SNOWED IN REVIEW

If you have read anything I have written for Tuned Up then you know that I eat, breathe, and live music. So with have said that, the morning I wrote this review I was listening to my favorite discovery of 2015, Crunkasaurus Rex and the song “Hero Call” came on. While sitting there listening to this sick song all I could think about was heroes and how they are called to protect their city. I was mainly thinking of Batman and the Ninja Turtles but nevertheless these figures stand for something and have sworn to protect their home. I bet you are asking how this ties to music, well it does and I’m about to tell you how.

In the time that I have known the folk at Bravoartist, they have stood for something, bringing awesome shows to the masses. They have a call. A call that they have answered. And answered in fine fashion I will add. In just a few years Bravoartist has grown to be something awesome, something that was needed in the cities of Cleveland and Columbus. They have become heroes so to speak. And their sign of hope or least one of them is the festival Snowed In.

In just what was the third year of Snowed In, it very well may have been the most successful, with a line-up that boosted a good mix of national and regional bands and a good blend of genres. Everything from hardcore to emo to pop-punk was well represented. Based on the turnout, yet another sell out, this event is going to continue to grow. I for one am excited about the possibilities. As far as this year well, keep reading.

The day got off to a beautiful start. As my buddy and I were walking in The Agora we knew the riff we heard right away. It was Columbus local favorites, Carev Dvor. This is a band I have seen too many times to count, 10 in 2015 alone, a feat I am quite proud of. Anyways this was the first time I had seen them outside of Columbus and man did they represent CCHC (Capital City Hardcore) well. The Cleveland crowd loved them. It was nice to see a local band get the support they did, it made me very happy and set a really good tone for the day. The next band I saw was We Were Kids. This is a band my friend, Ryan Johnston, was excited to see. As I don’t travel to Cleveland for shows and every time they played Columbus I missed them, so this would be my first time seeing them. I liked what I heard. Having no comparison with their new front man to the old, I will say their set was solid and I look forward to more of them. It would have been nice if their hometown crowd was more responsive. For the next few hours or so I walked back and forth between the two stages catching bits and pieces of bands. For me part of going to festivals is catching as many bands as I can and getting introduced to new ones. The one band that stood out the most at this point was Motives. Holy Cow!!!! Why didn’t someone tell me about them sooner? That band is sick live. I still haven’t listened to them recorded, maybe I should do that today. But based on what I saw and heard on this day, this band is going places. They actually are leaving for a tour with Conveyer in a few days. So that should be good for them. I am excited about the future of this band. Hit the Lights is a band that I’m not that into but I always enjoy them live. Today was no exception. This is a band that has built a dedicated following and it showed during their performance. From the first note of the first song up until I left the energy was the highest I had seen all day. And it’s that energy that keeps me seeing them live. As I mentioned I left Hit the Lights early. I wanted to makes sure I was up front for Bonfires’ performance. They are one of the main bands I came to see. I came to know of this band earlier in the year when I saw them opening for the Light Years. (A band I was a little surprised that wasn’t playing today) Bonfires are one of my top 3 discoveries of 2015, so I was stoked to see them again. This was also one of the last shows for their vocalist as well. I managed to get a spot right up front. This turned out to be one of my favorite performances all year. From the first song to the last I sang along every word and by the end of the set you could tell. That is something I had not done in a long time. During this set the emo kid in me also came out. There was a point I may have had tears in my eyes during “Nothing to Hold”. That song has been my anthem for 2015 and to hear it live again was amazing. Bands like Bonfires are why I fell in love with music oh so long ago. After the amazing set by Bonfires I walked around again chatting with people, there were a lot of Columbus people there. That was really awesome to see. I also made it a point to go speak with the guys in Bonfires. The next band up on my radar was Hawthorne Heights. This is whom I was here for. This is a band that I never get tired of seeing and on this night they gave what may have been one of the best performances I have seen from them. It has been a few years since I saw them in this form. It was a night of memories and singalongs. Their set list was one full of old favorites from throughout their career. This was a performance that left me wanting more and I will get that on their spring tour. They will be playing “If Only You Were Lonely” from start to finish. After that amazing set I made my way over to Catch Knocked Loose. If you haven’t listened or seen this band live, you are missing out. As much as I was excited for Bonfires and Hawthorne Heights, I was maybe just as excited for them. However it was for a completely different reason. The room they played in was super small. I was anticipating chaos in that room and I wanted to see it. I wanted to see pain and suffering. LOL. But alas it was not meant to be. I could not even see into the room. That is how packed it was in there. I could hear them and that was it. I overheard from people afterwards that that was their favorite set of the day. The last band of the evening was one that I feel most were there to see, Beartooth. I am not a fan. I watched a little of their set and was not impressed one bit. I’m sorry. They are one of those bands that I don’t get what all the hype is about. However they have to be doing something right to have the following they have. And the fact that they blew up really quick. I will not discredit that. Just not my cup of tea.

Overall Snowed In was one of my favorite shows of the year. After the success of this one, there is no doubt in my mind that Bravoartist will build on it. And next year will be even bigger and better. BELIEVE THAT!!!!!

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