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Sound Stage

Kingston’s Benefit

11/28/2012

Mike Farrell of Aren’t We All.

Sometimes you just need to be loud. Few places do loud as well as House of Bricks, and few bands do it as masterfully as Dead Horse Trauma. And while DHT may have turned in the performance of the night, what made the evening really stand out for Des Moines’ volume aficionados was the fact that the band was just one of eight that came ready to cave your skull in with walls of sound. The evening served as a rollicking benefit show for Kingston VanderKallen and kicked off with Ashes Armada. This was my first experience with the Albia four-piece, and they absolutely brought the thunder. Vocalist Seth Bell is a monster on the mic, and the band set a frenetic pace for the rest of the evening. From there, the all-ages portion of the evening didn’t let up, with Nest of Snakes, As For You and Aren’t We All each taking a turn. Nest of Snakes offered up the most melodic set of the four, while Aren’t We All drummer Mark Boals provided the heaviest foundation. Once the show was robbed of the scene’s under-21 music lovers, DHT announced its presence with authority. A last-minute addition to the show, DHT delivered a brutal performance. The most subdued performance of the night came from the band with the unenviable task of following DHT, Hath No Fury. But Fury’s performance was tame only through direct comparison: If you think Jen Allen and Co. aren’t capable of rocking with the loudest and best of them, you are misinformed. Finally, This Sudden Darkness and Mars on Fire closed out the show in solid fashion. Some would say that local bands like these aren’t for everyone. Maybe that’s true. But, baby, sometimes you just need to be loud. CV

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