Grovel: Well.....I am in Grovel.........not much to say as far as our set. I do appreciate the fact that at our very first Bottleneck show, we were very well received. We played our songs pretty well, no major mistakes, and the crowd responded pleasantly. We owe a debt to the fantastically ethereal Blackwater for obtaining us this show, and we thank them profusely for the chance to play a stage we have dreamed of performing on for so long. Hopefully this will lead to more shows there.

Paved In Skin: Well....they DID take an hour to setup, but a fascinating listening experience once they launched into their set. Much ado about processing, as the only real instrument played by anyone was a keyboard or a bass guitar; and said bass routed through a plethora of effects. Still, while owing obvious debts to Nine Inch Nails, they were an interesting concept. While Trent Reznor sometimes, if not usually, strays from conventional song structures, Paved In Skin applies the basic verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus-outro pattern of pop music, offering a somewhat more coherent structure to the deafening miasma of electronic and synthesized sound that is their music. I enjoyed them very much, even after the wait, although they seemed plagued by problems during their set. Maybe a few more gigs with their equipment, cutting down setup time and problems onstage, and they will really move.

The Blackwater: These guys never cease to amaze. Waves of pure wrought emotion.........coupled with Burroughs designed Dream Emulators..........and smoke (nod to Jeff Peterson,) the Blackwater was at home and giving the listener the full tour. Everything was thrown in, even a 12 string acoustical journey.......their music is dark, morose, even macabre at times, but somehow never ceases to captivate, entrance, or just plain please the listener. I am taken by Brent's wonderfully catchy basslines, the simple complexity of Brian's drums.....and Shaun and Terry's locked, yet weaving guitar parts...........Shaun's voice being a catalyst for the swirling darkness; it is heard crying out, tortured and loving it, yet not sure whether to embrace the possible light or fume amidst the darkness of their songs. The Blackwater is a band to be seen, no, lived..............

Mark
Bassist, Grovel