Houseparties music preview

Never heard of some of the bands playing at Lawnparties this week? Yeah, us either, or at least we forgot them a while ago. That’s why ‘Street’ has turned to Adam Tanaka ’10 (and YouTube) for a preview of what you can expect on Sunday.

 

New Found Glory –

Wow. A has-been pop-punk band playing Lawnparties? Who’d-a-thunk. Well, at least this year we’ve got someone who’s been on the charts this millennium; last time I checked, Everclear didn’t qualify in that department. New Found Glory (who will be performing at Quad) might ring a bell for its obnoxious 2004 hit “All Downhill From Here;” or maybe because your 13-year old brother’s rocking out to its beats in his bedroom. “Rolling Stone” describes the band as “simple.” Popmatters.com says “it's difficult to find new things to say about bands like New Found Glory.” But a reviewer on Absolutepunk.net calls them the “first band [he] ever fell in love with,” full of “pop-punk goodness”! Either way, expect tattoos, “attitude,” loud guitars and really whiny singing. Yeah!

Howie Day –

“You and I collide…” If you recognise this lyric, remember a bland, vaguely likeable slice of pop/rock, and want to listen to a musician with the awesome name of “Howie Day” (is he looking for Bowie comparisons or what?) then Quad might be your safest bet. Or, join Carol Dreibelbis ’11 in boycotting him: She says Howie Day is “so bad I change the radio station when he comes on.” You go girl! Show some attitude!

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Eve 6 –

Oh my gosh. TWO has-been pop-punk bands playing Lawnparties?! Something strange is happening here… But at least New Found Glory is still releasing records. Because according to allmusic.com, Eve 6 was dropped by their label, RCA, in 2004, and “announced they would be calling it quits” that same year. So what they’re doing here is anybody’s guess. Anyway, Karen Azani ’11 will be at Colonial supporting them. She “really like[s] that song ‘Tonight.’ Or maybe ‘Night.’ Or ‘Here’s to the Night’? I mean, it has the word ‘night’ in it. It’s a good graduation song.” I think you should take her word for it.



Sister Hazel –

Sister Hazel, who will be playing at Cloister, has been described as an “acoustic jangle pop band.” However, after listening to a few of their songs, I would say that Sister Hazel don’t really sound anything like your typical jangle pop bands; certainly anyone trying to compare them to the Smiths or R.E.M. is deaf, or very stupid. The Eagles, Hootie and the Blowfish, and bland country rock are the more obvious influences here, with a hackneyed sound pitched halfway between pub rock and alt-rock. Sister Hazel does have a bald singer though, so it does have something in common with R.E.M.! Expect a rendition of their big single, “All For You” – not to be confused with Janet Jackson’s 2001 hit of the same name.



Gonzo’s Nose –

This band is called Gonzo’s Nose. It’s a cover band. With the trend of this year’s line up, they’ll probably be doing repeated renditions of “American Idiot,” with maybe a bit of Fall Out Boy thrown in to spice things up. Or maybe the band got lost at Charter on the way to a seven year old’s birthday party. Who knows, with a name like Gonzo’s Nose, we might be in for group renditions of “Baa Baa Black Sheep.”

Ruby Suns –

Oh my lord! A band that formed less than five years ago is coming to Lawnparties? Well, it must be playing Terrace then. Combining sweet, psychedelic pop sounds with world music — which seems to be all the rage right now — the New Zealand-based Ruby Suns has been described by pitchforkmedia.com, in typically verbose style, as “nibbling at the edges of unfamiliar sounds.” Someone I know calls them “really, really good.” I don’t know who to trust. But I’ll be there, because the cover of their latest album has lots of nice, happy, bright colors on it. And nice, happy, bright music is good for a sunny Sunday. Let’s just hope it’s sunny. If not, you can go shed emo tears with New Found Glory…

The Walkmen –

Positively grandparents compared to the Ruby Suns, the five-piece Walkmen will also be playing Terrace on Saturday. Apparently nothing to do with the late-80s portable tape player, The Walkmen play a brand of scruffy, guitar-heavy indie rock that’s been compared to The Strokes and Interpol. And with their pared-down, aggressive sound, that’s not surprising. What’s stranger is that someone once compared the band to U2. That person was very silly.