Wednesday evening in December is not uncommon for musical artists to come to town. And on December 7th, one of those artists, 10 Years, came to perform at House of Blues Orlando. 10 Years is an alternative metal band out of Knoxville, TN. The band formed in 1999 and released their debut album Into the Half Moon. They followed up in 2004 with Killing All That Holds You. In 2005 the band released the single “Wasteland” which became a #1 hit and stayed on the active rock charts for a year. That single came off the album The Autumn Effect. They would release seven more studio albums. Their most recent album Deconstructed was released in March 2022 and contained alternate versions of their singles. 10 Years is Jesse Hasek (vocals), Brian Vodinh (lead guitar), Matt Wantland (rhythm guitar), Chad Grennor (bass), and Luke Narey (drums).
I’ve been a fan of 10 Years since the first time I heard “Wasteland” and never looked back. Their music is engaging, well-crafted, and so full of emotion. Listen to one of their songs and you can feel yourself getting lost in the music. But, when you hear them playing those songs live, it’s an amplified experience. They are one of the best live bands playing today. Recent members of Luke Narey and Chad Grennor are welcome additions to the band. Luke rocks the drums hard and is totally in focus with the music. You can tell he enjoys playing as much as the other members. Chad plays the bass well and is so energetic on the stage. He’s constantly moving and you can see him mouthing the words as he performs. Matt occupies the right side of the stage and is hard and heavy on the guitar. But, it’s his intensity is amazing and he pours all of it into his playing. Brian, on the left, primarily stays behind the microphone providing backing vocals and plays guitar. His vocals are strong and powerful, much like his guitar playing. And then there’s Jesse. He always has something planned when he first hit the stage. In most cases he wears a hoodie as he performs. At Blue Ridge Rock Festival in 2021 he came out wearing a plague mask and that night he walked out with a beer in hand and the bottom half of a Santa wrapped in lights on his head, with a smile on his face. Jesse loves to have fun on stage. He’ll happily engage with the crowd, jump down into the photo pit, and into the crowd to sing from there. And I can’t say enough of how awesome he is as a vocalist. Jesse’s vocal range is very impressive and he’ll hit every note every single time.
That evening they performed an eleven-song setlist with some of their best singles that evening. “Russian Roulette” from Division comes across with a very Tool-esque sound and feel that they used to kick off the show. But when Jesse drops those high notes during the chorus you can’t help to feel a chill up your spine. The bass riff from Chad during the song is the perfect rhythm to bang your head to as well. They didn’t hold back when they decided to drop my favorite song “Fix Me” from Feeding the Wolves, which is probably also my favorite album. There is something about this song that I connect with so much and it is a piece of musical perfection. From the writing to the music to the emotion that pours from this song I can’t help but love it. Brian’s guitar riffs is so haunting and the way Jesse performs it live is amazing. I’ll admit I sang along to every line while photographing in the pit. But, then the band amped it up performing “Dead in the Water” from the same album. Luke was hitting those drums hard during that song as Brian and Matt shredded and got that Orlando crowd pumped.
“Vampires” is a great single from (how to live) As Ghosts with Brian killing it on the guitar, especially through the chorus. Jesse keeps up a fast pace through the vocals and sometimes going into a heavier vocal in the chorus. One of the things I really love about their live performances is when they perform Nirvana’s “Heart Shaped Box”. 10 Years made the cover of the song their own. They spun the music in their own soul-stirring way between the music and the vocals. It’s such a fantastic cover of the song. And they turned back the heavy again with “Shoot It Out” also from Feeding the Wolves and that crowd was going crazy for the song. Of course, they had to perform their most well-known single “Wasteland”. Jesse asked the crowd to sing-along with them during the song and they were more than happy to oblige.
This was once again a fantastic performance from 10 Years. The band has visited Orlando so many times (Jesse even said how much they love it here) and hope they come back many more times. I’ll ensure I will be at every performance they have down here. You can find their music and merch over at https://www.10yearsmusic.com/. Their setlist that night was:
- Russian Roulette
- Fix Me
- Dead in the Wtaer
- Vampires
- Waking up
- Catacombs
- Novacaine
- Heart Shaped Box
- Shoot It Out
- Wasteland
- The Optimist
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