Spotlight—Meet Me in St. Louis

Sunrise and sunset. Alpha and omega. The beginning and the end.

It’s amazing how some things are gone before you get to appreciate them.

The previous posting I made about the “silent war” on creative hard music was inspired by the band Meet Me in St. Louis. Instead of celebrating a newfound discovery, I’m contemplating a menagerie of “what ifs.” Like so many other creative hard bands, Meet Me in St. Louis broke up without realizing their potential. This break-up served as my personal tipping point.

I’m not going to reiterate what I’ve already said. I will, however, highlight the amazing music this group of individuals made.

So consider this a posthumous edition of Spotlight.

Meet Me in St. Louis was an example of how groundbreaking post-hardcore could still be unearthed, like a nugget of musical gold at the base of a muddy river of blandness and mediocrity. I found out about the English band through my flirtations with Secondsmile and the also-defunct Jairus. The three bands are on the British label Big Scary Monsters. Meet Me in St. Louis had a distinct sound—employing complex time signatures with frenetic guitar work and meandering bass lines. Think post-mathcore.

Borrowing a line from an earlier review I did for a Hot Cross album, Meet Me in St. Louis’ music is an academic listen. But the band still managed to create an approachable sound.

I had been planning to write about the group on BST but never got around to it. Unfortunately, my first article about them will probably be my last. Yet, it’s important to appreciate what Meet Me in St. Louis accomplished during their short lifespan. At least the guys chose to end their experiment quickly instead of picking the popular option—bringing in new band members and risking the complete bastardization of their music.

For now, appreciate the work of Meet Me in St. Louis by watching the video below and by clicking here.

Good luck chaps.

Meet Me in St. Louis—All We Need is a Little Bit of Energon and a Lot of Luck

Warped Tour 2008

DATE: Sunday, June 29th, 2008
LOCATION: Invesco Field, Denver, CO




This year makes 14 years and counting for the summer corporate fest… err… the underground music fest know as Warped Tour. On the way, we were trying to figure out if this was our 10^th or 11^th time going, which led me to the conclusion that we’re getting old… The following is about half review, half editorial, so feel free to comment on anything I include below.

Anyway, when I first saw this year’s lineup, I noticed a number of bands that caught my eye, but I didn’t see a lot that would catch everyone else’s. When we arrived at the ticket counter, my assumption was correct. Sure, 18,000 is a ton of people, but I’ve also seen it sell out before the 1^st band takes the stage. Between the lighter crowd and the fact that it wasn’t 100 degrees, the day started out on a good note.

As always, we went back and checked in at the press tent to set up interviews and hoping to get a schedule of the day’s sets. I was informed that this year they were “going green”, which led me back to the giant inflatable schedule surrounded by at least half of the 18,000 people in the venue. I understand being environmentally friendly, but “going green” at Warped Tour is like telling me that you put E85 in your Escalade…

After sorting through that mess, we laid our schedule for the day. We planned a route that would fit with our interview schedule and would hopefully allow us to catch a little of everything.

Our first band we caught, albeit brief, was Story of the Year. They were the 1^st band of the day playing on one of the main stages. Their set started while we were sorting through the schedule. This is where the other half of the crowd was during the first 30 minutes. I was able to pay attention to handful of songs. I caught the staple “Until the Day I Die” and a few songs from the recently released album, The Black Swan. We were a little too far back for pictures at this point, and I wasn’t about to fight my way to the front at that point. At the end of their set, the crowd split up toward the various stages scattered throughout the venue.

Next up on our agenda was Evergreen Terrace. I set the bar pretty high for their set. Based on the amount of energy they pour into a full set, I expected nothing less from a shortened 30 minute set. I wasn’t disappointed. They played a couple of older songs, highlighted by “No Donnie, These Men Are Nihilists”. Over half of their set was devoted to songs of their recent album, Wolfbiker. As Florida’s resident “cover” band, they tore it up on the gem “Mad World” by Tears for Fears from their covers album, Writer’s Block. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen so many confused little kids in my life, but it was hands down their best song.

Making it easy on the fans of the heavy stuff, August Burns Red started on the stage right next to Evergreen Terrace as soon as their set ended. Needless to say, there was fairly large contingent of the “God Squad” today, but I’ll try to focus on the music and performances. August Burns Red is almost a guilty pleasure for someone like me. I don’t agree with their outlook on life (although Messengers isn’t too preachy), but I definitely agree with their musical abilities. We had a discussion during their set comparing them to Unearth (musically, that is). We came to the conclusion that the talent is there, and Jake Luhrs voice is similar to Trevor’s, but the raw energy that makes Unearth so great just isn’t there. There set wasn’t boring by any means, but after being spoiled for years with a band that sounds similar and outperforms everyone, it’s hardly fair. August Burns Red mixed in a few songs from Thrill Seeker and ended the set with “Composure” which was a nice end to a solid set.

We took a little break from watching to wander around the band tents and corporate row. I’ll try to save some of my frustration for a different article, but there were some things that are hard to ignore. First on my list, when did it become okay for a band to charge $20 for a T-shirt? I realize that costs have gone up, inflation, blah, blah, blah. Regardless of all that, it is still price gauging. It doesn’t cost $20 to make and distribute a shirt. And it’s events like Warped Tour that allow bands and labels to get away with it. The “Hot Topic” mentality that it’s okay to pay that much for a shirt has driven up prices for everyone. I want to say thanks to the bands that were charging $15 or less. For a festival that started as a way to celebrate the “counter” culture, it’s sure looks like capitalism is still winning.

Next on my list was the “Truth” tent. Don’t get me wrong, I was young and dumb once, and I think that young kids need to know about the dangers of smoking. I think that focusing on the facts it is expensive and unhealthy should scare off a good number of those thinking about smoking. With that said, when we were checking out some of the band tents nearby, I overheard as they held a “Bikini Contest”. What exactly does that have to do with smoking? What’s next? A wet T-shirt contest? If this is their marketing tactic to inform people about smoking, they should re-evaluate their approach. This takes the seriousness and integrity out of their message.

That’s enough of my ranting for now. Next up on the agenda was A Day to Remember. Being that I would describe this band as a “sing along” type hardcore band (however cliché and cheesy their sound might be), I expected an energetic set with lots of crowd involvement. Unfortunately, this isn’t what we saw. It wasn’t a bad performance, but maybe a big, open air stage didn’t capture the energy of the band. I definitely wasn’t feeling it. The one high/lowlight (depends on how you look at it) was the cover of Kelly Clarkson’s “Since You’ve Been Gone”. It was cliché, but at the same time, it was hilarious. And anyone who’s heard that song knows how damn catchy it is.

We headed back to the main stage to watch Against Me! I was surprised that the crowd wasn’t larger. The last time I saw them at Warped, it was like squeezing 10,000 kids into a Yugo. This was the most entertaining set of the day. While I wish they had played a few more of their older songs, they still hammered out “Sink, Florida, Sink”, “Pints of Guinness Make You Strong”, and “Don’t Lose Touch”. The rest of their set was devoted to songs from their album New Wave. The only downside was when a fight erupted halfway through their set. Despite the interruption, this was one of the highlights of the day.

Our next endeavor was interviews. I think the one we did with Rody of Protest the Hero was one of the most entertaining interviews I’ve ever done. I’ll be posting that at a later date. You won’t want to miss it.

Although it was only in the upper 80’s, it was starting to take a toll on us. We had no intentions of staying all day (even though As I Lay Dying was headlining at 7:30), but we decided to revise our schedule a little. While we were walking to the next set, I found something that really got under my skin. Sure, I could go on and on about the $7 beer or the $6 burgers (which none of us purchased), but low and behold, one of the Sunglasses, Sunscreen, and Batteries tents was selling a photocopied version of the set schedule for $2 each. I had noticed a few in the crowd, and I had begun to wonder where they were finding these. So congratulations, this is what “going green” produced. Another reason for someone to make a buck and another reason for me to bitch. Just lovely.

Further compounding my sense of annoyance, I had to sit through about 4 or 5 Reliant K songs waiting for Pennywise. I tried to have an open mind with this band since I wasn’t familiar with them and I didn’t know much about them. What I found out is that they are poppy, generic and topped with a huge dash of Jesus (see my “God Squad” comments). Thanks to their extended set and the tight scheduling, I knew I wouldn’t see much of Pennywise.

Hands down, the biggest crowd we saw during our time at Warped was for Pennywise. A late addition to the bill, I think everyone was happy to see them. They started with two songs from the new album Reason to Believe. The band and crowd were very energetic. Our schedule caught up with us, so I was only able to catch one more song as we walked toward a different stage.

Regardless of my personal feelings about Protest the Hero, even an objective person would have recognized the tragedy of this band playing the Ernie Ball truck. This band was, hands down, the most talented band at Warped Tour. Musically, there wasn’t another band in their league, and yet here there were, playing one of the smallest stages in the venue. This further fuels my frustration of how this event works. 2 years ago, this band was playing a bigger stage at the same event. They certainly haven’t regressed. Pathetic. Anyway, their set was rock solid. They played a fairly even mix of tracks from Kezia and the recent Fortress. They ended with “No Stars Over Bethlehem” and capped a decent Warped Tour for me.

We caught two Every Time I Die songs as we were leaving, and I was a bit disappointed with the overlap with Protest the Hero’s set. I would have liked to have seen more, but it seemed like they were doing a good job and keep the crowd entertained.

All of my nitpicking aside, this wasn’t a bad year at Warped. Sure, I’ve had better, but I’ve also had much worse. All of the negatives aside, it’s the music that keeps pulling me back every year. And I guess that is all that matters.

A Hardcore Catharsis

There’s a silent war being waged against creative hard music. Driving tempos are being replaced by comatose adagios. Rawness is giving way to repose. Folk is the new metal.

I may seem melodramatic, but underground rock is truly taking the edge off. It’s becoming lackadaisical—lobotomized by simplicity. Aggressive sub-genres are getting forced into anger management.

So many talented bands are disintegrating. And so many other bands are changing. Or as I look at it, devolving.

Yet there are other off shoots of underground rock that are thriving, nourished by bands that play music antagonistic to the kind that I love and write about. Music that doesn’t push the envelope—or push much of anything.

For every Taken that goes into oblivion, a new Tilly and the Wall gets its wings.

Should we really need to argue the artistic merit of Glassjaw versus Head Automatica?

It’s unbelievable. I feel like a renegade in a crowd of hipster conformists. My kind dwindles as each day passes, folding under the pressure of obnoxious condescension.

Are we a bunch of children? Clamoring to sing-along to silliness? I’ve had enough of the keyboards, clapping, and cavorting. If I wanted to get into a trance, I’d listen to more trance.

The End of an Era

It's quite ironic that I'm writing about the downfall of one of my favorite bands during the renaissance of this site, but I thought this was an appropriate way to start a new era by talking about the end of another.

Hopesfall, one of my favorite bands of all time, recently broke up. To many of you, this is old news. But I just found out about this within the last few weeks, and I think it's worth taking a little time to reminisce about the band.

The first time I heard Hopesfall, I was still getting into the whole underground rock scene. I had never heard such an amazing combination of ferocious hardcore and gentle melody before, and I was hooked from the beginning. For a good year, I listened to the No Wings to Speak Of EP on a daily basis. I couldn't get enough of it, and I salivated for the band's upcoming full-length release that I had been hearing about. That release turned out to be The Satellite Years, an instant classic that combined the passionate sound from the EP with a suave space rock touch.

To me, the band could do no wrong. Hopesfall was at the top of its game. It didn't matter that the band was going through lineup changes. The sound was still there, and it was evolving into something truly special. When I got word of a new release, entitled A Types, I was awaiting a genre-redefining effort. This was sure to be an album that would obliterate my playlist and earn a permanent place in my everyday catalog.

In reality, A Types turned out to be a colossal disappointment, a blatant attempt to penetrate the mainstream. The hardcore. The organic song structures. The soul of the music. All gone. In their place, a tried-and-true amalgamation of tired melodies and hard rock inspired vocals. Hopesfall's last release, 2007's Magnetic North, attempted to bring the sound back to a more aggressive place. But it too was uninspired and simply, not Hopesfall.

In the end, Hopesfall wasn't Hopesfall. The band had gone through myriad member changes. The last lineup did not include one single member that was involved in No Wings to Speak Of. A pseudo-reunion was attempted last year, when Adam Morgan returned to the band. But the reunion was short-lived. Once 2008 hit, the band imploded.

While this may read like a tragic obituary, I do want to celebrate the achievements that the band accomplished. Hopesfall will always be remembered for the sound it created in its melodic hardcore heyday, which inspired a new generation of bands. The chorus effect-driven guitars will live on in mp3 players around the world and in the hearts of those who will never forget what truly made this band special.

I only have one thing to say to Hopesfall: thank you.



Hopesfall performing The End of an Era, one of my favorite songs ever and the song that defined No Wings to Speak Of.