Celebrating Thanksgiving Eve with Aqua Fire
We caught a low-key gig at Lawton's Red Dirt Reloaded
It was the night before Thanksgiving and we were looking for something different to shoot, in a place we hadn’t been to before. A post by Lawton’s Aqua Fire alerted us that they had booked a last-minute gig at Red Dirt Reloaded Bar & Grill and suddenly it all became clear. We’d been following the band for some time on streaming platforms, and it was the perfect opportunity to check them out.
We took a Fuse roadtrip to Lawton to catch Aqua Fire live for the first time, and we met lead vocalist Cory Blake right as we arrived. We talked about the group’s sound, and TheFUSE compared Aqua Fire’s sound to the dirty Sunset Strip sound of bands like LA Guns or Dirty Honey, an opinion based on the sound of their fan favorite single Saturday Night.
Blake seemed to favor comparisons to 70s classic rock, telling us the best compliment he ever got was when an audience member told him “I never thought I’d hear a 70s rock band again.”
The rest of Aqua Fire consists of Ridge Wieck on guitar and occasional lead vocals, his partner Amanda Smith on bass and backing vocals, and Eric Johnson on drums.
We thought the 70s classic and southern rock influence came through a lot more in Aqua Fire’s live performance than it does in their recorded material and it was an enjoyable surprise. Of particular note, Amanda’s harmony backing vocals lent a 1970s feel to the vocals that at times reminded us of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Honkettes.”
It was our first time at Red Dirt Reloaded and it was nice enough, but we couldn’t help but feel like we were in an episode of Bar Rescue when one of the bartenders screamed at the customers on the other side of the bar “Everybody shut the f%$k up! You’re gonna get me fired.”
Also, it’s generally considered rude to leave the jukebox playing when a performer is playing, or to turn it up louder when a performer comments on it. The FUSE supports our live performers and we’d like to see them treated with respect more often.
To be clear, that is our opinion alone and not necessarily the endorsed opinion of the performers we cover.
Have you seen Aqua Fire? Tell us about it in the comments and follow them on your favorite streaming platform.
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