Casino NB was the scene of some loud and rocking music this evening with bands 3 Pill Morning, Monster Truck, and Buckcherry. Ear plugs in, camera in hand ready for the ‘stand up’ show and with a little earlier start than normal at The Centre we were off and running. 3 Pill Morning hit the stage led by Jeff Stebbins and backed by Ryan Walch, Ryan Lee, and Trent Laugerman. If you have ever seen 3 Pill Morning before, they reminded me of a ‘three days grace’ kind of sound and you are already aware that Stebbins can easily command a stage with his high-energy performances, and that is exactly what he did. With the increasing crowd rocking along to 3 Pill Morning it was a great start off to a rocking night.
3 Pill Morning – Casino NB – 02/11/14 ~ Refrain Photography
Having never seen “Monster Truck” before, but hearing a lot of good things, I was most excited I think to see these four Canadian guys from Hamilton, Ontario that play it loud, and have fun doing it! Starting out as just a fun side project and they took breaks from the other bands they were in, Monster Truck blossomed into a loud, fun, and rocking band!
Monster Truck – Casino NB – 02/11/14 ~ Refrain Photography
Bass player Jon does most of the vocals backed up by the rest of the band including wildly active ‘jumping bean’ guitarist Jeremy Widerman. This guy never sits still unless he has to be at the microphone, hard guy to photograph but a heck of a fun guitar player. The crowd grew larger as Monster Truck took the stage and they ate up every second of it, and I was definitely pleased and enjoyed my first Monster Truck show, I’d recommend them if you like loud, hard hitting rick music.
Monster Truck – Casino NB – 02/11/14 ~ Refrain Photography
As the headliner took the stage, Buckcherry wasted little time during their set as they launched into “Lit Up” & “Dead Again” from their 1999 debut album Buckcherry and the title track from their 2010 album “All Night Long”. Lead singer Josh Todd was in classic form, bouncing around the stage in gyrating rock star form with suggestive microphone mimes.
Although they’ve downsized venues over the years, Buckcherry can still draw a decent crowd. Todd’s stature and heavily tattooed appearance along with his stage energy and dance moves are undeniably mesmerizing. He moves with ease onstage and much to the ladies appeal his heavily tattooed body made an appearance about half way through the set.
Buckcherry – Casino NB – 02/11/14 ~ Refrain Photography
Even though they’re getting older, Buckcherry are still heavy into the sexual innuendo. Todd spoke about how you can tell someone has soul by how they take off their panties, totally what would you expect from a band whose greatest hit is titled “Crazy Bitch,” which has become their anthem and was the closing song for their main set.
The encore was kind of anti-climactic, as they had already crossed off their best songs during the main set. They returned with “Say #$%! It” and closed their set with “Wrath.”
While their rock star mentality may have benefitted them at their peak, it’s questionable as to whether it will be enough to keep fans interested through their next album cycle, time will tell. That said, it was still a fun show with some great rock music that the small and mighty crowd enjoyed to the utmost.
Buckcherry – Casino NB – 02/11/14 ~ Refrain Photography
Thanks to all three bands, to Casino NB, and to PPRL for a great night of rock and roll…until next time!