Show Reviews: October B-sides

B-sides this past month was quite the mixed bag. Clare and the Reasons led off on October 6th with soothing chamber pop. To be honest, it provided a pleasant background to socializing more than anything else, mostly due to a lack of rhythm. I would highly recommend them as homework listening. I almost they would return, rather than some of the more interactive acts that have been performing when I need to get work done.

Next up was local outfit Captain of Compliments, who apparently had broken up for months and chose this as their first show back. They evidently didn't think they needed much practice, and it showed. Their supposedly genre-defying sound just sounded like a disorganized collection of songs that didn't know what they were trying to be, an impression only increased by their spastic stage presence. I think it was the 5th b-sides I've walked out of in 3 years on campus.
If the first two shows of October weren't my cup of tea, the final one made up for it in spades. Not one but two up-and-coming hardcore acts graced the stage in Larsen Student Union on the 27th. New Jersey openers Where the Ocean Meets the Sky were the more impressive act from my perspective, with virtually flawless vocals, even while soloing and singing clean vocal simultaneously, showing the benefits of maturity. An Early Ending was definitely the crowd favorite, however, with a much bigger group getting on their feet and moving around a little (to the extent that pacifists mosh) when they hit the stage. A more youthful group, they are supposedly poised to be the next Texas in July (who are supposed to be the next August Burns Red), and evidently the local kids agree. I spent some time talking to both bands afterward, and they all seemed like genuinely nice guys.They were much less dissatisfied than I with the stillness of the crowd, swapping horror stories about various venues out on tour. And for the record, the frontman of WTOMTS is not Zach Galifianakis.