WITNESS TO DESTRUCTION
released JANUARY 9, 2023
RELEASE 121
Oh cool, the first live recording I'm writing about. These are generally the least interesting to look back on. I like performing, but my preference towards recording is strong enough that I don't consider concerts to be "creative". To me they're "marketing". That's awfully cynical to say, I realize. It makes me different from most musicians. Oh well. Because all of these songs are on other albums, I'm not going to talk about them here. What I will talk about, however, is the show itself. This was during the full-band era, where I had the same lineup performing shows, and eventually recording songs, for a full year. It was fun! I liked the stability. Before our set, our bassist said "we are the only band tonight that isn't math rock or emo" and people walked out. That, combined with our drummer's ongoing feud with another band on the bill, ignited something in us. We'd played "Witness" to close shows before, but this was the first time we dragged it out to 7 minutes. We wanted it to be punishing. It may have worked. Listening back, that's the best part of the show. Other things of note, just from referring to setlist.fm (where I put the setlists there myself), this show marked the first time we played "Love Is A Dead Rodent" and "World Beater". "Love" didn't initially last in the set but made its way back in during the spring. "World" stuck around through the end of this lineup, and was retired after it dissolved. On the other hand, it was the last time I ever performed "Emily From A Distance" and "Full Blown Makoto". Those are both good songs, but "Emily" was phased out to make room for new songs, and "Makoto" was removed because I was tired of singing that many words and that speed. We played at a place in Medford, NJ, that I only ever went to that one time. It might still be around. I haven't checked.