Smash Concerts/Reliant Concerts presented an outstanding local show at Stan’s Room in Piere’s Entertainment Center complex in Ft. Wayne on July 29th!!.

It had been a minute since I had been to Piere’s Entertainment Center in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. So, when I saw that Zanesville’s AudioCide was on last Saturday’s bill for what was dubbed The Indiana Summer Festival, I decided to head west.

Man am I glad I did. Checking out local bands is one of my favorite things to do and the seven-band lineup featured groups from Indiana and several surrounding states was a stellar lineup. I can honestly say without hesitation that all seven bands made my trip worthwhile.

AudioCide kicked off the evening with a smoking set. I first saw the Zanesville quintet at The King of Clubs in Columbus. I quickly became a fan and have listened to the CD quite regularly in my man cave.

Don Rush is as animated a front man as you’ll find. He captivates an audience with his antics. Oh, it doesn’t hurt that he has a great set of pipes as well.

Adam Spangler (drums) and Dave Sherfy (bass) form a solid rhythm section for AudioCide. Meanwhile Dover and Kyle Campbell are superb while on the six strings.

I headed to Ft. Wayne to watch the band and it was just as awesome as I thought it would be. If I can do that, then you owe it to yourself to check them out once they get back to Ohio.

I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I was going to be let down following the opener. I can admit, I was seriously mistaken. The remaining six bands on the card kicked some serious ass. Rush and I conversed our approval for each group after their respective sets were finished.

Paradox Pointe out of Owensboro, Kentucky was next to take the stage. The five-piece contingent consists of Chris Moulton (vocals), Colton Lester (clean vocals), Stephen Wiggington (guitar), Colton Hedden (bass), and Brandon Wilson (drums).

Moulton and Lester worked well together while the rest of the band was spot on with a fresh sound. Collectively they were full of energy and their sound was in-your-face.

Things went from heavy to more grunge with the next act. HOBO JOE, out of Fremont, Indiana, had Josh Baker on lead vocals and guitar while brother, Jonathon, handled the drums. Landon Blue rounded things out on the bass for the three-piece band.

Josh Baker stated at the beginning of the set that he and his brother, Jonathan, had been making music as HOBO JOE since 1995. It was hard to believe by looking at them. Aside from that, they had that grunge sound down and were extremely talented. Josh’s vocals were excellent, and his handling of the guitar was amazing.

Jonathon, who I talked with later in the evening, was as good on the drums as anyone that I’ve seen. He also handled the rhythm guitar and lead vocals for the next band, Apart We Fall. Baker sounded amazing on the guitar, but he insisted his drum play is head-and-shoulders above that of his ability to tickle the axe. Blue, also a member of AWF, provided outstanding bass play.

I had not heard of HOBO JOE before Saturday night, but I hope it isn’t the last time that I get a chance to witness them live.

Jonathan Baker and Blue were joined by Solomon Baker (guitar) and Michelle Baker (drums) as Apart We Fall stepped in front of the crowd. They like HOBO JOE also had a grungy sound but also sprinkled in a little heavier sound.

As I mentioned before, Baker was solid on the guitar while Blue brought the thumping once again with the bass. Solomon Baker was outstanding in handling the lead guitar with Michelle Baker using her mastery of the kit to bring everything together.

For our Indiana readers, AWF will be playing this Saturday at the Angola Art Festival. If you are not busy make the trip out and take in their performance. You’ll be glad you did.

Another Hoosier band followed AWF and did so with an arousing set. Perfect Fall from North-Central Indiana showed why they were inspired by bands like Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace, and Seether.

Jared Hill had a perfect sound that ranged from grunge to metal as well as a little pop. He was also more than capable of playing the rhythm guitar. Bandmate, Zach Pegg, was the perfect partner to match Hill’s intensity while Mike Layne (bass) and Jack E-45 (drums) formed a thunderous rhythm section.

Their original music was terrific to listen to. Perfect Fall should be around the music scene for quite some time. Visit their social media outlets to get a hint of why I feel that way.

SoulSleeper from Springfield, Illinois brought their special brand of alternative/metalcore sound to the Stan’s Room stage next.

Kole Miller was an absolute beast as the front man. Jose Mendez handled the guitar action, both rhythm and lead due to the absence of regular lead guitarist, Andrew Andruskevitch. He missed the trip due to family obligations. Mendez took care of both positions with surgeon-like precision. Bassist Tommy Preecher was forced to sit on a stool during the set. The talented individual was wearing a walking boot due to a fall he sustained a week earlier. However, he didn’t let that slow him down as he collaborated with drummer Austin Skeeters to shake the foundation of the venue with their locomotive-like power.

You should take the time to check out their latest EP “Fragments”. You definitely won’t be disappointed.

Closing out the night’s festivities was heavy metal outfit, My Own Fate of Demotte, Indiana. The northwest Indiana band was formed in 2020 and has quickly ascended to the top of the local scene in the area.

Ethan Warner has a great heavy metal voice and demands the audience’s attention. James Marlow makes sure that he gets it with the jackhammer-like pounding on the skins. Nevada Deem and Bryan Wisneski were an excellent guitar duo.

The band performed without a bass player as they are in the process of training a new one. The thunder they brought without a bassist was nothing short of ground-shaking. I look forward to watching them when they are at full force and will travel to do so.

I would like to thank Smash Concerts/Reliant Concerts for allowing us to cover the show. They have been putting on several shows in the area and they need to be added to your concert-going entertainment list. It was a pleasure.

Finally, I would also like to give a shout out to Stan’s Room for providing an amazing ambiance. The venue may not be the biggest, but the stage was awesome, and the sound system proved to be outstanding. The staff was friendly the overall cleanliness was top-notch (and that includes the restrooms).

My Saturday night continued a string of solid local acts that I have had the chance to see. Remember that bands like Godsmack and Five Finger Death Punch didn’t start out on the big stage. Get off your couch and get out to check out a local show. Until next time, this is Big L saying, ‘keep those horns up and rock on!! \m/ \m/