Saturday night my sister and I drove down to Towson (MD) for The Apathy Eulogy's CD release show at the Recher Theatre. The show had sold out all the venue tickets in advance, so we myspaced (yeah, I just used that as a verb) the band to get some of their tickets, they called us back, and the box player gave them to us in person, which was pretty sweet.
This was the best possible show idea a local band could have-not only was TAE having a CD released, but Dropout Year was releasing a new album, and Oh the Story was releasing an EP. Offering a free copy of each of these new records with every ticket purchased, along with a free CD from Maddison, they easily packed out the Theatre.
The Recher is in a great location in the center of a college town near both Baltimore and DC, within walking distance of food, parking, and shopping-all key parts of pre- and post-show activity.
Openers Victory By Revenge got things started with a cover of Lady GaGa's "Just Dance", building to the climactic "Pillowfight", when they literally threw pillows into the crowd in a great bit of crowd interaction. They put on a pretty good show, obviously enjoying themselves opening for Dropout Year (for whose set they were visible backstage rocking out and singing along).
Maddison was a totally different vibe. The frontman's vocals, though enthusiastic, sung into an old-style microphone, and even decent on record, sound like a third-rate imitation of a cross between The Blood Brothers and Coheed and Cambria live. The bass player's backup vocals and occasional screaming sounded much better. The band's instrumentals were excellent (especially the lead guitar), and they put on an energetic live show, but I just couldn't seem to get past the lead vocal.
Oh the Story's powerpop was a great change of pace, with spot on vocals from a frontman obviously having a ball being a rockstar, claiming he secretly wants to be in a metal band and putting on a show comparable to any screamo or hardcore band, just with a much mellower sound and catchier choruses. I found myself singing and dancing along to music I'd never heard before, drawn in by the band's electric stage presence and the crowd's visible enthusiasm.
Local stalwarts Dropout Year celebrated the release of their new album in style, playing an even mix of old songs and new jams to a crowd filled with old friends that they occasionally shouted out throughout the show. Refreshingly unscene in a lineup of bands that appear and attract the scenest of the scene, their pop-punk anthems had the crowd at their beck and call for most of their lengthy set.
Headlining the evening was the band I came to see-The Apathy Eulogy. Recommended by my friend Reuben (who once did their photography) and Sara (who was my new band news girl throughout high school), I've been a fan since I first saw them at Purple Door a few years ago-a gig they got by winning a contest. Seeing them at a club near their hometown was a great experience. For once I wasn't one of the few singing along with every song, but in a crowd filled with others who loved them just as much as I did. Their tight harmonies (recently augmented by the addition of a bassist who also sings), interplay of acoustic guitars, synth, and the box makes for a standout sound in the world of ridiculously catchy lyrical "emo" and "indie" pop. Performing several of the new songs along with nearly all their most-beloved older ones, they put on a great show. I highly recommend you go see them whenever you get the chance (they're playing in Manassas, VA on Friday and will be back in Bmore on May 2nd).
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