The Summer Set, Hey Monday, The Cab, et al at The Senator 4/1/10
The Thursday Night Market runs April to September, which means things are busy downtown. I have to park a whole two and a half blocks away.
This line is incredibly long:
When this was a movie theater, this was where you parked.
Three groups in front of me is the cutest round-cheeked semi-androgynous boy (if this were a book, he'd be ftm trans) with a mohawk and both ears pierced. He's wearing a Marsh Junior High sweatshirt, and he keeps laughing, even as one of his friends physically picks him up to move him up the line.
We're missing whoever the first opener is. I have a sad feeling it's The Summer Set, which has the girl drummer.
Just before the door, I see two girls with cameras and laminated press passes that say "Saga." The Saga is the school paper at the high school I went to. Precious!
I'm so sorry I missed the beginning of The Summer Set's set. They are young and adorable, and totally rocking. Their singer says they're going to cover a song by "my friend Taylor," and they do "You Belong To Me." He does it straight up - no changing pronouns or any weirdness about it being "your girlfriend." I totally have issues about this song now, but I kind of love them covering it.
They close with "Chelsea." When I first saw the video for it, I thought they were way too young to be making Saved By The Bell references, but having seen them on stage, it totally works for their cute, easygoing vibe. A+, would see them again.
The place is packed. When I joked about there being no one in the seats and a crowded pit at the TAI show, I didn't realize that it actually wasn't that full. (Lesson learned: fandom is not a good barometer of actual popularity.) Don't these kids have school tomorrow?
I'm more with the pit in temperament, but I'm standing just behind it, with the kids who are too excited to sit but too cool to be in the pit.
There's a mom in the second row reading a book.
The guy doing the soundcheck checks one of the guitars with what I'm pretty sure is the opening riff to "Party In The USA."
I'm horribly allergic to something. I decide it's probably the cologne of the dudes near me, and spend a little time on the aisle on the other side.
When I was listening to these bands online so I would have some idea who they were when I went to see them, I really liked Every Avenue. They're a bit much in person. It's very loud, and his repeated "get off your fucking feet" comes across as very affected. I love the guy (guitarist? bassist? Someone needs to teach me how to tell them apart.) with the red instrument. I think at first that he kept stepping up onto something on the stage, but then he steps back and it turns out he's actually about a million feet tall.
The lead singer crowd surfs. He loses his hat. Security looks worried. He grabs his hat back and throws it onto the stage. The guitarists and bassist end the set with coordinated raising of instruments.
I keep ending up near this guy with piercings and a studded leather jacket. He smiles very sweetly and apologizes for being half in front of me.
Hey Monday's soundcheck guys are adorable. Cassadee comes out with more energy than the entire crowd, and I'm already a little in love with her.
As a band they're pretty cuddly. (GSF anyone?) One of the guys goes over to talk to another, and when I catch them out of the corner of my eye (because I'm focused on Cassadee), for a moment it looks like one of them is licking the other's neck. Cassadee touches at least two of them on the chest.
Cassadee tells us that it's been two years since their album came out, and they're a little tired of playing the same songs, so they learned a cover. She says, "You may not know this one," and then asks if we know the Goo Goo Dolls. She asks us to jump when she jumps. They play a totally rock cover of "Slide." She jumps during the chorus, and so does the audience - including the old guys just behind the pit. When I say "old guys," I don't mean my age old. One of them is probably forty-ish. The other one is at least fifty. He looks so much like a PE teacher I'm tempted to get out my yearbooks and look him up. They also jump for "Homecoming." I very much like "Homecoming," and "Candles," for which Cassadee plays guitar. Musically, I'm not hugely into them, but I would read all the fic in the world about Cassadee Pope, rock star.
Before they close the set, Cassadee tells us, "I want you to crowd surf. I want you to mosh. I want one of you to get thrown out of here." The crowd doesn't quite live up to that, but they put in a good effort.
I can tell I haven't been to ballet in a long time: my calves are killing me. (I tend to bounce on my toes rather than jump. I worry about kids jumping improperly and ruining their knees. Also, my bag bangs into my side weirdly when I jump.)
The old guys have left. They were apparently only here for Hey Monday.
The guy doing soundcheck on the mics for The Cab soundchecks them by name instead of mic position: "Alex Marshall's mic." The crowd cheers every time. There seem to be a lot of people on stage.
Everyone else comes out very dramatically to thunder and lightning music. The Cab babies sort of wander on stage. Alex Johnson comes out to his drum kit, and the crowd doesn't seem to notice. Once the whole band is on the stage, I realize that the guys doing bass and guitar soundcheck are actually Joey and new guy Charles. I only know which one is which because I've heard about Joey's red hair. It's very red.
Johnson is less pretty when drumming. He's concentrating very hard. Marshall's more manly now, which is not my thing. New guy Charles is, at least from my perspective on the floor, seriously hot, even despite the way the design on his shirt makes it look like he's wearing a baby sling.
Marshall and Singer play to Johnson, but not to the new guys, who are left to play only to each other. At some point, Marshall slings his guitar around his back and leans over to play piano.
They start with "Take My Hand." After that, they do the first verse of "Use Somebody." It's wonderful. I'm sad when they stop.
Singer looks really good. He likes to drop to his knees to sing. (I'll let you make the leering faces and comments.)
They also play "Bounce," "One of THOSE Nights," "Risky Business," and end with "I'll Run," which is my favorite Cab song. They're kind of an odd band; they don't really have a cohesive sound. Their songs are all kind of different.
Jess from The Summer Set watches part of the set from side stage.
The old guys come back during the set. They just went for sodas.
schuyler would approve of the way Singer says that some bands don't appreciate their audience, and then thanks us for coming to the show, listening to their music, and buying merch. He also promises they'll hang out after the show, so I head out to the lobby between acts to see if they're hanging around. Singer comes through, and is very abrupt with people who ask for pictures, including me. He doesn't wait for me to accost someone standing around, but instead holds the other side of the camera to hold it steady so I can take the picture at arms' length.
Jess is also hanging out, and she and Singer have a moment of goofing off together.
Jess is amazing. I hang out behind a group of four teenage girls and listen to her ask all their names, encourage them to play drums, ask them how far away Marysville is when they say they're going to Warped there, and say, "Do you want a picture?" When it's my turn, she introduces herself, asks my name, and says, "Thank you," when I tell her their set was wonderful. She tells me a lot of people don't get there early enough to see them, and I confess I was in line for part of it, and I'm sorry I missed it. She hugs me before she moves on to the next set of girls. I can't tell you how much I love that she is warm and happy to talk to other girls. I'm super tempted to go to Warped just to see her band again.
Never Shout Never is last. The idea behind the AP Tour seems to be "one of these things is not like the other." This time it's the headliner.
I'm skeptical. When I was listening to him online beforehand, I wasn't excited about him. He's wearing a fuzzy hat with what might be bear ears. But I'm kind of charmed and have to go down to the floor.
I had never heard of this guy before this tour, and yet every person in the audience knows every word to every song.
He's kind of like the JoBros: he's the name, but he has a large band, most of whom are older than him, and he's wearing weird clothes. There's a scarf tied to the mic stand like he's Mick Jagger, and a floor lamp on stage between the drummer and the miscellaneous percussionist.
His band is an older guy with scruff on bass (I finally figure out I can count the number of tuning pegs [is that the right word?] to distinguish which is which), who I take to referring to in my head as Garbo; another older guy with a full beard on keyboards; a slightly older guy on drums; a guy on miscellaneous percussion; and a guitarist who looks like your stereotypical fat kid from a movie. I'm so shocked to see him that I realize how little we see fat people on stage. I'm also delighted.
I can't decide if I'm charmed or if he's too precious. He intros every song with "This is a song about," which I find kind of annoying; I think songs should stand on their own. On the other hand, it works to get the crowd excited. He starts the intro to "I love you 5," and someone from the audience calls out, "I love you six!" He laughs and loves it.
The old guys jump for Never Shout Never.
I think what I don't like about him is the way he says, "our generation," as if they're the only generation that's ever though love could change the world. I'm irked on behalf of the hippies of my parents' generation.
The crowd chants, "One more song," and he comes out and says, "This song is about my past." I laugh, and think, "You're not old enough to have a past!" During the song, he drops to his knees to play to the fat kid.
Joey is hanging out in the lobby. I don't go chat with him, but he's pretty adorable. He could be related to Marshall.
I wander around the corner and join the crowd waiting to meet Cassadee. She's behind a rope, but you can go around it to get to whomever is farther up the street. Cassadee signs a lot of shirts, and a pair of pants.
I decide I don't want to meet Never Shout Never, and if Joey's in the lobby, The Cab probably isn't hanging around out here, and head back to my car.
When I get in the car and turn on the radio, "Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)" is on, and it leads into "Use Somebody."
Special thanks to stevie-roche for loaning me her camera.
This line is incredibly long:
When this was a movie theater, this was where you parked.
Three groups in front of me is the cutest round-cheeked semi-androgynous boy (if this were a book, he'd be ftm trans) with a mohawk and both ears pierced. He's wearing a Marsh Junior High sweatshirt, and he keeps laughing, even as one of his friends physically picks him up to move him up the line.
We're missing whoever the first opener is. I have a sad feeling it's The Summer Set, which has the girl drummer.
Just before the door, I see two girls with cameras and laminated press passes that say "Saga." The Saga is the school paper at the high school I went to. Precious!
I'm so sorry I missed the beginning of The Summer Set's set. They are young and adorable, and totally rocking. Their singer says they're going to cover a song by "my friend Taylor," and they do "You Belong To Me." He does it straight up - no changing pronouns or any weirdness about it being "your girlfriend." I totally have issues about this song now, but I kind of love them covering it.
They close with "Chelsea." When I first saw the video for it, I thought they were way too young to be making Saved By The Bell references, but having seen them on stage, it totally works for their cute, easygoing vibe. A+, would see them again.
The place is packed. When I joked about there being no one in the seats and a crowded pit at the TAI show, I didn't realize that it actually wasn't that full. (Lesson learned: fandom is not a good barometer of actual popularity.) Don't these kids have school tomorrow?
I'm more with the pit in temperament, but I'm standing just behind it, with the kids who are too excited to sit but too cool to be in the pit.
There's a mom in the second row reading a book.
The guy doing the soundcheck checks one of the guitars with what I'm pretty sure is the opening riff to "Party In The USA."
I'm horribly allergic to something. I decide it's probably the cologne of the dudes near me, and spend a little time on the aisle on the other side.
When I was listening to these bands online so I would have some idea who they were when I went to see them, I really liked Every Avenue. They're a bit much in person. It's very loud, and his repeated "get off your fucking feet" comes across as very affected. I love the guy (guitarist? bassist? Someone needs to teach me how to tell them apart.) with the red instrument. I think at first that he kept stepping up onto something on the stage, but then he steps back and it turns out he's actually about a million feet tall.
The lead singer crowd surfs. He loses his hat. Security looks worried. He grabs his hat back and throws it onto the stage. The guitarists and bassist end the set with coordinated raising of instruments.
I keep ending up near this guy with piercings and a studded leather jacket. He smiles very sweetly and apologizes for being half in front of me.
Hey Monday's soundcheck guys are adorable. Cassadee comes out with more energy than the entire crowd, and I'm already a little in love with her.
As a band they're pretty cuddly. (GSF anyone?) One of the guys goes over to talk to another, and when I catch them out of the corner of my eye (because I'm focused on Cassadee), for a moment it looks like one of them is licking the other's neck. Cassadee touches at least two of them on the chest.
Cassadee tells us that it's been two years since their album came out, and they're a little tired of playing the same songs, so they learned a cover. She says, "You may not know this one," and then asks if we know the Goo Goo Dolls. She asks us to jump when she jumps. They play a totally rock cover of "Slide." She jumps during the chorus, and so does the audience - including the old guys just behind the pit. When I say "old guys," I don't mean my age old. One of them is probably forty-ish. The other one is at least fifty. He looks so much like a PE teacher I'm tempted to get out my yearbooks and look him up. They also jump for "Homecoming." I very much like "Homecoming," and "Candles," for which Cassadee plays guitar. Musically, I'm not hugely into them, but I would read all the fic in the world about Cassadee Pope, rock star.
Before they close the set, Cassadee tells us, "I want you to crowd surf. I want you to mosh. I want one of you to get thrown out of here." The crowd doesn't quite live up to that, but they put in a good effort.
I can tell I haven't been to ballet in a long time: my calves are killing me. (I tend to bounce on my toes rather than jump. I worry about kids jumping improperly and ruining their knees. Also, my bag bangs into my side weirdly when I jump.)
The old guys have left. They were apparently only here for Hey Monday.
The guy doing soundcheck on the mics for The Cab soundchecks them by name instead of mic position: "Alex Marshall's mic." The crowd cheers every time. There seem to be a lot of people on stage.
Everyone else comes out very dramatically to thunder and lightning music. The Cab babies sort of wander on stage. Alex Johnson comes out to his drum kit, and the crowd doesn't seem to notice. Once the whole band is on the stage, I realize that the guys doing bass and guitar soundcheck are actually Joey and new guy Charles. I only know which one is which because I've heard about Joey's red hair. It's very red.
Johnson is less pretty when drumming. He's concentrating very hard. Marshall's more manly now, which is not my thing. New guy Charles is, at least from my perspective on the floor, seriously hot, even despite the way the design on his shirt makes it look like he's wearing a baby sling.
Marshall and Singer play to Johnson, but not to the new guys, who are left to play only to each other. At some point, Marshall slings his guitar around his back and leans over to play piano.
They start with "Take My Hand." After that, they do the first verse of "Use Somebody." It's wonderful. I'm sad when they stop.
Singer looks really good. He likes to drop to his knees to sing. (I'll let you make the leering faces and comments.)
They also play "Bounce," "One of THOSE Nights," "Risky Business," and end with "I'll Run," which is my favorite Cab song. They're kind of an odd band; they don't really have a cohesive sound. Their songs are all kind of different.
Jess from The Summer Set watches part of the set from side stage.
The old guys come back during the set. They just went for sodas.
schuyler would approve of the way Singer says that some bands don't appreciate their audience, and then thanks us for coming to the show, listening to their music, and buying merch. He also promises they'll hang out after the show, so I head out to the lobby between acts to see if they're hanging around. Singer comes through, and is very abrupt with people who ask for pictures, including me. He doesn't wait for me to accost someone standing around, but instead holds the other side of the camera to hold it steady so I can take the picture at arms' length.
Jess is also hanging out, and she and Singer have a moment of goofing off together.
Jess is amazing. I hang out behind a group of four teenage girls and listen to her ask all their names, encourage them to play drums, ask them how far away Marysville is when they say they're going to Warped there, and say, "Do you want a picture?" When it's my turn, she introduces herself, asks my name, and says, "Thank you," when I tell her their set was wonderful. She tells me a lot of people don't get there early enough to see them, and I confess I was in line for part of it, and I'm sorry I missed it. She hugs me before she moves on to the next set of girls. I can't tell you how much I love that she is warm and happy to talk to other girls. I'm super tempted to go to Warped just to see her band again.
Never Shout Never is last. The idea behind the AP Tour seems to be "one of these things is not like the other." This time it's the headliner.
I'm skeptical. When I was listening to him online beforehand, I wasn't excited about him. He's wearing a fuzzy hat with what might be bear ears. But I'm kind of charmed and have to go down to the floor.
I had never heard of this guy before this tour, and yet every person in the audience knows every word to every song.
He's kind of like the JoBros: he's the name, but he has a large band, most of whom are older than him, and he's wearing weird clothes. There's a scarf tied to the mic stand like he's Mick Jagger, and a floor lamp on stage between the drummer and the miscellaneous percussionist.
His band is an older guy with scruff on bass (I finally figure out I can count the number of tuning pegs [is that the right word?] to distinguish which is which), who I take to referring to in my head as Garbo; another older guy with a full beard on keyboards; a slightly older guy on drums; a guy on miscellaneous percussion; and a guitarist who looks like your stereotypical fat kid from a movie. I'm so shocked to see him that I realize how little we see fat people on stage. I'm also delighted.
I can't decide if I'm charmed or if he's too precious. He intros every song with "This is a song about," which I find kind of annoying; I think songs should stand on their own. On the other hand, it works to get the crowd excited. He starts the intro to "I love you 5," and someone from the audience calls out, "I love you six!" He laughs and loves it.
The old guys jump for Never Shout Never.
I think what I don't like about him is the way he says, "our generation," as if they're the only generation that's ever though love could change the world. I'm irked on behalf of the hippies of my parents' generation.
The crowd chants, "One more song," and he comes out and says, "This song is about my past." I laugh, and think, "You're not old enough to have a past!" During the song, he drops to his knees to play to the fat kid.
Joey is hanging out in the lobby. I don't go chat with him, but he's pretty adorable. He could be related to Marshall.
I wander around the corner and join the crowd waiting to meet Cassadee. She's behind a rope, but you can go around it to get to whomever is farther up the street. Cassadee signs a lot of shirts, and a pair of pants.
I decide I don't want to meet Never Shout Never, and if Joey's in the lobby, The Cab probably isn't hanging around out here, and head back to my car.
When I get in the car and turn on the radio, "Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)" is on, and it leads into "Use Somebody."
Special thanks to stevie-roche for loaning me her camera.