STONES FROM THE SKY
Helen Money, Yob, Bl’ast! and Neurosis Live at The Observatory

By Jeremy James

I must say, this theater has history. It’s been known by a bevy of names in the past and has housed many varied acts. Hell, this was even the place where I photographed my first band; but tonight, the now named Observatory was housing four very well cemented acts to close out the year with a bang.

Helen Money, a solo cellist who might be best known for her previous work with Verbow, opened the night. Armed with a slew of pedals, she created dizzying spells and a crushing ambiance that shook anyone who listened to the core. Wave after wave of bowed perfection smacked across the listeners chests as she soothed and swayed, driven to create perfection via amplification, repetition, and distortion. Her set was unfortunately short lived, but the energy she put into her performance was fantastic, and I would definitely recommend seeing her perform if you get the chance.

After Helen Money was done, it wasn’t a very long wait for the next act, Yob. I must say I was surprised to see Yob play so early. Yob for the uninitiated is one of the most powerful doom bands around right now. Hailing from Eugene, Oregon, Yob has put out six albums since 1996, and damn near each one is a mandatory listening experience. Yob’s intense & tight rhythm and utterly monolithic atmosphere was present tonight, as all members of the band were in top form. Mike Scheidt’s vocals soared high and low, and growls were emitted with an intensity that was matched by the mammoth riffage that is both ever present and never ending. All in all three whole songs were played this night (Quantum Mystic, Grasping Air, and Kosmos), as well as a partial portion of “Catharsis” as an encore.

Next up was a band that has actually been in existence slightly longer than Neurosis. Bl’ast! began around 1982/83 in Santa Cruz, and played a ten song set of hardcore punk that actually left a lot of people scratching their heads. Between all the acts tonight, many people didn’t understand how Bl’ast! fit in with the rest of the cavalcade. Of course, Neurosis themselves started out as a hardcore punk act with tastes of crust & crossover, which is the probably a better reason than any to have the old-school punkers perform. Anyway, Bl’ast! put on an excellent energetic performance as they ran around the stage like madmen, and got the crowd into a pit several times, which was expected; after all, it’s In Their Blood!

Last, but never least, the genre defying Neurosis took the stage. Their set was filled with statuesque passages that shifted and moved like the ocean itself. Scott Kelly and Steve Von Till, backed by their guitars, tore their vocal chords across several sonic-scapes that bustled and grew to immense proportions, and on the keys Noah Landis flung atmospheric tides that could only be described as dripping with wet ocher onto the audience. The drum and bass-work provided by Dave Edwardson & Jason Roeder helped every section go from beautiful meanderings to lumbering yet vigorous ploddings again and again with extreme ease, and the entire band as a whole hurled themselves heads first into their artistry, wholly living in the music they were creating.

Neurosis certainly lived up to their name this night, as every song, every passage, was felt directly in the chest; the audience, without a shred of willpower or the ability to say no, swayed to the music that was hurled upon them – for during that entire set, for the full ninety plus minutes, their psyches were entirely dominated. Most of the tracks played were off the 2012 release “Honor Found in Decay”, but a handful were taken from several other releases such as “Through Silver in Blood”, “Times of Grace”, “Given to the Rising”, and “A Sun that Never Sets”; and although these pslams came from many different sources, each flowed absolutely perfectly into one another live. By the time the band was done, everyone was exhausted, but many were still not ready to leave. Those that were ready however, no doubt felt perfectly sated in their collective maladjustment. The rest of us however will just have to wait for the next performance.