He Kill 3

Pulling into the Diamond Ballroom in Oklahoma City with a packed parking lot on a Sunday started to put chills done my spine.  You could feel the excitement in the environment as you walked into the venue where you saw many people dressing in costume for the show outside by their cars.  I had no clue what was happening but from what I could see, I believe tonight was going to be a night to remember and not just because the Diamond Ballroom is one of the best venues in Oklahoma City to see a concert. Tonight’s lineup is He Kill 3, Dead Superstar, Unsaid Fate and Mushroomhead.  After a little wait, He Kill 3 hit their first note and started the show.  The first thing I noticed was the singers’ voice, which was very cool; you could hear the roughness and grit in his tone when he spoke and definitely when he sang.  There were stories of relationships, addiction and personal loss in their lyrics and you could feel this thru their music.  Isn’t that what all bands want? They did a great job opening the show and keeping it Real!  Next was Dead Superstar from New York. Dead Superstar is fronted by singer Terence Keith and you could tell by his performance that he has passion for what he does.  Terence appeared to be on a mission to pump out some great music that would ignite a fire in the crowd.  The band was on an energy level of 10 at the start and they ended their set on an 11.  Check them out on Social Media and give them a listen.  The stage cleared and Unsaid Fate took their respected positions on stage;

Dead Superstar

Jackie LaPonza on Lead Vocals, Don DeBiase on guitars / vocals, Luke Fockler on guitar and Mike LaPonza on Drums.  The band is from Cleveland, Ohio and they represented well. Jackie entered the stage with a Cap and Hoody and immediately took control of the area. Her vocals cut thru the air like a razor blade.  She had power and a roughness in her tone when she wanted it.  The band as a whole was amazing and for the third time tonight the band brought the energy to the room.  Almost forgot to mention you got to love the drummer who dressed in what looked like a large Cat/Grinch costume.  Don’t know how he played drums in that outfit.  I would have baked! Unsaid Fate left everything on the stage and Jackie was mesmerizing.

Dead Superstar

Headlining tonight was Mushroomhead who is an American alternative metal band from Cleveland, Ohio which was formed in 1993 in the Cleveland Warehouse District.  The band is known for their avant-garde sound which includes influences from electro-industrial, art rock and Heavy Metal and their imagery on stage which features masks and costumes.  Mushroomhead has sold over 2 million units worldwide, and has made 7 studio albums and over a dozen music videos.  The band has gone through many changes in their lineups, with drummer Steve Felton being the only consistent member. I’m going to try and get all the current musicians correct, if I get it wrong I apologize up front and feel free to send me an email to correct the error.  Steve ‘Skinny’ Felton on Drums, Jason ‘J Mann’ Popson on harsh vocals and rapping, Steve Rauckhorst on clean vocals, Tommy ‘Tankx’ Shaffner on guitars, Ryan ‘Dr. F’ Farrell on Bass, Rick ‘ST1TCH’ Thomas on (turntables, samples, programming, water drums and keyboards), Robbie ‘Roberto Diablo’ Godsey on water drums, drums and keyboards.

Unsaid Fate

Mushroomhead fans were patiently waiting to pack into the Diamond Ballroom.  Tonight was going to be very special because it was the Halloween Tour and many Fans were dressed in costume for the occasion.  The Diamond Ballroom is a great venue for the Fans to get up close and personal with the bands.  Mushroomhead continues to tour in smaller venues and have gained a huge following by being accessible to their fan base. In the radio market today, it takes more work to gain a fan base than pop or rock bands.  Social media connects bands to Fans but it is the live shows that are the best way to connect the two. The band started the show with the water toms which are

Mushroomhead

mounted at stage left and stage right at the front of the stage.  The water toms are a part of the Mushroomhead live show and the closer to the front of the stage you are, the wetter you get. All band members adorn mask which adds to the unique concert experience.  My wife, who doesn’t really like bands that growl, actually enjoyed the show because it was visual and it made her moments there entertaining.  The band features multiple vocalist and they all complement each other well.  When they performed the song “We are the Truth”, Unsaid Fate’s Jackie LaPonza joined them onstage. That is the track where she sings on their album The Righteous and the Butterfly.  I hear that every show changes and the band uses different mask and props to enhance your concert experience.  Like most Fans, I can’t wait to see them perform Live again.  I would highly recommend looking up all the bands in this review and purchase some music from them and if you can, go see some Live music and support your favorite artist; who knows maybe you will see some new bands that will make it to your mp3 playlist.

Mushroomhead

Mushroomhead

Venue – Diamond Ballroom, OKC

Reviewed by: storm@backstage360.com