By Michelle

This weekend, Chris and I drove up to Atlanta for the Scion Rock Fest to see some of our favorite bands play (after Chris’ Photoshop aka “nerd” seminar in Tampa).

So many thoughts come to mind when I think about these bands, but I’ll just hit the highlights:

Neurosis

Good fucking god. Neurosis is probably my all-time favorite band. I first saw them play back in 1997. At the end of their set, they played 20+ minutes of feedback…but since we are all sheep, we all stayed put, scared we might miss something, hypnotized by the noise till the lights finally came on. 12 years later, Neurosis is still magical. I’m pretty sure if there is a white light that guides us to some sort of paradise, Neurosis is the elevator music.

In fact, take note…if Chris does something really important in the next forty years and they make a movie of his life, when his crazy (but smart and charming) old lady dies tragically, I would like “The Tide” to be played during my final scene (reminiscent of The People vs. Larry Flynt minus the AIDS).

(trippy)

Mastodon

The hometown heroes ended the night and as expected, they killed. I was so excited to see Neurosis that I actually forgot how much I like Mastodon. When Scott Kelly joined them on stage for the last three songs, the world had become perfect. I also have a mad crush on Mastodon’s singer/bassist. Once I told my friend Eddie and he responded, “The one with the rat on his face?!!?” Yep, that’s the one. Sigh.

Boris

I first saw Boris less than a year ago. I was so excited to see these Japanese visionaries but after 30 minutes, I became physically ill. It was so loud that my internal organs hurt (even with earplugs in). I tried to fight the nausea but after 15 more minutes and no end in sight, I had to bail. It’s embarrassing, I know. This time I made sure I was far away from the stage, so I wouldn’t miss a moment of the show. They were amazing. But now I realize what happened a year ago, it wasn’t the power of the procussions but the overwhelming amount of smoke they use.

Now you see the band:

Now you kinda see the band:

(It’s the middle of the afternoon and we’re outdoors, but we are engulfed in smoke.)

Skeletonwitch, Torche, Pig Destroyer…all retardedly good. Somehow I fucked up the schedule and we missed Converge. But luckily, “Conduit” plays in my head on a regular basis, so I’ll live to see them again.

BTW…the sun never came out while we were in Atlanta and when we woke up on Sunday it was snowing. WTF?

Sadly, we didn’t get to see our friends in Atlanta. Next time, we promise. We were in a hurry to get back home to hang with my best friend, Mary, who had just gotten in to town (and Matt). We ate so much sushi, she got sick. Way to fuck up the end of my story, Mary!

Thanks to Shane Pacillo for hooking us up with tickets! We owe you one. Look how happy you made us!