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Eagles of Death Metal

Don’t sleep on them anymore, the train has left but you can still swing yourself aboard if you literally go download all of their albums right now. That is more important than reading this. Nonetheless, I went to the show and this is what happened:

The opening band had good sound and it was their first show in pdx. The lead singer’s hair was catching my attention. Some long choppy mess of a birdnest! He made me think of Mick Jagger with all the looseness and slinky movements. The band was drinking straight from the jug and it looked fun from where I stood. They were rocking hard and I appreciated it. I still can’t figure out where they’re from. They were wild.

My honey and I were close to the middle of room, facing center-stage. I was overwhelmed with spirit because I could see the details of the musicians faces, clothing and instruments, not to mention their dripping sweat. It was surreal!  I’ve been wanting to see this band since 2006. That’s when I really started to pay attention to them.

My co-pilot for a thanksgiving break road trip (in college) had made a cd, not only a cd but a MP3 cd. It had at least 75 songs on it. A good chunk of them songs were from the first two EODM records: Peace, Love and Death Metal and Death By Sexy. What I remember most was how serious my dude from Spokane was about listening to them. They are one of those bands that you have to listen to and the sound waves will speak for themselves.

They make me think of real rock and roll. The stuff my Dad and his joker friends listened to in the golden ages of rock (1960’s & 1970’s), tunes one can hear daily on the local station 92.3 KGON. My audio version of a musical bible.

Truth be told I got obsessed with this band. The first thing I remembered were the drum beats. Then I got fascinated with watching Jesse Hughes aka Boots Electric YouTube interviews. He made me laugh so hard and his interactions with people were just magical. The guy’s energy is contagious.

Since then I have been on an Eagles of Death Metal pilgrimage. I’ve listened to them almost everyday for the last 11 years, tried to get every friend and stranger I met to listen and I set out to make music that sounded like it. Why? Because I hear something in it. Something I think is missing in the world, something you can believe in. Can you dig it?

Every time the music starts my mood elevates and I feel like someone hit my power switch. Maybe it’s just rock and roll, but to be it’s a whole lot more to me.

The show started with so much fog. Honey and I showed up fashionably late because we know how rock and roll works. The pre-game included splitting one of those glorious Periodic Edibles Sativa Orange Vanilla Caramel (50mg THC, 1mg CBD). Things got brighter when that 100% solventless cannabis-infused butter with Cinex terpene profile kicked in. My temperature started to rise, but in a soothing and stimulating way, steadily building over the first hour or so. We also had a few puffs of some lemonade haze to activate the edible. For a rock show you need energy. Just like Jesse said, he feeds off of our energy and the crowd dictates where the ship is going. We shake it and he shakes back. That is the deal at a real rock show. If you’re not moving and grooving, you’re doing it wrong. Not moving at rock shows is like showing up to the dispensary without your ID.

The white EODM cape was stupid cool! When Jesse strolled out in that flashy thing, the place went nuts! He was an absolute spark plug from the first second we caught a glimpse of him. The energy supply bumped up a few notches and the magic began. There was not a lot of waiting around. I noticed a pleasant glow forming around the band as the music kicked in. From that point on, I lost track of time. I began melting into the music.

I was bobbing and weaving all night. A shoulder shake here and there and dancing with Honey. My neck got shore by the end of the show because I was head banging a little too, but it was worth it.

I love dancing Dave so much too! His guitar moves are legend to me. He is my modern guitar legend. In five years this guy will be a character on guitar hero VR. He ripped the stage apart all night. The drums blew the place apart too! The bassists had a freaking sweet Lou Red shirt and they played a little Lou Reed before the show. It made me feel all giddy inside! What a connection!

This edible was making me so aware of things. I felt like I had laser eyes, robotic ears and a giant antenna for feelers. My senses were exploding and my mental associations with the music was inspiring. Flames go Higher was my favorite song of the night. It put me in a trance!

I’ve been listening a ton to the album tres hombres by ZZ Top lately too and during the break they played waiting for the bus and I knew right then and there I was in the right place. Music always helps me stay grounded, helps me live in the moment because it slows time down. It’s the space in time I can remember the associations for the songs, but also be thankful for where I’m at in the present. Listening to music is like meditation for me. The entire concert experience was something to remember.

The words of Dancing Dan explain it all: ” We rocked so motherfucking hard!”

Overall, I’m happy to say that was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. Period.

I love EODM for life!

 

Party,

Carlos Swan

Rewards Program