OTEP, Iwrestledabearonce, Stray From The Path, Bury Tomorrow

Music lovers would agree that Monday night (06.22.10) was unlike any other at Peabody’s, and not just because OTEP was headlining.

Continuing to support their latest album ‘Smash the Control Machine,’ OTEP took the stage by storm, with a captivating combination of creepily beautiful singing and bass voiced shouting all done by frontwoman Otep Shamaya. Shamaya’s strong stage presence flawlessly lead the crowd into anything and everything, amid risqué comments such as “Some say all sinners must be saved. But I say resurrection is for people who didn’t get it right the first time.” Even when OTEP brought out a severed pig head, stuck it on a pole and spun it around, the crowd remained unphased. Additional props included a plastic mask, identical to the one in their newest video, and a baseball bat, in support of their political single, “Smash the Control Machine.” Another crowd favorite was definitely the motivating single, “Rise Rebel Resist,” when absolutely not one person in the crowd wasn’t jumping, pumping their fist, or banging their head, including the drunk couples seated at the bar.

Prior to OTEP, the whole crowd morphed into an ocean for Iwrestledabearonce, with waves of people running, pushing, dancing, falling, and mostly, sweating. Lead singer/screamer Krysta Cameron wooed and awed the crowd with well-practiced pig squealing and well-rehearsed, random, obnoxious banter, literally making the crowd fall at her feet. Not surprisingly, IWABO’s music was just as random and enchanting as the lead singer’s antics, with a mix of electronica, grindcore, disco, swing and mainly metalcore. The match made it easy to question who the real headlining band was. This same kind of crowd charming is what got Iwrestledabearonce almost instant success, with their first album, ‘It’s All Happening’ out only last year, and before that only a self-titled EP in 2007. With song titles like “Alaskan Flounder Basket,” “Ulrich Firelord: Breaker of Mountains,” “Tastes Like Kevin Bacon,” and “See You In Shell” (for which the band recently released a new video, featuring a cameo from Dennis Haskins, aka Saved by the Bell’s Mr. Belding!: WATCH), it’s safe to say this band operates on a policy of the more ridiculous, the better.

Supporting act Stray From the Path, although obviously bursting with talent, surprisingly got very little crowd feedback. The reason: They were too normal! The highlight of their night was the appearance of Dani, the lead singer of additional supporting act, Bury Tomorrow, in the hardcore dancing pit. With defined singles like “Negative and Violent” and “Damien,” one could easily get Stray From the Path confused with a hate band, but on closer inspection to not only the lyrics, but to the ranting of lead singer Drew York on the necessity of making one’s life mean something, it is revealed that SFTP is all about creating a legacy, which is stated quite clearly on ‘Make Your Own History,’ their newest, and most successful album yet.

Unlike their friends in SFTP, hardcore quintet Bury Tomorrow wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. Although they also lacked a girl band member, they had a weapon just as powerful: British accents. Lead singer Dani proved not only to be fantastically talented in the dance pit, but also an extremely capable vocalist, who starting with “Confession” and ending, six songs later, with “Casting Shapes,” wouldn’t stop moving for a second. With ‘Portraits,’ their first full-length album, released not even a year ago, Bury Tomorrow is rising and fast. Don’t be surprised to see them headlining their own tours sometime early next year.