur Sail before going into the istrumental Slayer. Each song was progressively tighter, more energetic, and received more acclaim. Coming out of Slayer we followed the baseline right into The Chosen One to close the show. When I opened my eyes during the last song I was greeted with screaming fans and a pit forming right in front of me. It was unreal.

When we finished our last song, everyone rushed the stage screaming "You guys fucking rock." Honestly, I got a bit sentimental and almost lost it. I don't think anyone who hasn't done this could ever realize what that kind of compliment means. I put myself up there to do something I love and try to make it work; all the while not knowing if I look like a fool or if it's total crap. It's almost like that dream where you show up to school naked. But to have my friends--the people who's opinions matter most to me--come up with a look that could not be faked, a look of surprise and impression... It's the biggest complement I could ever get.

When it comes to opinions, one person could never and would never lie to me (or as he puts it: "fluff me"), that person is Josh. When he came up to me and told me that he thought we were awesome and that we "far surpassed his expectations", it was maybe the biggest confidence boost I have ever gotten. Trust me, if we were only OK or even shitty, he would have no problem letting us know; and I respect him for that.

So in closing, thanks to everyone who came to see us. We will be in the studio over the next couple of months to record our first CD tentatively titled Bastard Child of the Prodigal Son. We have also been offered a few shows in May and June and I'll let you know as soon as they are finalized.

Thanks again,
& Keep on Rockin'.