Having just missed Dance Gavin Dance at Chainfest last week, I was thrilled to be able to shoot them at the El Ray Theatre. I have also been trying to shoot Good Tiger and The Contortionist for a long time so I was thrilled to check all three bands off of my bucket list.
With a very unique lineup, the entire show was fun, start to finish. I arrived just before Good Tiger went on stage. I've been a fan of them from the first time I heard them so I was really excited, especially to see Alex Rudinger (former drummer of Threat Signal). This is the first time I think this has happened in my life thus far; Alex Rudinger is the same age as me (24) and he's one of my favorite drummers. Good Tiger's set was awesome and they played all of my favorite songs like Snake Oil, Where Are The Birds, and All Her Own Teeth. Their debut album, A Head Full of Moonlight, is now available.
Hail The Sun was a lot of fun (yes I intended to rhyme) and I believe this is the 2nd time I've seen them perform. Phenomenal set and what is really distinguishing about them is that their lead singer is actually their drummer. Great performance and stage presence though. At one point another drummer came on stage to give the vocalist a break and so he could be more like a frontman of the band.
The Contortionist, if you haven't heard them, are a very technical band that also have very chill vibes. The 6 piece band had the crowd entranced with their melodic, relaxing music. It was definitely different from the other bands, but because it was such a unique and beautiful experience, I didn't mind one bit.
Finally the moment came and Dance Gavin Dance came on and the crowd went wild. Tilian Pearson seemed to have broken his knee recently as he came out on stage with crutches. Sadly, this kept him pretty locked down at his microphone for the rest of the show (naturally). Post-hardcore band, Dance Gavin Dance, formed in Sacramento in 2005, starting their wonderful careers. Since then DGD has gone under many different lineup changes, but still continues to put on amazing shows. Their seventh studio album Mothership is set to release on October 7th, 2016.
Dance Gavin Dance Setlist:
Chucky vs. The Giant Tortoise, Stroke God, Millionaire, On the Run, Spooks, Tree Village, Flossy Dickey Bounce (Live Debut), Death of a Strawberry, Strawberry Swisher Pt. 3, Betrayed By The Game (Live Debut), Lemon Meringue Tie, We Own the Night, Alex English