LIFE FALLING DOWN, SALUCO, AND WHOREGAMI TEAR UP WESTSIDE BOWL IN YOUNGSTOWN

There’s an unfortunate reality I think a lot of people eventually learn…sometimes the people we call friends are actually the ones who support us the least.

That’s why it felt good to get out this past Friday night and support some people who are in bands at a hardcore show they played.

The show had three bands, and honestly, every one of them brought something different to the table.

Life Falling Down opened the night, and right away, they set the tone for a good night. I know their bass player; he’s been a friend of mine for years. The entire band came out swinging. Heavy sound, high energy, and they immediately had the crowd moving.

What stood out to me most was their drummer, Sam. His setup wasn’t anything flashy. Honestly, it looked like a drum kit pieced together over time, no fancy massive setup or anything like that, but it fit his vibe. Every hit had authority behind it. He played like somebody trying to break through a wall with every swing of the stick, and you could feel that energy throughout the room.

The second band up was Saluco out of Rochester, New York, and they were awesome too. One thing I respected was how well they connected with the crowd. That’s not always easy when you’re an out-of-town band and probably don’t know many people in the room, if any at all, but they handled themselves like veterans. Great crowd interaction all night, even if their singer may have taken a little too much advantage of the free beer the bands were getting. Honestly, though, it added to the chaos and the vibe of the set. They kept the momentum rolling and had the room fully engaged.

Then Youngstown’s own Whoregami, whose guitarist is a good friend of mine, closed things out and absolutely brought the house down with a perfect combination of nonsense and chaos intertwined with pure loudness coming from the PA speakers to complement the mosh pit that formed halfway through the roughly 30-minute set.

By the end of the night, one thing really stuck with me…the support between the bands themselves. Everybody was watching each other’s sets. Everybody was showing love. No egos, no weird competition, just bands supporting bands. That was probably my favorite part of the entire night.

The other thing that really stuck with me is the fact that the Youngstown hardcore scene is alive and well.

Now, hardcore music isn’t usually my everyday vibe. It’s not something I’m just casually throwing on during a drive or sitting around jamming to all day. But live? That’s a completely different experience. The energy is contagious. It keeps your head moving, keeps you locked in, and there’s something authentic about it that you can’t fake.

After that night, I can definitely see myself hitting more hardcore shows in the future.