Mindset Record Release

One hundred fifty people attended the Mindset Record Release matinee show at Charm City Art Space. Somehow, I managed to get a free slice of vegan chocolate cake, which disappeared quickly from its 9 x 13" pan and tasted delicious. They also gave away some non-vegan cupcakes.

By the time my friends and I got to the show, we'd missed Outlast, Force Fed, and Thought Crusade. Oh well. We arrived just as Rival Mob, from Boston, started playing. Pat asked me what I thought. My response: "testosterone." They sounded fine, but the singer kept awkwardly seeking to brag. For example, he rambled about how he's been straight-edge for 12 years, but sometimes he feels like he's sacrificed parties and screwing the hot girls. He swaggered that his ex-girlfriend drank a ton of alcohol and he sure did enjoy watching her dance. He concluded that "it" all works out. He also kept doing arm flexes on stage, flipping the crowd off with an ultra serious expression on his face and, then, darting his head around like he wanted to verify everyone was still watching, which sort of reminded me of a Saturday Night Live skit.

At dinnertime, I went to a restaurant called XS a few blocks from the show and ordered the Tofu Pad Thai. $9. The noodles sat in the bowl in a mushy clump with a layer of silken tofu underneath that tasted like someone had dumped it straight from the package into the bowl. Pat went a couple of doors down to a Middle Eastern restaurant. I had trouble seeing the chickpeas underneath the oil in the container they were in. He got the "mixed vegetables," while refusing to call the food "bad," said that he'd never at there again. Jason and Nolan made the wise decision and went to a grocery store nearby that apparently had decent rolls stuffed with spinach. We were going to return there with them to get a few snacks, but it apparently closes early on Sundays. A few other friends got cheeseless pizza, but their orders took a half an hour. I didn't eat any, but, when I asked how it tasted, the response was: "It's food."

Mindset sounded amazing. Someone stage dove and took down a light, which led to a brief intermission while the glass got swept off of the floor. The break gave the band a chance to catch its breath and come back twice as hard.

We stayed for the "late" show, which began at around 8:30 p.m. Praise played first, which is essentially Mindset II - all of the same band members as Mindset except for the singer. Then, Sacred Love played and I enjoyed listening to them, although I felt my cold kicking in. 90s-style mosh. Again, their members overlapped some with Mindset. Finally, Social Cirkle from Boston played. I like them. They play fast and strike a good balance between the volume of the vocals and their instruments. They also have cool merch. I like the designs on their shirts. The drummer apparently silkscreens them himself. DIY!