Rustbelt Rock Review

By: Z.M. Delgado

Rustbeltrockreview.com

Volume #153: Trash Bash 2024

September 7th, 2024

Beachland Ballroom and Tavern, 15711 Waterloo Rd, Cleveland, OH 44110

Greetings friends! Welcome back to the Rustbelt Rock Review and, boy oh boy, do I have a good one for you this week. You see last night was the one and only Trash Bash and I have to tell you, it was a banger. With a line up constructed from some of the very best and brightest of Cleveland’s Punk and Metal Scenes, it was bound to be so. Headlined by After the Apocalypse the event also showcased the talents of Beast Killer, Bittersweet Revenge, Inducing Panic, Psycho Plantation, Nosewig, Voices of the Damned and Hams. Yes, you read that correctly. The first time I saw the flyer for this gig I was floored at how utterly stacked the lineup was. I never questioned I would be there when these titanic forces gathered under one roof. So on the day in question I saddled up and headed West, toward the Beachland. I arrived about a half hour before doors, so I chose to chill in my car for a bit. I drank an energy drink while puffing on my pen and listening to the Saints of Lorain. Eventually I was stoned enough that I decided to venture over to the club. The front doors were as of yet closed, so I walked around to the side patio, which is usually the place to be. Sure enough there I encountered Dill from Hams. Soon after I bumped into some of the boys from Bittersweet Revenge, Joe from Voices of the Damned, and my buddy Chris from Beast Killer. Mingling with the talent I lost track of time and before I knew it it was 5:15. I excused myself and made my way to the front door where I paid the cover and got my hand stamp. Once inside I found my friend and cohort, Jimmy “The Dook” Fedor of Roxxxstarradio. Together we talked up the musicians and passed the time until the music was set to start. Of course we were ultimately waiting on The Dook, as he had been appointed the host and MC of the event. Eventually he did make his way to the stage and grab a microphone. After a brief “hello, and welcome to the show” Trash Bash 2024 officially began.

With his introduction complete The Dook turned control of the stage over to Hams and the throw down commenced. Hams is a four man Punk band built from Vocals, Guitar/Backing Vox, Bass and Drums. They are perhaps best known for their on stage apparel: That being their Guitarist wears a pig mask, while the Bassist dons one of a wolf. They opened up with what my notes describe as “infectious energy.” Driven by a killer Bass line, the crowd immediately began to move. Their singer performed on the floor, before the stage, ranting and raving among the fans. Their sound was “bad ass, vicious and wild” and I describe their performance as “raw, raucous Rock N’ Roll!” The stage presence was fantastic, with the band moving continuously. All the while their frontman was down in front literally churning the crowd. He jammed the mic in fans faces, encouraging them to sing back up. That infectious energy continued to spread and it had the room dancing for song after song. Between tracks they treated us to hilarious stage banter and gave little tidbits about the songs, most notably their song about “Moidah!” (Murder, lol). They played, I believe, a total of twelve songs, including a wicked cover of CCR’s “Bad Moon Rising.” Over the course of their time they had the whole room moving, grooving and banging their heads. Hams no doubt blew the doors of the tavern. Trash Bash ‘24 was off with a serious bang, yet we were just getting started. With mere minutes separating the sets, we made our way over to the Ballroom with all haste.

Opening up the Ballroom stage was Voices of the Damned. This is a 5 man act constructed from Vocals, two Guitars/Backing Vocals, Bass and Drums. They are what I have come to call Death Metal with an abundance of Groove. The Dook and I partook in vapes on the Ballroom floor. While we did that Voices of the Damned finished their preparations and abruptly began their set without their introduction from The Dook! I imagine Jimmy and I were taking too long getting high to notice they were ready. So they just said fuck it and took off. Some creepy intro sounds began to play followed by jets of smoke from boxes placed at the front edge of the stage. Opening heavy as fuck, the band jammed on for a few bars before their Vocalist entered into view. He had excellent stage presence as he moved about the space continuously. Adding to his performance were the smoke jets, which would make frequent contributions to the set. I made multiple notes about the quality of their Guitar solos, as they shredded on each and every composition. With a “BLM” patch on his vest, and songs on subjects like human trafficking, it is obvious that Voices of the Damned is Death Metal with a social conscious. I believe they blasted through a total of eight tracks before taking a bow. I particularly enjoyed their closing number, (the title of which I did not catch) which had some excellent backing vox from the Guitarist. All in all I have to say Voices of the Damned killed it. With their bone crushing sound and outstanding stage show they opened up the Ballroom stage with power. With Voices of the Damned finished it was back to the Tavern and onward deeper into our evening of Rock N’ Roll.

Back in the Tavern it was time for Nosewig. This is a three man operation arranged from Guitar/Vocals, Bass/Vocals and Drums. This would be my first time seeing Nosewig so I was curious as to what I would discover. They opened up with a fuzzy instrumental. The Bass thundered and the Guitar riffs ripped as they produced a long and sludgy tapestry of sound. Somewhere in there they broke the intro to a Black Sabbath song, though in my stoned haze I neglected to write down which one. Once they finished it though they brought forth some really ripping Rock N’ Roll. Their third song really shook me. It had a killer riff, and a shredding solo that had the Guitarist down on one knee while he ripped. At it’s phenomenal conclusion, The Dook told me it was called, “Deep Fried Walrus.” Their set was packed full of monster riffs and solid groove from the Bass and Drums. I think they played seven songs, which included a cover of “(We Are) The Roadcrew” by Motorhead. Throughout their time I gotta tell you Nosewig sort of blew my mind. Their music was trippy and sludgy and Rockin’ in all the right ways. I dug their sound and their work at every position. With technical prowess and excellent song writing, Nosewig is not a band to miss.

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Back into the Ballroom and it was time for Psycho Plantation. This is a four man Metal group that has a unique style. Blending elements of Death, Groove, and Nu Metal with Funk they have come up with a sound that is uniquely their own. Whatever you call it, their sound is very aggressive. The vocals are growled and screamed by an extremely active front man. His stage presence was fantastic and it inspired the fans down below. They cheered boisterously at the end of each song pushing the band to up the intensity. A small moshpit formed around a few guys who were really feeling it. When they broke into the extremely heavy “Crucible of Death” that small pit swelled with fans headbanging, moshing and dancing about. Spilled beer made the floor slick as a man in a chicken suit entered the pit. Psycho Plantation brought up a guest vocalist for their song “We The Bullet,” which led to a call and response with the crowd. On their final song, which had a really bitchin’ riff, the singer leapt from the stage and began moshing with the fans. I think they played seven songs all of which pounded. They crowd bellowed in approval as Psycho Plantation finished with absolute strength.

Headed back into the Tavern it was time for Inducing Panic. This is a three man band made up of Vocal/Guitar, Bass and Drums. The style of their music is so varied that it defies classification, though I will say a large portion of their set is what I would categorize as some form of Punk. That being said, they opened up their set with a song played on the Ukulele. With fantastic stage presence, they then broke into a Punky number with hard, fast, plucky Bass. The vocals came out in a unique timbre to say the least. The fans responded immediately as dancing broke out before the stage. Continuing in their varied assault on the senses, they broke into some Death Metal next, which elicited some moshing from the fans. Shortly thereafter, they were playing Ska then Punk again. They shifted styles almost as often as they changed songs. It seemed regardless of what they played, the fans ate it up. Whether moshing or dancing, the crowd responded with great excitement. Around their eighth song they asked for five participants from the crowd. They gave them, what appeared to be, rolls of wrapping paper. Meanwhile Dill from Hams began throwing balloons from the stage. The music started up anew and a moshpit exploded, complete with a paper tube fight. The room was filled with dancing fools and shredded paper. On their final song they taught the crowd the Roxxxstarradio secret handshake, before they played the song “Dumpster Pussy.” At some point during the song they stopped and the singer began to chastise the Bassist for missing a note. An argument ensued and the band proclaimed they were breaking up. The singer then picked up an amplifier and threw it at the Bass player. It struck him and exploded, releasing more balloons. The Bass player fired back with an amp of his own to the same effect. With even more balloons now bouncing around the club, they finished the song and ended the set in a hilarious fashion. The crowd cheered and Inducing Panic took their final bows, so to speak. I left the band to clean up the wreckage of their Styrofoam amplifiers and headed over to the Ballroom for the next act.

Back in front of the big stage I was ready to rock! And when you’re ready to Rock, there is no one better to do it then Bittersweet Revenge. Back to back winners of Cleveland’s Best Rock band, Bittersweet Revenge is worthy of their title. I believe this would be my fourth time seeing BSR and I was excited. Bittersweet Revenge is built from five men; Vocals, two Guitars, Bass and Drums. They opened up their set in a very energetic way, where I was immediately impressed by their Bassist. It wasn’t long before I was also making notes about the tightness of the drumwork, the strength of their riffs, as well as their stellar solo’s. The Vocals were smooth, with big “Whoa’s!” that had the crowd singing along. On “Borrowed Time,” they showed off some exceptional movement on stage, with the entire band making themselves seen. “Hair of the Dog” had the crowd dancing, jumping around and even moshing for a time. They played a brand new song, called “Pablo” which I thought was fantastic. Dropping a total of 7 tracks, they closed out with “Rabbit Hole” and with it they brought down the house. The energy of the whole set culminated in those final moments. With the fans losing their minds, dancing with madness, and singing along Bittersweet Revenge proved once again exactly why they continue to wear the crown here on the North Coast.

Back to the Tavern we went for that stage’s headliner, the mighty Beast Killer. This is a band that my regular readers are surely well acquainted with. But for those of you who are just tuning in, allow me to elaborate on the subject. Beast Killer is a two man, wrecking crew forged from Guitar/Vocals and Drums. They could be easily labeled as a Punk band. Yet anyone who had heard their newest album, “Dystopian Now, Dystopian Me” will surely agree that they are much more than that. However you categorize them, they play hard and fast and they do so with pure passion. Opening up with their flagship song, “Beast Killer,” they tore into the set. Now, as I’m sure you’ve guessed, I have seen Beast Killer a number of times before this. So when I say this, believe me that I know what I’m talking about: They sounded great. (The sound man in the Tavern did a bang up job that night and he deserves a little love on the subject.) With a true intensity this dynamic duo set about shaking the foundations of the club with every successive track. People danced and sang along, myself included, as Beast Killer Rocked. On their fourth song, “Pixels,” a balloon fight broke out with the leavings of Inducing Panic’s aftermath. The colored orbs flew around the room as The Dook and I consumed copious amounts of THC infused vapor. Drummer, Kris, was seen twirling his drumsticks flamboyantly between concussive strikes. I make frequent notes about the drum work on this band, describing the drummer as an “animal.” Their performance of “Fairy Tale” was passionate and intense, while “Synapse” was pure ear candy. When Chris sings out, “We’re not the same kids anymore,” it always hits me in my heart. I believe they played a total of 13 songs, including covers of Jimi Hendrix’s “Manic Depression” and Iron Maiden’s “Sanctuary.” They closed out with one of their best, “Neurotic Ep1 Se3.” This song climax’s with screams of “Beast! Killer!” over and over. The crowd joined in and brought the set to an epic conclusion. The drummer threw his sticks into the air and draped his exhausted frame across the low wall at the rear of the stage. The singer said good night, and the crowd roared. On that note it was back to the Ballroom for me, to get ready for the final performance of the evening.

Closing out our night was our headlining act: After the Apocalypse. Also back to back winners of Cleveland’s “Best of” ATA wears the crown in our towns Heavy Metal category. Beginning in the dark, they opened with their now classic jam, “2020.” Coming out Heavy as fuck After the Apocalypse is an aggressive all out auditory explosion. Smoke poured from beneath the drum riser as the band pounded out their opening track. The crowd was moving immediately, with the boys down in front stomping and circling. A moshpit broke out for “Poison Pride.” They followed up with one of my favorites, “Kingdom Come.” This song has a wicked solo and some great “Whoas!” that had the crowd singing along. “Shadows” followed by “Alpha/Omega” kept the crowd moving. On “Rapture” there was an excellent back and forth vocal element between the singer and guitarist. The moshing continued through “Meddler” and only got more intense as the boys from Bittersweet Revenge jumped into the pit. For “Gag Order” After the Apocalypse was joined by Tommy from Hams for guest Vocals. “14 days” delivered some thunderous Bass that I could feel vibrating the floor beneath my feet. The crowd was further antagonized by “Pet” which kept the pit alive. Closing out they dropped their fan favorite track “Enemy Mine.” This is a fantastically heavy and intense way to end a set and it never fails to send audiences into fits of aggression.

And just like that it was over. The Dook returned to the stage and gave us some parting words. He thanked the bands, and the fans for coming and for making it such an amazing evening. I made the rounds too, saying good night to as many people as I could track down. Then it was out the door and off into the night. It was close to 1am when I made it home and well after when I finally hit the sack. It would be an early morning to be sure, but it had been worth it. I can now say without a shadow of a doubt that Trash Bash 2024 had been a smashing success. We got to see eight bands, all of which played their asses off. From the opening notes of Hams to the closing riffs of After the Apocalypse, and all points in between, it was an amazing experience. I want to thank you for reading all about it here and for your continued support. Bang your heads, hoist your horns and wear your damn earplugs!!!

Until next time, Rock on, Rustbelt,

-Z.M. Delgado

Rustbelt Rock Review

Rustbeltrockreview.com

9/8-9/9/2024

Links:

Hams

https://www.facebook.com/hamsusa2022/

Voices of the Damned

https://www.facebook.com/votdmetal

Nosewig

https://www.facebook.com/Nosewig