Ah, the smell of kids trying way too hard. I love the Talent Farm--really, I do. Sometimes the crowd can get a bit annoying and pretentious for my taste, but overall it's a great place, and usually filled with good times. Kevin does a great job of running the place, and it's always nice to see Matt Burns although he'll never remember who I am.

I showed up late, whoops. I guess it's all those years of going to Churchills that'll do it to you, but in any regard I missed the first band, Coyotes. Sorry dudes. I asked around and didn't get much, so I won't even put together an opinion on these guys. So go ahead and search for them somewhere.

The second band, Heads Up were super young, but super talented. Don't let the age fool you. Recorded or even just eyes closed you'd never know. They sound experienced, look good, and had high energy, tight music and great vocals. They sounded like Lifetime with deeper vocals, and they did an Ergs! cover. They could've been my new favorite local band, but unfortunately the lead singer came off as kind of a jerk. Maybe it was just an off night. There wasn't any merch for them as this was their second show but check them out online--definitely worth a listen.

Go Rydell. So I've heard a bunch about these dudes, and left before a set at a prior show, but now I'm all ears and paying full attention, and I apologize to the true believers, but this attention is getting pricey. They did an Osker cover, so I guess they have the cred. A friend said they're like Shook Ones, chugging bass and high guitars, short songs and unoriginal melodies. They sound more like Paint It Black with a little more melody; it's not terribly original, but not bad either. What is this, Dan Yemin night? Decently done, the dudes have some fun vocals. They apparently have a lot of background vocals, most of which weren't sung by the band and that only the crowd seemed to know. It's a little annoying, especially for a new listener like me, but it's always good to see people having fun and not killing each other. Strong band, seemed like good dudes, and they're apparently hitting the road with some good friends of mine, Spanish Gamble and Nightlights, so go check ‘em out.

Such Gold! Woooo, everything I expected and more. They started with the lead singer of We Are the Union filling in on guitar for the first three songs, making Such Gold a five-piece. So the whole band is fucking tearing it up, playing tracks off their killer EP, Stand Tall, and then as if that wasn't enough, the WATU singer disappears and the lead singer whips out a guitar and just slays. They play two new tracks off of their upcoming EP?! Just write the album, stop with the teasing! Oh well, more intense waiting I guess (Sick of It All, the Flatliners and the Riot Before came out this month, so that can hold me over for a while). So these two new songs, the first had a Rise Against feel, like Revolutions Per Minute meets Siren Song of the Counter Culture-era if the latter was recorded at the Blasting Room. They finished with two more off the record and it was beautiful. They were grateful, humble guys really playing with heart and having an amazing time, as I did too.

"WATU, WATU!" everyone chanted; maybe they didn't know the name. Acronyms are cool, right? So they started with two new songs, both of which sounded like meh, mixed with eh? But then the awesomeness kicked in--songs from their debut full-length, Who We Are, the best record of the last few years, by the way, so if you haven't heard it, listen, but be weary of actually watching them as the majority of the talent on that record you won't find live. They only have three original members left, and apparently it was the douchier ones because between each song they felt it necessary to talk about how far they've come and how none of the people at the show tonight were there when they started. Sorry buddy, but that's every band in the world except maybe Metro. So I'll get off my pedestal now. The next batch of new songs were pretty rockin', I gotta say. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it was amazing, starting with a really grooving few verses to build into their standard breakneck speed and then end with a chillingly great breakdown. I'm hoping the new record has more than one good song, though. Sadly, judging by their set it seems the new record is a lot of hit and miss, but I'm not quite sure what to expect. I bought the new record, which at five bucks ain't too bad, especially supporting a hard-working touring band. I'll let you know how the record is shortly.

Overall, the show was really enjoyable. Such Gold ruled, many of the other bands were rockin', but I feel too many of these guys don't realize they're not rock stars, as much as they want to be. Maybe it's because their fans are all children, and so they're older and feel more superior on top of being in bands, but honestly, if the only people who liked me were little kids, I'd be even more humble. Plus, the way the industry is going, you can't really afford to risk losing fans as no one is really making money, let alone becoming rock stars.

^{Original article posted at NotNorthNews.org}