Two pretty good shows make one great one

Scheduling changes bring Interpol, Liars and Shout Out Louds to the same stage

The band that epitomizes the term “New York City hipsters” will be hitting up Salt Lake’s In The Venue on Monday, Oct. 15. Interpol is currently touring to support the release of their new album, Our Love To Admire.

But this trip to town for Interpol has had its fair share of twists and changes. First, the tour was scheduled for the McKay Events Center with Cold War Kids. Then Cold War Kids decided to take a spot on the White Stripes’ tour that never happened. Now the show has changed to In The Venue, which provides a little more intimate atmosphere.

Currently taking the supporting role for the show, opening up for Interpol is another group who got together in New York City and recently released an album – Liars (that’s the name of the band, not an accusation). Liars’ new self-titled album hit shelves at the end of August.

Then to shake things up a little bit, Oct. 15 was also the night Swedish indie pop outfit Shout Out Louds planned to play a show at Urban Lounge in Salt Lake City. Turns out Morrisey and a couple of other shows are scheduled for the same evening.

So, as confirmed just this past week with Postfontaine, who organized both the Shout Out Louds and Interpol shows, the Shout Out Louds cancelled their appearance at Urban Lounge and have now been added to the bill for the show with Interpol.

Unless you’re a die-hard Smiths fan or love Morrissey’s ravishing chest hairs, Oct. 15 at In The Venue is the place to be. Three of indie’s hippest bands on the scene right now will be all together in the same place on the same night, united by a series of scheduling changes that created the next in a series of must-see shows coming to the area over the course of the fall season.

The show is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. that evening and tickets are priced at $27 if purchased in advance or $30 the day of the show. Tickets, regardless of when their purchased will also have a service fee of $4.50.

Sleeping With Giants in Salt Lake City

The Academy Is... headlining tour sweeps through In The Venue

As part of their headlining tour, which is better known as the Sleeping With Giants tour, The Academy Is..., brought friends Armor For Sleep, The Rocket Summer and Sherwood to Salt Lake's In The Venue Wednesday night, Sept. 12.

The tour began Sept. 5 and is scheduled to run until the end of November. Still on their first leg of the tour, most of the bands were partial, so far, to a wild, dancy Utah crowd that showed up despite stiff competition from a slew of other concerts in town that same evening.

The show started off with California five-piece group Sherwood. The group had a little trouble getting going as they experienced some technical difficulties with a microphone. But after realizing how distracting from the song the problem was, the guys quit playing, tackled the technical stuff and took it from the top.

Though they were only opening up the tour and it was still early, the Utah kids in attendance were ready to dance to Sherwood's poppy music and crowd surfed the Sherwood set away. Once Sherwood finished up, the crowd intensified in anticipation for Bryce Avary's The Rocket Summer.

By now most every pop-punk fan knows the name Bryce Avary. Since releasing Do You Feel back in July, The Rocket Summer have taken off with their single "So Much Love." The Rocket Summer have been to In The Venue a couple times previously this year, playing with The Early November and headlining with Daphne Loves Derby.

Despite The Rocket Summer's good track record with putting on energy-rich, fun performances, their new-found fame really turned the crowd that turned out to see them into a mob of crazed teens pushing, punching and kicking their way to be Avary's number one fan.

It really put a damper on the experience of the set. Between that and the fact that Avary and crew put on the exact same show (including the confetti cannon) as last time, almost song for song, this trip The Rocket Summer was a bit of a let down.

The surprising act of the night was definitely Armor For Sleep. Though they were the number two band on the bill for the evening, they drew by far the smallest crowd. But everyone that bailed after The Rocket Summer really missed out as Armor For Sleep put on an amazing set.

Playing from their two current releases, What to Do When You Are Dead and Dream to Make Believe, and playing a couple songs from an upcoming album, the boys from New Jersey brought a good energy onto the stage, though their music was a bit heavier and felt a little out of place with the other bands on the tour.

Even though Armor For Sleep was the surprisers for the evening, headliners The Academy Is... really brought the show together and made the evening worthwhile.

With the relative success of both their debut and sophomore albums, Almost Home and Santi respectively, The Academy Is... has achieved about as popular a status as a band of their nature could without"blowing up," as many of the bands on their label, Fueled By Ramen, have in recent years (Fall Out Boy, Gym Class Heroes and Panic! At The Disco come readily to mind). And they proved it with a non-stop power set that hit on near every song in their two-disc library.

Much of the band's draw, as most critics would say, comes from the honest, melodic delivery of vocalist William Beckett. But the entire band deserves credit for the spectacular performance of their stop at In The Venue. Every song was spot on in every possible way, and the presence of each and every member contributed to the power the performance brought into the venue.

Of course, the crowning performance of the night had to be the first single off of the new album, "We've Got A Big Mess On Our Hands," which the crowd went nuts for. And with good reason, as Beckett and crew fed into the energy and intensity of the crowd and played it up for all it was worth.

Though the Sleeping With Giants tour met with some serious competition as both Muse and Rise Against were in town on that same evening, any fan that picked The Academy Is... over the competition that evening did not leave disappointed. Even if the success of the show rested squarely on the shoulders of the headliners, The Academy Is... brought the skill, energy and stage presence that made the Sleeping With Giants tour anything but a giant sleeper.

The revival of The Rentals

'90s alternative rockers hit the road with Copeland and Goldenboy

A newly revived and revamped lineup for Matt Sharp's The Rentals blew through Salt Lake City Wednesday, Aug.8, on the first part of their current national tour with Copeland and Goldenboy. Putting on a somewhat intimate show at In The Venue, the former bassist for Weezer's project is making a comeback. The Rentals are touring in support of their first release in over eight years, The Last Little Life EP, which is due out Aug. 14.

Doors at the venue opened at 7 p.m., but the line to get in was less than impressive. With not much waiting time for entrance, and not too many people gathering for the show, it seemed that the show may be over before it really began. Then Goldenboy took the stage. Driven by Shon Sullivan's deep, soothing vocals, listening to Goldenboy perform their set, comprised primarily of songs from their release Underneath The Radio, was like taking a nice relaxing drive on an open highway at sunset. Most of the tunes were melodic, low tempo and easy on the ears. Their performance was pleasantly inspiring.

Even perhaps more inspirational was the crucial middle set performed by Florida-based Copeland. Aaron Marsh's swinging piano melodies and the repetition of “You would break your neck just to keep your chin up,” from the song “Chin Up,” was a perfect beginning to what would be the best performance of the evening.

Playing a good selection of songs from Eat, Sleep, Repeat, including "Control Freak," and filling in the rest of the set with classics from Beneath Medecine Tree and In Motion, including "Pin Your Wings" and "Testing The Strong Ones,"Marsh and company dispelled the often thrown around notion that their live shows are lacking (see his response to these rumors in the previous post when I interviewed him about this very thing). Copeland brought an energy which, though not accompanied by any acrobatic feats, is undeniably moving.

Between Copeland's performance and The Rentals taking the stage it seemed the venue switched up the audience a bit. Many of the younger persons that huddled around the stage during Goldenboy and Copeland seemed to fade into the background and some of them even calling it a night. In their place came many of a more mature persuasion, some of them it seemed had come straight from the office as they were still dressed up with suit coats and loosened ties. A new group that obviously had been fans of The Rentals when they first began rocking in the late '90s.

Matt Sharp and the new crew, which includes Rachel Haden from the original lineup and Ben Pringle of Nerf Herder, took the tempo of the evening up a few notches more. What Sharp brought with him to The Rentals from Weezer was easily recognizable, but The Rentals really do bring their own vibe on stage with them. It's like a party all the time. A geekfest of a party, but a party nonetheless. Sharp's quirky personality mixed with a menagerie of instruments (keyboards, guitars, Moogs and much more), alternating male and female vocals and plenty of dancing made for a very entertaining performance.

Each band brought their own style of what they do best to the stage, and each had their own profound influence on those in attendance.

An exchanging of words with Copeland's Aaron Marsh

The following interview appears in The College Times' Aug. 13 issue. The interview appearing in that issue of the newspaper contained only a portion of the entire interview, due to a limited amount of space for the article to appear.

Prior to Copeland's Aug. 8 performance at In The Venue in Salt Lake City with The Rentals and Goldenboy, I had the opportunity to correspond with lead singer Aaron Marsh. Aaron kindly entertained my lengthy questions and here is the unedited Q and A that came forth as a result:

You're on tour with The Rentals in August and September. What should people look forward to on this visit? Will there be anything extra special about this tour?
We're playing a few songs on this tour that we haven't played out before. That's not as exciting for the audience as it is for us. It's fun to play some new material.

What is the best part about coming to Utah? Do you have a favorite stop you make when you come through Utah?
I think my favorite thing about Utah is the landscape. The drive in and out of SLC is so beautiful. Those moments are quite memorable.

During May and June you toured Japan, Australia and Singapore with Anberlin. How receptive were the fans in Japan and Australia? What city was your favorite to play on that tour? Had you played any of these places previously?
It was a great trip. All of the audiences were fantastic. This was our third time to Japan and second time to Singapore. We get a little bit more comfortable and a little more fascinated with the culture every time we go. The Singapore audience was easily my favorite audience ever. They're pretty hip to western culture there. They know lots of music, but it's so rare that anyone comes to play for them. Australia was awesome. We'd never been there before. We got to play for lots of new people and made loads of new friends.

Some critics have said that Copeland's live performances are kind of boring. What is your response to people who feel your live performances are a bit stale?
Maybe next time I'll bring my tap shoes. I don't know. I think calling a performer boring is a pretty stock criticism. Anything can be boring if you don't want to enjoy it. We're definitely not doing back flips on stage; so if you're looking have your senses electrified, a Copeland show might not be your thing.

After releasing Eat, Sleep, Repeat in last October you were picked up by Columbia Records. What has been the biggest change switching over from The Militia Group? How has the switch affected your fan base? What kind of affect has it had on Copeland as a band?
Columbia hasn't done anything. The only change has been the fact that we have no media presence now. I don't know why. Maybe our time hasn't come yet?

How would you describe the overall message Copeland is trying to achieve as a band? With Eat, Sleep, Repeat?
People ask us this type of thing all the time. When it comes down to it, I'm just a musician and "Eat, Sleep, Repeat" is just a record. There are a million musicians just like me and just as many records out there just like ours. They all have the same platform to convey some message. It's a powerful platform for a moment, but the message is here today, gone tomorrow. We're just trying to enjoy the chance to create something beautiful while we can.

Recently it was mentioned that songs are in the process of being written for the next album. When should fans look forward to a new release? What, in your opinion, should fans look for in a future Copeland release?
Yeah, we'd love to do another record. We have a couple promising little tunes in the oven. Right now we're at the mercy of label politics for our future plans. For now, we'll just write some songs and whenever we get the chance to record, we'll do it.

Copeland has a very distinct sound. What have been the biggest influences in achieving that particular sound that is Copeland?
I'm not sure. I think it's the blend of the playing style, taste, and personalities of the band members, just like any other band. We pay great attention to detail in our recording process and great attention to melody during our writing process. We take influence from artists like the Beatles, Radiohead, and The Cardigans.

In your opinion, what has been the biggest change that's taken place with Copeland since the band formed?
I think the biggest shift came when our drummer, Jon joined the band. He really has a distinct feel and it changed the way we approached lots of stuff in terms of writing and recording.


How do you all get along as a band? What other bands do you consider close?
We get along very well. We've really perfected the blend of professionalism and friendship after 6 years of touring. As for other bands, we really hit it off with Lovedrug, The Working Title, Pilot Speed, and Mae.

What other projects are members in the band currently involved in? What have been some of the past projects that members were involved in before joining Copeland?
Bryan had a bunch of solo songs before he joined Copeland. He hasn't really worked on them in a while though. Jon was in a band called Denison Marrs in his younger days. I have been in bands since I was high school age and have been writing songs since I was even younger.

As for other projects, I have a studio in my home and I produce when we're off tour. I've been working on a project called Anchor & Braille for a while, and I have a few more projects lined up as well when I get home from this tour. Bryan is a real good mix engineer so he does that whenever he has the chance.

What is your involvement in the non-profit organization To Write Love On Her Arms? What is it about the project that has drawn your support? Why did you pick this project of all the non-profit organizations out there?
I don't know that we've picked that project over any others. I think that project might hit close to home to some of our fans though.

What's the next big step for the band?
Getting through this tour. It's a long one. 2 months. That's a long time to be away from home.

The Rocket Summer prepares for launch of new album with mini tour

July 13, just four days prior to the release of his latest album, Bryce Avary and his one-man musical phenomenon, The Rocket Summer, packed a local Salt Lake City venue.

The tour was a short stint, designed to hit up a few of Avary’s favorite places around the nation. In The Venue was one of those priority stops for him, as he had commented earlier in the year while in town with The Early November.

Supporting the release of Do You Feel, the third full-length recording by the band, The Rocket Summer brought friends Daphne Loves Derby and Echo Screen along for the ride.

Echo Screen started the show off on the right foot with their infectious rock and a cover of the Foo Fighters’ song “Monkey Wrench.”

Due to issues at the door, I was not able to get in to really enjoy the band. The tour manager left the wrong list at the door, and I had to wait for him to get back to prove I was invited to the show. But Echo Screen's energy still translated into a good time, even from outside the venue.

Washington state’s Daphne Loves Derby, who were actually partly responsible for getting the issues at the door cleared up, put on an excellent show following Echo Screen.

With their infectious brand of pop and rock, and sampling primarily from their two most recent releases (Good Night Witness Light and On The Strength of All Convinced), the band really got the packed house moving.

Led by Kenny Choi’s soft vocals flowing over driving beats and a continuous stream of guitar rhythms, no one could deny Daphne Loves Derby put on a superb show. They even mingled with the crowd during the main event as part of a corporate meet and greet.

Bryce Avary and crew put on a classic Rocket Summer performance. The band started with an extended intro to “Break It Out,” the opening track on the new record, until Avary joined them on stage, to a throng of cheering fans, and got the set going.

Though the primary purpose of the tour was to promote Do You Feel, The Rocket Summer did not limit themselves to the album, shuffling between a number of songs from the band’s repertoire, including the always enjoyable “Brat Pack” from Hello, Good Friend and the single from the new record, “So Much Love.”

Finishing the set with the closing track from the new release, “So, In This Hour…,” Avary and crew capped off a driving evening of energetic performances and got the release of the new Rocket Summer record off on the right foot.




Both Daphne Loves Derby and The Rocket Summer are currently out on some dates for the Warped Tour. The Rocket Summer will be returning this fall with The Academy Is… as part of the Sleeping With Giants Tour.

Wolfmother does not disappoint in SLC

Mute Math and the Cinematics also spectacular

Australian rockers, Wolfmother, played a packed house at In The Venue Wednesday night, April 17, bringing Mute Math and The Cinematics along on their current headlining tour.

Before the show began fans lined the sidewalk of In The Venue, some waiting hours to get inside. Once inside it wasn't long before the floor was packed with a swirling sea of music goers of all ages and the evening kicked off with a wonderful set by Scottish indie band The Cinematics.

Primarily a group of shoe gazers, their actions and energy onstage were nothing to get too excited over, but the amazing quality of the sound, especially on "Break," of their live performance excelled. It made their brief set, covering most of the songs from their debut, A Strange Education, on a stage covered in equipment not their own, seem to come to a close all to soon. But the crowd, a majority of whom couldn't care less about the opening numbers, swirled on anxiously awaiting their retro rock heroes.

The evening ensued as Mute Math stunned a crowd of familiar and unfamiliar faces alike as they took the stage with a power and presence all their own. Those seeing the band for the first time stood confused as drummer Darren King began taping his headphones around his head as the band got situated to begin their show of lights, sound and intense stage presence.

After starting out with the likes of "Chaos" and "Typical" from their self-titled full length release, they delved into powerful and, at times, extended versions of the rest of the LP as well as some tracks from their first EP Reset.

Paul Meany's sweeping, Sting-like vocals completed the in-motion landscape of light and sound that extended from the stage throughout the venue. Their strong performance was full of surprising stage antics, mostly by Meany who was constantly in motion, dancing, jumping off of his Rhodes piano and tossing microphone stands every which way.

But the highlight of this chaotic, symphonic performance was when every member of the band took out drumsticks and began a purely percussion jam, hitting everything they could get their hands on to add to the pounding beat of the bass drum. It was a phenomenal display of musicianship and everyone who was paying attention was filled with a new-found respect for Mute Math's abilities as live performers.

This display made Wolfmother's duties to follow up and create an even more ambient, intense atmosphere more difficult. But the Aussie psychedelic rockers were up to the challenge as they exploded onto the stage, pouring through their, though limited, excellent discography, as well as covering some '70s rock classics, with short jams thrown into each song.

Though short on conversation and direct crowd interaction, Andrew Stockdale (vocals, guitar) still had an excellent stage presence, and definitely cares for his fans and it showed through in his performance. Chris Ross also brought it with his catchy bass and keyboard hooks, wheeling both instruments all over the stage with him as he played. And drummer Myles Heskett kept the beat alive as he nailed each song.

The one and only thing that broke up the hypnosis of the over-an-hour power rock fest was, toward the end of the evening when one young, slippery fan, who had crowd surfed to the front of the stage, slipped by security and up onto the stage. Once up, he pumped his fists and jumped around until security came up after him as he dove back into the crowd and quickly became lost in the swirling mass of bodies.

Overall it was an excellent, though at times lengthy, performance. All three bands played excellent, and the music was as superb as the antics that took place.