Bad Omens Want to ‘Expand the Musical Horizons’ of Fans

Riff Fest is coming up on Sept. 23 at Pine Knob, and Bad Omens will be playing the main stage. Get to know the full lineup for this year’s festival, which also features hometown favorites I Prevail, here. But, back to Bad Omens. When it comes to the band's music, they say they want to "expand the musical horizons" of fans. They also want to get them to listen to different genres of music.

"I feel like it transcends genre, rock or metal [in] a way that even people that don’t particularly listen to that type of music very often really like it,” lead vocalist Noah Sebastian told NME.com. “That’s always been the goal with this band, to expand the musical horizons of people both in and out of rock. I want people that don’t listen to rock and metal to get into it because of our band. And I want people that only listen to that to get into other genres because of our band."

Elsewhere in the interview, Sebastian talked about bands like Sleep Token also expanding the metalcore sound. "Every now and then I check in on the metalcore Reddit threads, and they’re always arguing over what can and can’t be put in [the metalcore threads] as far as Bad Omens and Sleep Token go,” Sebastian told NME.com. “And I love that it seems the only thing they talk about is how they can’t talk about us in there!” To him, though, the genre is a lot broader than many listeners may think. “It feels like a spectrum that people are now trying to narrow down and be gatekeep-y on.”

For all things Riff Fest, go here. The Riff Fest show is part of the band's fall tour, which has already sold out in most venues. Hence, Riff Fest is one of the only places you can see these guys this fall. Tickets are still available.

Concert going is a big part of a lot of our lives, and whether you're attending your first show ever or your 100th, we all know there are some unwritten rules to be followed. I threw out the question on Facebook a couple weeks ago and asked, "what are your unwritten rules of concert going?" I agree with a lot of them for the most part, but there are definitely a few that are subjective. These aren't the gospel, but something you should consider when heading out to see your favorite band or artist.

You may be having the best time of your life but simultaneously causing someone else to have the worst time of theirs. One time, I was at a show at the Fillmore with a friend and a colleague who I barely knew. I had made the comment that this was one of my favorite bands, and I was really excited for the show. This colleague proceeded to talk to me during the ENTIRE show. You may be asking, "why didn't you just go to a different spot in the theater?" I wanted to, but I felt like because this was someone I worked with that would somehow be more rude than what he was doing to me.

Either way, no one wants their concert ruined by someone else's ignorant actions. Between the responses online and all of us here at the radio station, we've come up with what we are calling, "The Unwritten Rules of Concert Going." You don't have to agree to all of them or necessarily adhere to these rules, but maybe keep them in mind at your next show!

In general, you want to make sure you are practicing personal hygiene, but it is truly essential when concert going. The last thing you want is to end up standing next to a big sweaty guy who smells like the leftovers in your fridge from two weeks ago or even worse...being that guy. To prevent yourself from being on either side of this problem, make sure to shower before you come and wear many layers of deodorant. Standing in a tight space with hundreds of people already makes breathing difficult, don’t add to the problem.

Straight up, put your phone down! Do not record the entire show, no one wants you blocking their view because you decided to get in someone's way with your phone or iPad. Live in the moment, and don’t spend your entire time at the show watching the event happen through a small screen. With that being said, sure, you can take a couple videos or pictures for the gram, but just be mindful because more than likely you will never go back and rewatch those videos. And if you do, you might want to wear headphones because no one will want to hear your loud scream singing.

This one is tough. In places like the Fillmore or St. Andrews, there are no seats. It's not your fault you're as tall as Shaq, and that shouldn't stop you from being in the front row for your favorite band. That being said, in some theaters there are locations for handicap seating and standing directly in front of that is a total dick move. Those dedicated locations aren't typically right at the front of the stage so there's no reason you can't go to another spot. Also, if you're not as into it as some of the shorter people behind you, maybe let them stand in front of you. You'll still be able to see over them, Jolly Green Giant. Oh, and don't decide to wear your Cat In The Hat hat.

Whether you are in the pits or not, if you see someone fall or get injured, help them! You may not know the person, but you both have one thing in common, which is the love of music for the artist preforming. This has always been known in the world of rock n' roll and metal, but apparently in some other genres of music they are unaware. We've seen it happen at shows more recently where people get trampled and unfortunately, this has caused injury and even death. Be kind to others, so that hopefully in return if you go down someone will be there to help you up!

I could probably have a whole sub-post on the art of crowd surfing, but let's stick with the rules for now. First and foremost, if you want to go crowd surfing, make sure there's a crowd. I was at a festival recently where a dude tried to go up right behind me. Unfortunately for him, there was about 6 feet of concrete in front of me and no crowd. He went down like a sack of bricks. You need a crowd to crowd surf. Secondly, if you're planning to crowd surf, don't wear steel-toed boots. Seriously, what concert are you at that would warrant that sort of shoe wear? The first time I saw the Offspring, I got kicked in the back of the head by a crowd surfer wearing steel-toed boots. GTFO.

I hate to tell people who love a band they can't go all the way to the front row, but if you can't handle it, that's on you. Being in the front row or in the pit is a straight up job. You have to be looking out for crowd surfers, most pits and pushing and shoving. If you can't handle it, you gotta go back further. Mosh pits are a part of concerts. You have to know your limits, and you can't get mad when you get kicked in the back of the head by a steel-toed boot.

I find this controversial for a few reasons. First of all, if you want to spend $15 on a beer and take it into the pit, that's on you. If you're in the pit and something gets spilled on you, that's on you. You're probably all sweaty anyway, so what difference does it make? Venues never serve drinks in glass so there should be no issue there. Personally, I'm not taking my over-priced drink anywhere near where it could get spilled. I also feel like spilled drinks make things slippery and could cause injury, but that might just be me getting old. Think about your wallet before taking drinks into certain areas.

Back in the day, it used to be bras and underwear flying up on stage. Pretty rad, right? Now, it's cell phones, shoes and beer cans. Not quite as sexy. Just last week, pop artist Bebe Rexha got clocked in the face by a fans cell phone, got a black eye and had to receive stitches! She had to cancel the rest of the show ruining the night for many fans. (Remember what we said about ruining other people's experience.) Keep your personal items to yourself.

Be respectful of people trying to exit, especially if they're in the pit or near the front. It gets HOT when you're up close to the stage and the worse thing that can happen is you can't make it out and you end up passing out or getting injured. Plus, no one wants to feel trapped up there. That being said, there's a rule to exiting as well! If you're trying to exit the pit or the front of the crowd, go to the side and then make your way back. Trust me, it's much easier to go through the crowd on your left or right than directly back. Instead of fighting a crowd coming at you, your moving through a crowd that likely has a natural path out.

A lot of people follow this rule but it's definitely subjective. I've always personally thought it was kind of dumb. The only reason I would make it a point to not wear a shirt of the band I'm seeing is because I'm planning to buy a shirt as soon as I get there and put it on. Many people believe you shouldn't wear these types of shirts because everyone already knows why you're at the show, so wear something to show your individuality, and spark a conversation. If you're one of these people, try being less judgmental. As far as I'm concerned wear whatever you want. I've also been told you can't listen to the band you're going to see on the way to the show. Stop.