Rise Against, Alkaline Trio, Thrice, Gaslight Anthem
Roseland Ballroom, NYC
October 13, 2008

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It’s been a few years since melodic hardcore giants Rise Against played Manhattan and the hipster saturated island has been starving for some decent rock & roll. Luckily, the Chicago-based quartet brought a healthy dose of adrenaline-charged punk rock along with a nice medley of opening bands to fatten up the trolls in skinny jeans.

On paper, the support for the evening leaned towards emo, but in truth, what sounds lame on Fuse comes off much better in a live hall. Case in point, Gaslight Anthem. For weeks these tattooed Jersey boys have been cloggin up the boob tube with their Bouncing Souls meets Bruce Springsteen posturing. Guess what? They actually rock…and they kinda sound like Bruce Springsteen on speed. I thoroughly enjoyed their set and look forward to hearing the full length.

The same can’t be said for Thrice. I used to love these guys when they sounded like a mellower version of Strife, but the moment I saw the keyboards on stage I got worried. Sure, some of their stuff still resides in the same city as say the Blood Brothers, but they lost me the moment they reached for the Radiohead vibe. Yes, I was bored during Thrice.

With Alkaline Trio you know what you’re in for. They look like AFI, but sound like Eve 6. They are amazing musicians, but the lyrics seem geared for the Emily the Strange set. They can pass for wussies, but at least they don’t have keyboards. I actually was quite entertained by the trio of gothic punks, and if it weren’t for my anxiousness to see Rise Against, I might have actually sang along to some of their catchier numbers.

But then came Rise Against. Read the rest of this entry »

Bouncing Souls, Sick of it All, Grey Area
September 19, 2008
Terminal 5

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I’ve seen the Bouncing Souls a couple a dozen times since 1994 and it’s always been kind of hit or miss. Some times they rock, and sometimes they just kind of stand there and play their instruments. Last night at Terminal 5 in New York, they kicked my ass all over the theater.

First up was Grey Area. I assumed they would be a metal-core act since they were on Victory, but boy I was wrong. The band consists of most of the remnants of Warzone with a pinch of No Redeeming Social Values and Crown of Thornz, but fronted by Ernie from Black Train Jack. That said, the band sounds nothing like the heavier bands in their pedigree and pretty much rock just like BTJ in their heyday. Really enjoyable power punk songs with a ton of melody. Good to see these guys are still floating around. Read the rest of this entry »

H2O
“Nothing To Prove”
Bridge 9 Records

H2O have returned after a very long hiatus and their fans couldn’t be luckier. Clocking in at just under 30 minutes, “Nothing to Prove” is a potent melding of power punk and mid-90s hardcore, lacking any macho posturing and soaked with infectiously catchy tunes. H2O have never been known as a traditional hardcore act, eschewing the cookie monster vocals favored by their friends and contemporaries. Singer Toby Morse instead enunciates every word of the bands’ insightful lyrics, most of which eulogize about time gone by and expounds on positive attitudes. Read the rest of this entry »