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This show was a classic CMW dilemma for me. Both SANDMAN VIPER COMMAND and INDIAN HANDCRAFTS were playing the same timeslot; I’d never seen either and wanted to (somehow) catch both, but was completely unable to make up my mind.

After much hand-wringing, I finally succumbed to my inability to decide and asked the Twitter-verse for opinions. I was immediately directed by multiple people to head to The Silver Dollar for SANDMAN VIPER COMMAND and what a good choice that was!

SVC has kind of been everywhere recently; you’ve likely seen the “What Is A Sandman Viper Command?” posters around the city. As an Audio Blood artist, they regularly play with a lot of top-notch bands around the city and even managed to land a slot at Edgefest last year – after seeing them, I’d have to say that this success is much-deserved.

At heart, the members of SVC is really a bunch of 90′s kids. They have grungy riffs, explosive energy and a frenetic charm. At 2AM, The Silver Dollar was still packed with kids jostling each other in front of the stage and dancing the night away.

What really stood out to me was the rhythm section: the drums and especially the bass really made their performance. Bassist Aaron Harvey kept me dancing like an idiot for the entirety of the set with basslines that drove the song forward powerfully but were also surprisingly complex and interesting; plus, he has a SWEET Rickenbacker!

Overall, I was very impressed and glad that I chose the Dollar. SANDMAN VIPER COMMAND is a great act for those that love grungy no-holds barred rock songs that’ll also let you shake your tail on the dance floor.