Venue: The Slidebar
City: Fullerton, CA
Set length: About an hour
Tonight’s Lineup:
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Aurora Black 10:00 PM
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Yidhra 10:55 PM
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Samothrace 11:45 PM
Pre-show banter…
Ted reached out and said that Yidhra is playing the Slidebar in Fullerton. This venue is located just 20 minutes from my home, which is a HUGE deal when it comes to live music in the southern CA area. A typical night of seeing live music in this region is driving for an hour (or more), then finding a place to park, seeing the gig, leaving late and hoping that one of the freeways isn’t under late-night construction. This night would probably not see any of that, except for seeing the gig.
Venue Review…
This bar is co-owned by Jeremy Popoff, who is the guitar player of the band Lit. It is my understanding that he is a terrific photographer as well and you can see some of his work in the venue. This is a really cool venue that has two performance areas; one that is very intimate and the other, which is a small hall that can house 100-150?? Not sure on the capacity – that is just an eyeball estimate. So, if you know anything about me, you’ll know that I prefer a good ‘ol dive bar when it comes to catching live music. This is not one of those places, but it is still cool. Yes, it is polished around the edges, and has all the latest amenities but it gets the job done well. Also, the reviews on the food are great, although I have not had any of the food there yet… yet! Go support this place as they do a great job with their live music.
Reviews, comments, and possible putdowns for Samothrace…
SO FUCKIN’ GOOD! I had not heard of this band prior to tonight and I left a fan. These guys played music that was right up my alley. I’ve always liked my music slow and really heavy – that is exactly what Samothrace is. I don’t know much about this band other than they just blew my mind, musically. I am not sure if they named themselves after one of the greek islands or if there is something else behind it. As far as their music, I suppose you could classify them under the Doom label. One way I can explain their sound is to take a High on Fire 45RPM record and play it at 33RPM speed, and then change the Pitch Control to Slow… This is Samothrace. If you like Doom, Samothrace is a must in your collection. Go support!
Quick side-note… Melodi and I were in Colorado about a year later checking out the Manitou Cliff Dwellings and I saw a guy wearing a Samothrace t-shirt. I immediately went up to him and said the typical “hey man, really cool shirt” and he responded with “shit, you know this band??” So, we chatted for a few minutes about the powerful Samothrace and what joy they brought us musically. There is no point to this side-note other than to make note of the power of music and how it can bring people together.
Here is an article about their second release
