Mountains and Millions

If you had told me a few months ago I'd be seeing Black Mountain in the cozy confines of Zaphod's, I'd have assumed you were off your rocker, but here we are on a Friday watching Stephen McBean's psychedelic warriors, along with Kid Millions of Oneida's project Man Forever. As it happens, the booking was originally for the somewhat more spacious Ritual, but for whatever reason all the acts scheduled for their have been moved elsewhere. Kid Millions, accompanied by a trio of drummers (including Joshua from Black Mountain), started the evening off with a 30-minute percussion piece.



Snare drum action!



Bongos action!



More percussion with Joshua!



More Millions!



Vocal action!



And so on!



The whole lot!



Grimacing action!



On to Black Mountain; it's been a decade since I saw the Vancouver outfit perform (at Babylon), but I've seen frontman Stephen McBean more recently as part of Obliterations, at Ottawa Explosion in 2015, as well as a while back with Pink Mountaintops. They knocked down the lighting a bit, and the swell of the crowd meant I couldn't really move, but it was a fine-sounding show. Here's the band's best-lit member, bassist Colin!



Stephen works the white.



Gripping action with Amber!



Stephen sings!



Joshua hits!



Colin sings!



Keyboard action with Jeremy!



Singalong action!



A dynamite night.

Positive destruction

I missed a good chunk of Thursday's Ottawa Explosion action: I spent a good chunk of the afternoon in the dentist's chair and didn't get a bite to eat until nine o'clock. When I arrived at the SAW Gallery courtyard it was Coliseum's turn to bring some heavyweight sound. They have a new album out and are doing the rounds behind Anxiety's Kiss. Here's frontman Ryan Patterson and his stack'o'amps.



Kayhan Vaziri rocks the low end.



Kayzan sings!



Colossal action!



Ryan adjusts.



Carter Wilson hits!



Gesticulating action!



Even more Kayzan!



My actual goal for the evening was to catch a big heap of power-pop at the Avant-Garde. Apparently this was everybody else's plan, too, since the place got completely packed and I spent a good chunk of Average Time's set standing on stage next to Todd. Some extreme twisting went into getting this next shot.



Hair-tossing action from Seiji!



Stef hits!



More Todd!



Curtis sings, Seiji bends.



Pick-comparing action!



Exiled audience action!



Seiji sings!



Gripping action!



Welcome to the sardine can.



Well, one band like that was enough and I figured I could catch The Jeanies on Friday in the Mugshots courtyard, so why not pop back to Club SAW and check out Chicago's Meat Wave and Los Angeles Obliterations? Meat Wave really impressed: They have a killer drummer and come of like a The Marked Men on steroids. Here's singer Chris Sutter.



Rhythm section action with bassist Joe Gac and drumer Ryan Wizniak.



Ryan hits!



Extra Chris!



Joe sings!



The whole lot!



The end!



Obliterations played a very strong set. It features a bunch of music veterans: Stephen McBean of Black Mountain and Pink Mountaintops fame plays guitar, Sam James Velde of Nighthorse sings, Austin Barber of Saviours plays bass and Flo Schanze, also PM's current drummer, handles the traps. There's a whole lot of Black Flag in the band's DNA, and the band generally rips it up like a shredded version of West Coast hardcore. Here's the band's Mountain men.



Velde gets a grip.



Austin is under there somewhere.



Obliterating action!



There was a mid set break after Stephen's gear quit and everyone went looking for a head and cab. Then it was back to your previously scheduled destruction!



Sam works the bar!



Headbanging action!



Cool stuff for the select few who went.