Live: Neurosis and Mastodon Blow the Doors Off a Temple

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It was the perfect setting for a metal showdown: a dilapidated Masonic temple in Brooklyn. Even better: this was the first area show in four years from Oakland experimental metal band Neurosis. The group — fronted by Steve Von Till, wearing what looked like red doctor's scrubs (or a mental patient's pajamas — your pick) — turned in a skull-fucking set that ranged from full-blown thrash to quieter, tuneful dirges ("Season in the Sky" was a highlight). Equally good were Atlanta dudes Mastodon, who opened for Neurosis with a satisfyingly long string of tunes from all their albums. While they didn't unleash any new songs, as fans were anticipating, it was one of the few times they'd performed "Hand of Stone" and "Trilobite" live. And despite the muddied sound (and two false starts at the beginning of "Aqua Dementia"), the four-piece still managed to sync up for some tricky lock-step grooves on jams like "Sleeping Giant."

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Song Stories

“Everyday People”

Sly and the Family Stone | 1968

"Everyday People" managed to trailblaze in two different ways -- it was one of the first pop hits to deal with the subject of racial harmony, and it utilized Larry Graham's "slap" technique on the bass guitar, which would soon be copied by countless other bassists. Graham once said about his pulsating style, "I'd never done that before … that's where the freedom of creativity came in for the band, that we'd be allowed to do that." In 1978, the song's line "Different strokes for different folks" would be borrowed for the title of the hit television show Diff'rent Strokes.

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