Flogging Molly!

(*Said in a high-pitched, leotard-wearing, 80's hair band style*)

Personally, I still can't believe that we got them to come here, but I choose not to question. As they are the kings of Irish punk, and one of the few out there now with a member who was actually from Ireland, Flogging Molly's arrival at ND warranted not only lining up outside Legends at least 4 hours in the pouring rain before the doors opened at 9 PM, but also the opening of the back wall of Legends with a tent set up in the lot behind, complete with projection screens, to accomodate the massive, over-capacity crowds that could not possibly fit inside. (Oh man, that was such a run-on sentence...The English major in me is shuddering...) As I have become the unofficial Legends correspondent of Mindset, here's my review.

Any criticisms I have of this show really have nothing to do with the band. First of all, Legends made a bad decision not to have the barricades set up before the show, though I admit I never expected any show at ND to get so chaotic. However, they did a fantastic job of getting that put up quickly and keeping it reinforced against the semi-moshing crowd. My other main complaint is about the leaky roof. Granted, this isn't really something the Legends staff could necessarily control, but it simply looks sloppy to have the roof leaking not only on the audience, but also on the band. Anyway, onto the actual show!

As Flogging Molly needs no introduction, there was no opening act. The show began with the entire house dimming; only a low blue light shone on the stage as flute music (my friend Alyssa said it was reminiscent of Passion of the Christ music) played over the sound system. This band knows how to make a crowd anxious, because they waited what felt like 10 minutes (it was probably less than 5) before coming out. Once onstage, they did not delay another second and went straight into the music. Here, I pause to give a Fonz-like thumbs-up to the Legends staff, who finally mastered the art of the sound system! There was only one instance of unwanted guitar feedback that I can recall, all the mics were perfectly balanced, and the volume was at the perfect level where it was justloud enough to blow out your eardrums, but not permanently.

This was my first Flogging Molly live show, and it did NOT disappoint. Unlike other bands, who refuse to play their old songs in concert, they played a huge set that included songs from all their albums, fan favorites and new songs alike. (An incomplete and disjointed set list will follow the review.) These guys play an extremely laid-back show, drinking beer from blue plastic cups (Haha, inside joke from the show) between songs as lead singer Dave King shared stories about his childhood in Ireland or went on tangents about politics and peace. Interaction with the crowd seems to be one key to the magic of a Flogging Molly show, which explains why they kept it at Legends rather than moving it to larger venue like Stepan.

The other key would be their amazing music. Some punk bands sound like crap live because they simply play as loud and as fast as they can, and, while this can get synched up and polished in a studio, it just sounds like audio vomit live. NOT the case with Flogging Molly, who have actual discernable melodies and utilize more than a 3-chord progression in their music. Plus, they have a slightly more diverse set of instruments at their disposal, including a violin, mandolin, banjo, and accordion. I never thought it would be possible to rock out on an according. Apparently, I was wrong. It didn't take long for the crowd to get energized and thrashing around, which is awesome that people get so into it, but decidedly not so awesome when you're 5 feet tall in flip flops in the middle of the crowd with guys wearing riveted jackets on each side. (FYI: I still have both flip flops and all my toenails, thank you very much!) And again with the anxiety for the encore! Most other bands go backstage, count to 3, then come back out, but these guys made you wait, and therefore crave it more. At first, just Dave came out and began a gorgeous acoustic version of "Black Friday Rule", which made everyone stop thrashing for probably the first time all evening, then the rest of the band joined him onstage about halfway through the song to finish it with a full set.

Okay, so here's what I remember that they played. I know for a fact they played more than this, but I can't remember! I'll ask my friends what they remember and possibly edit this later...

• Selfish Man
• Factory Girls
• Within a Mile of Home
• What's Left of the Flag
• Laura (I think? I can't remember if I just heard it in my head or onstage!)
• If I Ever Leave This World Alive
• The Likes of You Again
• Rebels of the Sacred Heart
• Whistles in the Wind
• Requiem for a Dying Dream
  
• Black Friday Rule

Keep it up, Legends, I expect bigger and better acts for my senior year! :-)


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Former Mindset Editor and all-around maven of all things purple-headed and radical: Mairead Case

Interviewed none other than Patti Smith on behalf of Pitchfork.

Check it out here

And don't skip over the Rolling Stones cover they've included, it's actually really good =)
xkd
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Voxwolf!

This past Saturday, WVFI welcomed the Chicago-based Skybox to Legends. The end result: a night full of near-perfect tripped-out demented circus music. However, Skybox wasn't the only band to charm the Legends crowd. Openers Voxwolf, a recently formed campus band, hit the stage and kicked off the evening with a catchy original, "Joshua's Revenge (feat. The Nilbog All Stars)." The four-piece band wasted no time in shifting gears, jumping mid-song to a cover of the Wolf Parade dance-party classic "Shine a Light." After a cover of Brand New's "Jesus Christ" and another Troll 2-influenced original, "No Hospitals," Voxwolf performed an interesting and tasteful version of Death Cab for Cutie's "Lack of Color" with John Siegel on lead vocals. Once again changing pace, switching from soft indie rock to "Wait, what's happening?" the band launched into "No Arms," a unique, somewhat shortened take on a Mickey Avalon song, and an instrumental number simply titled "Ryan's Song." The song would have been perfect, say, played in the background of a film about high school football. As bassist Joe Lattal thanked the crowd for coming out, Voxwolf performed a quick Peaches cover to end their short but memorable set.



I caught up with 3/4 of the band and briefly interviewed them.

Mindset: So, tell me the story behind the band.
John Siegel: It all started trying to impress someone... We did the little stuff together but never played live... The short story: yesterday at 3:00, Legends told us we were playing.
Riley Saunders: We made it rain.

Mindset: Well, clearly, Panic! at the Disco is heavily influenced by the film Closer. My question to you is, which Julia Roberts film has influenced you the most and why?
Riley Saunders: I have two personal favorites. First, Notting Hill for two reasons: I like Hugh Grant, and I like to say "whoops-i-daisies." My second favorite, which I'd say has directly influenced Voxwolf, is Ocean's Twelve. Not so much for Julia, as for the techno laser scene, which influenced our decision to remix the popular dance song "**** the Pain Away" by Peaches.
Joe Lattal: The Mexican, for the romance.
John Siegel: Pretty Woman.

Mindset: Do you ever wish you could be [former campus band] The Somersaults?
John Siegel: Sometimes I wish I could burn down South Dining Hall.

Mindset: It seems that a lot of bands are using the word "wolf" in their names. What drew you to the name "Voxwolf"?
Joe Lattal: Wolf Parade, Wolf Eyes, Superwolf...
John Siegel: Wolfmother...
Joe Lattal: We're going to be the best of the bunch. The best of the Vox bands and the best of the Wolf bands. Another idea for a name was "Gently Used Cucumbers."
John Siegel: Or "She Wouldn't Be Opposed To The Possibility Of Revenge."

My interview was cut short when drummer Riley Saunders had to show off some dance moves.



I'm just kidding. That's all I asked them.
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Love me like an animal

So Flameshovel records dropped by Legends one week after Friday the 13th. The seemingly unsurpassable amazingness of moving an entire record label on a flatbed was in fact surpassed by the Russian Circles (along with the Race and the Narrator [adding at wvfi this week]). Russian Circles lasso post-rock, space-hardcore, and metal-dronefucking together. They also had a great stage presence. The guitarist had a plethora of pedals (gear slut wet dream), sick skills (a la finger tapping), a tendency to loop (at one point there were five guitars going on at once), and this bad-ass stoic stance with a blond mane covering his face the entire show (it gave way to whirlwinds at some points). The bassist played his tool through a blowtorch, he was chiseled, lean, and large (thus personifying most of the bass lines), and jerked around mildly, wildly, or extra-wildly. The drummer was... good. He had a mean headband, and anyone who knew anything about music was probably looking at him most of the time. Dead on, inventive, and just plain awesome. The drunk, middle-aged, businessman who wandered into Legends next to me, put it best. "Saaay... Now THAT'S a gooooood drummer!"

I do have a soft-spot for noise/loud live shows, but c'mon.



Also, I love it when SDH has the 90s hit radio station on, and Lovefool is followed by Closer.

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16 April 2007 -- Klaxons take Schuba's

We walk to the venue, an old man outside is hawking glow-sticks. I smile broadly and knowingly, looking down at the sidewalk as we walk inside. It's empty, save a few early-birdies and the merch girl who is perched in front of a modest display of shirts, the most interesting upon which "Klaxons are K*nts" is scrawled. A guy hands us flyers and asks if we've designed tees for the band? We haven't, though mine would have been a stolen magazine headline ("Klaxons are MDMAzing"). He takes our photo anyway.

The small room gradually fills up and we find out the opening band is called The Prairie Cartel. The name says 'emo' to me, and even up till the band takes the stage, I am skeptical of th appropriateness of their opening for Klaxons. But as soon as they begin to play, I'm sold. Strong dance beats relying on synthesizers, plastic neon cowbells, and electronic drums are kept in balance by super-fat rock guitar work. The band are a bit repetitive at times (fact: this is an understatement), but their catchiness more than makes up for this. As a person normally indifferent to opening bands, call me impressed. Change your name, Prairie Cartel, cos you guys are winners!

The first band clean themselves up and the roadies take over, taping down setlists, check th equipment, hitting the synth key that begins "Atlantis to Interzone" (it yells DJ!!) and we laugh a little bit. It's kind of absurd, out of context. I look around the room and notice a few gig-goers dressed in the stereotypical klaxon-fashion -- oversized neon hoodies (with hoods up) and straight brimmed hats, rather baggy jeans. What's funny is that Klaxons have tried to get past this image, and have done everything fron changing they way they dress to outlawing glowsticks at their shows. But after I've had enough time to look over the setlist from the crowd, the band stomp on stage and something inside of me lights up when a reflection off Steffan's shoe catches my eye. The light plays on the drummer's shiny gold and black Adidas trainers; Simon wears pointy black ankle boots (right); James in black and leopard print high-top Nikes (left).

Klaxons launch into "The Bouncer" which, while immensely energetically performed, would have been received with much more enthusiasm had it come later in the set, me thinks. But the band do a great job promoting their new(ish) album, Myths of the Near Future, even promising a meet'n'greet to anyone who buys the album at the show. I am tempted.

Klaxons are well-practiced by this time in the tour and have got the crowd going (for the most part), though it takes a little while -- especially in Chicago. Atlantis to Interzone loosens things up while Golden Skans really gets us going. Too bad, but it wasn't till 12 Horsemen that everyone was dancing. Live, they perform a tight set and now gel very well together. Both James and Jamie play synth and bass, switching positions on stage a few times throughout the night. The energy seems to come completely from the music, however, as the band are not quite as eccentric onstage as I have witnessed in the past (maybe they are tired of touring?) At any rate, this is an intimate gig by Klaxons standards as they are used to performing at places like London's Shepherd's Bush Empire (Riviera size, at the least). Overall, they are a fun band with vibrant music, and though the live set does not differ too greatly from the recordings, the recordings are, well, very good. When the audio fuses with the presence of pioneering nu ravers (a term they will reject), unless you have feet of lead and a heart of stone, Klaxons should move you to dancing. With only enough material for a 40-45 minute set, we can only wish they had more songs to play...

What they played:
The Bouncer (cover)
Atlantis to Interzone
Hall of Records
Totem Timeline
Golden Skans
As Above So Below
Two Recievers
Magick
Gravity's Rainbow
Not Over Yet
Isle of Her
12 Horsemen of 2012

Enjoy the photos I managed to take!
xx kd

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Who the... are Arctic Monkeys?

For those of you who are anxious to hear the new Arctic Monkey's album, Favourite Worst Nightmare, Myspace has a stream of the entire album. I think I read in NME that this is the best band ever. Or maybe that was Nine Black Alps. Or Radiohead. Or Blur. Or The Beatles.

Enjoy. I would share my opinion of the album, but my opinion is irrelevant.

Coming soon: Exclusive "interview" with campus band Voxwolf and a possible concert review of Skybox.
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daa de daa de diddy diddy da

Last night I saw the Decemberists perform at the Riviera Theatre. They were quite entertaining and sounded as well or better than what recordings I had heard. Colin Meloy sang with his distinctive diphthongs and extended liquids (he-yerrr rather than here, and we-yulll rather than we'll), some of which seemed to require him to jut his head up with his mouth in somewhat odd orientation. Chris Funk added an occasional sound or two to his riffs, and at times the band would abandon their main set of instruments and the play such instruments as the violin or the cello. They played mainly from The Crane Wife, and touring with them was Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond, who sang the part of the widowed woman in "Yankee Bayonet." During one song, Meloy quartered the audience into two floor sections, a balcony section, and a bar section and choreographed the singing of the phrase "daa de daa de diddy diddy da," which was terrific fun and got the audience involved. The balcony was especially involved, which surprised me since I would liken that section to a hibernating bear. But Meloy insulted them by calling them lethargic and telling them that they are likely worrying about what DVD to rent on the way home. And so like a woken bear, they became the loudest of the groups, prompting Meloy to call them formidable. If I were to be critical, it would seem the Decemberists were having too much fun, for Meloy botched his words on a couple occasions. But surprisingly, I heard the words live with greater clarity than from the recordings; the exact opposite of what I'm used to. I feel I've typed too much so I'll leave it at that. They do have a motif among their shows apparently, which "initiates" new viewers to a specific song. I'd ruin it for you if I related it here. It was probably the best part of the show, though, so I strongly recommend seeing them.
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New Kids on the Blog

In addition to posting news, tour dates, concert reviews/photos, and Avril Lavigne videos, Mindset strives to introduce you to the best new music. In this spirit, I want to tell you about an amazing up-and-coming group I just discovered: New Kids on the Block. I found a bunch of their albums in the bottom of a bin in my cousin's garage, right underneath a pile of Maroon 5 bootlegs. I've deleted everything else on my 60 gig iPod, because this is the only music I'll ever need again. I think we should push for Legends to get them to play Notre Dame. Maybe they'd even do The Show.

::crosses fingers::
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She's like, so whatever.

The new Avril Lavigne album comes out tomorrow. You know you've been listening to her single, "Girlfriend," nonstop since it came out.

If that isn't your thing, the new Nine Inch Nails comes out, too.

If that isn't your thing... Check back next week.
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Breaking News from London...

Yup, Libertines Pete and Carl re-united onstage at a Babyshambles gig today (which is tonight already in London).

It may or may not be a hoax...But you can read NME's minute-by-minute blackberry blog HERE

(confusing bit: you have to click "previous page" to get to the later texts...I found this out because I started at the most recent and read the blog backwards...)

more from NME here
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Help Save Internet Radio

Hello all,

This has come to my attention via Dan McSwain, former WVFI station manager.

On Friday March 2nd, the U.S. government (specifically, the Copyright Royalty Board, or "CRB") announced its determination of the royalty rates Internet radio webcasters must pay the owners of sound recording copyrights to license the music they play for the years 2006-2010. The owners of these sound recording copyrights are, in the vast majority of cases, recording companies ("labels").

While successful webcasters which have built loyal audiences can usually cover most of their costs from their revenue (and sometimes even make a little profit), these new rates will almost certainly destroy the Internet radio industry, as they amount to well over 100% of even the most-successful webcasters' online radio revenues. In other words, these fees are grotesquely disproportionate to any other expense a webcaster would normally face, and certain to bankrupt him or her.

And I don't need to remind you that WVFI is an internet radio station, though there might be some sort of educational loophole...



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Pulp Magazine

Everyone's -- and by everyone I am almost certain I mean solely Christine and myself -- favourite music-icon blaggers PopWorld have announced the arrival of a new member of the PopWorld family -- Pulp Magazine! Not too much info is available about it but, from the production schedule and the sample page, it looks to give NME some competition! The First Issue has Klaxons on the cover and of course Alex and Alexa make a special appearance (rather funny debate on the attractivness of popstars in which Alex argues that people would rather look like the Backstreet Boys than the View. I had to delete the BSB photo as it was attracting too many hits from google-image searches. I only wish that was a lie.)

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Things That Keep Me Awake at Night

Mainly, fears that, despite all the actual good music out there, this is the music our generation will be remembered for:

1. Boy bands. Although our generation did not invent the boy band (We can't honestly claim New Kids on the Block, Take That, or Menudo [Not that we'd want to]), we certainly perfected the "art" of the boy band. Just look at the sheer hordes of them that emerged in the late 90's: The Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync, 98 Degrees, 5ive, Westlife, Boyzone, Code Red...I mean, geez, England was manufacturing those things like...Well, I actually have no accurate comparison for that as I'm not exactly sure what England manufactures besides bland food. And sure, we all laugh now, but how many of us out there can honestly say we didn't rock out whenever any of the above came on the radio back in the day? The fact that you find yourself subconsciously singing along whenever "I Want It That Way" comes on over the sound system in the grocery store shows how deeply boy bands infiltrated our generation.
   
2. Britney Spears. Honestly. I said from the beginning that she was a no-talent skank from the trailer park, and guess who was right in the end? *raises hand* But she has become a cultural icon--The mother of Kevin Federline's babies is easily the most recognizable pop reference of our generation! She's constantly parodied on late-night TV, referred to in songs (such as Pink's "Don't Let Me Get Me"), mentioned periodically in TV shows and movies, for God's sake, she's even corrupted musical theater! (A line in Spamalot's "Diva's Lament" references her.) And she can't sing a note.
   
3. American Idol. As if it wasn't enough that boy bands were being manufactured according to a set formula (on a great tangent, anyone else remember 2gether?), we had to make a show that makes the prefabrication of a pop star the #1 show on TV. Whatever happened to, I don't know, people working to get famous? And, no, kissing up to a snotty British dude does not count as work. You know what I mean by work: Writing your own music, playing your own instruments, peddling your wares to record labels, having talent...Seriously, if our last elections showed anything, America as a whole makes stupid decisions! Why, then, do we rely on the multitudes who watch Fox (of all networks) to decide the face of American music for a year??
4. "My Humps." No, not my...I'll stop that dumb joke right now. Seriously, though, future generations will remember us as the era that brought the phrase "lovely lady lumps" into the English language, and I for one am ashamed of that.
   

That's all I've got, but if that's not enough to give you nightmares for a week, then you are fearless.
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3000 Hits!

Alright the hits are coming faster and faster these days...

On Easter Sunday, we got to the 3000 mark

SO, OF COURSE i will be posting where our visitors came from and what they hoped to find...instead finding the most amazing college music blog ever...out of Notre Dame that is.

Mindset, frequented by:

Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, China, Colombia, Croatia, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Korea (Republic of), Kuwait, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Phillipines, Poland , Russia, Scotland, Singapore, Spain,, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand

Funniest Searches (and funny also meaning that a lot of earnest Avril fans stumbled in here):

"i wanna be your girlfriend" avril lavigne video
its not a scene its a dame arms race by fall out boy on myspace
whats the chris cornell song with the lyrics: all my heros have become ghosts
bloc party hunting for witches guitar riff crazy train
there's a good reason why these tables aren't numbered honey, you just haven't figured it out yet lyrics
names of parents of Panic! at the Disco
"ted leo" notre
final fantasy: online a.k.a. internet supergroup
"I wanna be your girlfriend" + lyrics + "she's like so whatever" (we were the number one hit on this search!)
Girlfriend - Avril Lavigne; The Rolling Stones
dress up scary monsters

And these were the most oft-used search terms:

Carl Newman
Hadouken Live
Final Fantasy
Sasquatch
Lily Allen
I wanna be your girlfriend
Our Earthly Pleasures, Maximo Park
Ted Leo, Notre Dame
Poughkeepsie
Peter, Bjorn and John
Neko Case
Ben Kweller Photos
Nick’s Profile(s) II
Jenni’s Profile

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Youthmovies!

Oxford-based "prog-post-mathcore-rock-stuff" quartet Youthmovies (formerly Youthmovie Soundtrack Strategies) have just signed a record deal with Drowned in Sound. Their debut LP is due out later this year. Starting next week, they play a series of dates with 65daysofstatic, whose third studio album is due out on April 30.

Check out Youthmovies' 2004 EP entitled Hurrah! Another Year, Surely This One Will Be Better Than the Last; The Inexorable March of Progress Will Lead Us All to Happiness.

Love.
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Icky Thump!

The new White Stripes album, Icky Thump, will be released on June 18 (UK/Europe) and June 19 (all those other countries in Asia and America).

I plan to camp out in the Best Buy parking lot to get my copy. I once had a bad experience with an internet presale purchase. I cannot take that risk again.
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"So, here I am, standing in your doorway..."

"I've always been standing in your doorway."

Could anything be better than these lines of dialogue or Kirsten Dunst's delivery of them? Of course not, but these tracks might come close, mostly because they're not Nickelback.

New Walkmen and Yeah Yeah Yeahs from the Spider-man 3 soundtrack [P-fork].

Okay, probably not.

I mean, Karen O is no Avril, so who cares?
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Can Avril Make Gutteral Animal Noises?

Awwwkkkkwwwaaaarrrrdddd...

Its funny how American's can't seem to grasp being taken as a joke by the British. What did she expect from Popworld? The utmost respect for "Girlfriend"?

*EDIT* fine, North American. We're all the same to them anyway. At least we aren't Australian....
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Kings attract Killer crowd...

Oh man, how ego-heavy must this balcony have been? Apparently, Noel Gallagher, Brandon Flowers, and other music-biz heavyweights crowded the VIP section of the London Astoria to during the recent Kings of Leon gig. With the combination of dirty-south rock, eyeliner glam, and brit-pop blagging, I'm well surprised a fight didn't break out!

One step closer to world peace!

Full Story at NME (though it's not very long)
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Carl Newman talks fourth New Pornos LP, advertising

Carl Newman of The New Pornographers has an interview up on Pitchfork where he talks about their new album, tentatively titled Challengers, due sometime around August.

It definitely sounds like something that, when it's quiet, I think it's much quieter than it ever has been, to the point that there are actually songs that don't really have any drums. Or, a song that has no drums for the first half, but then the drums come in, and even then they don't come in that much.

As a bonus later in the interview he talks about the University of Phoenix Online commercial mentioned in my previous posting here.

All of a sudden, people started saying "I saw your commercial during 'Saturday Night Live'" or "I saw your commercial during 'American Idol'," and I thought, "what the hell is up with that?" Then I began to realize that, well, I guess we inadvertently signed up to be in a big commercial. How about that?

Full interview here.
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Wilco Tour Dates

Wilco, the greatest American band outside of Brand New, are embarking on a tour to go along with the release of their upcoming album Sky Blue Sky. Who needs to be the American Radiohead when you can be the American Coldplay?

Dates stolen from Brooklyn Vegan:
06-13 Davenport, IA - Adler Theater
06-15 Indianapolis, IN - Murat Theater
06-17 Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo
06-19 Atlanta, GA - Chastain Park Amphitheatre
06-20 Charlotte, NC - Ovens Auditorium
06-22 Red Bank, NJ - Count Basie Theater
06-24 Northampton, MA - The Pines
06-25 New York, NY - Hammerstein Ballroom
06-28 Boston, MA - Bank of America Pavilion
06-29 Shelburne, VT - The Green at Shelburne Museum

Guess who will be at the Hammerstein Ballroom on June 25.
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All we care about is talking, talking only me and...

the masses. *sigh*. I just witnessed a commercial with Peter Bjorn & John's "Young Folks" playing in the background. So sorry. They crammed two parts of the song together, some whistling and some chorus. At least they could have done a good job, you know? Like that car commercial with M83 in the background. Effective. But really, such an intimate song advertising internet connections? I suppose, however, only people like me who like PB&J will scrutinize.
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Who Pays for Music Anyway?

Tomorrow the new Hillary Duff album comes out, but I'm sure you all knew that, right? No offense to the former Disney star, but I'd suggest checking out the new Kings of Leon instead. Entitled Because of the Times, the album has already received some positive reviews from such luminary publications as Rolling Stone, The Guardian, and Filter. Don't believe me? That's okay; I'm a pretty unreliable guy.

Also, the new Maximo Park album, Our Earthly Pleasures, comes out today -- in the United Kingdom. America has to wait over a month for its stateside arrival. Boo.
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Last Night at Legend's...

Why does that sound like a bad way to start out a sentence the morning after?

Anyway, last night at Legend's, I saw Mae perform with The Hush Sound and New Atlantic. I love LOVE LOVE Mae (make fun if you must), and was absolutely stoked when I found out they were coming here! I had already checked out the Hush Sound with some friends when they were here in January and was actually surprised that they had come back, but I don't question. So, here are some pics and a mini-review-let...

I had never heard of New Atlantic before last night, and they apparently still haven't released their debut album yet, so I couldn't even hazard a guess at what songs they played. My perception of them, I'll admit, is a little skewed...During their set, I was standing basically right next to the 2 gigantic speakers off to the left side of the stage, which had me reeling after about 2 minutes. I'm sure I would've enjoyed their music if I was actually able to hear it, but alas, I was being bombarded by sound waves that were seriously starting to give me a headache. Additionally, something was amiss with the soundcheck. I couldn't tell if all the high-pitched whines before and during songs were intentional (a few times they just seemed to run with it rather than giving semi-discreet hand gestures to the guy in the back) or just the result of shoddy technicians. Maybe someday I'll give them a second chance in a controlled environment.

Fortunately, by the time The Hush Sound came on, I used my teeny-ness to my advantage and managed to wind my way away from said abominable speakers and more towards front and center. I'm not going to lie, I enjoy The Hush Sound, as long as I ignore that they're signed to Pete Wentz's label. They also play an excellent live show, proving that they actually have some talent rather than talented producers to touch things up in the studio. I remember that they played 13 songs last night, and I'm pretty certain I have them in close to the correct order here (Feel free to correct me)...

1. We Intertwined
2. In the Desert
3. Don't Wake Me Up
4. Lion's Roar
5. Sweet Tangerine
6. Where We Went Wrong
7.The Market
8. Momentum
9. Tides Change
10. A Dark Congregation
11. Magnolia
12. Lighthouse
13. Wine Red

I was, first of all, impressed that they managed to fit 13 songs into one hour! Legend'sgave every band an hour to play, which was easy for New Atlantic, who played maybe 6 or 7 songs, but 13 is a lot! Of course, this meant that they had to cut down a little on audience interaction, which is too bad if you recall how personable they were last time, but I won't complain because I got some extra music out of it. They too, however, were having some technical difficulties, especially Bob, who had to ask each time after the first 4 songs for something to get turned up, turned on, or turned down...Not the same thing, I hope.

You know what I said about every band playing for an hour? Well, Mae ran a little bit over that, but I know that I for one didn't mind, hehe. Here's their exact set list, and I know because I took a picture of the set list:

1. Telescopes*
2. Summertime
3. Suspension
4. This Is the Countdown
5. This Time Is the Last Time
6. Runaway
7. The Ocean
8. Embers and Envelopes
9. Waiting*
10. Painless
11. Someone Else's Arms
(Encore)
12. Goodbye, Goodnight
13. Anything

The *s indicate that these are new tracks off their new album Singularity, which is coming out a little later this Spring. Admittedly, lead singer Dave doesn't have a very good voice--A little too high-pitched and nasally for my taste--But these guys are such great musicians that it doesn't matter. In particular, Rob is one of the sweetest keyboardist I have ever seen live; he gets so into the music, thrashing about and all that, while still managing to keep his hands on the keyboard. Now that's impressive!

Another nice touch to the night was the (really tasty-looking) chocolate cake they brought out to wish they're guitar tech (Booter, I think his name was?) a happy 21st birthday. The guys probably didn't interact with the audience as much as they could have--I recall an extremely awkward silence between "Runaway" and "The Ocean" where there was almost complete silence for 10 seconds before they started playing again. However, the energy they put in the harder-rock type songs like "Someone Else's Arms" and others from The Everglow more than made up for it in my opinion.

Props to you, Legend's...They've been bringing in some pretty decent acts this semester! Keep it up...Or else...
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