Zeta {Photo by Gabe Lugo}
Live music is so special because it brings a new dimension and energy to the music. You see how the musician delivers their art and it can make or break the overall experience. Maybe the band you love plays everything perfectly like it sounds on the record — but they’re not moving. Or maybe they change things up and inject a new energy into some familiar sounds. I prefer the latter of the two and believe that live interaction is an extremely important part of music.
Two of the most incredible live performers I have ever seen aren’t playing Red Rocks; they play small clubs, DIY spaces and even houses. I’m referring to New Haven, Connecticut’s Ceschi Ramos and Venezuela’s Zeta. Both acts are no strangers to Colorado Springs. They’ve performed here several times and, on Sunday the 19th, they will be combining forces at The Black Sheep. Zeta plays a vibrant blend of Latin psychedelic infused with modern post-hardcore and punk — intense drumming with energy and positivity brimming throughout the entire set. Whether this is your style of music or not, the energy is contagious and you’ll have a giant smile on your face the whole time. Ceschi is coming out specifically to play with his friends in Zeta and to perform in Colorado Springs again after more than a year. He plays a furious blend of hip-hop and acoustic folk punk all wrapped in a thick layer of punk/hardcore. He puts more energy into his shows than a five-piece metal band.
Zeta is stopping here in the middle of a big two-month tour celebrating 20 years as a band. Many of their tour dates included the mathcore/hardcore group The Fall of Troy, which has been able to show off their goods to people who’ve never seen them before. After this tour ends in early April, they have a couple weeks to regroup before joining Ceschi on a two-week tour with his new punk/hip-hop band Codefendants. It’s a project consisting of Ceschi, Get Dead’s Sam King, and NOFX legend Fat Mike. They released a 10-inch on Fat Mike’s Fat Wreck Chords and will release a full-length album on March 24.
Making this project even more epic, Zeta will lend their precision and energy as Codefendants’ touring band while also playing Zeta sets for most of the shows. Some of these will be NOFX’s final shows in their Punk in Drublic series. Joining Zeta and Ceschi this Sunday are post-rock greats Autumn Creatures and blackened crust from Upon a Field’s Whisper (disclaimer: UAFW is my band), which has a song with Ceschi that you might just hear live.
There are a lot of other shows going on this Saint Patrick’s Day Weekend! So get ready for people who found out on 23andMe that they are .002 percent Irish pounding green beer, watching The Departed, and blasting Flogging Molly! Yeah, that doesn’t sound fun to me either. But if you’re looking for something more engaging, there’s lots going on.
On Friday, March 17, head to Vultures for some ripping metal from Denver’s Necropanther, Suicide Cages and Chamber Mage. Nothing screams St. Paddy’s day more than ABBA, so The Black Sheep will be hosting another Gimme Gimme Disco night. You can also head to Manitou for some local rock tunes from Antivirus at Lulu’s!
Saturday is now upon us and there are two very cool shows to choose from. At The Triple Nickel, punk rockers Off With Their Heads will play as a two-piece (drum and guitar) with Spells and The Sleights’ Luke Blanton. Off With Their Heads brings fast-driving punk rock mixed with melody and passion. If theatrics and riffs are more your thing, you can head down to Sunshine Studios Live for legendary British metal outfit Cradle of Filth, joined by DevilDriver. Cradle Of Filth has been playing theatrical black metal since the early ’90s and hasn’t slowed down yet. DevilDriver is fronted by Coal Chamber vocalist Dez Fafara, and takes a more furious approach to metal. The weekend isn’t over yet. There are some ways to wind down on Sunday — like head to Lulu’s for some indie college rock from Coral Grief and Tiny Tomboy.