Red Flag: Houston, TX 2-16-08

Last Updated on Sunday, 06 April 2008 08:52 Written by Matt Willis

February 16^th 2008

Numbers Night Club

Houston,TX

Writer’s Journal: An Evening with Red Flag | a Conversation with Chris Reynolds

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Photo by M. Willis/ Grave Concerns E-zine

It was a wet and rainy evening in Houston. A day perfectly fit for the song “Pouring rain”. The weather was enough to drive any casual Red Flag fan back to their homes for hot chocolate while playing the “Naive Art” album on repeat as they stay inside. But not us! We wouldn’t dare allow Mother Nature to keep us from the dingy confines of Numbers Night Club. I blasted “Born Again” on my way to the venue to set the mood. Besides being a fan, the curiosity alone was enough to have me tread through the wet Houston streets to get there. I was determined to see a show which for me had a lot of unanswered questions…

How will Chris‘s voice sound live? Who will assist with live parts? What will the set-list entail? These among many more questions filled my head as I drove to the venue.

Getting there was part of the adventure. I was in awe to see fans standing outside of Numbers in the rain under a leaky tarp; waiting for the doors to open. Once inside, Guest DJ Breye7x was spinning some great tracks which made the atmosphere all the more electric.

Phase Theory hit the stage their first public performance and proved to be a great opening act as they wowed the crowd with dark entrancing songs. Vocalist Kirk Graham seemingly had the crowd under his spell with his intense stare as he sang in a monotone voice. Bassist Jeremiah Saint was entertaining to watch pounding on his bass while clad in make up and a gas mask. Paul Fredrick; known around here for being the vocalist of the band Asmodeus X; pounded on the drum pads as Jonathan Kramm manned the programming and keyboards. After about a 45 minute set; Phase Theory ended it with their splendid rendition of Depeche Mode’s “Policy of Truth”.

Red Flag went on around 11p.m. with Kirk on synths and Paul on the pads. Chris entered the stage through a thick cloud of fog and was met by a roar of applause. He performed every thing from "Doom and Gloom" to “I See You” and the older stuff such as "If I Ever". Chris performed until his voice gave out on him; asking the crowd finish the last song of his set “Russian Radio”. When the set was finished everyone knew that Chris would not be returning to the stage for an encore. Yet, he was still given applause worthy of one. It seemed the crowd appreciated that Chris put everything he had into the set. He did not try to hide the fact that he had a sore throat. He did not seem concerned with sounding perfect as he was with making sure that the fans who braved the elements got their money’s worth.

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Photo by M. Willis/ Grave Concerns E-zine

After the show, I was able to sit down with Chris and congratulate him on the success of the album “Born Again” and see how things have transpired since last year’s interview. I asked him if he had been concerned with the way he sounded on stage. “No, I am more concerned with being genuine in my performance and giving my best efforts, rather than trying to be perfect out there.”, explained Chris. By watching his performance, I could tell. This past year or so has been a real triumph for him. Not only has Chris resurrected Red Flag, he did so by creating instantly one of the best Red Flag albums to date. I would not count on “Born Again” being the swan song either. Chris has also announced that he has a new album in the works titled " Let it Begin". You can get more details by streaming his MP3 press announcement here at Grave concerns. Stay Tuned!

-Matthew Willis | Grave Concerns E-zine