One Eyed Doll bring Witches to Pittsburgh\’s Smiling Moose

Metallic goth punk rockers One-Eyed Doll must have the power of witchcraft on their side, because even as the skies grew dark and the heavens unleashed holy hell, it could not stop their Witches tour from taking place in Pittsburgh. As the weather reporters on the evening news issued their tornado warnings and while power was lost around the city as savage winds and torrential downpours ravaged it, the area around the Smiling Moose Saloon remained unscathed by the mayhem ensuing around them. It’s a good thing too, as Pittsburgh’s Charmaine Evonne is the epitome of starving artist and even though it was just her and her keyboard on stage, you could feel her hunger and it was extremely entertaining. She is a phenomenal pianist who’s look and style brought to mind Amy Winehouse and early Lady Gaga and was very well received by the crowd. [lg_slideshow folder=\”2015/One Eyed Doll in Pittsburgh/Charmaine Evonne/\”] [lg_slideshow folder=\”2015/One Eyed Doll in Pittsburgh/Only Flesh/\”] [lg_slideshow folder=\”2015/One Eyed Doll in Pittsburgh/Solarburn/\”] Pittsburgh’s heavy metal freak show- Only Flesh was next. The band’s numerous tattoos and body piercings make them the kind of people that would make most folks turn and walk the other direction, but on that night, this was their crowd and these were their people. They kicked out a blistering set of melodic hardcore, complete with sparks flying everywhere from the grinders in the front row and concrete cinder blocks being hung from body piercings. The carnival atmosphere of their show made damn sure fans definitely got their money’s worth and they all ate it up. That would be a hard act for any band to follow but, as usual Pittsburgh’s best power trio Solarburn were up to the task and proceeded to kick the crowd’s ass with a non-stop barrage of killer melodic instrumental metal. You heard that right, instrumental. Even thought not a word was uttered, in fact there wasn’t even a microphone on the stage, it didn’t matter, because there was nothing words could say that the band didn’t with their powerhouse performance. They laid it all on the line and the crowd lost their mind. Now the audience was properly primed and ready for the night’s headliners. One-Eyed Doll didn’t use any pompous or elaborate intro when they took the stage and there was no need too, by now their loyal fans were so rabid they were practically crawling out of their own skin in anticipation, so just their presence was sweet relief and as always, they did not disappoint. Kimberly Freeman and Junior sounded fantastic and were as tight as ever. It was almost hard to believe how massive their sound was for just the two of them and although it was just the two of them, there were no backing tracks or overdubs. Every sound you heard came from Junior and Freeman. Much like their breakout album that bears the same title, Junior is a Monster behind the drums, beating the living shit out of his custom Crush drum kit. He is the kind of player metal bands dream of having in their arsenal and is an absolute pleasure to watch. Kimberly on the other hand, like their hit single needs to be Committed or at least you would think so by her deranged pixie-on-a-Manson family vacation stage persona- stomping and kicking about the stage pounding her signature series Tregan guitar into submission. She is without a shadow of a doubt one of the most talented players in metal or any other genre of music today and it is only a matter of time before the music world takes notice and she and Junior finally receive the accolades and attention they so richly deserve. During their stunning set Kimberly frequently changed hats, wearing everything from a viking helmet, a bishop hat and a top hat to a black witch’s cap and a beat up cowboy hat. She also made comical use of props, including a severed foot and took the phrase “Talk to the hand” to new levels when she use a severed hand to call her Mom to say she loved her and to promise she would wear clean underwear every day, which got big laughs from the audience. [lg_slideshow folder=\”2015/One Eyed Doll in Pittsburgh/One Eyed Doll/\”] Kimberly often ended up on the ground, lost in her jam and even had her foot on one lucky fan’s chest before walking off the stage into the crowd to do a little jam with the fans and at one point she was perched herself on Junior’s kick drum. Speaking of the fans, One-Eyed Doll fans are among the most rabid and loyal on the planet. Some even follow them around from city to city, so everyone there knew there parts by heart, doing exactly what Kimberly wanted when she wanted it and at the top of their collective lungs. The fans were treated to a nice mix of new material alongside One-Eyed Doll classics and the Youtube smash, “Be My Friend” nearly did what the storm raging outside could not…Bring The Fucking House Down! At the end of the set Kimberly ran and leaped of the drumset, launching herself into Junior’s arms, wrapping her legs around him. He walked her to the front of the stage then she lead her faithful fans back to the merch booth where they hung out signing things and posing for pictures until everyone got their fill. If you have not been fortunate enough to catch One-Eyed Doll live yet, you simply must as it is an entertainment experience unlike anything you may have seen before. One that will change the way you look at live music forever. The pair are an unstoppable musical force to be reckoned with and Judgement day is coming. -Eric Hunker