Sea of Tranquility

Music Time Capsule Log # 9: Moshing at Windmills

08 October 2018

Mark Antony Rossi

While at Germany I grabbed an LP from a band called Vengeance. They were from Holland and had a harder edge than Europe but in the same vein. When I got the chance to see them they were playing at Amsterdam and it also coincided with an art show in the day time. Plus I connected with some writing friends ( back then no cellphones so you actually had to write letters) and we did a poetry reading at a café. Met a lot of great folks there I befriended and stayed in contact over the years.

The Dutch writers decided to jam out with me and went to the concert as well. It was a super clean and polite arena. (Being from Germany I am not used to this.) And a local girl opened up who played various rock hits strictly on an electric violin. No vocals. She did some Kansas, Jethro Tull, Doobie Brothers and Slayer (you haven’t heard anything until a girl plays Reign in Blood on a violin �" she knocked it out of the park.)

Then Vengeance took the stage and opened up with a cover. Maybe this is a European thing but I’ve seen it done several times while living in Europe. My opinion is why so early, let’s hear some of your stuff. Plus God Forbid you mess the song up I’m not exactly thinking great things are coming down the pike. Thankfully, they did a super job. The trick with covers is picking one your band can meld with. Once that is accomplished you are now demonstrating your skills with someone else’s song. It was Mountain’s “Mississippi Queen.”

Some bands are funny. You have those that sound good wherever they are. Some bands only sound good in the studio. I love Kansas but I don’t they sound that good live. And others like Vengeance that sound totally different and exciting live. Their album was good but the show was extraordinary. They played nearly everything from the two albums plus three covers and a Dutch ditty I was clueless about. German bands do this a lot too. It truly felt like a got my money’s worth from a band no one outside of Holland or Germany heard. Most metalheads I asked never heard of them. But I was impressed and enjoyed my stay in Holland with art, poetry, music and yes, lots of cool windmills.

Mark Antony Rossi