The Atomic Bitchwax, Valley of the Sun, and Borracho - Live at Hill Country Barbecue, Washington DC

 

 

The Atomic Bitchwax, Valley of the Sun, and Borracho - Live at Hill Country Barbecue, Washington DC – March 20th, 2022

What better way to close out a weekend than with loads of live fuzz. Local DC venue Hill Country Barbecue put on a show for the ages with the rock-solid lineup of hometown heroes Borracho, Ohio riff slingers Valley of the Sun, and the garden state's own legendary The Atomic Bitchwax.

Borracho kicked the doors open with their trademark rolling, gargantuan grooves, treating the audience to a sneaky preview from their upcoming album before time traveling backwards through their discography. Cuts from last year's "Pound of Flesh" lead the way, with "Holy Roller" and "It Came From the Sky" inducing head-nodding trances that would last through the set's end. Deeper cut "Empty" showed 2013's "Oculus" some righteous love, and throwback high speed ripper "Concentric Circles" helped close things out with a kick in the ass.

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In the unenviable position of following Borracho and opening for a certain TAB, Ohio's Valley of the Sun took the stage with years of well-earned confidence and proceeded to throw an absolute banger of a party. Frontman Ryan Ferrier's soaring vocals and gruff growls ushered in the Valley's grungy, desert-tinged stoner and slapped on the crowd's dancing shoes. Highlights like hit track "Hearts Aflame" from "The Sayings of the Seers" brought the Monster Magnet vibes with walls of fuzz, and the welcome toe-tapping QOTSA riffage of "Land of Fools" was a homerun.

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Finally, enter headliners The Atomic Bitchwax. Being a longtime fan and first-time show-goer, it's an understatement to say anticipation was through the roof, and the sentiment was shared. Band members in the crowd from both the opening acts and local groups spoke in awe of the sight we were about to behold, and hot damn we were not disappointed. Chris Kosnik and crew greeted the crowd with easygoing cheer and big grins, and promptly went to work melting faces clean off.  Cut after cut of auditory adrenaline shots were hammered out at breakneck speed, opening with the bawdy screams of "Hope You Die" and classics like "Houndstooth" and "Liv A Little". Not to mention the audience was blessed with not one, but two songs about kung fu. The high point of the night, however, was without question the display of top musicianship that is "War Claw". Every bassist in attendance craned for a look at the blur of fingers that was Chris Kosnik's right hand, and no one said it better than Borracho's own Mario Trubiano: they shouldn't be allowed to be that good. Mind blown.

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