The Hayloft Gets Lit!
The Hayloft Gets Lit!
It's weekends like this past one that drives Dr2 to do what we do, immerse ourselves in some of the best music this city has to offer, and that's exactly what we found all weekend under one roof. Quickly becoming one of the premier music venues in the area, The Hayloft has undergone a number of vast improvements that has transformed this great sounding room into thee place to play on the eastside, recently installing a state of the art lighting system that rivals any in the city. Add in some of the best bands in the city today and you've got a increasingly successful venue that has been packing them in since re-opening in October of 2008, hosting a huge list of local bands while also playing host to some of the nation's hottest touring bands on a regular basis. This past weekend was a great example, The Hayloft played host to a couple of hot nights with some of the best bands around beginning on Friday with a semi final for their current $10,000 "Sign My Band" Contest, then topping the weekend off with an all-out assault on the Clem as Critical Bill swept in and annihilated the place!
First, Friday night pitted Lithium, Cody Stagefright, All Hands Lost, & Psylo in a knock-down drag-out battle for that big fat check for 10k, a Real Detroit Weekly cover story, a 5 song EP from Metro 37 Studios, a record development deal with NTE Records, and a headlining slot at X-Fest 2010. A great package of prizes that resulted in an amazing display of rock & roll! All Hands Lost kicked things off before Psylo took over, both delivering solid sets, but it was only the prelude for the final two bands that turned the heat up to "broil" in the Loft this night! From the jazzy, rock-infused soul rap of Cody Stagefright, to the razor sharp, metal of Lithium, tonight was destined to be a nail biter, and while Cody Stagefright eked out a closely contested battle over Lithium, both bands definitely put on shows to be proud of, delivering a "Fan"-tastic show for all as they both displayed the kind of talent which sets these two apart from the crowd. Did we mention a "State of the Art" lighting system? Neither wow!, amazing!, nor phenomenal even comes close to describing the effect these new lights have on the shows going down on the Hayloft's large stage, elevating this venue to the top of the eastside's rock clubs.
Saturday night had the Dr2 Bus filled to capacity and heading straight back to The Hayloft where the current 89X 9-Day People's Choice Champions, Critical Bill, were back in their own house, along with quite a few hundred of their closest friends for round 2 of this spectacular weekend! With a new Album, Underground Kingdom, on the shelves of every Best Buy across the country, Critical Bill is currently living the dream that Detroit bands long for, riding a huge tidal wave of recent successes that appear to have this urban, hip-hopin', rock band on the verge of something huge. Last month's CD Release Party overwhelmed the Emerald Theater which was attended by 1,600 fans, numbers not seen since Kid Rock launched his Rock & Roll Jesus tour from the very same stage, selling 1,400 CD's that night alone, a successful East Coast Tour, 5 Detroit Music Award Nominations, an invitation to perform during the Detroit Music Award Ceremony, an upcoming Midwest to California Tour, and 9 days as the 89X People's Choice Champions, which brings us to this past Saturday night at the Hayloft. If success in music is judged by how many fans are willing to come out and support your band, then Critical Bill may very well be at the top, enticing another 500+ through the doors of the Hayloft for what was nothing short of a spectacular show. A star-studded support bill that included Down For Now, Band With No Name, and featured the return of Detroit's own "Tone" performing twice with the reunion of Just Cuz & Last, made for a memorable opening to the night. But as always, there was no doubt who everyone came for, swarming the stage as Critical Bill rampaged through their now familiar set list, throwing in a number of new songs from Underground Kingdom that included Beam me Up, Underground Kingdom, and Favorite Drug. But the real highlight of the night was the 180 degree turn Critical Bill made during the night as they actually performed "Better"! No we're not talking musically better, we're talking about the new track off Underground Kingdom which has the guys turning acoustic, even bringing up David Hamilton to help out with the downright A Cappella vocals and turning in a superb version that had the Hayloft crowd mesmerized. But only for a moment!, as Critical Bill jumped right back into there classic urban rocking hip hop, eventually closing out their set with an all out flurry of bodies on stage to "Jump Around", a very fitting end to another Critical night. Did we mention the new "State of the Art" Lighting System the Hayloft just installed......? They are reason enough to make your next show a night out at The Hayloft! Be sure to catch Critical Bill this Friday Night as they perform during the Detroit Music Award Ceremony at The Fillmore-Detroit, then mark your calendars for June 4th as Clutch Cargo's in Pontiac gets Critical with Critical Bill, tickets available at Tickmaster.com. DetroitRockReview.com - The Only Place for Local Music News & Reviews!