Yr. Weekend, Pt. 3: Valient Thorr + Red Fang + Kennedy Bakery + Venomous Maximus + Chase Hamblin + More

And then there’s Sunday, October 24th — the quietest day of the weekend, obviously, but still pretty badass thanks to a relatively small handful of excellent-sounding shows. Here’s my list:

Valient Thorr/Red Fang/Venomous Maximus @ Rudyard’s
The more I hear of up-front, leather-clad rocker dudes Valient Thorr, the more I like ’em. They play unapologetic, totally (okay, maybe) unironic metal like the ’80s and beyond never, ever happened, and they do it with a sense of humor; see below for proof:

Beyond that, I dig what I’ve heard from fellow throwback metallers Red Fang — they’re probably up there with Priestess for me, in terms of recent Sabbath-y metal outfits — particularly this track:

Red Fang – “Prehistoric Dog”

I accidentally caught local-boy trio {Venomous Maximus} a while back when they opened for the aforementioned Priestess & High on Fire and was impressed as hell by the heavy-ass, tight-as-hell roar the guys up on the stage were making. And anybody ballsy enough to name their metal band after a freaking G.I. Joe character deserves a semi-ironic high-five for that alone. Recommended.

Kennedy Bakery (CD release)/Chase Hamblin @ Walter’s
Haven’t heard a whole lot by {Kennedy Bakery} as yet, but I’m liking it so far, especially the folkier/countryish stuff like “Home” — tonight’s the CD release for their new EP, Historical Fiction, and I wish I could be there to check it out. Plus, I’m a fan of fellow local boy {Chase Hamblin}, whose shiny, paisley-colored retro-jangle-pop will probably fit pretty nicely with the headliners. Should be a good one…

Runners-Up:
Los Campesinos!/Johnny Foreigner @ Warehouse Live (Studio)