Fans of SiriusXM’s Hair Nation received a special Halloween treat on Sunday night as radio personality Eddie Trunk hosted Resist & Bite’s album release party at Madlife Stage & Studios in Woodstock, Georgia.
Resist & Bite was formed in early 2019 by Tommy Skeoch (formerly of Tesla), David Parks, Steve Stokes, Brian Powell and Nathan Utz (formerly of Lynch Mob). On February 29, 2020, the band self-produced and released their first song “The Myth I’m Livin’ ” on Metal Works, 105.9 The Rock in Nashville, TN. Then, in June 2021, they released another video for their single “Fate.” That song was recorded and mixed by Michael Rosen (who worked on a number of Tesla releases, including Into the Now and Forever More) at Sound Stage Studios in Nashville.
Warming up the early crowd was Seven Year Witch, an energetic band from Pendleton, South Carolina, that clearly embraced the opportunity to showcase their self-described “electrifying hybrid of hard rock, blues-punk, and 70’s garage rock.” It is also quite possible that the entire band, made up of brothers Seth and Spencer Burden (drummer and bass player, respectfully), along with vocalist Aaron Langford and guitarist Daniel Parker, pounded a case of Red Bull before taking the stage.
The crowd was blown away by their collective stage presence, watching Langford jump around like a young David Lee Roth (including a backflip at the end of their set!), while Burden and Parker never stopped moving back and forth across the stage. For those already familiar with Seven Year Witch, they delivered live performances of “Shit Keeps Happening,” “White Horses,” and “Rags to Riches” from their growing catalog. In the end, while their set was fairly short (as the night was focused on Resist & Bite), Seven Year Witch definitely made a lasting impression on the rock fans in the house.
SEVEN YEAR WITCH
Seth Burden – Drummer
Spencer Burden – Bass
Aaron Langford – Vocals
Daniel Parker – Guitar
Now, for those that listen to Eddie Trunk on SiriusXM, it should come as no surprise as to why he would venture out to quaint Woodstock, GA, on Sunday night – he loves Tommy Skeoch, and Tesla. Resist & Bite took the stage around Trunk while he was reflecting upon his history with Skeoch, focused on how pleased he was to see him healthy, happy and ready to rock with his new band. And upon Trunk’s exit, the band launched into their latest single, “Fate.”
What’s really special about Resist & Bite is that the band surrounding Skeoch is made up of seasoned, veteran musicians, including David Parks on drums, Brian Powell on bass, Steve Stokes on guitar, and Atlanta-based Nathan Utz on vocals. Utz was an already-accomplished singer in his own right. Before joining Resist & Bite, Utz fronted the glam metal band Blonz in the late 80’s/early 90’s. As previously mentioned, he has been performing with Lynch Mob in recent years. His vocal style was the perfect compliment to the band’s underlying tone when you listen to the album. Tesla fans will also appreciate Skeoch’s distinctive aggression and intense guitar playing style, which was amazing to see and hear live on stage.
Peppered throughout the setlist of their entire new album – including selections from their prior 3-song EP release – were homages to their collective past. Resist & Bite covered classic, familiar Skeoch-era Tesla songs including “Heaven’s Trail,” “Love Song,” and “Modern Day Cowboy,” while also dropping in the beautiful “Rainbow” ballad from Blonz. Their encore finale was a raucous version of AC/DC’s “Riff Raff,” much to the mostly-costumed crowd’s delight.
This is no Halloween trick – rock fans should treat themselves to Resist & Bite’s new album, and don’t be scared to catch them live in 2022!
RESIST & BITE BAND
David Parks – Drums
Brian Powell – Bass
Tommy Skeoch – Guitar
Steve Stokes – Guitar
Nathan Utz – Vocals
SETLIST
- Fate
- Blood on Me
- Bombs
- A Soul for Mary
- Crazy
- “I”
- Action Talks/Solution (Tesla cover)
- Heaven’s Trail (Tesla cover)
- Already Said
- Till Tomorrow
- Say Watcha Want
- Rainbow/Love Song (Blonz/Tesla cover)
- Home
- Afterneath
- Up in Flames
- Scream
- Ode to Lemmy
- Tommy’s Down Home Redneck Shit
- Modern Day Cowboy (Tesla cover)
- The Myth I’m Livin’
- Riff Raff (AC/DC cover)
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Elliott is a music photographer covering shows in Atlanta, Georgia, and the surrounding area. The highlight of his photography career was back in the early ’90s, when he sold Neil Diamond the rights to his negatives from a show and then purchased a set of tires for his 1979 280ZX during college with the money.
