Earthlore, Crop, & Friendship Commanders Live 8/12/26
Live at The Widowmaker Brewery in Braintree, Massachusetts USA *August 12th 2026*
Week night shows can be tough with my work schedule but I decided that this one was “doable” and definitely worth it. Leaving right from work, the three band lineup and early (7:30) start time was appealing. The headlining band is Boston’s own, Earthlore– who just so happened to play at the last show I went to with Gozu and Restless Spirit (review here). If fact, I saw Earthlore open at the Widowmaker Brewery for the Hopsmokerfest back in April of 2024 (review here). The band have been busy playing a good number of local shows as they get ready to release their debut full length album called Within The Earth, out on August 28th 2026. It’s great seeing the band getting the recognition that they deserve. The other two bands playing were Friendship Commanders and Crop, who are both currently touring together. I will be seeing Friendship Commanders next month at Ripplefest in Austin, Texas and I can’t wait! I am a fan of the two-piece band and this will be a good preview for next month’s festival. Crop is another band that I am interested in seeing, as I’m not as well rehearsed with their music. Life is too short and I probably would have regretted missing this show.
FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS
Friendship Commanders is a two-piece band from Nashville, Tennessee. Featuring Buick Audra on guitar and vocals, and Jerry Roe on drums, the duo released their latest album, Bear (review here) on October 10th, 2025 on Magnetic Eye Records. They have a blended sound of heavy rock, grunge, alternative, hardcore, and doom. When I arrived at the Widowmaker and walked through the door, I noticed Jerry Row standing behind the band’s merch table and noticed Buick conversing with a couple of people. I introduced myself to Jerry and had a great conversation with him before they were set to go on. He was very cool and I was excited to see Friendship Commanders start things off.
I positioned myself in front of the stage and inadvertently forgot my earplugs in my truck. I thought to myself that I would be fine because it’s only two band members and how loud could it be? Well, it was massive and intense! The sheer volume that screamed out of the guitar amps and the thunderous drumming was awesome and the band totally blew me away! They sounded amazing and the music permeated my whole body like a surge of electricity. I had goosebumps from most of the songs and was very impressed. Buick’s voice was so emotive and powerful and the guitar sound was insanely heavy and dirty (in a good way!). They ripped through a concentrated set of nine songs (mostly from Bear) including: “KEEPING SCORE”, “DRAIN”, “DRIPPING SILVER”, “MIDHEAVEN”, “MELT”, and “X”. It was fantastic hearing these songs in a live setting and the feeling and intensity was a religious experience. The band also played a couple of songs from their “ode to Massachusetts” album, 2023’s aptly titled, Mass. The songs “Still Life” and the Mass opener “Blue”, were both played, with the latter being the closing track.
After they leveled the Widowmaker with their intense set, I was able to talk with Buick afterwards and she was super nice and friendly. We conversed for a bit and I met her friend John, who lived in the area and he gave me a couple of CDs of his band to check out too. It was awesome! Then out of the blue, my friend Mark Fields called out my name, as he was coincidentally there, but just leaving. having pizza with his wife and he noticed me walk by. I couldn’t believe he was there, even if he wasn’t attending the show. It’s always a pleasure seeing him, as he was (and still is) a huge supporter of my grindcore band Entropy. I finally made it to my truck and grabbed my earplugs after that.
https://www.friendshipcommandersband.com/?m=1
https://friendshipcommanders.bandcamp.com/music
https://www.facebook.com/share/1EdkCnRKNd/?mibextid=wwXIfr
CROP
CROP is a stoner sludge metal band from Lexington, Kentucky. They have a Self Titled album that came out in 2021, along with their latest, 2025’s S.S.R.I. They consist of Braun on bass, Andrew on drums, Zach on guitars, and Dirt on vocals. Unfortunately, I missed a good chunk of their set trying to recover from the Friendship Commanders and also chatting. CROP was completely devastating though! I think the paint was peeling off the walls with their nasty sound. The floor was rumbling beneath my feet and they kept the intensity going with their reckless brand of southern fried sludgy doom. The bassist threw his guitar down on the floor at the end and it was a dramatic finish, to say the least. I wish I was better prepared for CROP because they were brutal and sounded vicious.
https://legalizecrop.bandcamp.com/music
https://www.facebook.com/share/1LJ228o3s7/?mibextid=wwXIfr
EARTHLORE
Earthlore were the chosen headliners for the night. The band have consistently been performing a good number of shows that I attended in the last two years or so. I first saw them open for Hashtronaut (review here) and every time after that, they have just kept getting better and better. The band consists of Drew Pelrine on vocals and rhythm guitar, Gabe Haydar on lead guitar, Troy Welling on drums, and Lars Nicewicz on bass. The band really stepped it up and proved that they are worthy of being the anchor for this show. Their brand new album called Within The Earth (which technically isn’t out yet) was available on CD and the band played a good number of songs from that release. Their set began with “Epitaph”, the third track on Within The Earth and then proceeded with the first single called, “Tempest Skies”. Earthlore sounded amazing and as the set progressed, the energy kept expanding. The next track, “Altered Mind” is from the band’s 2019 EP entitled Age Of The Monolith. “Inferior Planets” was next, followed by two new tracks, “Centuries” and “Blinding Star”. The last two tracks they played were called “The Agenda Continues” and the closer, “River Of Woe.” The crowd size was decent for a Wednesday night and everyone was really getting into it.
I was able to chat with vocalist/ guitarist Drew before and after the show and he is a really cool person. I congratulated him on the amazing performance and bought the new CD and a t-shirt for support. I am really happy to see this band gaining the momentum that they deserve and I can only imagine great things coming for Earthlore in the future. I am looking forward to really diving into these new songs and reviewing the album in the near future. They really put on an exceptional performance and they were dialed in the whole time. It was awesome!
https://earthlore.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/share/1W3irXppbu/?mibextid=wwXIfr
The show was over at 10:00 and I proceeded to hang out and talk with people for the next hour. I was fortunate enough to have both Buick and Jerry sign my vinyl copy of Bear and I bought Buick’s book and a t-shirt also. I wish I would have gotten to talk with CROP and at least congratulate them on a killer set. When I was leaving, I met two cool guys named Matt and George in the parking lot. Come to find out, all three of us work at UPS and we have a lot in common, in regard to musical tastes. I am sure that I will see them both again at some of the upcoming shows. Last night proved to me again that the heavy underground music scene is a great community of awesome individuals that all share a passion for this heavy art. I always feel ecstatic when I leave shows and this one was no different. I am so glad that I ultimately decided to go because it was a wonderful time and an amazing experience.
