What better way to spend a week of your life other than at an adult summer camp or on a booze cruise? Well, how about both? How about a week with your favorite rock bands complete with booze, summer camp activities, and a beach vacation? That exists?! Yes! It sounds more like a once in a lifetime experience. And though it feels like a once in a lifetime experience, it’s actually an annual one. Each year, going on 11 years now, Ask4 Entertainment recruits some of the hottest rock bands and relevant rockers to blow ShipRockers’ minds. Sign up for presale for the next ShipRocked has opened! You’ll want to sign up to get up your individual access or “token” for presale bookings. Why? Just, look at this last ShipRocked! Thursday, Jan. 31st the Carnival Valor sailed back into the port of Galveston, Texas after five days of rocking in one of the best ShipRocked experiences to date. ZRock has been with ShipRocked since the beginning and in keeping with that longstanding relationship here’s a walk through the insanity and joy of our tenth annual vacation at sea – ShipRocked 2019!
THE BANDS
ShipRocked 2019 featured 24 bands for its tenth anniversary experience – Papa Roach, Bullet for My Valentine, I Prevail, Nothing More, Suicidal Tendencies, Sevendust, Motionless in White, Atreyu, 10 Years, Tremonti, Nonpoint, Monster Truck, Wilson, ’68, Raveneye, Hyro the Hero, Badflower, Them Evils, Islander, Royal Thunder, Blacktop Mojo, Rivals, The Stowaways, and Altitudes and Attitude. Skindred originally filled the bill too, but missed the boat (Not literally even though that paints a fun picture. They simply weren’t able to attend). One of the many cool things about ShipRocked is that each one of these artists can usually expect two sets on board the ship. This year, the weather tested everybody and shows were delayed or moved around. Although the changes forced the fans and the artists to be flexible, they also led to some of the most spontaneous and iconic moments of the trip. For example after a crazy storm smashed the sound system in Cozumel, Mexico, Wilson improvised and partied on the beach with a fun DJ set as they danced and drank with ShipRockers. A Wilson show is usually out of control in the best possible way, but this unique, impulsive adventure felt even more so and helped ShipRockers make peace with the unusual boat rocking from the night before. Keep reading to hear about all of the bands onboard.
PAPA ROACH
The guys from Vacaville, California (Jacoby Shaddix, Vocals, Tobin Esperance, Bassist, Tony Palermo, Drums, and Jerry Horton, Guitar) performed on the ship twice – Monday, Jan. 28th and Wednesday, Jan. 30th. Both shows raged on the deck stage. Wilson opened it up on Saturday, Jan. 26th and Papa Roach closed it out on the last night. To say they brought the house down with their last show would not be hyperbole. The riffs and the bass in single “Who Do You Trust” off of their most recent album bang and go so hard that the audience couldn’t resist matching that energy with their jumping and excitement, which led to the bar ceiling collapsing – literally.
Video by Greg Knapp \ Facebook
How much more exciting could the set get? Well, how about an engagement? Shaddix brought Texas ShipRocker Ian on stage where he shared that two years prior on the boathe met the “sexiest rocker” of his life. She soon joined him where he hit his knees, and “in front of (his) biggest family, ShipRocked and with the blessings of Papa Roach” he proposed.
Now back to the music. Ian wasn’t the only guest during this set. Islander’s Mikey Carvajal hopped on stage for the performance of “Last Resort.” The high energy, the love for the song, and the clear personal connection most fans had to the lyrics created an electric atmosphere. The camaraderie continued with “Forever” when festival goers filled in the words, “Little dirty girl.” The guys played the bonus track “Tightrope” off of their second studio album Infest, reminding fans of their longevity and success in the industry. Papa Roach has been going strong for almost 20 years. Shaddix attributed their evolution and continued relevance to “always challenging yourself.” He went on to say, “And when I’m living like that, I’m living with purpose.”
Shaddix exudes wisdom. From talking about living with purpose, to speaking on “passion and conviction” to encouraging “anybody walking through some darkness in their mind,” he seems to offer the right words at the right time. The other songs on the setlist “Scars,” “Help,” and “Born for Greatness” embody that wisdom and motivation. The set was purposeful, but not in a hokey, redundant, WWJD way.
Sometimes, rock finds itself lumped in this category with black clothes, headless bats, and depressing images that seems to leave no room for positivity and lightness. That’s not the reality of rock though. Papa Roach personifies and demonstrates that with their music and live show. The inspiring words paired with the heavy staples of rock, the daring electronic components, and the message make living with purpose and embracing your greatness the cool thing to do. Shaddux ended his set by exclaiming, “Happy 10 year anniversary! We are grateful for each and everyone of you!”
(Click on the photos to enlarge)
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE
BFMV set their ShipRocked experience off in the theater on Saturday, Jan. 26th. The four piece band from Bridgend, Wales moved listeners with their lightning fast guitar riffs and heavy sound. Tears didn’t fall (see what happened there) in either of their sets that consisted of hits like “Letting You Go,” “Tears Don’t Fall,” and “Your Betrayal.”
I PREVAIL
Most know these guys as the band who covered Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space.” That connection and cover represent I Prevail fairly well. The song choice demonstrates a fun sense of humor, security in their style, and showcases their talent and creativity. Vocalists Brian Burkheiser (Clean vocals) and Eric Vanlerberghe (Unclean vocals) bounce their energies and styles off one another in the track and if that’s what you know the band for then, that’s not too far off from their live show.
Their shows on ShipRocked were personally significant for Burkheiser – following a serious vocal injury and surgery in 2017, this was his first time performing post recovery. Burkheiser, Vanelerberghe, Steve Menoian (Lead guitar), Dylan Bowman (Rhythm guitar/Backing vocals), and Gabe Helguera (Drums) made up for lost time. The members weaved in and out of each other from one side of the stage to another with a seemingly endless vigor.
As easily as they transitioned between each other, they moved through the tracks. Faces were rocked off with deep, rowdy high energy tracks like “Pull the Plug,” “Already Dead,” and “Face Your Demons.” After the former, one audience member remarked, “They’re so much better live.” They were not wrong. The music was enough to propel the crowd to their feet, but the in-between song banter helped.
Between the “Shots! Shots! Shots!” and the typical calls to get up off your feet, Burkheiser soliloquized that, “Being away from home, home is where you make it… I think it’s funny because we’re on a floating hotel above mermaids and none of you know if it’s not true because you’re up here. So yea, mermaids.” Vanelerberghe affected the crowd when he shared that they lost their youngest crew member to suicide and moved them when he said, “No matter what you’re feeling you are worth more than you know. You are worth something…Reach out and talk to someone.” He dedicated “Crossroads” to their brother Kyle whom they lost.
The message showed the versatility of the band. They’re not simply a group of guys that covered a Taylor Swift song. They are a group of guys who have joined together to create songs of substance that matter while banging their heads and jumping around. Before closing their set out with their biggest song, “Scars,” – joking that “No it’s not Papa Roach’s “Scars” they hinted at new music. Since then, they have released “Breaking Down” and “Bow Down” off of their forthcoming album, Trauma. They begin their Trauma Tour on April 24, 2019 in Kansas City, MO. The set ended with Vanelerberghe wedging his way into the crowd, hair flailing, and screaming, “Try to tear us apart but know that we’ll wear our scars,” further intimating that they’re here to stay.
NOTHING MORE
The two time Grammy nominated band has a heavy, experimental, prog rock sound that shines in the studio and slays in the live show. Between their onstage props and their intense energy, no other band is provoking the emotion and awe, which Nothing More inspires each and every time they perform. The ShipRocked vets did not disappoint in either onboard performance. They played twice – once on Sunday, Jan. 27th and again on Tuesday, Jan. 29th. The shows differed in beautiful ways.
The first show the guys played “Matthew Effect” off of their self-titled 2014 album. For someone who has seen them no less than eight times, this was the first live performance of this cathartic, exhaustive track. All four guys go hard in this song. Ben Anderson bangs heavy, seemingly nonstop in a fast tempo as he keeps the time, yet still shines on the drums. Daniel Oliver swings a heavy bass. Mark Vollengua strums, fast and heavy in a down tuned drop ‘d.’ Jonny Hawkins vacillates between a melodic harmony to a hardcore yell and scream. The track is phenomenal and the performance did not disappoint. The guys reached out to fans on social media prior to SR19 and asked what they should play and it was refreshing to see they actually listened to fans.
Jacoby Shaddix joined the quartet onstage for “Don’t Stop.” Not only is Nothing More experimental and high energy, they’re inspirational. This track highlights that motivational, positive spirit. When Jonny sings, “Keep on digging deep, keep on digging deep, keep digging!” you dig. This message is something that aligns with Shaddix’s own feelings and that shows in the rap feature in this version. Hawkins dedicated “Who We Are” to his girlfriend. The guys played fan favorites “Go to War,” “Fade In/Fade Out,” and “Jenny.” The fan favorites are easy to spot; everyone sings along and fills in the blanks of the tracks. The energy buzzed as people lost themselves in the drums, strings and the lyrics a top Jonny’s emotive vocals. While “Fade In/Fade Out is written for Mark’s son, when Jonny sings,
“Go and find your way
Leave me in your wake
Always push through the pain
And don’t run away from change
Never settle
Make your mark
Hold your head up
Follow your heart”
those words are sources of strength for everyone in the crowd. (Interesting fact: The band’s first-ever live performance of Fade In/Fade Out was on the deck stage at ShipRocked 2018 last year). Of course, this first performance included Hawkins ascending high in the air on his scorpion. He gave shout outs to Clint Lowery and Sevendust, which was great foreshadowing to the second show.
The second set included more tracks that had never been played live before – “Tunnels” and “Funny Little Creatures.” Clint Lowery joined the band onstage for these amazing performances. This is one of the moments that typically only occur on ShipRocked. Lowery cowrote both songs, but with his own touring schedule with Sevendust, never had the opportunity to perform them live with the band. Since both Sevendust and Nothing More were onboard, they did it. And it was awesome. Jacoby Shaddix watched on side stage as the guys did their thing and then hopped back on for “Don’t Stop.” Brandon Saller of Atreyu joined the party during “Fade in / Fade Out.”
Before ending with “Salem (Burn the Witch)” off of The Few Not Fleeting, Jonny shared that they “realized things can be self-fulfilling prophecies,” and began “writing [their] lyrics more positively.” This positive message is continued in “Here’s to The Heartache,” where Hawkins reminds us that everything works out just the way it’s supposed to. And Nothing More was meant to blow everyone’s mind on ShipRocked 2019, which they did.
SUICIDAL TENDENCIES
Suicidal Tendencies are iconic in sound, style, and name. They have paved the road for many modern bands, such as Fever 333 who attribute their space that they occupy in music to Suicidal Tendencies. Their originality and ingenuity can be seen in the motivation for starting the band. In the ShipRocked Artist Q&A Mike Muir said, “I didn’t like anything I was listening to…I don’t give a f*ck what other people like… My aha! moment is to just be yourself.” Muir was certainly true to himself and the band in their performances on ShipRocked. Guitarist Ben Weidman (formerly of Dillinger Escape Plan) performed one of the craziest stunts on the ship when he jumped off of the rafters of the bar into crowd! Their performances were insane.
SEVENDUST
This was the ninth ShipRocked for the guys in Sevendust. On which vocalist Lajon Witherspoon remarked during their first performance, “I’ve seen so many people come together, living breathing and loving each other. We don’t have concerts anymore. We have family reunions!” This was right before they lead into “Will It Bleed” where most notably Clint Lowery and Lajon threw their bodies back and forth to the music with smiles on their faces; a true representation of the love felt in one of their reunions. Their first show was full of older tracks. They played “Terminator,” (1997) “Too Close to Hate,”(1997) “Shine,” (2001), and “Enemy” (2003) on the deck stage, Saturday, Jan. 26th.
MOTIONLESS IN WHITE
“We’re having a f*cking blast up here…we ask that you sing along or move your f*cking body!” Chris Motionless announced to ShipRockers. He went on to command them to create their “worst ShipRocked bangover” of their “entire f*cking life.” That’s how Motionless in White started their set. They followed it up with “Necessary Evil,” which is pretty easy to thrash to. The track off of their 2017 Graveyard Shift, which features Jonathan Davis pivots on Leslie Gore’s “It’s My Party” to create a dark, trippy, heavy banger. Other striking tracks were “Generation Lost,” “Reincarnate,” and “Untouchable”. Chris Motionless more than hinted at new songs to add to the mix when he said, “We’re recording a new album right now.”
During the Artist Q&A the lead singer revealed that he “(pushes) people away with (his) dad jokes.” He shared a couple during their set:
“What do you call a boomerang that doesn’t come back?
To which, some in the crowd replied, “STICK!”
“Does anybody know what Forrest Gump’s Facebook password is?”
One. Forrest. One.
He continued to display some of his personality and authenticity when he talked about ShipRocked. He communicated that, “Anybody we ever met who said we HAD to be on ShipRocked said, ‘You have to be on ShipRocked,’.” The simple, matter of fact, silliness of the comment that restated the obvious made more clear his penchant for dad jokes. Some of his heavy metal cred was given back to him when they played “Contemptress” (originally recorded with Maria Brink of In This Moment) and “570,” which was dedicated to all of their northeast neighbors and friends.
