Razz, The Latest, Whats Happening

See the Photos! Wage War, Nothing More, Veil Of Maya, and Sleep Theory at RMA

by Steve Brazill

Nothing More

Every time I see a show at the Riverside Municipal Auditorium I am reminded of how much I love that venue, and last Wednesday night was a perfect example. Wage War, Nothing More, Veil Of Maya, and Sleep Theory lit up the place with four great sets, and the crowd loved every minute of it. I’m not sure why this venue sounds so good, with the plaster walls and wood floors, but Wednesday night, as always, it sounded amazing.

I had not photographed Nothing More before, and they were amazing. Now and then you see a front man like vocalist Jonny Hawkins (above), and you instantly understand why the band is a success. This band left it all on the stage, and every single member left an impression on me.

For the rest of the lineup, guitarist Mark Vollelunga (above), is joined by bassist Daniel Oliver (below) at the front of the stage, and drummer Ben Anderson (below) sits back stage right.

The band ran through a nine song setlist, and I was amazed at how the crowd knew every lyric. And the end of their set, Hawkins and Vollelunga climb into the audience to play drums and guitar up close, and the crowd ate it up.

The moment that stood out to me though is when Vollelunga jumped onto the barricade to play for the front row. This band knows how to entertain better than most, and it’s a performance I won’t soon forget.

For this tour, Nothing More and Wage War alternate the headline spot, and Wednesday it was Wage War closing out the show, but I wanted to tell you about Nothing More first, since It was my first time seeing them.

Nothing More Setlist

If It Doesn’t Hurt
Let ’em Burn
Don’t Stop
Go to War
House on Sand
Jenny
Fadein/Fadeout
Ocean Floor
This Is the Time (Ballast)

Wage War

I have photographed Wage War a few times, and this week’s show may have been the best I have seen from them. There is something about their energy on stage that is infectious. Briton Bond is a powerhouse of a vocalist, and it he’s one of those people that seem born to be where he is. The lights and smoke for a Wage War show is always intense too, and Wednesday was crazy. Dynamic lighting, strobing constantly, created even more energy, and the smoke level was…. well… a lot. I was joking I thought the person running the smoke / hazer machine fell asleep on the button. The crowd may have loved it, but photographically it was challenging.

Gutarists Seth Blake, and Cody Quistad, (below in that order) are fantastic musicians.

Bassist Chris Gaylord, along with drummer Stephen Kluesener hold the pocket tight, and this band shows that they have been around coming up on fifteen years.

As I said above, I have seen Wage War a few times, and they are the reason I wanted to go to this show. There are a few bands out there that I will try to see every time I can, and Wage War is one of them.

If you get a chance to see this tour, do it. It’s a fifteen song setlist that will leave you wanting more.

Wage War Setlist

Stitch
Low
Gravity
High Horse
Godspeed
MAGNETIC
Prison
Teeth
The River
Alive
True Colors
Death Roll
Nail5
Circle the Drain
Manic

Veil Of Maya

Veil of Maya is another band I have photographed before, but it’s been awhile. Vocalist Lukas Magyar is exactly what you want in a metalcore frontman. While the band has been around for 20 years, it was at Knotfest back in 2014 that we first saw Lukas with the band, and in 2015 he was announced as the new vocalist, replacing the previous singer Brandon Butler. Magyar fits this band perfectly, and ten years later they’re still killing it.

On guitar and bass we have Marc Okubo (above) and Danny Hauser (below). Both of these guys are born entertainers. They’re great musicians, as you’d expect from this band, but just as importantly they put on a show.

On drums we have the original member Sam Applebaum (below), and this guy can freaking play, double kick and all.

If you’ve never seen Veil Of Maya before, get out and do it. You won’t be disappointed.

Sleep Theory

Sleep Theory is another band I had not seen before, and damn they were fun. Formed in 2019, their break came in 2023 when their first single hit 500k views on TikTok within 36 hours of its release. After Wednesday, I can see what all the attention was about. Opening the night, they had a short set, of course, and I actually wished it had been longer. Every song was great. The smile you see on vocalist Cullen Moore’s face above is there most of the night. I kept thinking about how much this band must feel like they are living their dream.

Bassist Paolo Vergara was looking to buy a microphone on Facebook Marketplace, having just moved from the Philippines, when he and Moore met and immediately hit it off. Sleep Theory quickly became a duo, before adding drummer Ben and guitarist Daniel Pruitt (both below).