Graveyard last played in Maryland on a warm spring night on May 16, 2015, when they opened for Clutch and Mastodon at the Pier 6 Pavilion in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. On February 9th, 2016 the band returned to the area and headlined their show at the Baltimore Soundstage. The faithful Graveyard fans ignored the cold temperatures and the fact that the area was under a Winter Weather Advisory and Winter Storm Warning, and filled the venue to near capacity.
Swedish rock band, Spiders, is touring with Graveyard as the opening act and they are supporting their 2014 album, “Shake Electric”. When they stepped on stage, the concert hall was nearly 50 percent full, with many fans still trickling in from the parking garage. Anyone that missed Spiders’ set, certainly missed a great performance. The band can be best categorized as a hard rock band, with a blues influence. The group was formed in 2010 and is fronted by singer, Ann-Sofie Hoyles. Hoyles has fantastic vocals, with an appealing warm tone. She was energetic onstage and during the set she sang, played guitar, harmonica, tambourine and maracas. Guitarist John Hoyles provided some amazing old school riffs, while Olle Griphammer and Richard Harryson were on bass and drums, respectively. When the band announced their last song of their 45 minute set, the ever growing crowd let out a collective groan. They wanted to hear more, and for good reason. Simply put, the Spiders are a solid live band.
After a brief interlude, Graveyard took the stage to raucous applause. The band is supporting their fourth studio album, “Innocence and Decadence”, which was released in September 2015. Singer/guitarist, Joakim Nilsson, is a pleasure to see live. Graveyard has a classic rock vibe both in their sound and presentation, which pairs perfectly with Nilsson’s gritty, yet soulful voice. While onstage Nilsson sways, rocks and throws his head about as he seemingly becomes one with the music.
They opened with “No Good, Mr. Holden”, off of their “Hinsingen Blues” album. Bassist, Truls Mörck, took over the vocals for “From a Hole in the Wall”, from their new album. From there, they stayed with a few older tunes, “Buying Truth” and “Seven Seven”, before getting into the bluesy, “Exit 97”. In total, they ripped through an 18 song set, including their encore, which included “Stay for Song”, “The Apple and the Tree”, “Ain’t Fit to Live Here” and “The Siren”. The set was both electrifying and superbly played. Guitarist, Jonatan Larocca-Ramm, recently rejoined the band and was superb on lead and backup vocals, while drummer, Axel Sjöberg, was fantastic on his single bass kit.
Listening to Graveyard, there is no doubt they are heavily influenced by the hard rocking blues sound of the 60s and 70s, but you’ll also find aspects of punk and folk in their music as well. The band is finishing up the U.S. leg of their tour this month, before heading off for their European dates which run through June 7. If you have the chance, do not miss the opportunity to catch Graveyard live. They will not disappoint.
After a brief interlude, Graveyard took the stage to raucous applause. The band is supporting their fourth studio album, “Innocence and Decadence”, which was released in September 2015. Singer/guitarist, Joakim Nilsson, is a pleasure to see live. Graveyard has a classic rock vibe both in their sound and presentation, which pairs perfectly with Nilsson’s gritty, yet soulful voice. While onstage Nilsson sways, rocks and throws his head about as he seemingly becomes one with the music.
They opened with “No Good, Mr. Holden”, off of their “Hinsingen Blues” album. Bassist, Truls Mörck, took over the vocals for “From a Hole in the Wall”, from their new album. From there, they stayed with a few older tunes, “Buying Truth” and “Seven Seven”, before getting into the bluesy, “Exit 97”. In total, they ripped through an 18 song set, including their encore, which included “Stay for Song”, “The Apple and the Tree”, “Ain’t Fit to Live Here” and “The Siren”. The set was both electrifying and superbly played. Guitarist, Jonatan Larocca-Ramm, recently rejoined the band and was superb on lead and backup vocals, while drummer, Axel Sjöberg, was fantastic on his single bass kit.
Listening to Graveyard, there is no doubt they are heavily influenced by the hard rocking blues sound of the 60s and 70s, but you’ll also find aspects of punk and folk in their music as well. The band is finishing up the U.S. leg of their tour this month, before heading off for their European dates which run through June 7. If you have the chance, do not miss the opportunity to catch Graveyard live. They will not disappoint.
