Myplasticfriends is Mynewfavoriteband

by Erin Rice

It can be said again and again, and will nearly always be true: Denton does not get enough credit for its live music venues and dedication to bringing in great shows. Places like Andy's Basement Bar and Grill and Hailey's never fail to impress me with the quality of bands they showcase and their intimate (and wonderfully dingy) atmospheres. Denton seems like a world away to most people living in Dallas, and with the anticipated fall of Fry Street it could potentially slip further into obscurity. Yet, if you get the chance to check out a show there every once in a while, I highly suggest it. Now that the Denton lovefest is out of the way, let's move on.

Holy metal, what a night. Given the sheer number of bands I ran back and forth to see, this review will work best bullet style:

Hailey’s

• Hyperion- Last night was the CD release party for the band’s debut album, To Capture The Sun. While it was my primary intention to catch Hyperion's set and let all other performances for the night fall where they may, due to some difficulties, Suture, who were supposed to play after Forever Mourne and before Hyperion, were late in getting to the venue. As such, Hyperion had to play in their time slot. Hence, I missed Hyperion's set. Way to screw everything up, Suture! Nonetheless, lead vocalist Andrew Austin described the set as a success despite a few technical, guitar-related difficulties. Congrats on the release.
• Suture- The Baton Rouge, LA natives played a killer set, and singer Shawn [insert last name here]'s random satirical quips between songs brought back a somewhat human side to his otherwise demonic, growling vocals.
• Devourment- What can one say about a band whose best known song titles include "Babykiller" and "Autoerotic Asphyxiation," among others. Strike that. What can't one say about that band? Frontman Ruban Rosas at first appears to be your typical harmless Animal House-type college guy, donning a Simpsons t-shirt and just hanging out. But then he puts that mic up to his mouth, cocks the elbow up, and hunkers down to deliver a verbal assault that, while I have no clue what he's saying, makes me start to think "Hmmmm, I suddenly have the urge to punch this guy next to me." Devourment is a band best served live and has the ability to rile up even the meekest of audiences. You gotta see them at least once.

Andy’s

• Puriform- I would go so far as to say Puriform, who opened the show, was the biggest surprise of the night. Frontman Matt Sellers puts an immensity of passion and effort into his vocals, so much that he’s completely crumpled down at points to scream them out. But then he will pull it back a notch and display a competent, oddly soothing, and sometimes haunting, singing voice. Also of note was the impressive bass player, Brent Hemperley.
• Grain- Grain was Grain. They’re known for putting on a great live performance, and they did once again last night. Unfortunately I was only able to catch the last bit of Grain’s set because I watched all of Suture’s set at Hailey’s (Geez, Suture, ruin everything why don’t you?), but it only takes one song to be pulled in by the charismatic lead vocals of David Jarvis. Grain’s sound is more Pantera than Slipknot, more Budweiser than, uhhh, something fancier, and won’t alienate the older metal crowd who may be turned off by some of these metal sub-genre type groups. If that’s not enough, you gotta check out bassist Henry Jarvis’ dreads. One word: luscious.
• Myplasticfriends- Finally, and this is completely mired in bias and opinion, the best performance of the night belonged to Myplasticfriends. An MPF show is a party on stage, and no band member is overshadowed (unless you are stuck behind a drum set, of course). From the spazmatic antics of Jonathan Syltie on bass, to guitarist Drew Emory’s random facial expressions and Chapelle-isms, to Brian Harp’s in your face drums, Darkus Chism’s imposing 6’7” frame and crazy lyrical prowess, and Ruth Syltie holding her own on guitar in an otherwise testosterone driven band, Myplasticfriends has the star potential to be a national act. They also just plain rock. Catch them tonight, Saturday, at the Aardvark or Sunday with the Razorblade Dolls at the Curtain Club before they head back to Pritchett, TX.

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