Although Saint Asonia only formed in 2014, the band members are not new to the music scene. The group is comprised of former Three Days Grace frontman, Adam Gontier, lead guitarist Mike Mushok of Staind, drummer Rich Beddoe, formerly of Finger Eleven, and bassist Corey Lowery of Eye Empire. The hard rocking quartet played their first gig together at the Rock on the Range music festival in May 2015 and they released their self-titled first studio album this past July.
The band is currently touring in support of their new record and on August 30th, 2015 they played the Baltimore Soundstage in Baltimore, Maryland. They opened with their hit song, “Better Place” and continued with songs from the July release, including “Blow Me Wide Open” and “Fairy Tale”. Mixed in with the new tunes were several covers from Staind and Three Days Grace, including “Mudshovel” and “Animal I Have Become”.
Adam Gontier’s vocals were spot on throughout the set and he engaged with the crowd frequently, and at one point raised a shot in toast of the fans. Mike Mushok’s guitar work was excellent and he spent most of the evening head banging and jumping about the stage, so much so that it was difficult to see his face with his hair wildly flying about. Rich Beddoe was a beast on the drum kit as was Corey Lowery on bass. Lowery’s backing vocals were also well done. Simply put, the band worked well and sounded fantastic together.
Hearing the covers from Three Days Grace and Staind was a nice added touch, but the real treat were the songs from the band’s current release. The songs are straight forward rock and roll that are well-written, with infectious hooks that will have any fan singing out loud, much like the crowd did throughout the show.
Overall, Saint Asonia is a solid band comprised of talented musicians and an exceptional vocalist and songwriter. They sounded great live and through their onstage energy, it was apparent they were enjoying their time before the crowd. Saint Asonia continues their US tour throughout October before a single date in Calgary, Canada on October 31st 2015.
Adam Gontier’s vocals were spot on throughout the set and he engaged with the crowd frequently, and at one point raised a shot in toast of the fans. Mike Mushok’s guitar work was excellent and he spent most of the evening head banging and jumping about the stage, so much so that it was difficult to see his face with his hair wildly flying about. Rich Beddoe was a beast on the drum kit as was Corey Lowery on bass. Lowery’s backing vocals were also well done. Simply put, the band worked well and sounded fantastic together.
Hearing the covers from Three Days Grace and Staind was a nice added touch, but the real treat were the songs from the band’s current release. The songs are straight forward rock and roll that are well-written, with infectious hooks that will have any fan singing out loud, much like the crowd did throughout the show.
Overall, Saint Asonia is a solid band comprised of talented musicians and an exceptional vocalist and songwriter. They sounded great live and through their onstage energy, it was apparent they were enjoying their time before the crowd. Saint Asonia continues their US tour throughout October before a single date in Calgary, Canada on October 31st 2015.
