Story by Metal Head Cosa
Photos by Andy Lyons, Editor-in-Chief
March kicked off with a rock ‘n’ roll party for the ages. The Queen City Throwdown at the Outland Ballroom in Springfield, Mo. was great way to spend the first night of March. The “hometown” throwdown had a stacked lineup of local rock stars who are ready for the big time. A downtown Springfield staple, The Outland Ballroom was the perfect spot for the lineup of rock stars including the acoustic stylings of Cordie J & Chris Mau, the dark-themed metal of B.I.V, the passion-driven sounds of Paralandra and the brotherhood of rock T.R.O.Y.
Kicking off the night of rock yumminess was the laid back, acoustic, around the campfire style of Cordie J & Chris Mau. Making it impossible not to sway back and forth the soulful sound of Cordie and Mau, a two-man guitar and occasional bongo team, brought a warm start to the show. Sharing soothing vocals and making beautiful harmonies, the duet had no trouble making it rock as at times Mau would take to the bongo to bring a great beat with the sweet guitar sounds of Cordie. Mixing in a great blend of originals and a few covers, Cordie and Mau rocked an early crowd with ease.
Next on the menu for the night was the newest band B.I.V They are a self-proclaimed “melodic metal” band that brings a darker look and hard metal sound to the stage. Friday night the group consisted of Daniel Mottl on drums, Baden Page behind the microphone, Lex Weiss on bass, Justin Flood on guitar, Sarah Cornell on keyboards and sit in and originator Daniel Oldham as the other guitarist. B.I.V wasted no time in jumping into the metal bringing tracks from their EP, including their song “She,” which the group released as a single with a video last year.
Before the show, B.I.V took some time to talk to CMN, and discussed the keyboard driven sound brought to life perfectly by Cornell.
“Without (the keyboard) our band would be boring,” Page joked.
Backed by some killer shreds and thumping bass, powered by Weiss’ stellar mohawk, and supported with strong beats, it’s more than the keyboards that keep B.I.V from being boring. The group shared everything from the birth of their musical dreams to future projects, including a Bush tribute show and supporting spot with Powerman 5000 in May. The group said they were honored to be a part of the Throwdown show and their favorite childhood toys.
Page revealed the surprise of the night in that Paralanddra’s Casandra Carson would be joining them for a cover of Killswitch Engage’s “End of Heartache.” A fan favorite it really shows off the talents of the band, as well as their ability to make it their own and with the addition of Carson it took it to a new level.
Also included in the set was the group’s latest video release “Liberated,” a very deep track that addresses addiction. B.I.V puts on a great set of pure metal and was a great addition to the lineup and got the crowd head bang ready.
Part one of the main course in the co-headline duties was the powerhouse favorite, Paralandra. The band is fresh back from recording new material in Detroit at Metro 37 studio with producer Nick Sampson.
“We are super stoked about them,” vocalist Casandra Carson said their new songs. Drummer Nick Gray added that “this record will be quite a bit more heavier than we’ve done,” speaking as to why they searched out Sampson as a producer.
As a big fan, it was an honor having the opportunity to speak with Paralandra before the show and share thoughts of new material, pride, family strength, and influences brought from unexpected angles. The group mentioned their ability to bring a crowd and be considered almost residents at several are casinos, where they hone their skills and their command of the stage. Paralandra has opened for great acts like Wayland, Butcher Babies, and Art of Dying, and recently opened for Sons of Texas and All That Remains at Springfield’s Regency Live! venue. Last weekend, Casandra and Gray were joined by Sawyer Rikard on bass “and no vocals” as he made sure to point out, and Casandra’s father, Paul as “guitarer.” Having been a fan since close to their beginning in early 2013 , it has been an enormous pleasure watching the ascension of Paralandra into a powerhouse band. I am always excited to catch a show and am looking forward to the new album.
Paralandra came to the ballroom excited and feeling very humbled to be included with other great talents and friends in their hometown. Paralandra is known for their hard rock sound and killer shared lead guitar of the father-daughter team of Paul and Casandra. They hit the stage with Rikard’s high energy and thumping style backed by Gray’s heartbeat – the crowd was already hyped and primed for a great show. The men dressed in all black, highlighting the bright red of Casanadra, the group wasted no time jumping right into their hard rock jams “The Only One” and “Fortunate Ones.” The crowd erupted to the track “All Fall Down,” which has seen popularity from an accompanying video. The track sets the stage for what we learned will be a new video to come with a new record.
Along with some blasting originals, Casandra had no trouble taking and rocking her own version of the Halestorm classic “Love Bites.” Paralandra isn’t afraid to show its influences, the group combines great beats on rock tracks like “She’s So Heavy” and bring an energy to the show that leaves you breathless. Closing out a show described as “schwifty,” Paralandra gives you everything you want from a talent-driven, women taking over metal, in your face, rock and roll band. Their show, sprinkled with killer hair slinging, is a don’t miss.
The final tasty morsel of the night was the mighty “battle rock style” of T.R.O.Y. The Reality of Yourself is one of Springfield’s proudest hometown rocking heroes and easily at the top of my list for favorite bands. When T.R.O.Y. comes to the stage you can expect a powerful, high energy, fast paced, down and dirty rock show. Guitarist Kyle Girth and “slappin of the bass” guy Kane Ransom come to every stage, you can tell, as if they were in front of a stadium. They give every ounce of energy they can to the crowd as they blaze with blistering solos and thunderous bass lines, making sure everyone there feels their music.
Not to be outdone, Cord Bishop on guitar and vocals is what such an animated band needs in the front man spot. With his powerful and dynamic vocals, efficacious tracks such as “Wicked World” and “Caught in a Fire” bring his vocals to an impassioned level. It would take some force of a drummer to back this wild bunch of axe slingers and Erik Milan fills that bill perfectly.
Bringing a pulse you feel in your soul, Milan keeps these powerhouses on point with his considerably heavy beats and sick rolls. T.R.O.Y is another band I have been a fan of for many years and was grateful for their time to lean back and chat. The group opened up about everything including some of their biggest shows which includes supporting bills with Nothing More, Avatar, Black Stone cherry and the arena band Korn. We also talked about what 2018 has in store for T.R.O.Y. The group said new music and an invite to come back for a third time to play Rocklahoma in Pryor, Oklahoma.
They proved that soon they could be playing the main stage. They closed off the show with mind blowing solos, heart filled and emotion packed songs with fan favorites “The Virtue” and “The Reckoning,” which has been getting a lot of air play “The Reckoning.” Fans love T.R.O.Y and in kind the band responds with immense interaction and plays to each member of the crowd. With great praise from the likes of Korn’s drummer Ray Luzier, the group is making fans with their music anywhere they play. T.R.O.Y is another band that you just have to catch, you won’t be disappointed with their epic show.
The Queen City Throwdown was a night that won’t be forgotten. With great music and the family feel throughout the crowd, it did not disappoint and holds its place high on the scale of tremendously entertaining shows. A big thank you to The Outland ballroom, its staff, and all the bands that played.
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