“All I was trying to say was, that it means a lot to us the day after Christmas that San Francisco shows up… I’m serious; thanks so very much for that… and I say like this… ‘Are You Satisfied?‘…” Jordan Cook, AKA Reignwolf, standing on the kick drum that he dropped into the audience at sold out show at The Independent, before throwing down with his signature anthem that somehow showcases what he is all about – authentic rock and roll. I first saw Reignwolf opening for the Pixies in Los Angeles in 2013, and I have been raving about him since, to anyone who will listen. It’s been more than a year, but Friday night in San Francisco I finally got to witness him and his band do their own headlining show, and it was even better than I imagined (and I went in expecting it to be one of the best shows of the year). The man has such gifts, and taps into them with ease. The only other artist I’ve seen live that has that same mix of innate improvisational ability and also has more music in him than can maybe come out through the traditional instruments of rock and roll is Prince. Since seeing Reignwolf more than a year ago, I’ve been certain that he is destined to be one of our generation’s top rock stars, and I am as sure of that then ever after his show this weekend. It’s really just a matter of how soon he debuts a full album and how long it will take the rest of the world to catch up to this brilliant talent. Needless to say, the concert was phenomenal, and those who didn’t make it out the day after Christmas maybe missed the greatest gift of all.
Reignwolf Closes Out 2014 with Headlining West Coast Shows at End of December; Exclusive Never-Before-Published Concert Photos from 2013
Reignwolf won over the Rock Subculture Journal back in 2013, with a supporting slot with Pixies at the El Rey Theater (I then counted Reignwolf as my #1 Supporting Act for the year). I was blown away by Jordan Cook and his two bandmates and their performance on stage, and have been eagerly anticipating seeing a full set from them ever since. Having supported Black Sabbath for much of 2014, Reignwolf will be playing a handful of special shows to close out 2014, with appearances in San Francisco, Portland, Vancouver, and Seattle. If you are anywhere in the vicinity of the West Coast, I can’t recommend enough coming out to one or more of these shows. Reignwolf will become a huge phenomenon once their first full studio album hits the streets and the rest of the world catches up to this incredible artist. [Read more…]
Pixies at El Rey Theatre | Los Angeles, California | 9/9/2013 & 9/10/2013 (Concert Review)
2013 is maybe the best year since the early 90s to be a Pixies fan. Interestingly, having been in attendance now at the first two of three consecutive shows this week at El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles (and a fourth coming right after at the Mayan Theatre), the crowd overall skewed very young, which really underscores my long held belief that the Pixies were way, way, way ahead of their time, and also had bad timing (maybe in an alternate universe they could have had Nirvana-sized mainstream success). In any event, as I’ve often referenced in countless articles here on the Rock Subculture Journal, the Pixies are solid in my Top Three favorite artists of all time. Before going into recent and ancient history, the big question those reading this are probably wondering is, ‘how were these shows?‘ The short answer is, absolutely phenomenal. Everything one could hope for in a Pixies concert has been present in Night 1 and Night 2. With their new touring efforts and new music (music that is on par with their classic material), it is an awesome time to be into the Pixies, whether you were around back in the day or not. A time to celebrate, and the band and the fans all brought the party to El Rey Theatre this week.