st. louis: warped tour

i've been going to warped tour for quite a few years. the past four years i've been lucky enough to snag a spot volunteering and getting in free. my friends sam, abby and i worked at the label tent for most of the day, but we still had plenty of time to roam around and see the bands we wanted to see, as well as attend the earn it yourself meet up.

notable friends that i saw throughout the day: molly, cragon, matt, chris

notable bands that i saw throughout the day: family force five, against me!, and jack's mannequin

notable picture of the day:

st. louis: fleet foxes

here's something a little different for you: i met up with my friend jennae for this show and she wrote up a really wonderful review. i thought i'd post hers instead of my own to spice things up a little.

"First off, I arrived to the venue a little early. Anticipating a long line combined with the sweltering heat, I thought it would be wise to attempt to slide into the air conditioning as soon as possible. Doors were at 7pm and the line was still manageable when I got into the venue. The venue itself, The Pageant, was a pleasant area with a decently sized bar and two stories of seating. I grabbed myself a drink, (My first alcoholic coffee drink made with kahlua, which I would not recommend to anyone...) and sat near the bar to people-watch while I waited for the openers to begin. As soon as the lights dimmed, I hopped off my stool and briskly walked to the floor space, gently maneuvering into an empty space that provided a good vantage point and a little elbow room. The opener was pretty good, a bit more folky than I am used to, but they did an excellent job. Next on was the main event, the Fleet Foxes themselves! Honestly, I don't think I will ever be able to put down in words the energy that emanates from those creative souls. Their presence on stage was astounding, in the sense that it was warm and welcoming - not boisterous and obnoxious. They had no need to get the crowd riled up, they came to play sincerely with the intention of making real music, not a scene. After every song, the lead singer Robin Pecknold, would quickly whisper a diminutive 'Thank you" into the microphone to the audience. While Pecknold has the vocal range from his namesake to that of a roaring grizzly bear, (Alright, his scruffy beard might be more similar to a bear than his voice but still...) his introverted demeanor onstage shows just how honest he is concerning his music. The other members of the band were outstanding as well, however the majority of them never said a word - yet it was obvious they were enjoying themselves. I truly believe that Pecknold's voice is his main instrument and if he could, he would probably never say a word if he didn't have to. The Fleet Foxes let their music speak for them."

st. louis: courrier and model stranger

ahh, model stranger. these boys are friends of mine from chicago that i met over spring break this past march. that sounds terrible and sketchy, but i swear it's a more normal story. my roommate and i went to chicago for a long weekend over spring break to hang out, and one night my friend sam said she was going to go see some friends in their practice/recording space and invited me along. thus, the devon + model stranger friendship was born and i'm absolutely in love with them now, both as a band and as individuals. so when i got word that they'd be playing a bar in st. louis while i was there for a bit over summer vacation, i jumped at the chance to see them perform a show and hang out a bit. their show ended up being kind of a flop: they played great and their opening band courrier was great as well, but it was more like a private performance for myself and the bartender. such is life as a touring band in st. louis. i don't know why it is, but it's a tough market to crack open. we had a good time though, and i offered them my floor to sleep on. my friends molly, claire, and cragon came over after the show and we all hung out,, took our shirts off, drank some drank, and had some general shenanigans. it was fun and i can't wait to see them again. check out their tunes and rad facial hair: www.modelstranger.com

st. louis: a great big pile of leaves, fences, fake problems, hellogoodbye

this was probably one of the best shows i've been to in a while. not only was the headlining band fantastic, but all three of the opening bands were amazing as well. i'd heard great things about a great big pile of leaves from my friend brad so i was really looking forward to hearing them. unfortunately i was a little late to the show and only managed to catch the last two songs. but from what i heard, they were great, enough talent to cause me to buy a physical copy of the cd. i'm not gonna lie. i'm all about supporting music. but i do download a lot of it illegally. the way i see, if i download an album illegally, really enjoy it, then buy a ticket to a show to see said band as well as a bunch of merch, and it's justified. and if they're not all that great, the band didn't lose any many because i would have declined paying money for not-so-good music anyway. i also like to buy physical copies of music because it's generally going to be in person from the actual band members, which means they make more of a profit that way instead of off itunes or something like that. but anyways. back to the show.

fences played next and absolutely blew my mind. they weren't what i expected - a pretty mellow, acoustic-type feeling band - but i can dig it. i bought a copy of their cd as well. they've been getting a lot of play-time on both my ipod and in itunes lately, and my last.fm can vouch for that. (might i recommend the mansions/fences split to you?)next up was fake problems who i'd seen a couple times in passing on various warped tour dates last summer... but i'd never given them the time of day and i regret it! they're so fucking great. gritty rock n roll that got everyone dancing, even the sixteen yaer olds in attendance who were strictly there to swoon over forrest kline. i immediately went home and listened to the album of theirs that had been sitting in itunes for ages and metapohrically kicked myself. i can't get enough of the songs 5678 and ADT. check em out! and check out fuckyeahfakeproblems.tumblr.com - my friend runs the site.

and finally there was hellogoodbye. i was so happy with how the show had been going that i almost could ahve left and been content. but i've been listening to hellogoodbye for almost six years now so it was a real treat to finally see them perform. they played a good mix of old stuff (which i love for the nostalgic value) and new stuff (which is so different, but i really love) and i left with a big smile on my face. what a great show.

columbia: the empty spaces

a while back i went to a tiny little show in good ole columbia. i'd heard of the band through my friend casey who also writes for popwreckoning. she's more on the touring/management side of the music world, so when i heard she'd be in town with the empty spaces, i jumped on the chance to meet up with her and well as see the band. i dragged my roommate with me and we had a fun time at sideshow. i've been to sideshow many times; it's kind of the hipster/alternative place to hang out in downtown columbia amongst all the bro bars and college-type places. they also host shows, and it's always a neat place to see a band.

the empty spaces put on a really great show and i'll admit that they exceeded my expectations. for a small midwest band averaging 5'7'' in height, they really packed a punch with toe-tapping beats and punk-ish hooks and vocals. casey and i had some good conversation and we eventually said our goodbyes. it was short and sweet but definitely worth it.

www.theemptyspacesband.com