.sixteen.

Gumbo Ya Ya - 5.29.10


Lexington, KY

w/ Slugging Percentage, Joe Mangum, Pheramones, Toby Foster, Sister Kisser, Candy Hearts, Hop Along, Madeline Ava, and Laura Stevenson and the Cans

ok, so i've been slacking on updating this thing. also, there were SO many bands playing this show, as you can see. that being said, i will just say that Crucial Fun Fest is one of the best things I have ever been a part of. i've never felt so energized and excited to see so many friends and new bands. it was an amazing weekend, and in order to save myself some sanity, i'm just going to upload pictures of each band with their names n' whatnot. i will say right now that i did not see one shitty band that weekend... seriously. Hop Along is not really my cup of tea, but she has a pretty amazing voice!


Slugging Percentage
baaaah ok really quick, this band consisted of our buddies Ryan and Andy from the Monster House (Andy kind of from there) in Columbus, Ohio. they are a completely baseball themed band (they call their shows games, play 9 songs a set calling them innings, and have a 7th inning stretch as well as a first pitch and national anthem) and i just want to say they are incredible and everyone should check them out and go see them when you can. it's something that can't be missed. some of the most fun i've had at a show in a long long time. k that's all!


Joe Mangum


Pheramones


Toby Foster


Sister Kisser


Candy Hearts



Hop Along


Madeline Ava


Laura Stevenson and the Cans


stay sweaty!

.fifteen.

Triangle Park - 5.28.10

Lexington, KY

w/ Some Kid (sorry!), Laura Stevenson and the Cans, American War, Sean Bonnette

So that last post I made... I totally lied on one part. After the show at Al's Bar, there was a low key acoustic show at Triangle Park in Lexington. It was really nice to see everyone from the show at Al's Bar slowly hover over to the park for even more music.

The first boy to play, I unfortunately did not catch his name. He spoke very softly, which matched his music. Nice laid back tunes from a local Lexington kid. Super bummed I didn't catch his name. Sorry!!



Second was about 3 songs from Laura Stevenson and the Cans. It was really surreal to hear such professional musicians in such a relaxed setting. Laura Stevenson totally ascends any other musician at Crucial Fun Fest. I mean, we're all punk kids who happen to play music, but Laura and the Cans are like... MUSICIANS. They made me feel like I was at a Broadway musical. But yeah, great "set." Gave me duh shivers.



Third was American War. American War is Matt from the Sidekicks. American War basically sounds like a more chill version of the Sidekicks... which, judging from my latter comments, means it's siiick. Matt's got such an amazing voice. SUCH RANGE ON THAT BOY! Check his stuff out on If You Make It.



Lastly was Sean Bonnette of Andrew Jackson Jihad playing some acoustic covers. I honestly don't even remember what covers he played, but he's also a "musician," so I was just honored to be witnessing him play. A great way to end the day.



Mkay, THEN we went to Waffle House n' Jon's n' bed.

stay sweaty!

.fourteen.

Al's Bar (Crucial Fun Fest, Show #1) - 5.28.10

Lexington, KY

w/ Delay, Sidekicks, Timeshares, Sundials, and Dead Dog (aka best show ever)

Crucial Fun Fest is a 3 day long fest in Lexington, Kentucky that a wonderful boy named Anthony (with the help of tons of people, I'm sure) has put on the past 5 years. Spraynard was lucky enough to be asked to play this year. I'm going to do my best to recap the three amazing days in Lexington, and since each show was separate from each other, that will hopefully be easier than I think.

So we began driving Thursday night and stopped in West Virginia to stay at a surprisingly nice motel for 40 bucks. Dos ended up leaving his phone at the motel (and we ended up picking it up on the way back... weird), which to me was a sign that this weekend was going to be all about hanging out with homies and temporarily forgetting the stresses of every day life.

We arrived in Lexington around 1 pm on Friday, and were greeted by our BFFs in Sundials. They quickly carted us away to this skatepark nearby where Sean of Andrew Jackson Jihad had just finished ripping it up. Judging by the amount of sweat on his clothes and the other kids tearing up the cement heaven, Lexington seemed to be pretty skate-friendly... always a plus.

After some discussions of how much we all wish we could rule at skating, we headed back to Anthony's house to meet Anthony (since somehow we had still never done that). While our conversation was brief, I knew right away Anthony was a legit kid. Uhh... this pre-game talk is even boring me... ON TO THE SHOW!

The show was at this place called Al's Bar. Super super nice bar and they were all about all ages shows, which to me is the most important thing for a venue to have... NICE!

The first band to play was Sundials. Like I said before, these dudes are BFFs of Spraynard, and for damn good reason. Not only are they the nicest kids eva, but their music is so effing enjoyable. It's like a more poppy and happy Cheap Girls. While their music is very inviting and joyous, their lyrics are usually geared more towards ethical dilemmas in the scene and the world in general, and anyone who listens to Spraynard knows that's riiiight up my alley. Their set was so good, and a lot of my opinion is due to the fact that I was itching to see them since our weekend tour about a month ago. Check em' out, right now!



The second band was Timeshares. Like I said, Crucial Fun was literally Homie Fest 2010 for Spraynard, and these guys are no exception. We first met Timeshares when we played New York on our January tour. They're the kind of guys who constantly quote Christmas Vacation or Billy Madison and think it's just as funny as the first time they heard it (again, have you MET Spraynard?). Not only that, but they sound just like every 90s Epitpah/Fat band that you fell in love with in High School. Some bands can really butcher that sound, but they totally bring you back (in a good way) and add a really enjoyable modern twist to it. Straight up punk! Love em.



The third band was Dead Dog. I had never heard Dead Dog before, but I was pleasantly surprised! Super chaotic poppy noise-ish kind of stuff. The guitarist was amazing, but amazing in a way that he treated his guitar like shit, and knew exactly what he was doing. He would like, pull strings up really high, hit his guitar against his amp, mess with the pickups... hard to describe, but it sounded super good. I'm bummed I didn't get to talk to them, but so it goes at a crowded punk show when you're shy enough to begin with.



The fourth band was The Sidekicks. OK, I will be the first to admit that I talked a lot of shit on The Sidekicks' new record "Weight of Air." I was absolutely in love with their 7" "Sam," so when I heard the much slower Weight of Air, I was bummed out to say the least. After seeing them in New York not too long ago, my opinion on them completely pulled a 180. Steve's voice is so incredibly good, while the rest of them are each beyond amazing at their instruments. Not only that, but the songwriting is super unique for the punk scene right now (it pulls a lot of influence from Mo-Town... no joke!). To top it off, they are all sweethearts... every last one of em. While I am definitely in love with this band, they have a tendency of playing their songs slower than the recordings when they play live. We all know that's the number one punk rule you cannot break. But they are, and hey, people still love em. WOO!



Last, but in no way least, Delay. Delay is my favorite band. I say that a lot on this blog, but if it wasn't for Delay, I wouldn't have half the faith I do in punk rock right now. These guys are a perfect example of how a band can be so good, and not give a shit about money or fame or any of that jazz. Kind of a cliche thing to say, but never less true than the first time you heard it. Green Day is all of these dudes favorite band, and it shows with their consistent attitude of keeping the (punk) faith while still writing amazing lyrics about love and honest emotion. Such good people, best band, nuff said.



After the show, we laughed as Harris from Sundials muttered incoherent words of drunkenness at a table in Al's Bar. Then we caught word from Matt in Sidekicks (while enjoying some delicious hashbrowns from Waffle House) that he knew of a less crowded place to sleep for the night (Anthony's house literally had about 60 people staying there). We followed Matt to a kid named Jon's house (who turned out to be a great addition to the already overwhelmingly sweetheart-y weekend) and talked about plastic army men and weird Major League Baseball incidents. We got a refreshing night's sleep (wait a sec, I slept like 3 hours... nevermind) and were greeted by Jon's mom making us food in the morning. LOVE IT!

Oh, at some point during the night, our buddy Andy from Columbus wore a Snuggie for the first time. He was quite pleased.



stay sweaty!

.thirteen.

Lynn's House - 5.23.10

Pittsburgh, PA

w/ Spraynard, Lavis Blake, Jodo, and a band that hopped on last minute that i can't recall the name of but don't really care because they were smoking pot during their set in a room full of people and i don't agree with that at all so meh.

i'm getting a serious headache from staring at my computer screen, so unfortunately for all of you avid Sweaty Kids fans, i'm keeping this one short as hell.

Spraynard has never been to Pittsburgh, and i got a REALLY good impression of it (after hearing so many bad things). it's a beautiful city (with inevitable crappy parts) with a lot of really interesting and cool people. thanks to Lynn for letting us play your house fairly last minute... oh and WEST CHESTER FOR LIFE (Lynn grew up here)!

Jodo played first and he played acoustic songs similar to Erik Petersen. Jodo had literally one of the best voices i've ever heard. it made me mad jealous. great kid!



Spraynard played next and we let Brian from Lavis Blake write our set. Brian is a self-proclaimed big fan of ours, so we were excited to see what he had in store. it was a really fun set with a lot of oldies we don't usually play. good times!

Lavis Blake then played and i was super depressed as it hit me that this was the last time i will see them play for at least a few weeks. when you go on tour with a band who's music you really like, it is hard to come to terms that you won't be seeing them every single day anymore. they played great and finally played the "loop station song" i had been asking for for days. love them to death. very sad right now.



the last band was an acoustic band from Minnesota i believe? i was kind of harsh at the top of this post, but honestly i HIGHLY disagree with doing illegal drugs while performing in front of strangers. while i try to keep it under wraps and be respectful of everyone's different lifestyles, the pissed off straight edge kid in me comes out every once in a while. i think it is ridiculous to put someone in that situation without asking, for some of us feel that is a very uncomfortable and painful situation. say what you want, but i'm not down with it. not to discredit their music, which was pretty good. but yeah, meh.



after the show we said our long winded goodbyes with heavy hearts and headed home on a four hour drive. we had a few heated fights in the car home, but that's the beauty of long drives... none of us were going anywhere. everything was resolved and i only wish that everyone could always find themselves actually telling the people they love how they really felt. if you ever have beef with someone that you want resolved, suggest a road trip.

stay sweaty!

.twelve.

Weapons of Mass Creation Fest - 5.22.10

Cleveland, Ohio

w/ Spraynard, Lavis Blake, Saintseneca, Parachute Journalists, and The Lighthouse and the Whaler

this fest was the whole reason this tour came together in the first place, so we were all excited to see what it held. it was super fun to hang out with Dave Garwacke and explore a little bit of Cleveland. it's also always great to see Matt from the Sidekicks and discuss his job as a gas station attendant.

we showed up around 1 PM and Dave was awkwardly walking around like a sad puppy. he was excited to see us arrive. as we walked around the church that the fest was being held at, we searched for someone to tell us what to do (as most confused bands do). we were eventually told to bring our equipment inside into a tiny room that Dave decided to film some impromptu "pink couches" in. myself, Lavis Blake, Parachute Journalists, and Saintseneca were filmed that day, good times!

the first band to play was Jeff's (the mastermind behind the fest) band Parachute Journalists. they played really well and i was excited to hear some unique music. Jeff did a great job at diversifying the fest with different styles of music and artists. then did a great job playing music as well!

(picture taken via my cell phone from the VIP lounge............. heh.......)


next was Lavis Blake. with their set, i realized playing AFTER Lavis Blake is the worst thing to do ever. they are so effing good that it is the scariest thing in the world to play after them. who could like anything else after seeing them live? eep.



after them was Saintseneca. this was the second time i've seen Saintseneca, and while i was blown away the first time, this time around it was a new experience entirely. i'm not sure how to eloquently put it into words, but in the car at one point i was trying to explain this to mark and dos. Saintseneca is not only an incredible band, they are not a band at all. they are this higher form of music that doesn't deserve to be played even in our love filled basements (even though that's where they still somehow fit best). they deserve to be opening for Bruce Springsteen or something insane like that. hell, Springsteen should be opening for them. not only the nicest people (saints, if you will... HAHAHAHAHA), but just an indescribable band.




Spraynard played after Saintseneca. you know how i just said that about Lavis Blake? well think about what i just said about Saintseneca, then think about how my shitty pop punk band from the suburbs had to follow both of those bands up. needless to say i thought we played terribly and that's all i have to say about that (still a fun time had by all of us though).

after Spraynard was a band called The Lighthouse and the Whaler. while their set was a little too long for my taste, they played a cool blend of folk, rock, and pop very very well. reminded me a lot of the bands on MTV that i can actually get into. while they played really well, i was far too distracted by the lead singer's shocking similarity to the jerk brother from Step Brothers (also the second bully from Boy Meets World). the picture won't do it justice at all, but it was downright scary.



after the fest we sat outside for a few hours just shootin' duh breeze with Dave. we ordered The Melt (a local HOT SPOT for vegan grilled cheese) which told us the order would take an hour and a half to be ready. needless to say we were bored out of our minds just waiting around to fill our empty stomachs. when we finally got to the Melt about an hour and 15 minutes later, we waited in their for about another hour. great times. although when we finally had our sandwiches, we headed over to Matt's house and had an actual great time. also, thanks to John and Andy for letting us crash at your house. all of your fliers and comic books rule!

stay sweaty!

.eleven.

Brown Town - 5.21.10

Athens, Ohio

w/ Spraynard, Lavis Blake, Brother Tiger, Bag of Hair, Cop Hugger, and Conan O'Brien's Band

*forgot my camera in the car for this show. salby!*

ok, so i feel terrible, but i cannot for the life of me remember the first band that played this show's name. i'm super sorry if they are ever to read this, but i promise i still had a great time during your set! arrrgh, i feel really bad. and when i said your drummer looked like Conan O'Brien, it was nothing but a compliment and shocking similarity. i still love you :(

so yeah, after that first band that i feel ashamed about, Max from Brown Town's band Cop Hugger played. i was super stoked on this band. they were fast old schoolish hardcore with positive messages littered throughout their lyrics. Max is one of the nicest human beings i've ever crossed paths with, so this was no surprise. plus, he sports a killer Good Clean Fun tattoo, and you can't go wrong with that. Max said their demo should be out in a few weeks, so i'm stoked to get my hands on that.

after Cop Hugger, Brother Tiger played. he was a solo dude who had a computer, mixer, and synth at his disposal. many times when someone is setting up a computer at a show, i shudder and think how bad it will probably be. and that is just my ignorant self, coz Brother Tiger RULED. super dancy and fun synth pop that everyone shook their butts to. he got everyone involved and hyped on dancing. it was a great time!

after Brother Tiger, Spraynard played our tunes. it was fun and hot and sticky.

after us, Lavis Blake amazed me once again. i can't hype their live performances enough. i hope to see this band play literally 100 more times. my life will be incomplete if not.

finally, a band called Bag of Hair played. now, most of the people that are close to me know that missing bands at shows is something i hate doing/don't agree with in general. that being said, i unfortunately missed this band. i could hear them perfectly from the kitchen where i was having an in depth conversation with Cait of Brown Town and Dos (in depth enough that i didn't realize how much time had passed by), and what i heard sounded great. unfortunately i am a terrible person and missed witnessing their whole set. people came up from the basement sweatier than usual though, so i assume it was something to behold. ugh.

i love Brown Town. Spraynard had played there once before that, and it was just as great of a time. rumor has it Max has been thinking of moving to Philly, and i'm sure Cait will find herself back here soon enough. super excited!

as for interesting tour stories... we played Bananagrams after the show while Lavis Blake went missing to some party down the street. THAT'S how exciting Spraynard's tours are. but seriously, Bananagrams rules and so does Max's invention of the word "Poom."

(grabbed my camera from the car before bed)




stay sweaty!

.ten.

Gallagher Garage - 5.20.10

Chadds Ford, PA

w/ Spraynard, Eric Ayotte, Toby Foster, Nona, The Cool Ranchers, and Lavis Blake

all i will say to preface this is that Mimi and Joe are saints. they are the only two kids in the West Chester scene right now doing exactly what we all talk about doing. REPPIN.

also, this was technically the first day of our incredible weekend tour with Lavis Blake, and a perfect way to start it off.

the first band to play was The Cool Ranchers. like i've said before, i'm really excited about these kids. it's super rare in our scene for a young band to be playing punk music nowadays. even in the short time they've been a band, i can tell they're improving every time i see them. plus, they played a plow united cover, and who can complain about that?? stoked on this band.



the next band was Nona. i play drums in Nona with Mimi on guitar and Ed on bass. again, i feel strange about talking about my own band. considering Mimi writes most of the songs, i will say that i really like the songs that Mimi is writing. she captures her love of Green Day with a more contemporary pop punk sound perfectly. not sure when Nona will actually kick into high gear, but for now look for us hopping on various local shows.



Eric Ayotte went on third. i have heard Eric's stuff on various internet music outlets a few times, and while it was good, it never grabbed me too much. his live show was way different. Eric's got a really powerful voice and the lyrics to match. it always pleases me when acoustic performers' lyrics aren't entirely based on love stories. while his songs were similar to that of his band Halo Fauna, they were also extremely different. i hope he comes back very soon, or at least i see him in Bloomington.



next was the cutie pie Toby Foster. it's awesome that i have already posted an entry about seeing Toby considering he's from Bloomington. apparently he picked up Eric in Bloomington and didn't even stop home. what a trooper! again, Toby was amazing. he plays that perfect style of Plan-It-X acoustic songs mixed with eloquent lyrics about love and places he's lived. again, i hope i see Toby in Bloomington when Spraynard is there this summer.




Spraynard played next. this was one of the best times we've ever had at Mimi's house. everyone there is always so supportive and outwardly excited. i hope this enthusiasm never wains. Maddie actually snapped some fancy photos of us this time around, so i suppose i'll post one.



John Crodian then stepped up to bat since Lavis Blake's singer Kyle was still on his way from Philly. John's sets at Mimi's are always super fun (and always inevitable). this time around Dos played drums for everybody's favorite Failed Attempts at Facial Hair song "Launchpad." it was great, and i think John got bit by the "full band" bug during that song... hopefully!



as John finished up, the rest of Lavis Blake set up their stuff and played some improvised tunes with hilarious vocal stylings by Joe Gallagher. as they finished up their smash hit "ETA of Kyle," Kyle ran in and Lavis Blake literally started as soon as he grabbed the mic. considering i am about to have three other posts about Lavis Blake, i will just say that they are always the best current live band i watch, and they are always beautiful people (like Marilyn Manson).



Mimi's house is putting on the best shows in West Chester right now. 'nuff said.

stay sweaty!