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This Event is All Ages
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White Reaper:
For over a decade, White Reaper has been one of modern music’s most satisfying rock bands, reliably reminding listeners how truly rewarding cranked up amps and a good chorus can be. But achieving that kind of longevity is no small feat–it’s a path that’s often full of pitfalls and frustrations no matter how carefree the actual songs might sound. White Reaper have had more than their fair share of ups and downs in recent years and the Louisville, KY-based group’s new album, Only Slightly Empty, finds them overcoming creative blocks, lineup changes, label upheaval, burnout, and more, to push their sound and create the most infectiously entertaining record of their career.
There’s a palpable energy coursing through Only Slightly Empty’s airtight half hour runtime: this is a rejuvenated White Reaper and it shows in the songs. “There’s definitely a fresh start feeling with this record,” says Esposito. “I even have more nerves leading up to people hearing it–I feel like I did back when we were putting out our first music ever. Everything’s so different now but I have that excitement again.” Fittingly, the album ends with “Touch,” an ode to love and loss that sounds as romantic as any power ballad, but is actually about Esposito’s connection to making music.
Drug Church:
Drug Church is #1, so why try harder? Truer words may have never been spoken (or emblazoned upon merch that may or may not reference a novelty shirt seen on a 1998 Fatboy Slim album cover). For over a decade, Drug Church have been building a very strong case that they’re the best loud guitar band in the game; their fifth full-length PRUDE–a 28-minute blast of aggression, melody, irreverence, and genuine heart–feels like the undeniable proof. The album is so downright satisfying it tricks you into thinking there’s nothing all that surprising about a difficult-to-pigeonhole punk band from Albany, NY, with a name like Drug Church somehow having a career at all, much less one that would last over 10 years and qualify them as the best band going. But before you start trying to think of who might have them beat (good luck), consider what just might be the key to Drug Church’s unexpected staying power: Don’t take it too seriously.
Of course, in true Drug Church fashion, PRUDE rejects that kind of oversimplification, instead demanding attention and keeping it through sheer force of will. Produced and engineered by longtime collaborator Jon Markson, the album makes it very clear that Drug Church haven’t stopped pushing themselves and still have more than a few tricks up their collective sleeve. PRUDE begins with the 20-second misdirect of a far away guitar that introduces “Mad Care.” The song then suddenly launches into the kind of hyper-catchy mix of hardcore and ‘90s alternative at which Drug Church’s instrumentalists excel, while Kindlon (with his signature roar that’s halfway between singing and barking and somehow just as hooky as Cogan’s earworm guitar leads) spits out a portrait of bad circumstances and even worse choices.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
3017 SE Milwaukie Ave, Portland, OR, United States, Oregon 97202
Tickets
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