Motion City Soundtrack’s Commit This To Memory 10 Year Anniversary Tour Review

via @Promowestlive on Instagram

On Monday, January 19^th the Minneapolis based pop-punk band made Columbus, OH one of their first stops on their Commit This to Memory 10 Year Anniversary Tour. Coming along for the tour stop at Newport Music Hall were bands Hit the Lights and Team Spirit. This pop-punk driven lineup really wrapped up three different periods of fans into one show.

When Motion City Soundtrack graced the stage it was no surprise what would be the first song. From the opening riff of “Attractive Today” the band set fourth to play the entire forty-minute sophomore success, Commit This to Memory. It was a rush of nostalgia and yet at the same time it was something completely new for myself and many other younger fans in the crowd. I was no stranger to the album but this was the first time I was able to hear a lot of these songs performed live due to only being 12 years old during this album’s original tour cycle.

It was extremely special to be so quickly thrust into “Everything Is Alright.” This is the song that got me interested in the band in the first place. The signature voice and quick-wit lyrics of lead singer Justin Pierre were just as they sounded on record almost 10 years ago. The energy was already buzzing in the Newport and there was still so much more of the album left.

Going from two of the bands’ largest songs I expected participation to drop off for more of the album’s “fillers” but this was not the case. The heavily devoted fans sang along to every word of fast-paced “When You’re Around,” “Resolution” and “Feel Like Rain.” In a recent interview, Pierre addressed that most fans consider the full-length to be a “winter album” and he agreed. His multiple mentions of the New Year in lyrics made sense as to why the band was conducting the tour now as opposed to the summer when it was originally released in 2005.

Pierre promised to provide commentary between songs but he usually didn’t spread much insight. “L.G. FUAD” proved to be the glorified sing-a-long it was intended to be. The lyrics of the song are out-there and collectively don’t make sense which was explained by Pierre to have been written intoxicated. Nonetheless, this song is the band’s most classic piece of music. It really embodies that apathetic, pop punk style of the mid-2000’s.

via @Hannuhrose7 on Instagram

The band played the remainder of the album and ended on “Hold Me Down.” Pierre shouted “How will I break the news to you” over and over before the lyrics turned to a buzz and static of guitars, signifying that the album had concluded, but shockingly the evening had not.

The band returned to play an extended encore featuring a Commit This to Memory b-side, as well as “The Future Freaks Me Out,” “My Favorite Accident” and “This Is For Real.” Motion City Soundtrack also played some other rarities such as a new song titled “Anything At All.”

As more and more of these anniversary tours are commencing, I find it both pleasing and shocking. They are pleasing, of course, because it is this rush of nostalgia. It is the artist returning to the reason we fell in love with them in the first place and giving us satisfaction from the performance in that. At the same time it’s shocking that albums like these are now turning ten years old. These anniversary tours pose the question whether these artists have peaked long ago or if they still have work left in them that will require a new anniversary tour down the line. Will there be a 15^th, a 20^th or a 25^th year anniversary tour for Commit This Memory? Clearly only time will tell. It’s certain that Newport Music Hall was taken back to 2005 with this tour and fans loved every minute of it despite what the band’s future beholds.

The Eels Rock the Newport on Oscar Night

Mark Oliver Everett, Aka “E” was all apologies to the crowd last night at Newport Music Hall. The Eels show fell on the same day as Oscar night. “We’re from Hollywood; it’s like Christmas there. We know how it is,” claimed E. However, E had a solution. Instead of having to wait to see the results, or even worse watch fans check their phones during the show, E conveniently read off the results of Hollywood’s biggest night for those in attendance. Winners (according to E) included Vin Diesel, McLovin and the Harry Potter kid, and Pauly Shore.

One thing was clear throughout the night, Everett and company had fun in the capital city. The band, all sporting matching Adidas track-suits, played a set that lasted nearly one hundred minutes, touching tunes from every Eels era. Opening the night was “Bombs Away”, off of the latest Eels’ release “Wonderful, Glorious.” Highlights throughout the set included “Fresh Feeling,” “Brave Little Soldier” and a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Oh Well.” The band brought minimal stage effects, relying on their musicianship and familiarity with one another.

Everett, who has been at it with the Eels since 1995, had the energy of a child throughout the night. Somehow, Everett is now almost 50 years old. Everett and crew just seemed happy to be there, which the crowd felt and made them happy to return the energy. By the grace of bassist Koool G. Murder (an ordained minister), Everett renewed his band vows with his lead guitar player the Chet, who has now been playing with the Eels for over ten years.  

The night hit a climax after the first encore, when the band returned to the stage to play a “mash-up”, who according to Everett is what “the kids are listening to these days.” The mash-up was comprised of two Eels classics, “My Beloved Monster” and “Mr. E’s Beautiful Blues” The crowd sang every word.

The Eels strived for perfection – comedy and music alike. The crowd, which seemed to be mostly loyal fans, was certainly pleased with what the band gave them. Any music fan, however, would appreciate missing the Oscars for what the Eels brought to the Newport on a Sunday. 

Eels to hit the Newport in support of their latest ‘Wonderful, Glorious’

Led by singer-songwriter Mark Oliver Everett, aka “E”, the band has received highly positive reviews and praise for the work on their latest effort. ‘Wonderful, Glorious’ is a gritty mix of blues and rock, and keeps consistent with the bizarre yet brilliant songwriting E has maintained through the years.  

The opening track “Bombs Away” combines funky, jungle-like drums with raw riffs and distorted vocals. What makes this album unique from other Eels releases is how it was recorded. The songs were all recorded from the comfort of Everett’s home studio. Rather than taking a conventional approach to writing the album, the band recorded jam sessions and pieced together lyrics from Everett’s scattered notebook writings. Many critics have praised the album for its optimistic vibe. It’s bright and upbeat, which is a bit different for Everett who often writes darker, lonely material.

Originating from Los Feliz, California, E and company has been on the indie rock scene since 1995, and has since put out ten studio albums. Eels has notably been featured on several Hollywood soundtracks, with music appearing on films such as American Beauty, Road Trip, Knocked Up, Hellboy and the first three Shrek movies. Songs like “Mr. E’s Beautiful Blues”, “Novocaine for the Soul” and “Hey Man (Now You’re Really Living)” have helped propel Eels to a respected and well-deserved spot in alternative music.

 

The band is currently en route on their US tour in support of their latest record, and will swing by the capital city this Sunday. Don’t miss what’s surely to be a great night of music from Eels at the legendary Newport Music Hall.

Divine Fits Dive In for a Second Round in Columbus

When Dan Boeckner, member of Divine Fits (and perhaps more widely known from his time with Wolf Parade and Handsome Furs) took the stage at the Newport Music Hall on Oct. 24, he noted that the show was their second in Columbus, of only 22 shows that they had played as Divine Fits. The first time Divine Fits came to Columbus, they performed at a local bar as part of an exclusive hometown tour the band was doing before their debut record, A Thing Called Divine Fits, was even released.

Wait, what? Columbus has cred in Divine Fits? It’s true; Sam Brown, Divine Fits’ drummer, is from Columbus. Brown is a professional in his craft, too, having played in Columbus-based hardcore band New Bomb Turks for some time (NBT have “suspended all activity for the time being,” according to their website.)

Brown’s hometown really came out in full force for him; there was even a point in the concert where Boeckner asked the Newport audience, “You guys know Sam, right?” The response was an overarching, exuberant one that spurred a venue-wide chant of “Sammy!” The crowd was a diverse one in age, and everybody in the audience showed their Columbus pride.

Besides Brown’s legacy in Columbus, the Divine Fits show was also particularly memorable for another reason: Jon Spencer Blues Explosion were part of the line-up. The Blues Explosion directly preceded Divine Fits, after it was decided to fuse their performance (they were originally scheduled to play at the Basement) with the Divine Fits concert for one truly explosive show at the Newport.

The Blues Explosion was third in line, taking the stage after two energetic sets from Lansing, Mich.’s garage-punk finest, the People’s Temple, and the dark-yet-hokey Cold Cave. When the Blues Explosion took the stage, the handful of fans that were lucky to make it to the front became crazed—headbanging at every strum, releasing shrills whenever the band’s frontman, none other but Jon Spencer, met them eye-to-eye.

Spencer has been playing shows with the Blues Explosion for over 20 years at this point, and that experience shows. Even though he was expelling quite the shower of sweat from his still-fuzzy locks throughout his band’s set, Spencer was a relentless entertainer and a professional multi-tasker; Spencer would move from shouting to shredding his guitar to wiggling around with his theremin within seconds.

With that said, it was interesting to note the dichotomy of the guitarists in the Blues Explosion. Spencer’s guitarist companion, Judah Bauer, had a masterful grasp of blues guitar and whipped out a harmonica for one tune. Bauer, however, did not seem to sweat a drop in comparison to Spencer, maintaining a relatively pensive demeanor on stage. After a driving set that lasted just over an hour, it was time for Divine Fits to take the stage.

Divine Fits opened with their debut album’s closer, “Neopolitans,” a quieter tune with a strong staccato. This tune did not by any means set the tone for the evening. Having only one album under their belt, Divine Fits’ setlist was pretty much made for them and did not have any surprises. As “Neopolitans” did not set the night up for a quiet set, Divine Fits’ lack of original material at this point in no way made the evening any less spectacular.

The headliner coasted through most of A Thing Called Divine Fits’ tracks, as well as a cover of Tom Petty’s “You Got Lucky.” Divine Fits’ album is not one filled with candy-like singles that you are just craving to hear live, nor does it have much of an anthemic appeal that is inevitably going to get fists pumping. It is not so much a flat record as it takes time to appreciate; seeing Divine Fits live is the exact experience necessary to conceive the excellence of the album. Boeckner and Britt Daniel, the third member of the band (as well as the frontman of Spoon), would often swap bass and guitar duties, or at times would both play guitar. This exempted the band from having defined “guitarist” and “bassist” roles, which made the band all the more entertaining to watch live. I do not know if this is true, but the band members seemed to do things spontaneously on stage, in regards to making decisions about what song and/or instrument each member was to play next. Divine Fits live was an entirely different beast than Divine Fits on a CD; every touch the band added to their live performance made each of their songs sound fuller, magnificent and all around far superior to the way the songs sounded on the album.

Daniel, Boeckner and Brown all exhibited a sense of playfulness on stage—an element that one can only view in the early life of a band. In addition, Brown’s proximity to the Columbus hearts in the Newport surely energized Divine Fits. I like to think the smiles seen on all the band members at the end of their encore (consisting of one of their album’s longer tracks, “Shivers,”) provided some sort of assurance to audience members that they would soon come again.

If this was their second show here out of 22 and we know the drummer, I would say we have a pretty good shot.

Reel Big Fish: Concert Review

Reel Big Fish and Streetlight Manifesto take on already psyched crowd.

Date: August 13, 2011

Newport Music Hall: Columbus, Ohio

Columbus ska fans flocked to the Newport Music Hall Saturday night for the chance to see an anticipated show by Reel Big Fish and Streetlight Manifesto.  Chuck Taylors and fedoras galore, the venue packed in quickly as the fans rushed the stage to get the best spot possible.

Rodeo Ruby Love, the first band to go on, was a six-piece from Indiana that set the mood for the show with their upbeat jazz-influenced pop rock. Following them was a punk-ska band from London called New Riot. The loud, fast-paced music, paired with a high energy performance, made the crowd go absolutely wild. After heavy crowd surfing and probably the biggest circle pit Columbus has seen in a long time, the stage was set for Reel Big Fish.

Entering to the Superman theme song, Reel Big Fish took the stage to anxiously awaiting fans. Dirty jokes, dorky outfits, and cheesy acting managed to culminate to an incredibly light hearted and fun show for anyone that was at the Newport. The group connected with the fans in a way that hit home; from the dance floor all the way up to the synchronized balcony. After an incredibly long, yet very enjoyable set, it was time for Streetlight Manifesto to take the stage.

You’d expect that after three great bands the crowd would be worn out, but to my surprise the energy only grew. Streetlight Manifesto burst out of the gate with song after song of fast “in your face” music that everyone loved. Unfortunately, the group’s set time was a little crammed and there was not much time for crowd interaction, but that didn’t hinder the fact that every fan was screaming the lyrics right back at the band. By the time Manifesto’s set was over the crowd was simply left in awe.

Needless to say every group portrayed an incredible performance that was definitely to be remembered as one of Columbus’ most lighthearted, energetic, and flat out fun concerts of the season.

-Zach Earhart