When an old friend is a member of a signed band that is touring through the area, go. That underlying principle led me to an awesome metal band: Letter to the Exiles, on Strike First Records (an imprint of Facedown).
Mark Randazzo, who I have known since we were kids, plays guitar for LttE. When they were playing a show in Wilmington, DE, he called some old friends from Sandy Cove since it was nearby and put us on the guestlist. The venue was a sketchy-looking joint in a strip mall called Mojo 13, the facade covered with an enormous evil clown face with light-up red eyes. The guts of this beast were similarly garbed, with bizarre burlesque posters adorning the walls next to virtually infinite band stickers. Split into two portions, the bar and the stage area are 21+ and all ages, respectively (or at least were for this show). Since it was a week before my 21st birthday, I kept to the stage portion. After a high school hardcore band cut their set short due to the lead guitarist's broken string and lack of replacements, a series of 3 local bands played some 80s and Slayer-style metal, pointing out the touring bands and welcoming them to Delaware. Their fans consisted of what seemed to be the bar regulars, all old-school metalheads, and a young mentally challenged man who carried drumsticks with him, playing phenomenal heavy beats on whatever surface came to hand for whoever would watch and/or listen.
To this crowd came a coordinated assault of a more hardcore-oriented variety, with pounding double bass pedals and propulsive riffs dropping into massive breakdowns that made the small crowd painfully aware of its inability to form a decent mosh pit. The obvious distinctions between a national touring act and a local opener were not limited to stylistic choices, however. Letter to the Exiles' well-coordinated headbanging, jumping, and other theatrics made for a fascinating show, even converting my fellow members of the guestlist from their opener-induced anti-screaming prejudice. The late hour and one person's throbbing headache caused a rapid exodus after the show, however, so I was unable to purchase merch or talk to the band as much as I might have otherwise liked. Be sure to catch them next time they come through your town, as this first national tour will by no means be their last.
