Sno Core tour rocks Rochester to its core

by Rebecca Clark

The ARTISTdirect Sno Core Rock tour kicked off their seventh year on Feb. 15 and will be hitting over 35 cities in the United States until March 30. It has brought such acts such as System of a Down, Blink 182, Fear Factory, Sublime and Boy Hits Car. This year’s lineup is comprised of heavy sounding bands who are fairly new to the rock scene but are sure to leave you satisfied and wanting to hear more. The band lineup consisted of Earshot, The APEX Theory, Glassjaw, and headliner Alien Ant Farm. Fenix TX and Adema will be co-heading the tour in March on select dates.

Hundreds of fans were lined up awaiting this year’s Sno Core Rock tour to begin at the Water Street Music Hall in Rochester Monday, Feb. 25. An audience of about 700 spirited fans filled the club, watched in amazement as each band hit the stage with heavy guitar beats ringing throughout the venue. The electrifying sets left the crowd craving and cheering for more after each band left the stage.

The first band up was Earshot, who formed in 1999 in the Los Angelos region. The band consists of Will Martin (singer/songwriter), Dieter Hartmann (drummer), Mike Callahan (guitarist), and Scott Kohler (guitarist). They come together to play hard music while remaining different from all the rest. Earshot is taking their music and lyrics one step further by having a melodic sound mixed with heavy guitars. On stage, they have a charismatic way of drawing the crowds attention by expressing how much they enjoy and love performing for their fans.

Next up to get the crowd going was The APEX Theory, a band from Hollywood California. The APEX Theory is: Sammy J. Watson (drummer), David Hakopyan (bassist), Andy Khachaturian (singer/song writer), and Art Karamian (guitarist). The band member’s multi-cultural backgrounds mixed with heavy guitar riffs, give their sound a Mediterranean feel and an edge, which not many bands have successfully accomplished. The band’s set was highly entertaining and energetic. Khachaturian would interact with the audience, getting them to jump up and down and jam with the rhythm of the beat, instantly grabbing the attention of the crowd when they played their hit song “SHHH (Hope diggy)”. Everyone began to go crazy as they enjoyed every minute of the song. Apex performed many other recognizable songs such as “Bullshed” and “4RA’s” from their self-titled five-song EP. 

Glassjaw came on stage with a bang and the crowd instantaneously went wild as lead singer Daryl Palumbo jumped on the stage and began bouncing around all over. The crowd was hyped up within minutes of their set. Palumbo jumped up and down slapping hands with the fans in the front row, feeling and feeding off of the intense penetrating vibes flowing from the crowd to the band. Glassjaw is a Long Island based band with a sound that is hardcore with heavy guitars and lyrics that will blow you away. They are personal, blunt lyrics meant to portray feelings and not meant to be politically correct. Glassjaw are Daryl Palumbo (vocals), Beck (guitar), Todd N. Weinstock (guitar), Manuel Carrero (bass), and Larry Gorman (drummer). Glassjaw’s set included songs from their debut album “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence” and new songs off their forthcoming album “Worship and Tribute” which is expected to be released sometime in June.

Last but not least, headliner Alien Ant Farm - Terence Corso (guitar), Dryden Mitchell (lead vocals), Tye Zamora (bass), Mike Cosgrove (drummer) - was up. The lights went out and the crowd began to scream and get excited for the moment they had been waiting the whole night for. Opening with their song “Universe,” a slower song off their major label debut album “Anthology” that slowly began to mellow out the crowd and warm them up for the energetic set yet to follow. Mitchell got the crowd into a frenzy every time he would pause from singing to converse with the crowd and give the set a personalized feel.

Zamora kept the audience entertained every time just by the expressions and gestures on his face, which revealed his personality and just had to make you chuckle and smile. Ending their set with their famous hard rock remake of “Smooth Criminal” and their hit song “Movies,” which is an excellent song that should have the recognition of “Smooth Criminal” AAF sound is very unique by being tastefully melodic, but still has the metal edge that new metal listeners crave. All in all AAF are very entertaining as musicians and performers on stage, leaving their fans satisfied but still wanting to hear more.