Frights and Sounds Echo at Brick as Boofest Kicks Off

Boo Fest kicked off at Brick this past Friday the 13th. The inaugural event featured seven local bands and two touring acts, including math and prog-rock bands Sloth, Dwellings, Turquoise and Roshii. Also on the lineup were the post-hardcore supergroup Scripts and noise-rock juggernaut The Grasshopper Lies Heavy. Headlining the festival was Tokyo’s The Silhouette of Nude. In addition to music, the DIY festival offered vendors, tarot card readings, and drag and burlesque performances.

Sloth

Sloth launched Boo Fest with an energetic 30-minute set. Being the opening band did not discredit their talent. This band rules, and they are extremely talented. The math prog-rock quartet includes two guitarists, a bass player and a drummer who mastered polyrhythms while singing in pitch. Both the band and audience recognized the talent and complexity of the musical structures, with musicians from the other performing acts smiling and nodding their heads along with their music.

Turquoise

Following Sloth was Turquoise. The trio from Nebraska made their way to San Antonio right on time but the city’s unrelenting traffic delayed their starting time. To our dismay, their set was 15 minutes shorter than expected. But despite the setback, they made the most of their time on stage and delivered an awesome set.

Roshii

Local sweethearts Roshii took the stage by storm as bassist Joey Patino and guitarist Francesco Acevedo decided to interact much closer to the crowd by getting off stage. Their sound was incredible. Joseph Heron’s vocals coupled with Chris Garcia and Acevedo's guitar solos and riffs, tied together with Patino's bass riffs and Edgar Betancourt’s drumming, kept everyone on their feet. They are definitely a fan favorite.

Scripts

The San Antonio supergroup consisted of guitarist Kyle Cooper and Bass player Eddie Welsh from RMRS, Rob Mochen of Bright Like the Sun, Roy Buquor on drums, and Robert Avila from The Khost. The band is fronted by Chris Cooper on vocals. Their sound was intense, with melodies edging on post hardcore and vocals reminiscent of At The Drive in and La Dispute. Multi-instrumentalist Kyle Cooper showed everyone his talents as he played, sang, and even manned the synth while Mochen’s iconic sound manipulation set the atmosphere and overall mood of the band. It was a beautiful thing to hear a tight rhythm section that simultaneously gave melodic instruments creative control. Chris’ vocals were icing on the cake of such a powerful band.

The Grasshopper Lies Heavy

The Grasshopper Lies Heavy seared through their heavy metal set with no holds barred. They played songs from their most recent album, A Cult that Worships the God of Death as well as unreleased material. The band from “south south south Austin” created the first moshpit of the show before concluding with the unreleased song “Maize”. The band also brought former drummer Steven Barrera out of retirement for this show.

Dwellings

The Sacramento band has already hit the Billboard charts several times this year and has gathered a following in San Antonio. The act was one of the most anticipated of the night. Many Boo Fest attendees were seen shouting along to the lyrics.

Silhouette of Nude

The dark rock band from Tokyo, Japan made their San Antonio stop as the festival’s headliner. The band was on their 13th stop of a 16-day tour across the southern United States. Their impressive assault of combining noise elements such as toy guns and light-manipulated guitar pedals, syncopated with odd time signatures, bass tapping, and persistent drumlines mesmerized the crowd. As their last song rang out the crowd persistently chanted “one more song.” Surely the trio delivered an encore for the crowd.

Check out the gallery below for more photos of the night!