Skin Failure, Spine Buster, Warbound

A few of my friends' bands played at the Quarry House in Silver Spring, Maryland this afternoon. The show started on time at 2:00 p.m. and I was a half an hour late, which means that I missed Warbound's first show. And I really wanted to see them. Jason Toner, who is playing drums for Warbound, told me that they hit the breaks right and held it together. I'm looking forward to hearing their demo and hope they play another show soon.

Spine Buster apparently got their name from a wrestling maneuver. Don't confuse the move with the Back Breaker, which merely involves a timely knee to the back. To do the Spine Buster, you must charge your opponent and land on him or her. So, the band Spine Buster seeks musical momentum. I had fun watching them and they seemed to have a great deal of fun playing. I'd even describe them as enthusiastic about putting on a good show. I perched up on top of a chair that gave me a perfect view of them.

The Quarry House is below an Indian restaurant, which makes it difficult to find. The room in the Quarry House where bands play is basically a corridor with a dead end. The room is narrow and long with low ceilings. When Sick Fix played at the Quarry House in December, someone raised a fist to the ceiling and accidentally smashed one of the string lights arranged in a network around the front of the room. The glass cut the guy's hand deeply enough that he had to go to the hospital. In other words, the acoustics are poor in the venue and the slender width makes it challenging for people to move to the music. My friends, however, report that Quarry House serves the best tater tots in the DC area.

The last band that I saw was Skin Failure. They played solid hardcore, even performing a cover of Minor Threat's "Bottled Violence," which inspired people to sing along. I love hearing Minor Threat covers. Dan's voice raised comfortably above the sound of the instruments and I enjoyed their whole set.