Thursday with The Fall of Troy and The Dear Hunter
October 20, 2009
Revolution Live, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Written by Kate Dingle
Now, I am usually pretty open about my dislike for acts with more than five people on the stage at a time. I don’t understand the need for two or more guitar players and keyboard players, multiple folks playing some sort of percussion, and more than one lead vocalist. In my mind, if a group of musicians are truly talented, there is no need for all of the extras. However, The Dear Hunter began to lay that theory to rest. When the six piece from Boston took the stage, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. They were a combination of rugged mountain man meets hippie flower child meets skater guy. Visually, they were quite the odd couple. Musically, they were a well oiled machine. With front man Casey Crescenzo at the helm, each member fell into their own perfect part. And when combined, the music they made was a progressive rock blend with a wide range of instruments and sounds.
“Punk rock should be an exchange of ideas” -Geoff Rickly of Thursday
Is that the opinion that everyone has of punk rock? Because if it isn’t, it definitely should be. After Rickly made that statement, he invited everyone who “disagrees with us to come and tell us, and we’ll hear what you have to say”. There was a sincerity in his voice that I had never heard from any major act before. The guys of Thursday seemed to be all about communication with their fans and a sort of togetherness between the two that was somewhat refreshing.
But last Tuesday night, was certainly not all about sitting around a campfire singing kumbaya. It was about balls to the wall, fist pumping, hardcore rock. And if that was the idea, they hit the nail on the head. From crowd favorite “Division St.” to the anti-war, pro troops banger “Friends In The Armed Forces” the group from Jersey seemed to let go of all inhibitions, and let the music take control and dominate the entirety of their near sixty minute set. The symbiotic existence between front man Geoff Rickly, guitarists Tom Keeley and Bill Henderson, bassist Tim Payne, drummer Tucker Rule, and keyboardist (and resident screamer) Andrew Everding was euphoric. For a group that has been around nearly twelve years, their following is as solid as the stage they performed on, and there seems to be no stopping them.
At the beginning of the night, there was a rumor going around that The Fall of Troy was not going to be able to make it to the venue in time for their set. Instead of scrapping them altogether, the gentlemen of Thursday graciously agreed to go on early so that the threesome would have an opportunity to perform. The Fall of Troy was the perfect way to end the show. No matter what they had to go through to make it to Fort Lauderdale, they went on with no sound check or chance to warm up and played a set with more energy than most acts that have been around for decades. Guitarist Thomas Erak was phenomenal. Never in my life have I seen talent quite like that. His ability to play in a way that would be able to stand on it’s own (if it had to), yet blend so well with his other two band mates seemed effortless. The hardcore beats, bass, and guitar were accompanied by a combination of shrill screams and clean vocals courtesy of Erak and bassist Frank “Black” Ene.
Tuesday night’s show was one for the books. As big of a deal Thursday seemed to be, opening acts Midnight Masses, The Dear Hunter, and opener turned closer The Fall of Troy garnered the same amount of attention if not more. I have to give major props to the folks at Revolution for booking that spectacular lineup. And the fact that they went along with the change in the lineup order, and made sure that everybody got their money’s worth is something that is nearly unheard of as far as venues go. And believe me, everybody certainly got what they paid for.
** You may have noticed that Midnight Masses was not included in this review. They are not included because the decision was made to feature them by themselves. Please see the
article titled “Meet: Midnight Masses” **
Photos by Christina Mendenhall
The Fall of Troy
THE DEAR HUNTER
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