The Loved Ones / The Gaslight Anthem / The Ergs / Amateur Party - 2.24.08

First Unitarian Church
7:30

First and foremost, there was a crucial burrito meeting at Salsalitos beforehand, which also turned into a trip for coffee, hot chocolate and apple cider at a gelato spot. So, about 10 of us rolled to this show stuffed, but excited. The line at the church was marginally long, but we entertained ourselves by generally outclowning anyone in our immediate area. Once we got in, limited edition vinyl was purchased, but I was bummed to notice that Gaslight didn't have their new 7".

Amateur Party started the night, and if you've ever read any of this blog before, you've probably noticed their name. They sounded good, but their set ran a bit long. Scott's basslines on the new songs were really impressive, and added a lot to all of the new songs. They only played two songs that they have recorded ("Sounds, and Halls to House Them" and "Public Utility Complaint"), but they also played "Gun Fever," which they've been playing for years, but I have yet to hear recorded. My only complaint on this set was McKee's "solos" seemed pretty off. With the addition of a second guitarist, he should possibly think about relinquishing some of the lead guitarist roles and focus on keeping the rhythm. On the whole, however, a solid start to the night.

The Ergs were next and I still don't care. Kids seem into them, but I just don't get it, so I went to Wawa. I came back, and it seemed like they were tight, but I just can't enjoy this band. Sorry folks.





Next up was the band of the night for me. I was excited to see The Gaslight Anthem, since I missed them at Fest due to scheduling problems. I can easily say that this was my biggest regret of the whole weekend. After seeing them on Sunday, I'm even more disappointed. They came out blazing, and the kids who were into them went off. Their singer, Brian, sounded even better live than he does recorded. Nothing they've recorded, despite being great, has come close to capturing their energy. They played most of the favorites from Sink or Swim, and "Wherefore Art Thou, Elvis?" from the upcoming 7". They were perfectly tight and full sounding throughout the entire set, and musically sounded just like the records, down to the smallest nuance. My only gripe about the set was the silliness and theatrics of the lead guitarist. Playing a tapping solo behind your head? Save that for Atreyu shows, please. Setting that aside, it's easy to argue that The Gaslight Anthem was the band of the night, and that their recent success has been well deserved. I can't wait to see what 2008 holds for these guys. Hopefully it's lots more shows in Philly.




Last, but certainly not least, were Philly's favorite punk rock and rollers, The Loved Ones. Hot off of their two night New Year's Eve stint at the North Star, as well as the release of their second full length, the boy returned to the Church for their record release show. The aforementioned limited vinyl had kids excited, and kids already seemed to know a lot of Build and Burn. They played a good amount of songs off of that, including opening with "Pretty Good Year" and closing with "Louisiana." The only songs I DON'T remember hearing from the new record are "Third Shift" and "Dear Laura."

In addition to these songs, they played a good amount of stuff from previous releases, and most of the crowd favorites (especially "Player Hater Anthem"!). Dave's sister Missy played a handful of songs on piano, and his (much) younger played guitar for "Louisiana" while Dave grabbed the mic for the last song to end their set. After a very brief pause, they came back out to play three more songs, which ended with "I Swear." They sounded much better than they did at the New Year's show, which was good. The guitars sounded better and there was a lot more energy. Much better, and a strong ending to a damn fine show. It's a tossup between The Loved Ones and Gaslight for band of the night, but I definitely enjoyed myself.

(Photos courtesy of Manny Mares)

Fake Problems - Viking Wizard Eyes Wizard Full of Lies

Fake Problems - Viking Wizard Eyes Wizard Full of Lies
Good Friends Records



Fake Problems is one of those bands that I really want to like. The ties to Gainesville punk rock, the steady stream of energetic live shows, and the constant touring make them appealing. Not to mention the fact that everyone deems them as so honest and hardworking. Unfortunately, their critically heralded debut, How Far Our Bodies Go, did very little for me. I gave it a few spins, found myself unimpressed, and have pretty much written them off ever since.

Their new 7", Viking Wizard Eyes Wizard Full of Lies, has done very little to change my mind. This record is three songs, all named after Blink 182 songs, with a folk punk feel. What makes this record a bit different from the full length is that it's a bit more southern feeling, as opposed to a seemingly generic folk punk record. The first and third tracks have a good amount of extra instrumentation. As a matter of fact, I'd say that I actually really like the organ on "Adam's Song," as well as the banjo on "Wendy Clear."

Despite their growth, and slight stylistic shift, I find myself really struggling to find something that really grabs me with this band. The vocals seemed forced. It's almost as if he's just trying to put the rasp in his voice, and trying for a southern twang, which to me just seems forced. Maybe I'm wrong, but it's not for me.

People seem to like Fake Problems, and they seem to be growing on each tour, so good for them. I just have yet to hear anything to really back up the hype.

Title Fight - Kingston

Tight Fight - Kingston
Flight Plan Records



Title Fight definitely isn't reinventing the wheel on their newest 7". You've already heard what these young kids are doing, and if you were going to shows in the late 90s or early 2000s, you saw a LOT of bands doing it. You know, lyrics about girls, octave leads over catchy choruses, and hardcore influenced breakdowns. Title Fight would have fit right in on Vagrant or EVR in 2001.

What makes Title Fight different? Well, they're good. REAL good. Unlike a lot of the Saves The Day clones of the early 2000s, Title Fight shows tight-as-hell musicianship and creative songwriting to really set them ahead of the pack, especially considering they're young as hell. Not afraid to drastically shift tempos on a dime, or throw a curve into a stale formula, this three song 7" is a really impressive effort for these kids.

"Loud and Clear" really stands out to me as the best song on this record, with a memorable lead intro, and slightly off-key, but melodic vocals. New, creative parts come out of nowhere before even more gruff vocals come in, which add a nice touch. Then, out of nowhere, the song slows down and really calms down, with a bass line that wouldn't sound out of place on Jawbreaker's Dear You. The ending vocals are buried a bit in the mix, and add a nice dynamic.

"Youreyeah" is a strong closing track, and is a bit more straightforward than "Loud and Clear," but this doesn't mean it's not impressive. Then ending breakdown/outro would fit right in on Jersey's Best Dancers.

Kingston is an impressive batch of songs for a group of young kids, and shows that not only are they talented musicians, but they have a knack for writing catchy, but unique songs that can deviate from standard emotional pop punk structures and cliches.

Pick this record up so Bill, the mastermind behind Flight Plan Records can go buy some Checkers. Or put it towards his new record store in Old City, coming soon.

The Steinways - Unoriginal Recipe

The Steinways - Unoriginal Recipe
It's Alive Records




For the most part, there are two types of Steinways songs. There are the sappy but silly Screeching Weasel inspired 2 minute pop punk songs, and there are the 15 second, extra silly pop punk songs. Their full length, Missed the Boat, was full of both. Since then, they've released a 10", some comp tracks, and a split, all following this same formula.

Recently, It's Alive has released the Unoriginal Recipe 7", which is six songs, all pretty silly, but sappy love songs. My favorite part is that none of the super short, almost teaser songs are on here. It's six solid, well written, well thought out songs that show what the Steinways are capable of.

The A-side of record starts with "Good Morning Sunshine" which has an intro very reminiscent of anything off Missed the Boat, but it's got enough catchiness in the chorus to make it stand out on it's own. The song that stands out the most on the A-side, actually, is the third song, I Shit (You Not). Ace, the band's guitarist, takes lead vocals on this track, which is a bit different than anything on the previous full length, although I'm told he sings a lot more live. That song also has possibly my favorite line of the whole record with "and I promise not to let you go, even when the Riverdales decide to tour." Great!

The B-side has three solid pop punk tunes, with "Main Street, Flushing, USA" being my favorite song of the whole record, detailing the singer constantly running into cute girls on the 27 bus (Riverdales again?) as well as their "stupid looking boyfriend(s)." It's got the same tongue-in-cheek silliness that you expect from The Steinways mixed perfectly with a sappy Weaselish pop punk song. The last song on the record, "Voce Tem Labios De Uma Galinha", is, you guessed it, sung entirely in Spanish, and has a nice acoustic guitar lead throughout. Luckily, the 7" comes with translated lyrics!

Possibly the coolest thing about this record, which I missed the preorder on, was the Pizza Pack that you could get it with. According to It's Alive, The Pizza Pack is an actual pizza box stuffed with the following: a pizza crust color vinyl 7", a thermo printed cd-r, an insert, a poster, a standard 7" jacket, a magnet, a button and a t-shirt with the cover art for the record silk screened on the front. Limited to 100 - very cool.

Now, really, I can't wait for their new LP. Their Myspace is currently featuring a song from it! Go check it out.

The Gaslight Anthem - Senor and the Queen

The Gaslight Anthem - Senor and the Queen
Sabot Productions




"Wild hearts, blue jeans and white t-shirts."

When I think of The Gaslight Anthem, and really gruff punk rock in general, this line conjures up a pretty accurate representation. Their debut full length, Sink or Swim, was in my top three records of last year, and I've anxiously been awaiting this double 7 inch EP. The mp3s are available online, and I can't wait to pick up the vinyl at the show in two weeks with the Loved Ones. This EP has four songs, all of which are pretty different, and it shows them branching out a bit as songwriters, which is good.

The title track opens the record with a dark ringing chord which then leads into a verse similar to what we expect from The Gaslight guys. Uptempo, gruff rock and roll inspired punk, with technical leads over the top of it. The lyrics had the typical storytelling feel, with a half time chorus/outro. A solid lead off song.

"Wherefore Art Thou, Elvis?" is next, and starts with a very open feeling intro and a deep, rumbling bassline holding it all together before launching into a faster, scratchy verse. Something about the feel of this song is very loose, but it gives it a very natural, analog rock and roll feel. The lyrics continue storytelling and he continues talking to a senorita, which continues a theme from the first song.

The next track, "Say I Won't (Recognize)" is back to the faster, fuller sound we expect from Gaslight, and the technical leads (oddly reminiscent of Minus the Bear) reemerge. The chorus of "we're having a party, everybody's swinging, tonight won't you come down out of your tower, don't make me dance all night all alone" is super catchy and continues the story of talking with senorita (Maria?). About halfway through, the song drastically slows down and drops out, and the vocals take on a neat feel that his have never before. When it starts to rebuild, the hi-hat, bass drum and gang vocals give it a very southern "chain-gang" kind of mood, before heading back into to the chorus again.

"Blue Jeans and White T Shirts" is the most different of the songs on this EP. It's very stripped down, and has a Springsteen feel to it (you have to think there's a nod to him lyrically with "still we sing our heroes 33 rounds per minute"). It never really picks up, and there's a somber tone throughout, as well as great female backing vocals in the chorus. Feedback swells, light guitars, airy leads give it a feel that Gaslight has hinted at, but never really delved into. It's a nice change for them, and I'm curious to see what their next full length sounds like. Again, lyrically it addresses Maria, but this time lets us know that they "call every girl we ever met Maria," which throws a twist into the lyrics of earlier songs. Other than that, the lyrics are a repetitive, but catchy and thematically flowing for the boys in Gaslight.

On the whole, this is a solid EP, but for me it really serves as a teaser for the next full length. I'm definitely bummed that I missed them at Fest, but I really can't wait to see them at the Church with the Loved Ones in two weeks.

mewithoutYou / Papertrigger - 2.8.08

Circle of Hope
7PM

About 7 years ago, my old band was playing a show with The Operation, who shared two members with mewithoutYou. I remember loving them, but thinking mwY was pretty bad. At the time they only had an EP, and Aaron was selling it at the Operation merch table. As I sat and talked with him, I remember mentioning this, and he was really nice about it. Either way, fast forward a few years and I went to see them in Wayne with a mutual friend. Needless to say, I was floored. The musicianship, the intensity, the honesty, and 50 kids screaming "and you'd better be alone!" during the break in "Gentleman" left me speechless. That night I got an unmastered copy of their debut full length [A --> B] Life, and I've been a huge fan every since.

On Friday, Feb 8, mewithoutYou played a memorial show for their good friend Jenni and Josh Bender's father who passed away. In addition to the show, countless artists, musicians, photographers, tattoo artists and others donated things to a benefit raffle. It was a great cause and a great evening. For more info on the benefit, click here.

Andrew, Nicole and I got there pretty late, and actually missed most of papertrigger's set. They sounded pretty good, although something that I'd probably have to be in the mood for. Lots of awkward start/stop rhythms, and multiple instruments. People seemed pretty into them, and in the right mod, I probably could be too.

Right around 9, kids started circling around the stage area, and mewithoutyou got started. Despite sound checking a bit with the intro riff to "Bullet to Binary," the first full song they played was from Brother, Sister and the energy was through the roof. Aaron, Mike, and Greg were bouncing all over the place, and Ricky was absolutely destroying his drums. Their set consisted of songs from Catch For Us The Foxes and Brother, Sister, their most recent full lengths. Needless to say, I was a bit bummed to not hear anything from [A --> B] Life, as were a lot of people there, but overall it was impressive.

They played for about an hour and fifteen minutes, with very few stoppages. Aaron played all three of the "Spider" interludes, as well as two solo covers. Other highlights included Josh Bender singing with them on "Four Word Letter Pt 2," and Aaron's energy on the "let's go down" chorus, raising his acoustic guitar over his head and screaming at the top of his lungs. Throughout the set, they passed out maracas, tambourines and other percussion instruments and really worked to incorporate the crowd. Songs like "O, Porcupine," "Torches Together," and "Tie Me Up, Untie Me" bounced with energy and got people clapping, singing, and dancing along.

Most interesting to watch dance was Ricky, their drummer. As I said above, he was destroying his drums. My brother once said that he should drum on every indie rock record, and I have to agree. He's one of the hardest hitting drummers I've ever watched, but at the same time, he's so crisp and on point with every hit that he makes. His beats are unique and impressive, but he's constantly dancing in his seat and beating the hell out of his drums. Every time I see them, I find myself staring at him for a lot of the set. Considering they have such an engaging frontman in Aaron Weiss, this is saying something.

As expected, they ended with "In a Sweater Poorly Knit" and ended with piano in addition to their two guitars. MewithoutYou is definitely one of the most inspiring bands to watch, and truly cares about what they do, and the causes they support. While I'm not really Christian, it's almost impossible to deny them when they stop their set and tell you to "turn to your neighbor and give them a 'peace be with you' or 'al salam alaikum'." They love what they do and their causes, and even if I don't always agree with them, I respect them for it.

Below are two pretty poor quality cell phone pics, but you get the idea of the closeness and organic feel and set up of the band and crowd.