popwreckoning

I already loved Justin Pierre of the moog-friendly Minnesota rock band Motion City Soundtrack. And what’s not to love: funky hair, phenomenal lyrics that balance just the right amount of goof with soul-sharing and a killer knowledge of pop culture. But hearing him defend “New Moon,” to a room full of hipsters swearing they’ll never see that movie and I have to admit, I kind of fell in love with him a little bit more. He sure has some gumption.

Now it isn’t every day that you hear your favorite singer in a record shop talking sharing a movie review, but with Pierre’s Dino Campaign Trail, an acoustic tour in support of the upcoming album out this January, anything could happen. The tour itinerary was decided entirely by twitter and this led Pierre to Lawrence’s Love Garden Sounds to tape a live movie review with Lawrence’s Scene-Stealers.com.

This was their first time in front of a live audience and for such a popular movie, it was not so popular with the audience that considered themselves above such a film. Pierre gave it a solid review though and after hearing his thoughts on the movie, I kind of have a new perspective on it, too. Although, I kind of feel he was really giving “Face Punch” the solid rock fist and not “New Moon.” Oh, “Face Punch. Punch to the Face. Pow pow.”

The movie review was just an added bonus to having Justin in town. The real show would come later, but after the review, he played about four songs acoustic for the audience “Midwest Love Affair,” “Broken Heart,” “Disappear,” and “Fell in Love Without You” and even plugged in his iPod to play a few tracks off the new record. After getting a taste for the pieces, I’m excited, but it sounds a bit different than previous material – more tempo changes and different styles. It might take some getting used to, but knowing them, it will still be good.

As for the actual performance, there was some confusion where it was. Lawrence has plenty of venues, but this show was set at a warehouse for the Blue Collar Distro T-Shirt company. And after driving past several warehouses in an attempt to find the right one, we finally found it with a small group of shivering kids waiting for Justin to finish tuning up so the show could begin. Justin was ready a little before the promised start time, but insisting on waiting to begin at exactly 7 p.m., we held a moment of silence. It was short-lived and I’m glad because Justin is so rarely silent. Heck, during his performance he would even sing the solos of the other instruments.

At first I was sketched out by the location, but as the intimate set determined by requests that included “Indoor Living,” “Future Freaks Me Out,” “Everything Is Alright,” “Fell in Love Without You,” “LG Fuad,” “Disappear,” and more, I realized that this warehouse with green mannequins, t-shirts for up and coming acts and walls covered in not only Motion City Soundtrack posters, but Get Up Kids and Appleseed Cast and other scene-determining bands was the perfect location. It was historic. It was epic.

Justin answered questions dropped some pop culture references and finally called it a night as his voice started giving him some troubles and he still had one more day to go on the dino trail. My MCS-virgin friends that accompanied were eager to go home and check out the band’s other songs as they were impressed by how “pretty” Pierre’s voice was.

I was sad to call it a night, but glad to a part of such a special occasion. I filmed the whole thing and if I can figure out how to break it up to get on YouTube or something, I’ll be sharing it with you all soon, I promise.

As a special holiday treat, while in Lawrence, Justin Pierre recorded a song with local band The Dead Girls. The song is called “It’s All Happening.” And you can download it for free. Just right click and save as. Happy Holidays.

.“It’s All Happening”

Motion City Soundtrack: website | myspace | @ liberty hall | dino campaign trail

“Returning to the scene of the crime,” is how the Get Up Kids phrased it, but really the only injustice was that it had been a 3-year wait for that November 2008 show. Fortunately, since that first reunion show at the Record Bar, the band was kind enough to give the Kansas City metropolitan area a Lawrence and a North Kansas City show before ending their reunion with a two night stand where it all began. And since I saw them at the very first reunion show, it was only fitting that I would see them at their last.

There seemed to be some confusion about the show start time, so a lot of the crowd was still coming in during Louisville band Mansions set. “Talk Talk Talk” came early in the set and while listening to the biting lyrics, I was torn between loving the band for their passionate sound reminiscent of Manchester Orchestra or Brand New and hating them for being so passionate that my mood dropped as they struck some chords a little too close to heart for comfort. The ended the set with “The Worst Part,” another song with strong lyrics of a bit of a depressing nature. These guys are super talented, but I think as an opener, it was a bit hard to warm up to for some in the audience with their cold tone.

For those that pay attention to the lyrics of Kevin Devine, he too has lyrics that are biting commentaries and often downer-sounding self-reflections, but unlike Mansions, his set had a different feeling. Instead of falling deeper into a whirlpool of sadness, Kevin made me happy and simply impressed. There are two reasons for that. Usually, I do focus on his lyrics and his voice because it is hard not to. He presses his face up against the microphone for some of the softer verses, but when he steps away from microphone and yells a chorus or a line or even a ba-da-da-dah-da, all eyes are on his face, which has veins enlarged into a map of his energetic passion for the piece. I’ve heard him compared to Conor Oberst, but I would be bold enough to say that Kevin might have more to offer, at least in his live show, than the Bright Eyes frontman. This time, thanks to a gentleman next to me calling out, “When will we see you on Guitar Hero?” I watched his hands racing on the instrument. Damn, was he good, and maybe he should be on the game. I felt alive just watching him play the arpeggiated riffs. And this brings me to the other reason why his set was uplifting: he has fantastic audience interaction. “The question on the floor is when will I be on Guitar Hero. I would love to be on Guitar Hero. I work for that every day,” said Kevin. “I’m just not that good.” At another point he bent down close to two little boys in the front row and asked, “You don’t have ear plugs? Will you be ok? It is going to get loud.” So modest and sweet. He isn’t only a great performer, but a great person. What a package in an artist these days! I was so happy with him and his set, which featured tunes such as “Brother’s Blood,” “Fickle Friend,” “Cotton Crush,” “No Time Flat,” a Nirvana cover and more, that I could have left the show then. Although, what a poor Kansas City citizen I would be if I left before one of our biggest acts?

Last time I saw the Get Up Kids in this venue, they played “Something to Write Home About” in order. During the encore, they played a few other fan favorites. Now tonight was not a rehash of that same show. While the set was heavy with those songs as they started the night with “Holiday,” they interspersed songs from other albums throughout it such as a new song from the forthcoming album, “Walking on a Wire,” “Martyr Me” and the rounded out the night with their cover of The Cure’s “Close to Me.”  They even jammed a bit before “Martyr Me.” Check it out:

One of my favorite moments of the set was during “Out of Reach” when the crowd came in with the “Oh oh ohs” and guitarist Jim Suptic and bassist Rob Pope exchanged a look of “OMG.” I wasn’t sure at first if they were impressed by how boisterous the crowd’s singing was or if they were shocked by how off we were. Turns out it was the latter. “How many girls were singing on that?” asked singer Matt Pryor. He shook his head as the girls yelled back. “That was a choir of dudes. Really out of tune dudes.”

Another set highlight was when Suptic took the vocal reigns and grabbed an acoustic guitar for “Campfire Kansas,” which of course held a special meaning for the Kansas City crowd. While he was singing, Pryor went over to the aforementioned kids in the front row and invited the two boys on stage to play tambourine. It made a sweet song extra adorable. However, the boys must have rocked so hard on that acoustic number, that it blew out all their equipment. When the rest of the band came back the only thing left working were the microphones. The Record Bar employees debated how to fix the problem when sparks came flying out of an amp and throwing the breaker just resulted in the same problem. Suptic and Pryor bantered about how this was or was not fitting for the final night of the tour and then they tried to get drummer Ryan Pope to jam out for the audience. Pope seemed hesitant, so it opener Kevin Devine to the rescue. With a beat from Pope and some extra help from Suptic, Devine graced the audience with an amazing and strange rap. Yes, Kevin Devine raps. And it is wonderful.

The Get Up Kids mentioned that Kansas City seems to have a love/hate relationship with them. I’m glad to be on the side that loves them and I’m glad that they are finally just doing their own thing and not worrying how people choose to embrace them.

Oh, and reuniting must have felt so good that the band promises we’ll see another show in 2010 after the new! record comes out. Now that’s something to write home about.

Get Up Kids: website | myspace | @ record bar | @ blender theater | under cover pt. 1 | under cover pt. 2

Kansas City favorites The Get Up Kids are celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the release of their momentous album Something To Write Home About in style. Today MySpace Music premieres the Live DVD of their Liberty Hall performance in Lawrence, Kansas in March 2008 . The DVD will stream in its entirety on the band’s MySpace page for a limited time. You can also find Fall tour dates on GUK’s MySpace page, as well.

September 8 sees the reissue of the album on Vagrant Records, which will feature the live DVD. The reissue also features seven downloadable bonus tracks of demos from the Something To Write Home About sessions, exclusive to this physical version.

Set list:
(All of Something To Write Home About….)
Holiday
Action & Action
Valentine
Red Letter Day
Out Of Reach
Ten Minutes
The Company Dime
My Apology
I’m A Loner Dottie, A Rebel…
Long Goodnight
Close To Home
I’ll Catch You

(First Encore)
Man of Conviction
Coming Clean
Up On The Roof
No Love
Woodson
Never Be Alone
Anne Arbour
Campfire Kansas
Holy Roman
Danny Pound cover
Mass Pike

(Second Encore)
Walking On A Wire

Get Up Kids: website | myspace | @ record bar | @ blender theater | under cover pt. 1 | under cover pt. 2

Be honest. Lately, the music scene has been a pool of pretty calm waters lately, and you’ve been dipping into your old collection for some feel-good nostalgia. Don’t lie, I’ve been doing it, too. Some Sunny Day Real Estate and Get Up Kids especially, because of recent re-banding and touring announcements. And that’s okay; nothing is wrong with a little pure blood recycling.

If you’re Brody Dalle—who is now known as Brody Dalle-Homme, just to make this point clearer—must’ve been missing the same sounds of younger times. The signature Brody voice may be the front woman behind Spinnerette, but the impassioned, stick-it-and-DIY! powerhouse that all but carried the aesthetic of punk is still buried in the past.

The self-titled album cover may sum it up for the average listener before the music is even heard—it’s a girly adaptation of Queens of the Stone Age’s self-titled album. That’s clever husband and wife collaboration right there. Thankfully, in such a social media saturated community, it’s more likely you’ll hear a digital play before any album art exposure.

The first single, “Ghetto Love”, actually riffs off with some of that vocal grit we first were enamored by years ago. But the going-nowhere distortion and boring drumbeat lend no real excitement for a base. It’s friendly and catchy local radio play, graciously. And without stretching comparison, “Baptized By Fire” has to be Dalle’s sleepy version of any Shiny Toy Guns single. I suppose “Distorting A Code” was created as a syncopated ballad. It features a toned-down—and almost tone-deaf—vocal monotony, and piano.

“Sex Bomb” has both good and bad qualities. Obviously, it loses points by being titled “Sex Bomb”. And with lyrics like “Oh won’t you be my daddy/ please me daddy/ be my daddy, please/ I love you madly, sex bomb” I wonder if Tim Armstrong penned the intelligence of the Distillers’ hooks. Remove the lyrics, or at least fill them with Lorem Ipsum, and admittedly it’s a shaker. If you’re jonesing for some Courtney Love-esque rawness, or a female version of Dalle’s voice, this wouldn’t be the worst album ever to pick up. I just wonder if they were purposely trying to pay homage to the pop rocks era of 1993 or just wanted to be able to hit MTV again. Just be aware that Spinnerette’s self-proclaimed influences—Black Flag, Gunclub, My Bloody Valentine—would have said bands’ fans guffawing at any proclaimed resemblance.

Spinnerette is out now on Anthem Records.

Tracklisting:
01. Ghetto Love
02. All Babes Are Wolves
03. Cupid
04. Geeking
05. Baptized By Fire
06. A Spectral Suspension
07. Distorting A Code
08. Sex Bomb
09. Driving Song
10. Rebellious Palpitations
11. The Walking Dead
12. Impaler
13. A Prescription For Mankind

Spinnerette: website | myspace

Following a number of instantly sold out reunion shows across the country, including at New York City’s Blender Theatrer, the Get Up Kids have confirmed a full U.S. tour. The tour will kick off September 11th at Harrah’s in the band’s native Kansas City and will coincide with the 10th anniversary deluxe reissue of its landmark second album, Something To Write Home About, September 8th on Vagrant Records.

The Get Up Kids formed in 1995 and later officially disbanded following a July 2, 2005 hometown swansong at the Uptown Theater in Kansas City. Despite the hiatus, the Get Up Kids past and present have kept extremely active in the interim between their original break-up and the current reunion: the Pope brothers now run Black Lodge, the studio formed to record Guilt Show, while Rob Pope now plays bass in Spoon. Matt Pryor has continued the New Amsterdams band he formed while still in the Get Up Kids, and has also released two albums of children’s music with the Terrible Twos as well as his first solo album, Confidence Man. Jim Suptic formed Blackpool Lights and co-founded the Curb Appeal label, while James Dewees continued his Reggie and the Full Effect project, though has now retired it, and served as touring keyboard player for My Chemical Romance and New Found Glory.

The Get Up Kids’ first reunion show took place November 16, 2008 at the Record Bar in Kansas City. Subsequent reunion performances have included a March 13, 2009 show at Liberty Hall in Lawrence, Kansas–a DVD of which will be included in the 10th anniversary reissue of Something To Write Home About–as well as numerous sold out headline shows and an appearance at the May 2009 Bamboozle festival. The September-November tour will be preceded by an extensive series of dates throughout the UK and Europe.

Tour Dates:
Sep 11 – Harrah’s / Kansas City
Sep 15 – Marquis Theater / Denver
Sep 16 – In the Venue /  Salt Lake City
Sep 18 – Neumo’s / Seattle
Sep 19 – Music Fest NW / Portland, Or.
Sep 21 – The Fillmore / San Francisco
Sep 23 – The Glasshouse / Pomona, Ca.
Sep 24 – Avalon / Hollywood
Sep 25 – House Of Blues / San Diego
Sep 26 – House Of Blues / Las Vegas
Sep 27 – Clubhouse / Tempe
Sep 29 – White Rabbit / San Antonio
Sep 30 – Granada / Dallas
Oct 01 – Diamond Ballroom / Oklahoma City
Oct 02 – Slowdown / Omaha
Oct 03 – Picador / Iowa City
Oct 20 – Varsity / Minneapolis
Oct 21 – The Metro / Chicago
Oct 22 – The Metro / Chicago
Oct 23 – House Of Blues / Cleveland
Oct 24 - Majestic Theater / Detroit
Oct 25 – Phoenix Theater / Toronto
Oct 27 – Town Ballroom / Buffalo
Oct 28 – The Palladium / Worcester, Ma.
Oct 29 – Toad’s Place / New Haven, Ct.
Oct 31 - Irving Plaza / New York City
Nov 01 - Music Hall Of Williamsburg / Brooklyn
Nov 03 – 9:30 Club / Washington DC
Nov 04 – Norva / Norfolk
Nov 05 – Trocadero / Philadelphia
Nov 06 – TLA / Philadelphia
Nov 07 – Mr. Smalls Theater / Pittsburgh
Nov 08 – Newport Music Hall / Columbus
Nov 10 – Cat’s Cradle / Carrboro, NC
Nov 11 – Masquerade / Atlanta
Nov 12 – Revolution / Ft. Lauderdale
Nov 13 – House Of Blues / Orlando
Nov 14 – St. Petersburg / State Theater
Nov 16 – Spanish Moon / Baton Rouge
Nov 17 – House Of Blues / Houston
Nov 18 – Emo’s / Austin

Get Up Kids: website | myspace

If you haven’t heard: Blink-182 is back in business. The guys (Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker) reunited for the Grammys, but the official statement is that they are reuniting for a lot more:

Hi. We’re blink-182. This past week there’ve been a lot of questions about the current status of the band, and we wanted you to hear it straight from us. To put it simply, We’re back. We mean, really back. Picking up where we left off and then some. In the studio writing and recording a new album. Preparing to tour the world yet again. Friendships reformed. 17 years deep in our legacy.

Summer 2009.

Thanks and get ready…

Not really sure what this means for the future of Angels and Airwaves, but hey! More Blink!

So far 2009 is a big year for the reunions. Josh has already been to Ultimate Fakebook and Get Up Kids reunions shows and No Doubt shows are upcoming. Blink-182 just announced a reunion, and Absolute Punk is also suggesting Matchbook Romance will reunite. Want to place bets on any more reunions?

Blink-182: website | myspace

Nothing compares to the live music experience, whether it be euphoric or hellish. The bands below provided us with the sweetest live sounds throughout 2008:

Fleet Foxes
Bright Eyes
M. Ward (2009 tour dates!)
Jim James
Crystal Castles
Beck
Coldplay
Cloud Cult
Get Up Kids
Girl Talk
Hot Chip
My Morning Jacket
Radiohead
Wolf Parade

What were your favorites shows of the past year?

When it comes to music, Kansas City is generally not listed anywhere near the top of places that matter. Sure, in the 1930s, it pushed its way into the the forefront of a booming Jazz scene but, for the most part, Kansas City has always been that city bands drive through on their way from Denver to Saint Louis.

Tonight, however, the national focus was on Kansas City, as the band credited with changing the face of emo, Get Up Kids, reunited for the first time since 2005. Few realized how their formation in 1995 would shape not only music, but inspire the lives of both bands and fans throughout the world. So touched we’re those who followed the Get Up Kids that some traveled as far as 12 hours to attend the reunion. Groups began to gather as early as 4:30 in the morning to collect their admission ticket to the Record Bar. At approximately 7:00 pm, the doors swung open to the show, and a new chapter in the life of the band.

Opening energetically with “Holiday”, followed by “Action & Action,” the band took little time to brush the dust off themselves, presenting a very tight and chiseled sound. “Some of these songs are pretty easy, and some of them we’ve never really played,” Pryor huffed of “My Apology”, “this is one of the latter.” Yet, one would have a hard time believing this band had been apart for the better part of three years, had tours and albums from New Amsterdams, Spoon and Blackpool Lights not been surfaced as the hard proof.

The energy and chemistry belonged to the Get Up Kids of old. Watching Matt Pryor and Jim Suptic candidly smile while preforming the set, consisting of their album Something to Write Home About, played in order, as well as a five song encore, was uplifting and inspiring in terms of hoping for a future for the band. “This is the healing show,” joked Pryor, regarding the tension between the members of the band towards the end of their careers. “I mean, I haven’t seen James (DeWees) in two years,” added Suptic later.

However, regardless of their past drama, misunderstandings or bruised egos, the band itself, as a whole, seems to be in unison again. “We’ll see you in next year,” Matt claimed as he walked from the stage, waving and thanking fans for coming to “their little party. It’s only the beginning of what is to come.”

Setlist:
Holiday
Action & Action
Valentine
Red Letter Day
Out of Reach
Ten Minutes
The Company Dime
My Apology
I’m a Loner Dottie…A Rebel
Long Goodnight
Close to Home
I’ll Catch You
\\
Campfire Kansas
The One You Want
Up On The Roof
No Love
Mass Pike
Walking on a Wire

The Get Up Kids: website | myspace

Preparing for the very last Reggie & the Full Effect show ever is preparing for the end of an era. I’m happy to report, though, that his choice of Philadelphia was perfect, not only because Philadelphia fucking loves James Dewees, but because he debuted the live Reggie & the Full Effect show in Philadelphia years ago when touring with some other band he was in called The Get Up Kids.

I arrived at the Trocadero just before MC Chris, a rather grating rapper, took the stage, as I had zero interest in the other two openers. MC Chris is the most nasally rapper in existence and has almost no discernible talent. His set was funny for the first minute, but then the joke went 44 more minutes too long. I have to believe that he fancies himself a comedian over a rapper as he could only possibly appeal to kids who love shitty pop punk and Gym Class Heroes.

MC Chris

Relief came in the form of a set change and then James Dewees’ appearance on stage, decked out in full K.I.S.S. face paint. He launched into the set playing beloved Reggie songs like Your Girlfriends Hate Me” while spending a lot of time interacting with the crowd and regaling the audience with tales of his previous tour experiences here in the City of Brotherly Love. The best stories by any Get Up Kid always involve A.C. Lerock, a homeless man always encountered when the band stopped through Philadelphia.

Dewees, in a blonde wig and Hannah Montana apparel he’d purchased at WalMart earlier that day, and his backing band rocked hard, powering through a slew of Reggie favorites including “What The Hell Is Content?,” “Thanks For Dumping Me,” “Better For You,” “Girl Why’d You Run Away?,” “From Me To You,” “J-Train” and many more. A massive mosh pit tore up the middle of the large venue when the obligatory Slayer cover was played, and afterwards Dewees convinced the crowd to call him ‘Turbo’ from that point on.

In addition to the oblig. Slayer cover came the also obligatory Fluxuation in all its cheesy Eurotrash glory and Common Denominator. For the latter, Dewees came back on stage after the briefest of brief intermissions covered in fake blood. MC Chris appeared on the stage in a Darth Vader costume, killing Common Denominator one by one in an almost symbotic and poetic ending for Reggie and the Full Effect.

Reggie and the Full Effect:  myspace

Last Wednesday, Matt Pryor, famed front man of The Get Up Kids and New Amsterdams, played Philadelphia’s Trocadero balcony in support of his recently released solo debut Confidence Man. Local Temple University student Sean Lee kicked off the show with a country-tinged set in which he played several originals and covered Steve Earle’s “Galway Girl.”

Sean Lee

Next up was Brooklyn singer-songwriter and forever PopWreckoning favorite Kevin Devine. Devine’s set was a wonderful mix of new, unrecorded material including opener “Carnival Song” and “Another Bag of Bones” and material from each of his previous records. Highlights included “A Flatline Blur,” “Lord, I Know We Don’t Talk” and “Trouble.” He also covered Nada Surf’s “Inside of Love.” Much to my delight, many in the audience were there for Devine and I overheard several people new to his music say nothing but positive things following his set.

Kevin Devine

The air was full of anticipation before Matt Pryor took to the stage. A quick survey of the room betrayed long-time fans from the earliest Get Up Kids days eager to hear Pryor’s solo material but hoping for a set list heavy with GUK and New Ams songs. The crowd was not disappointed. Pryor played a set so heavy with songs from his other projects that at one point he said, “Oh, right. I have a new record. I keep forgetting to play songs off that,” following a cover of GUK band mate James Dewees‘ side project Reggie and the Full Effect.

Pryor bantered with the crowd, who playfully heckled him after he regaled them with tales of tour past and called a couple of Philadelphia venues by the wrong names. In spite of the hecklers, Pryor announced his love for Philadelphia for keeping it real rather than being overly polite and quiet. His only insult of the evening was directed towards Disney World as he explained the origin of the title “Strangled By The Thought.” Pryor wrote the song in the parking lot of Disney World when playing with Dashboard Confessional and Thrice for three days straight and, according to Pryor, “Disney World fucking sucks,” or at least being trapped in a van in the parking lot for three days straight.

Banter aside, Pryor played an amazing set and should not be missed by any GUK or New Ams fan.

Matt Pryor

Set List: (* solo, ^ New Ams, # GUK)
Confidence Man *
The Spoils of the Spoiled ^
Loralai *
Stay On The Phone ^
Central Standard Time #
Never Treat Others ^
Lovers Who Have Lost Their Cause
Goodbye ^
Hannah Hold On #
Picture In The Paper ^
Only *
The Blood On The Floor ^
MIchele With One L #
I Won’t Run Away ^
Girl, Why’d You Run Away? (Reggie and the Full Effect cover)
Still There’s A Light *
Out Of Reach #
Strangled By The Thought ^
Overdue #
\\
Every Double Life ^
I’ll Catch You #

Tour Dates:
Sep 07 – The Living Room / Providence
Sep 09 – Mod Club / Toronto
Sep 10 – Grog Shop / Cleveland
Sep 11 – Shelter / Detroit
Sep 12 – Schubas / Chicago
Sep 13 – Schubas / Chicago

Sean Lee: myspace
Kevin Devine: myspace | Phila., Iowa City live reviews
Matt Pryor: myspace |