Article and photos by: Kyle Brown
Edited by: Sami Knox
When the doors opened at Frankies in Toledo on Friday, December 6th, much of the crowd braved the chilling 29-degree weather in their Eva Under Fire apparel. It was a show many fans traveled for, with some coming from Cleveland, Cincinnati, and various parts of Michigan. It was somewhat of a local show for the band since they hail from the Detroit, Michigan area—around an hour north of Toledo. But before Eva Under Fire could hit the stage, two Toledo-based bands opened the show.
First up was RMO, a band consisting of three members. Rich Crosser (singer, guitar), Jeff Faylor ( bass guitar), and Rob Cremar (drums) are known as one of Toledo’s premier rock bands. Their 10-song set list featured many fun moments, including getting some crowd involvement for their song “F*ck You.” It was very evident how well-versed each member was with their instruments. With guitar solos, drum solos, and an all-around smashing good time, the crowd warmed up to them very quickly. RMO had a fun vibe about them and I would definitely recommend going to see in the near future.
Sir Cadian hit the stage next. In a complete 180 from RMO, Sir Cadian’s sound was one I didn’t expect. The night went from fans raising their hands with the rock on symbol, to head smashing metal. Made up of 4 Individuals, Sir Cadian made sure to use up every inch of the stage. Jumping, spinning, head thrashing and more, the high energy set was something to be seen. The energy got even better after bringing up their friend and lead singer of fellow Toledo band, Goodbye Blue Skies, Victor. I found myself completely in their trance as the set began and ended in the blink of an eye.
Eva Under Fire’s set began to a blistering cheer. I actually couldn’t contain my excitement on this one. I’ve known about this band since their beginning. I’ve applied countless times to photograph their shows, all ending in denials due to their high demand, especially when the venue District 142 came to be. With Toledo being my hometown, and a smaller market, I had to try my luck for this show and was finally successful.
Eva Under Fire has gained so much attention since their latest album, Love, Drugs & Misery dropped. Playing major festivals such as Sonic Temple, Shiprocked and even Welcome to Rockville has gained them fame and radio air time for some of their songs. Needless to say, this “garage band” from Detroit is going places fast, and I was thrilled to be at this show. They won’t be playing venues like Frankies much longer.
They opened the set with “Comatose,” a hard-hitting song that gets the crowd riled up very quickly and their songs “Death of Me” and “Ghost” followed. After “Ghost,” Eva, (Amanda Lyberg) asked the crowd if they were okay with a new song that will be heard on the new album they are working on. Not a single person said no as an obvious excitement radiated through the room. Let’s just say, the song is a banger and Eva reinforced that when commenting, “We gotta make sure you had a few bangers on the new album!”
“Metamorph,” the band’s fastest song was played after “Heroin(e)” and “Another Shot Through The Heart.” The set wasn’t all fast-paced rock music, however. The band made sure to play some emotional ballads like “The Strong,” a song during which Eva asks the crowd to turn on their phone flashlights and wave them back and forth.
Throughout the set, Eva would throw up hand hearts to let the crowd know how special they were to them. They know none of this would be able to happen without the fans. It really showed me how humble they are. Even with their rising stardom, they still make sure the fans’ support is appreciated.
The band then paid tribute to some of the older songs in their catalog, with a song from 2015 called “Until Forever.” The one song I absolutely was thrilled to hear was their cover of Journey’s “Separate Ways.” That song, their version, has a significant core memory for me, and I was absolutely thrilled to actually hear it live, and watch not just Eva, but Rob Lyberg smash a drumstick on his guitar strings while playing lead. Guitarist Chris Slapnick and drummer Dave Miller II also played the song to perfection.
A few more unreleased songs were played and Eva mentioned how they have realized fans like the “meaner and grittier music.” She joked about how that means the band needs to learn how to tune the guitars on the fly to give that mean sound. Jokes continued when a fan showed Rob an image on their phone of a guinea pig, referring to a conversation earlier in the set with Eva, and Rob clapped back with how he doesn’t have any teeth. Eva then mentioned how all Rob wanted for Christmas was his two front teeth. The interactions the band has with their fans while performing are, bar none, some of the best in the business.
The set ended with the songs everyone knew due to them being played on the radio: “Unstoppable” and “Blow.”
Even after a rock show, Eva Under Fire makes sure to show their love for their fans by always inviting them to stay and meet them at the merch table for autographs and photos; even helping fans to buy merch. Helping out after the show isn’t beneath them, and that says a lot about their character.
If you get the chance, do yourself a favor and go see Eva Under Fire. They are everything you could ask for in a rock band. Entertaining, great musicians, and humble.