Belvidere’s Apollo welcomes three rock groups

By Kathryn Menue

EDITOR

On Thursday, July 7, The Apollo, located at 104 N. State St. in Belvidere, welcomed three rock bands to entertain hard rock fans from the area. The rock bands included Failure Anthem, Nonpoint, and headliner Buckcherry who just started their two month national tour together.

Doors opened at 6:30 p.m. for the highly anticipated rock fest, and the rock-n’-roll continued through the night until 11:30 p.m.

Of course, with a show this powerful, there had to be some limits including that audience members had to be 16-years-old or older to attend. Admission for the three-band show came at a decent price of $25 or $35 for balcony seating.

Failure Anthem

According to Failure Anthem’s record management group, Razor and Tie, Failure Anthem originated in Greensboro, N.C. featuring the musical talents of Chris Pierson (vocals), Ryan Nimmo (bass, backup vocals), Kile Odell (guitar), Zane Frye (drums), and Wil Andrews (rhythm guitars).

The group formed in 2013 after developing a long-time friendship.

“This is family,” Andrews said in a press release submitted by Razor and Tie. “Kile and I have been friends and played guitar together for over 10 years. We’ve all played in numerous bands around town, and we’ve known each other.”

Other group members agreed to their shared camaraderie.

“Our love for making great rock songs drew us together,” Frye said in the Failure Anthem press release. “We all come from very different backgrounds musically and stylistically; but as a band, we mesh really well, have found our own, and have a great time doing it.”

Before signing with Razor and Tie, Failure Anthem “supported Halestorm and Scott Strapp.”

Once their career began to take fold, Failure Anthem started touring with bigger rock bands such as P.O.D., Puddle of Mud, Texas Hippie Coalition, and many more. From there, they wrote and recorded their debut album First World Problems in 2014.

First World Problems hit #12 on the Hard Rock chart and #39 on the Rock chart.

The music from their debut album is what Failure Anthem performed at The Apollo in Belvidere on Thursday, July 7. These songs included: “First World Problems,” “The Ghost Inside,” “Paralyzed,” “Here for Good,” and “Leap of Faith.”

According to the members of Failure Anthem, their music focuses on an “outlier concept,” or “underdog meaning,” Odell said.

“As a band name, mantra, and mindset, Failure Anthem just reminds me that we all have struggles and failures in life, but all we can do is turn them into opportunities to learn and grow from,” Nimmo said.

Andrews agreed about what the group and the music represent.

“I want everyone to find something in our songs that represents a piece of their own story,” Andrews said. “Our record is a roller coaster of aggression, passion, devastation, loss, gain, triumph, and happiness.”

According to Razor and Tie intern publicist, Tina Isola, the meaning of their music resonated with fans and critics.

“The band has received numerous amounts of praise. Revolver describes them as ‘full of catchy choruses and searing emotion,’” Isola reported. “Concert goers instantly fall in love with the band’s talent.”

For more information on Failure Anthem or to listen to their music, like them on Facebook at facebook.com/failureanthem, follow them on twitter at twitter.com/failureanthem, follow them on Instagram at instagram.com/failureanthem/, find them on YouTube, or find their music on iTunes, Amazon, and Google Play.

Nonpoint

Joining in on the punk rock atmosphere at The Apollo on July 7 was Nonpoint.

Nonpoint formed in 1997 in Florida, and after 19 years, they are still going strong.

Members Elias Soriano (vocals), Robb Rivera (drums), Rasheed Thomas (rhythm guitar), Adam Woloszyn (bass), and B.C. Kochmit (lead guitar), joined Failure Anthem and Buck Cherry to perform songs from their newest album, The Poison Red, which officially was released on Friday, July 8.

According to Nonpoint’s website (nonpoint.com), this album is their 9^th studio album, which has already generated a hit single, “Generation Idiot,” that has been circling rock radio stations across the nation.

“This record tells a lot of stories,” Soriano said on Nonpoint’s website. “Going from guts to glory. Chasing impossible dreams down the rabbit hole. Harsh and honest words with consequences attached. Uncovered rules for the weak, made by the wicked and heartless. Recalling fight or flight moments with a deep breath. And it all starts with a warning to all the world’s generations past, present, and future to look up, look forward, and live their lives loose from social media shackles, online bullying, the devaluation of art and music, and to not be absorbed by the dramatic, megalomaniacal side of politics. Life is right outside of your phone and newsfeed. Go live it and play this record while you do. It’ll all start to make sense.”

To learn more about Nonpoint or to review their music, visit: Nonpoint.com, Nonpointstore.com, or find their music on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, and Merch Now.

Buckcherry

Headliner Buckcherry graced the stage of The Apollo in Belvidere on Thursday, July 7, with new songs, old songs, and old favorites for rock fans to love.

They definitely had a lot of music to choose from, since the band originated in California in 1995 when founding members Joshua Todd and Keith Nelson teamed together after being introduced by their tattoo artist, Billboard Music writer Jason Ankeny, Rovi reported.

Their debut album was released in 1999 with hit songs “Check Your Head” and “For the Movies.” Buckcherry released another album, Time Bomb in 2002 before the band split up only to reform stronger than ever to create their most widely known album 15, which featured the hit song: “Sorry.”

From there, Buckcherry continued pumping out music and branding a rock style for others to envy, which can be seen in their creativity with their most recent album F*** EP, where every song as the “F-word” attributed in the title.

Of course, what else could be expected of a band that signed with F Bomb Records?

Members: Josh Todd (lead vocals/guitar), Keith Nelson (guitar), Steve D. (guitar), Kelly Lemieus (guitar), and Xavier Muriel (drums) highlighted this F*** based music at their July 7 show in Belvidere.

For more information on Buckcherry or to hear their music, go to facebook.com/buckcherry, YouTube, twitter.com/buckcherry, instagram.com/buckcherry/, or buckcherry.shop.bravadousa.com.