Preview: Hellnaw, Blond, NightSweat / November 21 / Casa
By Sam Carroll, Contributor
Casa Nueva / Friday, November 21, 2014
Friday night is the beginning of the end and the end of the beginning. It celebrates the end of another long, cold, dreary week while celebrating the beginning of the weekend. Everyone should be thankful before the grueling two days that lie between students and Thanksgiving break.
Why not celebrate this Friday by going to a concert? Hellnaw, Blond and NightSweats are playing at Casa Nueva at 10:30. Cover is $3.
Athens’ own Hellnaw is a duo whose sound can be best described as a blend of funk and alternative. Front man Josh Wicker dishes up some searing, funk driven leads as Wren Fenton batters out fast rhythms on the drums. The band’s musicality doesn’t suffer live, either.
Blond is also native to Athens. The band’s indie-folk style also incorporates elements from psychedelic and surf rock. The band’s standout component to its sound is its use of reverb as easy listening gains subtle mellowness.
Blond was also playing at the Union the morning it caught fire, and all the band’s equipment was lost. Fortunately, no one was harmed, and the band will play on temporary gear.
“NightSweats offered for us to use all of their stuff, which is super awesome,” said Bassist Ethan Wehrly.
NightSweats hails from Cleveland. Although the band’s facebook describes its genre as “we do whatever the fuck we want,” the music blurs between modern rock and punk. Overall, the production on the guitar and drums sound similar to newer acts like Killswitch Engage, but with less chunk and more scream. The vocal style has some resemblance to Danzig and Volbeat. Because of NightSweats style and approach to its music, the band will stand out as the heaviest sounding of the three.
Regardless of the order in which the bands play, it’ll be interesting to see how the transition from mellow to heavy (or vice versa) will pan out.
Friday night at Casa Nueva will bring various styles of Rock music into one concert, allowing fans of one genre to experience and enjoy another. About four hours of music will be played from three bands and at $3, that feels like a steal.
