There were a lot of Halloween shows happening, as expected on Saturday, Oct. 28, so I had to pick and choose.
I decided on Static Shift and Brass Camel who played a close to sold out Slice.
Calgary power trio The Static Shift have been making a lot of noise lately. They opened for ZZ Top a few weeks ago in Calgary and were in Lethbridge before that, though I missed that show.
They are one of many bands exploring the big riffs and relentless groove of ’70s hard rock, so I was glad to catch half of their set.
They were dressed for Halloween and playing for an array of costumed merrymakers including a giant devil in stilts.
Bassist Kyle Tenove was lost in his groove dressed as a gila monster, ears flapping in time to the beat.
They drew heavily from the well of Led Zeppelin and other ’70s revivalists like Greta Van Fleet. They even had a touch of Govt. Mule.
Frontman Mitchell Brady supplied the guitar hooks and hot solos and high pitched Robert Plantesque vocals as drummer Taylor Miles.
They’ve been recording since 122014 and played music from since then. My favourite was “ Green Rover,” from their 2016 album ‘Common Bliss.’.
Vancouver band Brass Camel, dressed as Star Wars characters, was not to be missed an a perfect fit for the ’70s sounds of Static Shift and the Decadent Phase, whose set I missed.
They kicked things up a notch though half of their lights from the Brass Camel logo emblazoned across the back of the stage, were malfunctioning.
They added an additional injection of ’70s style energy, adding some funk, some jazz inspired experimentation and a lot of massive guitar riffs as well as harmonized guitar solos and vocals which were ear bleedingly impressive.
They played a couple of songs from their album “Brass,” but were more excited to test some brand new songs they haven’t recorded yet.
Guitarist Daniel Sveinson, who formed the band with bassist Curtis Arsenault, new guitarist Dylan Lammie, drummer Wyatt Gilson and keyboardist Aubrey Ellesson had a lot of ’70s spirit along the lines of Styx and ELO with a more modern feel like Bend Sinister and the Weber Brothers.
They were in your face, but pleasantly so.
Bassist Curtis Arsenault took a solo with drummer Wyatt Gilson while Sveinson and Lammie left the stage to fetch double necked Gibsons to add an another lever to the already boggling layers of sound they already constructed.
“ Easy,’ from ‘Brass’ turned into a 25 minute jam of jagged riffs and a medley of newer riffs.
“Zealot” was a newer highlight.
— By Richard Amery, L.A. Beat Editor
