Author Archives: poczcicj17
Live Review: Bay Area Rock Band, Get Married Hits Milestone at 2nd Annual Holiday Party
Tis’ the season for punk-rock Christmas shows all across America and local San Jose rock band, Get Married, joined in on the fun on Dec. 22nd to host their second annual Holiday Party featuring Stickup Kid, Small Crush, and New Fossils at San Jose’s premier small music venue, The Art Boutiki. About two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend Every Time I Die’s annual Tid’ the Season Christmas show and it was an experience I will never forget. The holidays are always a special time, but this year, both Every Time I Die and Get Married both achieved milestones on the day of their shows. December 15th was officially announced as Every Time I Die Day in the city of Buffalo, NY during Every Time I Die’s set at their show, and Get Married played their first ever sold out show at their Holiday Party, hitting a huge milestone in both of their careers as bands. This was my first local San Jose show in a long time. Being that I had been gone for a full year, I was craving some of my hometown music, and Get Married provided a night full of all of my favorite Bay Area bands, new and old.
The Holiday Party kicked off with New Fossils taking the stage by storm. I have been lucky enough to be able to watch New Fossils grow from being just lead singer, Shane Mitbo and drummer, Cal Bailey, to the intricate project it is today. Shane’s older EP’s feature a very heavy influence of pop-punk and his signature piano melodies whereas his newest EP “Negative Thinking” relies more on synth and incorporates more emo rap into the tracks. Saturday’s set was a perfect start to the evening; a packed Art Boutiki was clearly impressed by New Fossils’ performance, to the point where I kept hearing fans eagerly asking others after the set, “Who was that band that just played?!” Shane even was able to rouse a few laughs out of
the crowd when he made a remark about being honored to play with Get Married because they are “the dads of their scene”, Get Married politely passed on the title to Stickup Kid during their set because “they can’t be that old, yet”. Overall, New Fossils truly set the mood for the evening: an energetic, yet lowkey night in San Jose.
Next to hit the stage was Small Crush, a female-fronted indie rock band who absolutely stole my heart. Following a band like New Fossils is a tough challenge, but they crushed it (pun intended). Small Crush eloquently describes their music as “[being] derived from many small crushes, evoking a sincere and intense conviction too often lost in adulthood”. Lead singer, Logan Hammon, definitely captured everyone’s hearts on Saturday night with her talent, but for me at least, it isn’t a small crush; I hope I am able to see Small Crush live in an intimate venue like The Art Boutiki as much as I can before they take off and capture the world’s hearts.
Third was Stickup Kid, San Jose’s pop-punk legends. Since 2012, Stickup Kid has been a staple in every San Jose pop punk kid’s playlist, and surprisingly, this was the first time I was able to catch them live. Everyone in the crowd enjoyed their set, whether it was older fans who knew almost every song they played, or the younger generations who may not know any of their songs. Stickup Kid’s pop-punk jams were definitely transition from Small Crush’s indie rock vibes to Get Married’s rock n’ roll sound. Finally, Get Married took the stage and played their first ever sold out show in their short three years of being a band. Get Married is clearly loved in the city of San Jose, the energy in the room during their set showed the true support Get Married has from their hometown; the only other place I have felt an energy like that was during the Every Time I Die Christmas show in their hometown. To me, that is admirable considering Every Time I Die has been around for 20 years and Get Married has only been around since 2015; it proves that Get Married has the strong hometown support system to accomplish the amazing things that Every Time I Die has accomplished in their 20 years. At points during the show, lead singer, Jaake Margo, even had to step back from the microphone and watch the crowd sing their lyrics in awe and deep appreciation for the love, at one point saying that that was the only Christmas present he needed this year. Get Married’s Holiday Party was a great night of amazing music and good vibes, and that is the only Christmas present I needed this year.
By: Haley Sousa
Manchester Orchestra and The Front Bottoms Co-Headline Tour
Manchester Orchestra and The Front Bottoms Co-Headline Tour
Main Street Armory-Rochester, NY
12/10/18
Words and Photography By: Chandler Poczciwinski
The Front Bottoms
It is hard to not be excited when two of the best indie bands decide to co-headline a tour together. When the two bands are Manchester Orchestra (Atlanta, GA) and The Front Bottoms (Woodcliff Lake, NJ), you know you are in store for a very special treat. Alone, both of these bands could book a headlining tour that would experience great success. However, by coming together MO and TFB created an unforgettable night for the excited Rochester crowd.
To start of the evening, singer-songwriter Shannen Moser treated the crowd with her small acoustic trio. Playing songs off her recently released album I’ll Sing (September 7, 2018), Shannen Moser was a great start to the evening. Even though the small group only took up a fraction of the huge stage, their sound would fill up the venue like the calm before the storm.
Manchester Orchestra
As expected, Manchester Orchestra brought a storm that only they can bring. However, this storm is not like most, constantly hitting the shoreline with ruthless wind and waves. This is a dynamic storm, at one moment it hits you hard, directly in the chest, causing the unavoidable effect of head banging and air drumming. Yet, the next moment is met with an immense calm, a beautiful calm, like you would experience while watching the sunset on the mountainside. While this metaphor might seem unnecessary, however, after you see Manchester Orchestra live, you will understand. This show was not my first experience with Manchester Orchestra, I first saw them this summer at the Alternative Buffalo 107.7 Kerfuffle at Canalside Buffalo. I’m not going to lie, when MO first took the stage for their set I was occupied with trying to find a spot to escape the summer heat.
Andy Hull of Manchester Orchestra
However, I can specifically remember when they went into the bridge of their song “Shake It Out” off their 2009 album Mean Everything To Nothing. This beautiful noise caused me to leave my comfy shaded spot to join the crowd once again, and not take my eyes off MO for the rest of their set. That day, Manchester Orchestra proved to me not only their unbelievable sound but also their ability to take a crowd through a whole emotional journey during a 30 minute set. Their set in this chilly Rochester night, would again take the crowd on a journey (except this time for a little over an hour). Overall, Manchester Orchestra’s vast collection of songs and ability to create a set that has as many ups and downs as a rollercoaster, creates a live experience that you will want to watch from beginning to end.
Next to take the stage was The Front Bottoms, and let me tell you they really brought their A-game for this tour. This was my first experience seeing The Front Bottoms live, however I did listen to their entire discography while on a 13 hour drive to Wisconsin, so you could definitely say that I was excited to finally catch them live. Along with a huge band that had not one, but two drummers, there was a full bar on stage, complete with bottles and a beer tap. However, this bar didn’t stay vacant, throughout the set multiple stage/tech crew members would hop on stage and take a seat at the bar as TFB sang one of their many catchy hit songs. 
Even the Shannen Moser trio, took a seat on stage to enjoy what must be, a live music experience like no other. The crowd ate up every second of the set, singing along to the lyrics word for word like they wrote them themselves. The Front Bottoms have one of those infectious sounds that both long time fans with first time listeners can really enjoy. Between, Manchester Orchestra’s emotional and dynamic rock set, and The Front Bottoms with their infectiously catchy hooks, this was a night that will be hard to beat.
Brian Sella of The Front Bottoms
Show Recap: Stick To Your Guns and Emmure North American Tour 2018
Stick To Your Guns and Emmure North American Tour 2018
With Support From: Sanctions and Wage War
Venue: Anthology
Date: 10/26/18
Words and Photography by: Chandler Poczciwinski
A cold Saturday night in Rochester, NY, caused people to crowd around the parking ticket booths like penguins huddling for warmth. It was my first show with a complete hardcore bill in quite a while, at a venue (Anthology) that I had never been to before. I was excited, to say the least; a new venue is always an adventure, and Stick to Your Guns, one of my all time favorite bands, was headlining the event for the evening. Unfortunately, I missed the opening local act Destroy//Create, who I was really hoping to see because I know they are a local gem. Destroy//Create is definitely one of the premier hardcore bands in the Buffalo/Rochester area, and they have some really great shows coming up that I hope to find myself at.
Sanctions, the boys from Long Island, NY, were the next act to hit the stage. This band definitely did not disappoint, their extra heavy chugs shook the room and were the perfect way to start off an evening of hardcore music. I was super excited to see the next band Wage War play, they are one of the first metal bands that I got into, and I have been following them since their first release Blueprints. Wage War has always been on the top of my list for great sounding metal bands, and they once again solidified their spot on that list. However, I could see it in their faces that they were itching to play some new songs, and I hope to see some new music coming from them soon. The co-headliners for this tour, Emmure, treated the Rochester crowd to a combination of great heavy music and awesome stage production. The lighting production for this tour was unlike any that have seen before. They raised the bar to the next level and added a really unique element to the show for their fans viewing pleasure.
When I first saw this tour lineup, I was a little surprised to see Emmure and STYG co-headline together, and didn’t know what to expect when I got there. However, the combination of Sanction, Wage War, Emmure and Stick To Your Guns provided a wide range of sound for the crowd to eat up. It actually turned out to be a great night and I was able to get a taste of all the different types of hardcore music that I find myself listening to. This was my first time seeing STYG live despite them being one of my favorite bands. My high expectations for STYG were surpassed, and they didn’t disappoint in the slightest.
Besides their undeniable energy and passion, what I love the most about STYG is the positive message that they preach while they are on stage. A message full of standing together, standing tall, and taking action that can be easily taken to heart during these pivotal moments in history. It should be known that Stick To Your Guns is not a political band, they are a band that speaks on social issues. Their latest release True View (2017), actually touches the least on social issues, and instead gives us a glimpse into frontman Jesse Barnett’s personal struggle and reflection that has plagued him for the past few years.
Jesse Barnett of Stick To Your Guns
This tour shows once again how STYG is a band that focuses on action, their #Hopebringers initiative rewards fans who do simple volunteer work around their community, with free tickets and signed merch. Is that not enough to prove STYG’s commitment to their message? It should also be know that recently in 2017, in support of the Action not Words charity, Stick To Your Guns became the first American hardcore band to play in Kenya. I could go deeper and deeper into all the great things that Stick To Your Guns does as a band, however, I will leave that for a future article. If you want to dive deeper into STYG for yourself you can catch them right now on their co headlining tour with Emmure, or you can find their latest album True View wherever you get your music. However, until next time, stay positive, take action, and long live hardcore.
Josh James of Stick To Your Guns
