Live: The Dear Hunter and Days Away

Yesterday, Sunday May 27, 2007 “The Dear Hunter” played at the Trocadero in Philadelphia with “Days Away” and “Person L.” If you’ve never been, the Troc is very small and a great spot for an intimate show. However, it’s not without its flaws. The standing room is very cramped, which is to be expected and it got hot very quickly. One of the biggest drawbacks is that after each set, the band who just finished had the lug all their gear off the front of the stage and through the crowd. It obviously doesn’t affect the quality of the show itself, but it was a minor annoyance. Secondly, the sound tech (for this show at least) had amateur and douche bag written all over him. Throughout the show (even during sets) he shoved his way through the crowd to get on stage and fiddle with something several times, and each time it wasn’t quite apparent what exactly he was doing, besides annoying the crowd.

Now, to the more important part of this review: First up was “Person L.” I’m actually sure if “The Starting Line” is still around or if Ken Vasoli (their lead singer) is just working on this side project. What really matters though, is that they weren’t very good at all. Their music wasn’t exactly very refined and it lacked anything of interest. In order to try to keep the crowd interested Vasoli (on guitar) over acted and jumped around a whole lot, not always during parts of songs you might expect a little bit of action. Sadly, their most enjoyable song was a cover of a song by “The Roots.” To give them some credit, they said it was only their third show ever, but I don’t think they’re going to improve too too much.

Second up for the night was “Days Away.” Prior to the show I’d never put too much interest in them. All I had ever heard from them was an older release the “ESP EP.” However, after seeing them, I intend to seek out some of their other stuff, including their new album when it comes out. Their music was very tight and it was immediately obvious that they’ve been around for some time (1998 specifically). Their new music was interesting and fits perfectly into their indie and at times almost ambient sound. The lead singer reproduces his high vocals with rock solid accuracy and the back up work of the rest of the band was also excellent.

The point of the night, however, was “The Dear Hunter” and they delivered! At the beginning of the show, it wasn’t obvious if the crowd was there for The Dear Hunter or if it was mostly comprised of little girl fans of “The Starting Line.” However, it became immediately clear that it was The Dear Hunter that drew the crowd. Throughout their set the audience screamed all of the words at the top of their lungs. Somewhat disappointingly they only played about 6 songs, but their set lasted all of an hour, including one encore. Their sound was excellent even without all the bells and whistles of the studio recording. The show was thoroughly worth the wait and the hot cramped setting.

Below are a few pictures from the show plus three videos. Enjoy!


Person L




Days Away




The Dear Hunter





Days Away

The Dear Hunter - The Church and The Dime

The Dear Hunter - Red Hands

Live: Sound the Alarm with Sandlot Heroes with Exclusive Live Video!

Tonight there was another small show at the Hawk’s Nest on campus. It’s funny how it almost exactly mirrored last week’s show. Two bands, one better than the other by far, and hardly anyone in the crowd. I suppose no one in the crowd isn’t a big deal financially because the university pays them to come, they don’t rely on ticket sales, but it can’t be so much fun for the bands.

Sandlot Heroes opened up. They’re pretty basic pop-punk, the hometown hero type. I can’t say they were bad, but they weren’t exactly impressive. One of the best things they’ve got going for them is the drummer’s girlfriend, who is quite the looker. Joking aside, their songs are catchy, but lack depth. They display all the telltale signs of a small time band, which isn’t necessarily bad. The typical four-piece is complete with guitarist/lead singer who’s got the gelled up almost punk-esque hair, his short and built companion complete with hat, the odd-man-out bassist, and the not-quite-Travis Barker-drummer. He even had the Famous Stars and Straps fitted, just not quite enough tattoos. Their performance wasn’t bad but far from perfect, but at the price of free, I can’t complain too much.

The treat of the night was Sound the Alarm, an oh my god, real band, on an actual label (Geffen). Their performance was tight, both in sound and stage antics. As is often the case, after seeing them live, I appreciate them a lot more than I would have otherwise. I’ll actually be looking into their CD, which is out in June. Although, I feel I might have been a bit of a dick when I confessed I might not end up paying for it. I did, however, contribute a few bucks to the beer-fund and snatched a two-song sampler, which I got signed by two of the members.

Their songs are fairly catchy and full-bodied. They’re not just a few chords and whiney vocals. Instead it is clear that there is real musicianship behind their work, and for this I commend them. They also explained that this was the first time they played through their entire album (except one track) live and I have to say it was thoroughly enjoyable. This was also the first time they played “Fight For” live. And guess what! I got a video of it!

Check out some of the photos below (and the video of “Fight For”). Plus check them both out on myspace!

The Moog with The Crash Moderns, Live

I said that I intended to blog some of the shows that I go to, and tonight was the first one that I’ve been to since then. Tonight, March 31 The Moog played with The Crash Moderns at The Hawks Nest (a super small venue) at my school, The University of Hartford.

The Crash Modern was up first. They played five songs, and from what I heard on their myspace prior to the show, the songs were instantly recognizable. They’ve got a pretty bland pop-punk sound, but they put on a fairly good live show. I suppose I must have liked them a sufficient amount because I ended up buying their five song EP at the end of the night. I talked to them afterwards for a few minutes and they were super thankful that I was buying their CD and thanked me for coming out.

This past week I checked them out on myspace (as I’ve already eluded to) and I really wasn’t very interested in them, but I decided that I’d go because it’s always enjoyable to see live music. I’ve got to say, though, that they were a lot better live than I was expecting. It’s clear that they are well rehearsed and their music was tight. One of the biggest drawbacks that I noticed, from their recordings was their lead singers voice. However, throughout the course of their set, his voice fit perfectly with their energetic live style.

The main attraction of the night was The Moog, who came all the way from Budapest, Hungary. They were also very good live. I’d say that from what I heard prior to the show, that I was even less interested in them than I was with The Crash Moderns, but after the show I was much more impressed with them. Their first single, “I Like You” is catchy and fun, both recorded (which can be found on their myspace) and live. Like their counterparts they were also very well rehearsed and sounded tight. The biggest drawback of their set was their lead singer. It was not that his vocals were lacking live, but it was his performance. As much as I tend to poke fun at lead singers with gimmicks, he could have used one. While he was singing he stood complacently, and while he was not, he also stood blankly.

Overall I enjoyed the show, especially the fact that it was free. If I had a bit more money on me I might have also opted to buy The Moog’s CD although, I’ve got to say it was a little bit pricey ($13 for 10 tracks).

I took a plethora of pictures of The Moog and videos of a bunch of their songs, which you’ll find below. I encourage you to check out both bands, and I wholeheartedly suggest The Moog. After seeing them live, I’ve grown an appreciation for what I had heard from them before.



I made The Crash Moderns sign their EP








































All videos should be working!