Oceans of Slumber Rock Amplified Live

It was a nice autumn evening as we headed out to Amplified live to witness some incredible music by Oceans of slumber with some special guests. Oceans of Slumber had a local Dallas, Texas band named the Robot Bonfire and Liquid Sound Company kicking things off for them on this night. The first band of the night kicking things off was local rockers known as The Robot Bonfire and they had a very cool sound that was a mix of robotic and industrial metal with a hint of alternative and grunge. They were very melodic with the guitarist and drummer sharing singing duties while the bass player keeps the low end on lock and kept the crowd grooving with every song they played. They let us know they were going to be sharing a brand new one with us also. They jumped straight into after a quick guitar switch and the drummer started belting out the words as he simultaneously pounded in the drums getting the crowd moving all around. After the new song they followed that up with an incredible song with rocking guitar riffs, and heavy drum beat cymbal crashes to really get the crowd excited and ready to rock through the night.

Up next kicking us grooving through the night was the Liquid Sound Company which seemed to be straight out of the 1970s when they walked onto the stage to continue or journey through the night. Once they all got into place and set up the lead guitar player stepped up to the mic and said we are Liquid Sound Company and we’re going to be playing some acid rock for you tonight. We hope you took a couple of hits of acid a few hours ago or maybe some mushrooms and this will be very good for you, and they all started laughing and smiling at the crowd. They kicked off their set and went rocking and grooving from song to song with the crowd moving more and more as they played through the night. The dueling guitar player and the singer with the tambourine and shades leading down and winding trippy night with their grooving sounds thundering drums and bass lines and they moved us into the night.

Finally, the moment we’ve all gathered here for tonight as Oceans of slumber is about to step on the stage. The house music stops, the lights go out and fans start cheering and yelling waiting in anticipation for the Oceans of Slumber to take the stage! Seconds later the band walked out one by one waving to the crowd as they walked up. Off to the side, you could see the singer Cammie waiting for her exact moment to walk out and deliver an amazing rock show. As the band struck the first chords of The Waters Rising, she walked out and has an amazing crown on her head like a goddess! She stepped back by the drummer Dobber, smiled, and made her way to the stage waiting for the note to hit and she would begin singing. From that moment on for the rest of the night, she had the room’s full attention! They played through several other songs from their two latest albums and sounded amazing. As soon as they started the powerful A Return to the Earth Below and Cammie stepped up and belted out the lyrics everyone in the room stopped for a second and seemed mesmerized by her voice coming through the speaker. Suddenly everyone started cheering and singing along to the song. At the back of the stage, the guitar players Jessie Santos and Alexander Lucian along with bass player Semir Ozerkan lined up and started head banging as they were playing their parts in the song. Off to the side of the stage, you could see Mat Aleman hitting the keys and making some amazing synthesizer sounds as they continued through the song with the crowd jumping around and cheering. It seemed that Cammie and the rest of the band were having a great time with this show and the crowd was in the palm of their hand hanging on every word and every note they played throughout their set. There were a couple of special moments for the band that night as Cammie and Dobber had their niece at the show and were giving them a hand with some backing vocals. As they were nearing the end of their set Cammie stated that this was their last song, and the fans were hollering and whistling as they kicked off into their song. As they finished their last song the crowd begged for just one more. Cammie and the band all smiled and said okay and jumped off into their last song of the night and as they finished that song you could tell the crowd was still wanting more. All the band members waved, thanked the crowd, and walked off the stage.

This was such an incredible night of music from the start to finish and as we were leaving you could see the fans lined up at the merchandise tables. They were buying some shirts and souvenirs to help remember a great night and hoping to meet the band. I know I cannot wait until they come back to town, and we get to witness another one of their magical performances. 

Set List:

The Waters Rising
Hearts of Stone
Pray for Fire
The Banished Heart
Return to the Earth Below
The Lighthouse
The Hanging Tree
Shipbuilders Son
Salvation

Words and Photos by Craig Youngblood