The Sick Talk Tour, consisting of Orgy, 9Electric and Death Valley High, rode into Winchester, Virginia for an Easter Eve show on April 4, 2015 for a show at the smoke filled Blue Fox Billiards Bar and Grill. I’m not a smoker myself, so to have to wade through a sea of smoke to get up front to the stage at a venue is not one of my favorite things to do. Yet, time and time again, I find myself doing it just to get as close to the band as possible and tonight’s show was not going to be an exception. You see, the guys from 9Electric don’t make it over to the East coast very often. I kick myself for missing them last year when they came through Virginia with Powerman 5000 and I wasn’t going to let that happen again.
The guys hit the stage of the small venue to the opening chords of “Under Attack” and it didn’t take long for me and everyone else there to notice that this was going to be pretty intense. Their second song “Time Bomb” was an appropriate one because when it began, it was as if one went off in the venue. You could see the people starting to migrate from the bar in the back up to the floor in front of the stage. It was if 9Electric was the mythical Pied Piper, but instead of using a pipe to enchant the crowd, these guys were using a blistering mix of rock and electronic influences to put those people under their spell. Added to those enchanting mix of styles was a light and laser show that turned that small club into a craze filled rave of sorts.
“Goodbye”, described by lead singer Ron Underwood, a/k/a Thunderwood, as a song about killing your ex, got a huge reaction from the crowd. At first I thought it might have been because so many people there had exs, but the crowd seemed to know all the words to the song as well. Who knows, maybe they sing it while fantasizing about killing their ex? The set ended with a bad-ass cover of AC/DC’s “Dirty Deeds”, which saw Thunderwood and lead guitarist Mikey Lopez venturing out into the audience yet again. I’ve been to some shows where band members just stand on stage looking at their shoelaces as they sang and performed, but not these guys. I bet they did not stand still for a solid minute during their set.
Thunderwood, not only has a killer live voice, but he has a great wrestling voice that would be awesome to use in promos. This guy is a master at engaging the crowd and making them a part of the show. He even ventured out into the audience several times and sang with anyone who didn’t run away from him. Lopez was equally impressive with the blistering guitar work that he was laying down all while continuously running around the stage and jumping off of stuff like those two hyper jacked up on Mountain Dew kids from Talladega Nights. I should also add that the rhythm section of Micah Electric on drums and CaseyDC on bass countered Lopez and Underwoods’ all over the map antics with a performance that was a bit subdued in comparison, but damn solid in musicianship.
After the show was over, I was hot, sweaty and exhausted; it was like having sex with my clothes on. I think quite a few bands, not just new ones but even those who have been around for a few years could learn a few things from these guys. You want to talk about a band that leaves it all laying on the stage when they’re done? This show was high energy from start to finish and I don’t see how these guys do it. They definitely laid down the gauntlet when it comes to being an opener and setting the tone for the night. If you’re a headliner out there, don’t take these guys lightly or they will end up stealing the show from you.
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