Orthodox Heats Up a Packed Saint Paul Legion Basement

Going to new venues is always exciting to me because it's like opening the door to a whole new world full of possibilities. At the same time, it's very anxiety-inducing to me. I hate not knowing where things are, how things work, and where the best angle is to get my photos. It's a love/hate relationship, and it always goes a bit smoother when I have a friend to explore this new world with. Unfortunately, nobody was available to join me at the A Door Left Open Tour at The American Legion 577 basement in Saint Paul Park. I thought about bailing on the show altogether but my heart told me that I couldn't miss this show so, after finding a parking spot just a block away and giving myself a little pep talk in the care, I walked up to the unassuming American Legion, walked down to the basement (after an embarrassing walk of shame through the first level of this place since I had no clue where to actually go), and felt the joy and thrill that comes with finding a whole new world. The air was already thick and stale when I got into the room, but I didn't have time to think about it. I ran into a buddy right away, which brought me a sense of peace, and within moments, the opening act, fallingwithscissors, was taking the stage and showing me just what this empty hall had to offer.

The music of fallingwithscissors was intense, but their moments of chaotic energy were flanked by sprinkles of heartbreaking emotion. It led to a constant ebb and flow of emotions, which was as overwhelming as it was perfect to get me comfortable with the idea of this show in the new-to-me space. I may not have been able to understand what was being sung throughout this local band's super quick opening set, but I felt every word that was coming through the good-sounding-for-the-room speaker system. Yeah, their time on stage was short, but it was brutal, and it was more than enough time to have everyone in the quickly growing crowd completely and utterly in love with them, even if this was their first time being introduced to the band.

The energy remained high as fallingwithscissors was replaced by fromjoy. This Houston-based band was clearly one that a lot of the young audience was super excited to see, and it didn't take me long to pick up on why. Although just as heavy and relentless as what we had just experienced with the opening act, fromjoy brought a distinct style and glittered their set with more atmospheric tones than I was expecting. I'm not talking atmospheric like an ambient tune, but it's not far off. It was interesting to me, and while I was lost trying to figure out their music and how all of the seemingly random elements that make up their songs were working together so well, the rest of the audience was pushing and flailing to every passing word and beat. It was the perfect juxtaposition for me. I was deep in my thoughts while many of the younger kids were deep in the pit, and something about that felt just so poetic.

It seemed like fromjoy was just the tip of the iceberg as far as innovation goes on Saturday night because, truthfully, Omerta, the next band to take the stage, left me beautifully and utterly confused in all of the right ways. Like fromjoy, Omerta is a heavy band with a relentless sound that seems to knock you right in the gut over and over again, even if you are pleading for it to stop. Okay, that sounds bad and like you want it to end, but that's not the truth. The truth is, I just wanted to be in an empty room with their music rather than in this beyond hot and stinky venue with their music so I could figure it all out. From intense breakdowns to moments that had a definite funky groove, Omerta was all over the place. One moment would be a classic hardcore-styled breakdown, but it would be followed up by an electronic-inspired moment that felt more nu-metal than anything else. All of these things were wrapped in a performance that was littered with the band trying to get the audience to move more, but there was no way I was going to move. They had me intrigued and lost for words or even thoughts at one point. It was a great set and one that I hope to get to experience again when I'm more prepared for it.

The audience was all over the place for the first three sets of the night so I was a bit surprised when the fourth band, Mugshot from California, seemed to struggle to get the same reaction from the kids (and when I say kids, I mean it. My buddy and I were probably two of the oldest people in this room). This surprised me because Mugshot has a much more classic take on hardcore, meaning their music is perfect for a nice little two-step. Although the audience didn't seem to be responding to the sound of Mugshot the way I would have had I been fifteen years younger and not been paying for my own health insurance, there was no denying the energy and brutality that this band brought to the stage. They didn't let the audience get to them and gave us all a classic hardcore set with some intricacies that showed that Mugshot is out there trying to innovate and create something new and creative while paying homage to their roots.

Why was this my show of choice on Saturday when there was so much going on in venues that I was more comfortable in? One word- Orthodox. I saw this band way back in the day and, honestly, forgot about them until I saw them again earlier this year when they were at The Turf Club with Comeback Kid. Orthodox stole that show, and I have been just waiting for another chance to experience their genius live. That's why I was at this show. That's why, even though it was an anxiety-inducing experience for me, I couldn't miss this show, and, thankfully, it was worth every second of sweating both literally and mentally that I endured to be at and during this show.

Just like last time, Orthodox absolutely blew me away with their endless amount of energy and ferocity. From moments of metallic hardcore-leaning sounds to more groovy, almost nu-metal leaning tones, Orthodox had the audience worked back up into a frenzy. The already hot and stale air of the room felt to rise in temperature as Orthodox played even though the stage lights went out just a couple of songs in. That didn't stop them, in fact, there seemed to be the show before the lights went out and after, and the after felt just so much more intimate and heavy in a sense. I want to say so much more about Orthodox. Heck, I want to say so much more about this show in general, but, honestly, it would just be repeated words. It was heavy, it was hot, it was thrilling, it was exhausting-- it was perfect.

Something about being in this audience surrounded by super young kids absolutely losing their minds over hardcore and hardcore-inspired music, as sweat was dripping down my back, and my face was everything that I needed. It was a breath of fresh air, but there was also a sense of nostalgia in the stale air that I found myself lost in. I don't know why I was so nervous to be in a new space when I knew that this was going to be one of those kinds of crowds where it didn't matter who you were, what you were wearing, how old you were, how you identify-- anything. None of that mattered. What mattered was sharing a cathartic experience with strangers. It was realizing that, even though at face value, I had nothing in common with the majority of this audience, we all came together as one. It was a group of people sharing water because it was so dang hot, a group of people picking people up if they fell on the ground, a group of people enjoying the moment of pure chaos and intensity because, sometimes, you just need to feel something in this world that seems to be constantly pushing us to the edge of being numb.