Human error is inevitable. Every human being is capable of possessing flaws and bad habits. Imperfection is the essence of humans. My flaw of the moment is the birth child of the submission catered by procrastination and the brooding consistency that shadows the lack of discipline; tardiness. My inner thoughts betrayed my overall mood; criticizing my lack of readiness and preparation to attend the show of the night. A sweeping motion of nonchalance carried my thoughts into a lesser form of existence within an instance. A warm, sensual, masculine mist pleasantly filled my nostrils. I opened my eyes from shielding them against the misdirected spray of cologne, if I was second late a sting to my left eye, setting me further behind. I adjusted my Texas belt buckle, slid into my boots, repositioned my hat and hopped in the truck to head southwest.

The event of the night is comparable to a mini festival Day 1: 8 bands, a food truck and beer. The location of the event is Division Brewing in Arlington. I had a hunch that Division Brewing would end up as a new hot spot of hardcore and metal shows, it makes perfect sense. The large, outside space that sits in between Division Brewing and Growl Records consists of a stage wide enough to fit everyone and everything ( including amps and drum sets) comfortably, covered by the sturdiest pop up tent I have ever seen. In front of the stage, of course, is the standing area for the participants to kick up a little dust. Right behind the open space is roughly 6 -8 tables accompanied by chairs, covered by a wider pop up tent, outlined with purple LED lights. Attendants can spill out into the remaining section of the parking lot behind the seating area. Judging the attendance of the last show I attended at Division Brewing, I was certain there was a noticeable increase in sales. The only bummer that would be able to prevent a show there would be extreme or unpredictable weather.

Along with the “Hey!” and the hug or the hug and “Hey!” variation from the beautiful faces and spirits of my friends, an all white food truck, outlined in checkboard print caught my attention. The table of condiments and plastic utensils neatly placed for the customers sat right below the serving window. The smell of all American food seeping through my nostrils with delight. On the right side of the serving window is the pink and green logo for Kelly’s Onion Burger, ran by Joe Kelly, singer of Fort Worth hardcore band Ozone, and his brother Andrew. Known for their famous Oklahoma Grilled Onion Burger, Kelly’s is based in Ft Worth and is normally occupying space and cranking out those fried onion burgers at local events, pop up shops, or wherever they are booked. Their hours and locations are posted on their Facebook page so you don’t have to miss out!

Shuffling feet and not so distant conversations heighten my awareness. The sense of familiarity reached an all time high as my long stride carried me to the bar. Several people mentioned that I missed the first band that performed; Amnesia Gardens. I was bummed for a moment until more familiar faces began obscuring the thought of missing a performance. I’m certain that I will watch them perform another time. My DSLR camera camera jostled its weight around the left side of my waist, matching the tempo of my rhythmic walk. Everywhere I stood, my camera laid still to my side, attached, like an infant cub to its parent. Sooner than I expected it, Soledad was up next to play. This was my first time watching Soledad perform live so I was a bit excited. The pit erupted as expected when the band dove into their first song. My body yanked itself to the right, behind the speakers, to avoid my camera or myself catching a flying fist. It was great seeing Andy back on stage again with the mic in hand. Old Hands of the Few memories began filling my mind as I was listening to Andy’s cleaner, more polished vocals. Eddie looked as if he was a war general sending his troops into the toughest battle of their lives. Soledad put on an amazing performance. For me, it was the beginning of a great turn out for the show.

Aside from the impressive performances from rising DFW hardcore punk band Gagging Order and the young guns of Kurama, there were a handful of bands that haven’t heard of before or I haven’t witnessed live yet. One of the bands that crossed my radar a few times was Caustic, a band of young bucks from Oklahoma. Eddie mentioned their love of Power Trip to me a couple of months back, so I was eager to see them live. During the middle of their set, Caustic’s front man Nick yells “Think Fast Texas!” and the pit began to choose violence as the band played the intro of Soul Sacrifice. Attendees, including myself, began swinging for our lives as survival during the tumultuous pit. That was undoubtedly the highlight moment of the night. Tribal Gaze was another band that was on my radar but haven’t seen live either. I didn’t know much about the band but there were a few times I listened to their music and was pleased with what I heard. Before the band played and after their first song, I was able to hear the distinction in the singer’s accent. His accent was Southern to the bone marinated in East Texas Flavor. Tribal Gaze’s performance was incredible to say the least, the show of raw talent never goes unnoticed. After the set, I found out that Tribal Gaze is originally from Longview. This was also the first time I was heard of Forebode; hailing from Austin, Texas, they offer a brooding mix of doom/ sludge metal with various elements of Southern rock. The sheer heaviness of the band along with the slower tempo gives a bit of vicious tonality, suitable for endless head nods and prolonged herbal sessions. It was a pleasure to witness a band new to my radar, especially from Texas. Denton’s sleazy death metal band Kombat ended the night in the most proper way with unforgettable riffs and thunderous breakdowns. It almost seemed as if Nathan’s guttural growl reached new depths. Watching Todd’s green and black hair in a constant flailing motion as he picks the bass strings is always an awesome site to see. Shortly after Kombat’s set, I made my departure, said my goodbyes and gave multiple hugs to the dwindling bunch that were still there. Another great show, another great turnout, another one for the books.