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Forgive Durden
Piebald
MewithoutYou
Say Anything
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Club Sound
Salt Lake City, UT
11/09/2006
By: Caz* Bevan
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First to grace the stage and put unfamiliar fans in awe was
Forgiving Durden, coming at us from Seattle. With a sense of
purpose and a dash of chaos, Forgiving Durden was most
impressive. Just in case you weren't paying attention,
Durden finalized their short time on stage with every
member of the band - drum sticks in hand - participating in
an explosive drum off to their popular song "Ill Tango Della
Signora Francesco di Bartolommeo di Zanobi del Giocondo".
Undoubtedly gaining respect, Forgiving Durden is most
certainly on the rise.
Soon to follow was Piebald from Allston, MA. With moments
reminiscent of Thursday (minus the screaming), yet,
considerably more indie, Piebald rocked the audience back
and forth with lyrics more based on opinions about this life
and the world we are living in rather than the stereotypical
songs based on pasts and relationships. Progressive in style,
Piebald seemed at home on stage as if simply jamming with
their best friends. Intimate with the audience, singer Travis
Shettel is a natural, singing with honesty and a sincere smile
on his face. Happy to be a part of this tour indeed, Piebald
brought the audience into the foot-tapping portion of the
lineup preparing fans for a movement they may or may not
have expected.
The greatly anticipated MewithoutYou, from Philadelphia,
took the stage with austerity and authority. My first
impression was a scarf-wearing indie band ready and able to
share what seemed to be a musically enhanced poetry
reading. Aaron Weiss (lead vocals) stood self-assured,
prophesying genius lyrics backed by a band equally
confident and entertaining. At the end of the first song,
Weiss insisted, "This is not about being two, or five or five
hundred. This is about being one."
With a certain amount of artistry, MewithoutYou's
performance grasped everyone in the room. Fans stood at
the corners of the room and right up front. With a
commanding sense of flair, Weiss - at one point - was simply
shaking maracas before breaking out into a
stage-wide
Moroccan dance during the bridge of a song. In completing
the song, proclaiming the chorus one last time, a fan climbed
the stage, hugged Weiss, and, on the verge of tears, sang
along. Weiss, who seems to be a genuine man of gratitude,
grasped the fan, giving back just as much strength and
vigor. MewithoutYou left with far more fans than they initially
came with. Before their set was even over, the merch table
was swamped with young fans insisting on purchasing their
latest album - Brother,
Sister.
The kind of guy you should be afraid to date, Max Bemis
(lead singer) is willing to Say Anything! Already a favorite,
headlining as somewhat of a pop, indie, jam-band - Los
Angeles' Say Anything takes charge of the stage and
conducts an entertaining sing-along, complete with "la di da"
and "hey hey hey" melodies. Singing about humor regarding
the female population, male fans shout the lyrics with a
bitter smirk, making it obvious that they easily relate to
"Every Man has a Molly." Bemis has no problem making fun
of girl's willingness to do anything simply because he's a guy
in a band.
Even if you find the band to be a bit much, the sideshow of
pissed off girlfriends will do the entertaining for you. With
guys dancing and throwing their fists in the air towards the
stage in agreement, girls line the walls with their arms
folded, muttering the lyrics under the breath, unwilling to
admit that they too are fans. Likely to leave their sing-along
boyfriends for the lead singer, these girls might just find
themselves part of a song. With a brilliant sense of vulgarity,
that's precisely how it works when you're willing to Say
Anything.
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