Tour de Force 

*** 

Driving became quotidian, hypnotic… The snaking asphalt hissed and spit, coiled to strike the blue-jean sky. Billboards fence the road, blurred between Jesus and Adult Pleasure stores – strange landmarks in a world constantly fading… Forgotten strips of pious, rural America – seen through a fisheye of purgatory and binge. 

Below us sprawls a valley, bigger than I’d ever seen… Yawning green; deciduous teeth and mountain jaw. All around, the swollen Virginia sky rolls into a viridian carpet – painted with sturdy oak and trembling hills. The Blue Ridge Mountains tower high above, saluting as we pass…

Wildflowers cluster on the shoulder: vermillion gash, streaks of purple and serene white; blood cells and bruises, gushing red. Drops of sunshine, golden flowers – wrapped around the curving freeway. Trucks thunder by, skirting lush mountains, winding hollers, and rivers that bleed across the heartland of America… 

My heavy metal band, MANUEL, was halfway through a 10-day tour, chasing a shotgun spread of dates around the Eastern Seaboard. Tour kicked off in Washington D.C., followed by three shows across Ohio; and now our camp was en route to Raleigh, North Carolina, where we’d weave a Cat’s Cradle of logistics over the mid-Atlantic. 

We learned to obey sacred rules of the road: eat and use the bathroom WHERE and WHEN you can. Be grateful for visitor centers – especially the rest stops located in New Jersey, named after celebrities like James Gandolfini (hilarious). Bathing could no longer be taken for granted – a simple shower became an ablution – an ode to hygiene and any motel bathroom that wasn’t quarantined.

We explored new cities, drifting from place to place as quickly (or leisurely) as our schedule allowed… Some days we devoured pavement, threading our sprinter van through hours and herds of traffic; at other times, the commute was mellow, giving us a chance to meander, arriving in time to explore and find food.

This run would have been impossible without the incredible bands rounding out the tour: The Phoenix Within, Ashes Reign, and HUSK – respectively hailing from New York City, Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

Everyone meshed, creating a gregarious, convivial atmosphere. Night after night, bands supported one another, watching every set with attention and enthusiasm… soaking up strange songs that soon became familiar. Venues ranged from game halls and music clubs to dive bars and beyond… At every stop we met new fans, new friends… even connecting with loved ones and family along the way.

After playing 10 shows in 10 days, MANUEL returned home, capping off an incredible moment for our band. We covered more than 3,000 miles and made a lifetime of memories along the way.

But even as we settled back on dry land, Vacationland bands were spreading their wings, ready to hit the road – preaching the metal gospel far and wide… bringing their own snarl and grit as they beat the drum of Maine misery.  

***

Metalcore monarchs Infernal Diatribe and Satiate embarked on a nine-day run of the East Coast, starting in Portland before detonating their way down to Georgia and Tennessee – branding the flank of the East Coast with hardcore belligerence. Hailing from Saco / Biddeford, both bands fester at the forefront of New England’s extreme music scene.

These outfits are affiliated with Maine-based nebulas like Cheap Life Records (helmed by the legendary Chris Linkovich) and Saco Valley United (SVU) – Southern Maine music collectives that have shaped the renaissance of extreme metal and hardcore, nurturing many of Maine’s beloved acts. Satiate blends members of deceased heavyweights, such as Gumskab and Secret Work; defined by a devastating approach to modern metal, this quintet hit the road fresh off the release of their sophomore EP, Sins of Seneca. I’ll be heading up to the Old Town Theater on June 11th to catch Satiate and fellow SVU executioners, Mortar – opening for the notorious Psycho-Frame. 

***

Maine noise-rockers Unabomber recently returned from an East Coast tour, promoting their new album, Trauma Response. Congealing into an amoeba of frenzied rock energy, crawling out of various dark corners of the state – Unabomber delivers contemptuous sound and explosive energy.

Signed to the Mount Desert Island-based punk promoter Northern Hell Kult, these young insurgents hit the ground running. The power-triopiled into the gangrenous NHK tour bus for its maiden voyage, going as far as Philadelphia in their quest for sonic terrorism, holding seven different concerts hostage across the Northeast.

Beyond grateful that everyone made it home safe and sound!

Please support MANUEL, Satiate, Infernal Diatribe, Mortar, Unabomber, and every all-star outfit preaching extreme music here at home. And don’t forget the incredible promoters, labels, and venues that create space and time for this community: Northern Hell Kult, Contemn Light, Hostile Media, Saco Valley United, Cheap Life Records, Herd Flock, and so many more!

Love always,

Thomas

xoxo