Reignwolf 2019 Fall Tour Stop in San Diego

The Casbah
2501 Kettner Blvd
San Diego, Ca. 92102
October 1, 2019

'Hear me out' If you come across the name Reignwolf on your local venue's schedule or marquee, go. Whatever the moon phase, I guarantee it will be wild. They'll give you a memorable performance, unlike anything you've probably seen before, as was my experience photographing them. 

If you like guitar distortion, blues, gritty rock, and high energy showmanship then Reignwolf should be a staple in your playlist and on your list of "must-see" bands.  Don't just take it from me, in January 2014 Reignwolf was declared one of "10 New Artists You Need to Know" by Rolling Stone.  If I had to compare them musically to prepare you, I'd say some parts the Black Keys, some parts Jack White, a dash of Jimi Hendrix and an even smaller dash of the Black Crows. Their on-stage presence, however, is very reminiscent of punk rock, not unlike Black Flag or the Stooges (Haven't seen either of them personally, but legend has it.) The Trio gave an insanely high energy performance in the tightly packed Casbah, San Diego on Oct, 1st. This was the first of their show dates headlining their own tour after being on the road with The Who recently in 2019.  Back in 2014 they also started off their tour with tour dates at the Casbah after their run supporting Black Sabbath.

Before the band graced the stage, I waited in front and center, camera-ready.  On two separate occasions, two different people asked whom I was shooting for (noticing my camera) and asked if I've seen Reignwolf before. The answer to the ladder was no, I haven't. (What I didn't tell them is that I hadn't even heard of them a week prior.) One awaiting Reignwolf fan said I was in for a treat. Another was a fellow photographer that nudged his way over to me and asked me the same two questions. He said "I hope you brought a wide-angle lens, you're not gonna want to miss anything" Then to build anticipation, even more, I overheard someone tell a friend "there may be blood." My eyes widened, or at least I felt like they did. 'Who are these guys?' I thought to myself.

The time came. The Trio took the stage among the smoke and the frontman asked the lighting/soundboard maestro to turn the house lights all the way off. "Great!" I sarcastically and selfishly thought. "I came here to take photos. How am I going to do that in the dark now?"  Placed behind the drummer was their own panel of flashing white lights that they brought with them. With those lights and Casbah's very dim red lights, I still shot away, fingers crossed. I  was fortunate to get some photos when their lights flashed when I could. Other times there was no light at all, so I just stood and watched, catching myself really enjoying what I was seeing and hearing. I quickly learned what those two people had warned me about.  Reignwolf appeared to give everything they've got for our entertainment on a Tuesday night. The singer Jordan Cook played guitar and sang while standing on anything he can find, sweat dripping from his face and hair. The bass player Stacey-James Kardash played his instrument held up high or swung down low to the ground and sometimes into the crowd. (I almost got knocked in the head at least twice). The  drummer  Joseph Braley shined metaphorically for his drum skills and also physically from the white flashing lights behind him giving him, and his blonde hair an outer glow.

Seeing two kick drums on a stage is not an unusual sight at all (when it's on one drum kit)  This time was it was a little different. The second kicked drum was used by Cook. He stomped on it while playing the guitar and sang. This is one of the three things I've never seen before. The second thing (shown in here) I watched the bass player and the drummer walk off the stage after maybe the 4th or 5th song. Cook took a seat at the drums, guitar still around his shoulder and began playing the drums with a stick in one hand, foot on the kick drum and the other hand on the guitar fretboard and played both instruments. So well in fact that you'd think it was two people. The band re-assembled and played a few more songs. I was already impressed by this time and now just happy to be there witnessing all of this. Then the third thing happened. About the time they'd be wrapping things up, the drummer stood up, grabbed a cymbal stand with sticks in mouth, walked down center stage and parted the crowd, set his cymbal stand down and went back for the rest of the whole drum kit. All while the other two still played. Braley set up his kit on the Casbah floor and began playing along again. It wasn't long before the two others joined him. First playing standing in the pit, Cook and Kardash played alongside the fans, elbows to elbows. Then they both stood up on the kick drum, towering above the crowd. It no longer felt like I was at a Casbah show with a band that just played large scale arenas with The Who. It was like I was at a house party back in my own rocker days when every band practice ended up being a party. This was nuts. The crowd was hyped, drinks in hand for them and camera in hand for me. This gave me the opportunity to take some photos that I never imagined getting when I arrived, nor even halfway through for that matter.  I took got some pics that hopefully show the nature of a Reignwolf show in 2019. Cheers to you Reignwolf, for the extreme showmanship, kick-ass music to match and for these photos that I'm now quite proud of. I would see them again if the opportunity presents itself. Next time I'll be the one able to tell a first-timer that they're in for a treat.

content by Rick Ward

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So inquiring minds want to know. We got to ask the band some questions while they were in San Diego.

Q: Your style of music is so edgy, raspy, and riveting. Your debut album 'Hear Me Out' was released in March of this year and has been highly praised. Might you share some of your process and favorite cut on the album?

A: The process was truly incredible to make, as well as heartbreaking at times. I feel like we captured something moody so narrowing down my favorite songs and recordings on the record is tough as it changes often.

Q: Since 2012 how has  Reignwolf evolved musically and on a personal level. Who if any has been a major influence emotionally or otherwise?

A: It’s evolved immensely as there is an album now and before the thought of an album wasn’t much in the cards. I think my English friends Matt Hales (Aqualung) and Blair Mackichan both inspired me to take the songwriting process further while still keeping the rawness intact.

Q: Besides The Who what other bands would you like to tour with and why?

A: I just watched Billie Eilish on SNL and feel like that tour would be beautiful upside down. We also recently did a show with Wu-Tang Clan and it almost felt like a tease cause it was a one-off... And so epic!

Q: Can you give us a taste of what it's like opening for The Who?

A: I think my favorite part was getting to know Pete Townshend — also I must mention that their crowd spanned    3 generations every night. Pretty mind-blowing really.

Q: You have performed at many prestigious music festivals, Bunbury, Hang-Out, Bumbershoot, SXSW, Austin City Limits and Welcome to Rockville etc, which one had the best vibe?

A: To narrow it down to one is rough. I will say my favorite festival performance lately was Music Midtown in Atlanta. We played there one other time and it was raining hard through our set, this time it was scorching hot! Something so sweet about the yin and yang.

Q: To date what has been the best city and/or venue to play?

A: I think this Hear Me Out tour really stands out as a whole - every night has been completely different than the next. Doing shows with The Who, converting thousands of new fans, and then doing a club shows to many of our fans, followed by festival plays all back to back. I’ll make a shout out to Easy Street Records in Seattle for kicking it all off the night before the record was released. That one felt like “here we go”!

Questions by me (Connie Bolger) answers by them (Reignwolf).

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photos by Rick Ward Images

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