Show Review

This is the second year Tooth And Nail Records have put on their “Tooth And Nail Tour,” which showcases the talented bands on their label. Obviously, I am a huge fan of their label—and an even bigger fan of many of their artists—and with Jonezetta (probably my most anticipated T&N release) dropping in a few months, I was overly excited to see this show.

As I waltzed into the venue, I was immediately embraced by the crowd’s overall tenure. It seems, fans of Tooth And Nail artists, by and large, are generally nice kids who keep to themselves; and genuinely enjoy the music. I really appreciate that and think Tooth And Nail, for whatever reasons (whether it be their Christian influence or their bands who rarely curse on stage or advocate drinking) lends to a tender crowd. And while the artists tonight (Emery, Far-Less specifically) were playing their screamy, aggressive rock, the posture of the crowd was relatively calm.

Anyways, on to the music. Far-Less was the first band I was able to catch, though other newfound act The Classic Crime had played a few minutes before. Far-Less’s mathy, methodical rock was loud as hell, and I was surprised at how in-tune the band were with their relatively small following. Tight-knit basslines met with superb drumming to overstep the almost annoying scream parts, and though it seemed the crowd was if anything bored with Far-Less, I found their energy to be a bit short of compelling—but definitely beyond ordinary.

Jonezetta, who will be releasing their full-length in a few months, were the shell-shocker of the night. What comes across on their demo as almost calm, came across as splendidly energetic. Dancey and lively, their singer’s charisma combined with his naturally excellent singing, and I was completely impressed. Though the new version of “Communicate” was lacking the demo’s screamy breakdown (guess they cropped it for the CD), the band made up for it with an abscess of energy and I thoroughly enjoyed their new songs.

I’ve seen Anberlin a few times now, and every time they seem to get a bit more solid. I’m not a huge fan of their records any more but the way they handle the crowd is truly a sight to see. They played a lot of material from their latest, “Never Take Friendship Personal,” but I was glad to see them play “Ready Fuels” and a couple new jams—all of which were truly stellar. The members of Anberlin’s looks are deceiving: though they don’t look like soft-pop rockers, these guys are as poppy and hooky as the Plain White T’s.

The highlight of the night was, by far, Emery. This band has always seemed to play a style of compelling, aggressive rock with pleasing pop hooks and choruses, and their live act is one to be reckoned with. Emery, despite their relatively low-radar status, are one of those bands who take the stage and seem to truly and completely love it; and when songs like “Studying Politics” are finally starting to catch onto the mainstream (it was played on numerous “Prison Break” commercials), it’d be a big wonder if this band didn’t somehow slip into the mainstream sometime soon. By all accounts (tonight was a success). Stay and see this band, please. Do yourself a favor and dance and go nuts to a band who have their own stance on an appreciated formula of singing and screaming—and to a band who love to get wild on the stage.

review by Andrew Martin