Alkaline Trio and American Steel @ The Catalyst on April 6, 2008.

I had heard that Alkaline Trio was going to play at the The Catalyst in Santa Cruz and that it was going to be a big deal, because they hadn’t played in a while? I think that’s how it was. I didn’t know because I wasn’t a fan, although I do enjoy their music from their earlier releases. For a month I kept hearing ‘This person got tickets”, “Are you going to see Alkaline Trio?”, and “Oh no its sold out”. I’m sure it was exciting since the label they were first on and their first couple of CD’s came out on is near Santa Cruz, so that was cool. Finally the week of the show came, I had overdosed myself with their music and vinyl that I was over them, but my boss was like “If you want to go I can get you in”. The words “I can get you in” got me, so I was like “Sure”.

Yellowcard…and Four Other Bands: An Observation

by Trace William Cowen

Photo by Seth Cowen

After being completely stuck in traffic and ending up mildly lost, though still only about a mile from the venue (Ironically, I’ve been to this place three times; so toss this one up to God’s good sense of humor), my brother and I arrived at the Masquerade in Atlanta, Georgia about ten minutes after doors opened. Following a quick bask in the rush of joy and deep relief that we were finally here and not there, we gathered ourselves and took the stairs to “Heaven,” the top floor. Though I’m far from being what some might consider a cynic, I did come to this show loaded with the opinion that – yes – I was about to see five bands; four of whom, at best, would wave their mediocrity flag quite high for about thirty minutes each, and of course, Yellowcard – a band I’ve enjoyed for the past five or so years. My opinion was proven very right.

October 24th, 2007—The 9:30 Club, Washington, D.C. A high-ceilinged, cavernous room, equipped with the relatively small stage, ample floor space, and spacious balcony seating well-suited for the intimate big band shows the 9:30 Club is known for are all part of the setting visible to the plethora of young rock fans awaiting the headliners of the Sleeping with Giants Tour. It’s approximately 9:00, and after enjoying, and inevitably singing and dancing with and moshing to, the four other bands in the diverse lineup offered to fans on this tour (The Rocket Summer, Sherwood, Armor for Sleep, and the recently added Cobra Starship), the audience is restless, some migrating to the close by merch tables and others even daring to venture to the club’s sports bar.

At the beginning of the month at the renowned venue Merriweather Post Pavilion one of the most highly anticipated musical events in the DC area so far this year occurred. On June 4th, 2007, the artists featured in this year’s Honda Civic Tour, an annual tour generally featuring rock-genre bands, performed in Columbia, Maryland. This year’s lineup featured The Academy Is…, Cobra Starship, +44, and Paul Wall, with the headlining act of the recently famed band Fall Out Boy: a diverse artist selection that certainly attracted a diverse, not to mention large, crowd.

I had been anxiously awaiting May 14th for weeks. I could not have
been more excited about seeing the Damnwells team up with Ari Hest at
the Troubadour in Los Angeles. I have been a long time fan of the
Damnwells and just recently within the past few months have become
very intrigued by Ari Hest, who is not at all new to the folk rock world and
has been releasing albums for a few years now. His latest release
Break In on Columbia was released on May 1st of this year (you need a copy!) and has been quickly gaining the attention of many.

This review of The Bamboozle 2007 was conducted by Andrea Hubbell for Driven Far Off.

On Saturday, May 5th, 2007, a plethora of people from all over the East Coast and possibly US gathered at The Meadowlands Sport Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey. However, this particular event wasn’t sports-related. All of these people traveled from however far to see an annual two day New Jersey, rain-or-shine gathering of various bands and performers known as The Bamboozle.

Switchfoot at the Avalon Theatre
March 30th, 2007
Hollywood, CA

The Foreman brothers, Jon and Tim, and good friend Chad Butler started the band Switchfoot in 1996 in San Diego. Now six albums and countless world tours later, the band has been nominated for a grammy, and won several Dove awards. With the release of Oh! Gravity, the band has begun to regain the commercial success that was somewhat lost with the harsh reception of their last album, Nothing Is Sound.

Anberlin, Bayside, Meg & Dia, Jonezetta
March 10th & 17th, 2007
Pomona, CA at the Glasshouse & Seattle, WA at El Corazon

As you can tell by the above information, I got to do something not many people get to do with this tour. Due a pre-arranged trip, I discovered I would have the opportunity to check out this tour a second time while at home in Seattle. So this review is from two different shows.

Underoath
March 11th, 2007 at the Orange Pavilion
San Bernardino, CA

Last summer I returned home from an international trip with the expectation of attending the Warped Tour the next day and finally seeing one of my favorite bands play songs from their new album. With my best friends thinking I was joking, I solemnly read the announcement that Underoath had dropped off of the Warped Tour, and that no one was really sure of the status of the band. Devastated, I waited patiently, hoping that the band was not set for the untimely demise so many others were encountering.

Take Action Tour 2007 Featuring
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Emery, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, A Static Lullaby and Kaddisfly
Feb 25 @ House Of Blues - Hollywood, CA

Let me start by apologizing to Kaddisfly. I was unable to make it in time, largely in part to the stellar (sarcasm), consistently overpriced parking at HOB. Besides this, there aren’t many things to complain about when it comes to HOB venues. Seemingly always well staffed, and under control, House of Blues concerts always have the big show feel with the smaller venue intimacy.