Axecident Releases Self-Titled EP, Packs Granny’s Place
Five Bands, One Night and One Hell of a Good Time
A damp and chilly Friday evening lands me at Granny’s Place, right on the outskirts of Winchester, VA. I’m not here for their famous pancakes this time, tonight I’m here for the long-awaited release of Axecident’s first EP.
There are 5 bands on the ticket tonight, and the crowd is full of unfamiliar faces. Four of the bands are new to me, which has honestly got me chomping at the bit for 8 pm to come (that’s showtime). Before the music starts though, I ran into Brandon Wright. Brandon is the founder of Wright Live and is responsible for putting on loads of events around the eastern panhandle of West Virginia and beyond. He’s a total gentleman and we snap a selfie together before I squeeze over to the stage.
It’s finally time for the show to kick off and first up to bat is Downe Lands. Downe Lands is a three-man group consisting of three high schoolers from Leesburg VA who perform rock/metal music. The crowd is a little sparse and the energy isn’t great at first but I think things always tend to be a little tougher for the opener.
The guys performed a mix of covers and originals, one of their covers being “As I Am,” originally by Dream Theatre. Their sound is similar and they do a great job covering the song. They do however replace one of the lyrics with “eat my ass and balls” and the band grins at each other. I got a chuckle out of it too, because I have a sense of humor similar to a teenage boy.
Downe Lands has plenty of performance and sound check videos up on their Facebook page, which you can check out by clicking here.
The Plan is up next, and I’m really looking forward to being introduced to their music. Chris Jenkins from Koluna is at this show with me, and he tells me that The Plan goes hard.
He was right. They had a bit of an equipment issue setting up, but that didn’t stop them from throwing down. Immediately the young four-man band goes from 0-100 with their thrashy metal sound. Based out of Fredericksburg VA, this group may still be in high school but they really impressed me with their stage presence and sound. Before their performance is over, their manager Chris and “band dad” takes over the mic as the band supports for a really well-done cover of Slipknot’s “The Heretic Anthem.”
The Plan has plenty of rockin’ content on its Facebook page, from tour dates to videos. Check it out here.
There’s a short intermission between sets and I spot “Metal Donnie” sitting at the bar. Donnie is a local legend who earned his nickname because he’s literally at every metal show AND he’s covered in band logo tattoos, many of them local! He’s a few days shy of 75 years old and he’s always somewhere near the front row rocking out at every local show. Donnie even has Axecident’s logo tattooed on his torso! I took a second to chat with him and snagged a selfie with him. Total sweetheart.
Now it’s time for Overdriven to take the stage. They are a 5 piece rock and roll group based out of the DC metro area. Speaking of rock and roll, they definitely dress the part, with leather, and chains galore. These guys look dope as hell, and they sound it, too. Several times during their set, bassist JJ and guitarist Thomas go shoulder to shoulder while they shred. Overdriven stuck to originals, which was awesome because their originals are fuckin’ awesome. “Sky is Falling” was my favorite. They closed out their set with a groovy jam called “River.”
You can check out Overdriven’s latest song called “Slow Down” right here!
Before Axecident goes on, Four Thirty Four is going to keep the party going. This band is made up of four dudes and it’s based out of Staunton VA. Vocalist Mike is really theatrical as he performs, picking up the mic stand and swinging his fist around as he sings. It really added something special to their set for me. Four Thirty Four played a song called “Dope Bag” which was probably my favorite from their set. Like each band before, the guys were sure to thank the rest of the bands for coming out and asking their audience if they were ready for Axecident.
Four Thirty Four has tons of content available on their Facebook page, which you can get to by clicking here.
Now it’s the band we’ve all been waiting for, Axecident. Nicknamed “The Runts of Rock n Roll,” these guys have giant amounts of talent. Axecident is a 3 man band from Winchester VA with a vintage rock style. They are heavily influenced by 80’s glam metal band, Kix, and you can tell by their stage wear. Jeans, boots, and long hair are donned by all the guys, and vocalist Bryson is always wearing his elbow-length fishnet fingerless gloves.
Axecident kicks off their set with “Heavy Metal Baby,” a tune that isn’t on their new EP but is a favorite of mine. Bryson takes a short intermission afterward to hold up their new EP and tell the crowd it’s been a long time in the making but it’s finally out and to be sure to pick one up.
Besides their new EP, the boys had lots of limited and special merch for the show tonight, ranging from an extremely limited run of shirts to a signed guitar (it sold!).
Axecident is one of my favorite local bands to see live not only because they’re talented and stand out to me, but because they have great stage presence. Drummer Michael always gives it his all behind the kit while bassist Chris and Guitar/Vocalist Bryson drop to their knees and tear up the stage.
There aren’t many familiar faces in the crowd tonight for me, but Michael and Trent from Cannon Hill are here to cheer their friends in Axecident on. At one point, Michael goes groupie for Bryson and lifts his shirt while Bryson is absolutely killing a guitar solo. After that, Trent and Michael drop to their knees and throw horns and “gimme some more” hand gestures towards Bryson’s guitar as he continues to shred.
During their last song, “Damn Dog” (which is featured on their new EP) Bryson calls up their mascot, “Cooper.” At first, I’m confused because Cooper is a skeleton with a blonde curly wig that sits by Axecident’s merch table. Suddenly up walks a guy in a skull mask with a blonde curly wig to the stage. He assists in closing out vocals on “Damn Dog” and throws up horns for the camera. The crowd is going nuts, the boys from Axecident are flying high.
They finally did it, “The Runts of Rock and Roll” dropped their EP and the release show had a fabulous turnout. Their merch is nearly sold out! Deservingly so, these guys put in the work. The night comes to a close as a bunch of the crowd wants to mingle and take photos with the band. I managed to catch a broken drumstick that I get signed, congratulate the guys, and head out into the rain to go home. Man, what a fuckin’ banger.
You can listen to Axecident’s brand-spanking new self-titled EP by clicking here!
Click Here for the Full Gallery of the Evening!
If you happened to capture any shots of the night, feel free to tag us on social media at Shutter 16 Magazine and throw in #Shutter16 and #TwitFromThePit for the world to see.
