Islander Prove Themselves Hardcore

Islander live by Sarah Hess

Chicago – It was a homecoming of sorts for Islander this past Sunday. The South Carolina nu-metal band was in Chicago, home to their label Victory Records. Swarms of label employees came to see the band they’ve been praising as “the next big thing,” in alternative metal anyway. Seeing as the foursome was hand-picked by Papa Roach to be the opening act for their U.S. winter tour with Seether, it seems maybe the guys and gals at Victory are speaking the truth.

Longtime friends Mikey Carvajal (vocals), Chris Doot (bass), Eric Frazier (drums), and J.R. Bareis (guitar) formed Islander back in 2011, and after signing with Victory in 2013, they released the EP Pains. Last July the band unleashed their debut album Violence & Destruction, which mixes alternative rock, rap, and post-hardcore for a sound that’s been compared to the Deftones and P.O.D.

The band started the night off with “Counteract” and immediately the fans up front began to headbang along. Bareis’ dreads whipped up and down and his stuffed dragon tail jerked back and forth. Frontman Carvajal jumped around the stage and into the crowd. He walked atop concertgoers, their arms and shoulders supporting his weight, as he screamed into the microphone, sounding like Chino Moreno incarnate. Hands flew into the air with clenched fists in approval. Carvajal told the audience, “Don’t let anyone who doesn’t want to rock and roll stop you from rocking out!” Cheers and mayhem followed, proving the room was ready to party and nothing would stop them from having a good time.

With the exception of “Lucky Rabbit” – an oldie off their EP – the guys played a handful of songs off Violence & Destruction, including “The Sadness of Graves,” “Cold Speak,” and of course the latest single “New Wave.” Even though the band held the opening slot, they brought quite the punch. Carvajal told fans, “Chicago’s got a hardcore reputation, so don’t ruin that tonight by not leaving sweaty!” While fans did get crazy, it was Islander who proved to be hardcore with their music and stage presence.

At one point, Carvajal noticed a man in the front dressed as Spider-Man and asked him to join the band on stage. During “Coconut Dracula,” he moved to the beat in his tight red mask before jumping into the hands below to surf his way back into the crowd. Eventually Carvajal joined him, again walking tall above the sea of people, like he was a god walking on water. Fans singing along to the song could be heard in Carvajal’s mic as he moved along the mass of people on the ground floor. When the song finished, Carvajal screamed, “Islander!” People chanted back. Calls of “Islander, Islander, Islander” worked their way up to the balcony until the whole venue echoed the band’s name.

After finishing up their tour with Seether and Papa Roach, Islander will be touring with Red for the Of Beauty and Rage Tour. They’ll also be playing several festivals this spring and summer. Click HERE for tour dates. Violence & Destruction is available for purchase on iTunes.

Photos of Islander by Sara Hess

Sarah Hess

Sarah Hess

At the age of six, Sarah Hess discovered True Blue by Madonna. This resulted in her spending hours in front of the bathroom mirror with a hairbrush microphone, belting out "La Isla Bonita" off key. Her love for music only intensified over the years thanks to her parents; her mother exposed Sarah to The Jackson Five and had her hustling to the Bee Gees, while her father would play her albums like 'Pet Sounds' and 'Some Girls' from start to finish, during which he'd lecture on and on about the history of rock & roll. Sarah would eventually stumble upon rap and hip-hop, then punk and alternative, and fall madly in love with Jeff Buckley and film photography.

After attending The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Sarah went on to study education at Dominican University, earning a degree in history. When not teaching, writing, or taking in a show, she is most likely to be found with a camera to her eye or hanging out in a darkroom.


You can follow Sarah Hess on twitter at @Sarahhasanh and view her music photography on her website: smhimaging.com.
Sarah Hess

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