Jeris Johnson gets Michigan jigging in the mosh pits & more

Saginaw, Michigan was definitely in for a treat when Jeris Johnson’s Tour in the USA came to town. Power, passion, and fun were the driving forces in this night, with all bands making sure everyone felt every second of it.

The first band onstage was LYLVC — a very explosive start.

Lead singer Alyse has a really powerful voice, accompanied by Oscar Romero’s rapping; they’re a perfect pair. The best way I could describe their sound is that it felt like a more intense version of Linkin Park. Their energy immediately wakes up the crowd. The music hits hard, the vocals are powerful. One of my favorite moments that really stood out this night was when Oscar talked about what he called his “biggest failure”, which was attempting suicide. Failure is hard to accept, but, in this case, failure was a blessing. The only problem I had with this band was their setlist wasn’t longer!

The second band onstage was Michigan natives, Eva Under Fire. They’ve been touring and performing for quite a bit… I originally discovered them through their song “Until Forever” around 13 years ago. Like LYLVC, their set was very explosive and intense. There was a lot of passion behind the performance, especially in the vocals. Amanda, the lead singer, has a commanding voice, similar in intensity to Alyse. After a year of not performing, you could tell they were excited to be back onstage together to share new music with everyone. The band has definitely evolved in their own way over time and it’s was awesome see how far they’ve come.

These guys just get better with time.

The next band onstage was Butcher Babies. I’ll be honest… ever since vocalist Carla Harvey left the band, I was a little worried that it wouldn’t feel the same. But seeing Heidi live, I really think she has completely made the band her own. Carla leaving didn’t hold the band back at all. They still had a ton of energy onstage: lots of head-banging, hair-flipping. One thing I’ve always liked about this band is how powerful their screams sound; it’s almost like they get driven deep into your soul. I really enjoyed watching bass guy, Sean Violet. Toward the end of their set, Heidi actually jumped into the crowd and started a mosh pit, which just added to the fun.

Last, but not least, was the main man Jeris Johnson. I remember when I first looked him up; the first thing I saw was that he called himself the “butt rock billionaire”, which intrigued me. When I saw his photos and overall aesthetic, I honestly imagined a mix of artists like Kid Rock and Nickelback — basically what ‘butt rock’ might be in human form. His performance ended up being really interesting to watch. He wasn’t explosive; instead, there was something about his presence that was very laidback and fun.

He was there to have a good time and make sure the audience does, too.

During the show Jeris joked around, waving a sword onstage and being intentionally goofy with some of the lyrics and stage antics. It honestly felt like he was throwing a party rather than putting on a performance. About halfway through the set, he switched places with the drummer, who turned out to be able to rap. At one point during another song, he randomly started doing an Irish jig and a bunch of people in the crowd joined in. I remember just standing there thinking, “What is happening right now?!” It felt like if you handed him a beer and put him in front of a crowd of people singing about trucks, America, and rock music, it would completely fit the vibe. It was definitely entertaining to watch and I even joined in on some of the fun. The night ended with feel-good vibes. Cheers to next time!

Photography by Kayla N. Rising

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