So it is the night before I fly back to Chicago for spring break. I get to see American Hi-Fi, Allister, The Early November, and Trouble is at the Graceland in Seattle. The show was overall less than impressive except for the middle two bands that seemed to capture my attention.
The first band, Trouble Is, I cannot even describe. Here, I will let you decide for yourself. Their one lyric that stood out in my mind was, "I wanna fuck you non-stop, baby I think you're beautiful." The pre-pubescent boys in the crowd were the only one's in the venue who seemed to actually take interest to this band. In my opinion they sounded like a rip-off of A Simple Plan. If you are into the more immature pop-punk sound then you would probably like these guys. Somehow they landed a deal with Columbia, so check them out if you are at all interested.
When Trouble Is ended their set I was extremely eager to hear the nest band, The Early November. I picked up their record "For All of This" which came out last November on Drive Thru, a few weeks ago after some hype I had heard. When they took the stage, the energy in the venue skyrocketed. There was a surprisingly large fan base for The Early November. The band quickly became intimate with their fans, and played with them rather than too them. This four-piece band from Jersey had a fun stage presence. The three front men all had light, curly fro-ish hair and wore tight black t-shirts. Their drummer spiced it up with his short dark hair. The Early November began rocking out as soon as they got on stage and did not stop until they played their last note. They covered the majority of the songs on their most recent release. My favorites included "Every Night's Another Story," "I Want to Hear You Sad," and "All We Ever Needed." I was pretty impressed by their set. Keep your eyes out for these guys, they will probably be getting pretty well known in the future.
Allister. Oh Allister. They get bonus points from me because they are from Chicago, the greatest city in the world, and they talked about Chicago throughout their whole set. Their stage presence was pretty impressive. To tell you the truth this band surprised me. They have a very formulaic pop-punk sound, but at the same time they have their own edge and style with slightly sets them apart. They were fun to watch and again, incorporated the crowd in every song they played. They too had a very strong fan base with was a bit surprising to me. I was not aware of how big they have become. I think the majority of the kids in the venue were here more for Allister than American Hi-Fi. Allister has been around for a while, and I think they are now getting the recognition and support they have been working so hard for. These Midwest natives put on a show that is easy to listen to, and enjoyable to watch. If you have a chance, you may want to check them out, they are a fun group of guys.
And finally, American Hi-Fi. These guys were defiantly trying, but they had a hard time keeping my attention. The crown began to thin as they got into their set. Their sound was not overly impressive, and they seemed a bit worn out on stage. However, they were extremely grateful for the fans they had, and were very polite on stage, which is sometimes hard to come by at these shows. They didn't do too much for me, but I can see how they have their following and fans. Their sound is wholesome but not too original.
Overall the night was o.k. I left the venue on a great note, knowing that the falling day I would be in Chicago and be seeing Cursive at the Metro! But if this tour comes by you and you don't already have tickets, give it a go if you are into the pop-punk scene. It may be your style.