It was on a cold and rainy evening that The Letter Black along with Haven State and Across The Dawn were playing at the legendary Hard Rock Café in Pittsburgh. By the end of the evening’s performance the headliner would be just as legendary.
The evening started off strong with a set by Haven State. I was drawn to lead singer Josie Banks intense vocal delivery style. It was laid back, but powerful as hell when she needed that little extra something to drive the point home. The band themselves were exceptionally gifted players which in turn made the voice sound better.
Up next was a solid set of hard rock with alternative leanings from the band Across The Dawn. The band themselves were extremely tight, building layer upon layer to the songs. The singer did a really nice job of bringing the songs to life. I’d like to see them playing a much bigger place the next time I see them.
At last it was time for The Letter Black to descend. Brace yourself because, there’s a couple of surprises that you didn’t see coming. First of all there were only three band members on stage- vocalist Sarah Anthony, her guitarist husband Mark Anthony and drummer Justin Brown- but you could clearly here another guitar and a bass playing through the PA system.
Normally I would frown upon two band members\’ sound being pumped in but, I really feel that it somehow made them play even more solidly. It truly gave them a rich and lush sound. Plus it made them sound extremely tight playing to the pre-recorded bass and rhythm guitar. I have to say the other really big surprise is just how good Sarah’s vocals were and boy when she wants it to be heavy…it’s brutally Heavy.
The band played through song after song of classics like “Fire With Fire,” “Breakout,” “Believe” and “Hanging On By A Thread.” They also peppered in a few new ones from the album- Pain such as “Last Day That I Cared,” “Rocks Not Dead” and “Kill The Devil.” They played long and they played hard and everyone had a great time.
When the show was over they didn’t pack up and go either. They stayed for quite a while posing for pictures and listening to their fans and didn’t stop until everyone was done. If you get the chance you simply must go see them! You won’t be disappointed.
-Eric Hunker
