Railroad to Alaska, Omaha, & Mammoth Thunderpower at Detroit Bar

Railroad to Alaska at Detroit Bar Last Night

May 28^th, 2011

Detroit Bar, Costa Mesa

w/ Omaha and Mammoth Thunderpower

Tonight at Detroit Bar, the crowd of metal-heads made sure to grab earplugs before arriving for the Railroad to Alaska EP release show, featuring the heavy-hitting Omaha and Mammoth Thunderpower. For those who forgot their protection, there were plugs on sale at the merch booth, along with Railroad’s new four-track EP, titled Salvation, and a few newly printed t-shirts.

Starting off the night was Mammoth Thunderpower, a Costa Mesa metal rock band just recently formed. For their second show of all time, Thunderpower offered the perfect orchestrations to build and wind the crowd up for beastly sounds of Omaha to come. Most notable was the double-peddle booming from the drummer, the Sabbath-like riffs from guitarist Jeremy Munoz, and the lead vocalist, spouting vocals inspired by Suicidal Tendencies and Adolescents.

Although Omaha consists of only three musicians, each member brought enough power to overwhelm a band twice their size. Bassist and lead vocalist, Brandon Seger, cast a dark shadow over the thick crowd with his intensely furious lyrics, while each note from guitarist Ben Brown created a little more electric anxiety around onlookers. Behind his massive drum kit, Jon Maherhan, kept a perfect, yet uneasy beat that kept heads bobbing throughout their set.

As the dancefloor filled to the brim with loyal fans, the lights lowered to black, with the stage still empty, but pulsing with musical possibility. Wasting no time, Railroad opened with up-tempo track, “Handsome,” sending the front of the crowd into a frenzy. One by one, each song took on more life, with members Justin Suitor, Justin Morales, Jeff Lyman, and Derek Eglit, becoming more unhinged as they fell deeper into their set. Although most of the music was new tonight, Railroad sent the final shock across the crowd during their encore, featuring the hit, “White Nite.” By the final note, the crowd was sweaty, beaten, and looking for a copy of the EP and some fresh air.

Overheard: “Look at all those panties!”

Set:

Handsome

Make Mother

Indian Death Cheer

The Real Thing

Bible Pelt

White Marbles

Antique Roadshow

Mum

Coffin Drag

Learn to Share

Janie Had a Boyfriend

White Nite