[Review] Emarosa, Breathe Carolina, Sky Eats Airplane, A Skylit Drive

Posted by pixie | Filed under Uncategorized

Tonight, I saw the aforementioned bands in Danbury, CT. The original venue had to be switched to a strange, bright blue venue across the street because far more people showed up [so said some guy standing next to me] than they were expecting. It was unique — there seemed to be a lot of problems with the sound, and there was no stage, so actually seeing the bands was a bit difficult. And yet, the bands managed to prevail, despite having a serious lack of monitors/the ability to hear themselves.

Sky Eats Airplane were the true standouts of the night, in a “holy crap, these guys are great on CD, but live, they are freaking phenomenal” sort of way. None of the bands were a letdown [thought it was odd that Breathe Carolina decided to play in the dark, so you couldn’t see them, especially considering their screamer is gorgeous.]

So that’s what I have to say about the show. This is kind of how I review things — it’s something TomZ and I agreed about on the old site. What’s the point of incredibly detailed reviews? Either it was good, and you recommend it, or it was bad, and you don’t. If this tour is headed your way, I recommend it, because it’s a great show. I wish I’d had money for merchandise, because all of the bands had great shirts, but such is life. Check them out if you get the chance — there are still a bunch of dates for this, and S.E.A. is playing with other good bands after this — dates can be found here.

While I was waiting for bands to set up, though, my brain wandered and I scrawled some notes in the back of the book I have been reading.  It is important to remember that I am not entirely sure who reads this site, but going on what I gathered from the original site, most of you are a lot younger than I am.

And on that note, I envy you. I so do.

When I was in high school, I published my own zines, as the Internet wasn’t what it is today. I did a few — Elvis Loved Kids, Pixie Girl, Half-Life, So Emo It Hurts, and a few others. Pixie Girl was the real focus, though, because I did it for years. That was the one that got reviews in things like MaximumRockandRoll, Punk Planet [before I was a record reviewer for them], Action Girl, Factsheet Five,etc.  I am dating myself. But this is part of it all — I’m 33 years old, after all.

I remember one review of Pixie Girl in particular. My zine was largely praised in the “personal zine” category, because I have always been pretty good at letting it all hang out and baring my rawest emotions for the world to pick at like the vultures they are. Oddly, it’s helped me in my “career,” and I put that in quotes because I am currently unemployed and seeking work. It turns out that no matter what you’re writing, people like to have a real person to relate to behind it, even if it is an advertisement. Go figure. But I digress.

The review I remember was from MaximumRockandRoll. I, or my boyfriend, or maybe even both of us, had written something about “feeling old” because we were seniors in high school. The review read to the effect of “Nice personal zine full of insightful thoughts and useful record reviews… but I hate when kids write about feeling old… because you know, you’re not.”

I was kind of bummed at the time, but now I get it. The guy who wrote that review was probably like me.  I have my own site, and am trying to make it a success… he was writing, probably in exchange for free music, for a magazine. He was probably about my age, but still going to shows because he loved [and probably still does] the music. And at some point, he was smacked in the face with, “holy shit… I’m old,” and it sucked. That’s how I felt tonight.  I was one of the very few people allowed in the bar area [despite not drinking tonight, it was raised, so my 5′2″ on a good day ass was able to somewhat see the bands] and I watched the crowd just feeling desperately alone.

And yet, at the same time, when screaming along to songs that everyone else knew, I felt like I belonged in a way I almost never feel.  I felt like I was a part of something, because everyone in that room knew the words, knew the feelings, and gave a shit about what the bands were singing. It was real.

I think one of the most real moments in my life was the first time I saw AFI. Before the band even came out, the entire crowd, at the largest “small” venue in NYC, Roseland, was chanting, “through our bleeding, we are one…” over and over and over until the band came out and carried us through their set.  That night, I was alone [much like tonight] but for the time of the show? I was part of something. And that is why music is life. And that is why music saves.

I’m in a bad pace right now, to be honest.  You all know I had my dream job and lost it, and created this site as my outlet to still express myself in a real way and spread the word about music, which is probably only my second love to a few elite people and two animals.  But tonight, for a few hours, everything was okay. I was there, I was screaming along, I was a part of something.  And it made me feel human and complete, because that is what music can do — especially punk, emo, hardcore — whatever you want to call it.  It serves a purpose, and in my life, it has since I was about 14 years old.

I don’t know… this barely scrapes the surface of what I wanted to write. I guess there are a few things:

- if you’re young, VALUE IT. Seriously. It’s not that bad. You’re cooler than you think.
- I can’t be someone I’m not, and that hurts me in terms of survival in this world.
- This site really could use a revenue stream. Ideas appreciated.

Note: I would normally have photos, but I forgot that I loaned my camera to someone yesterday and the battery died after one blurry photo. Apologies, because that bright blue wall would have looked amazing behind the guys.

To sum: live shows are life-affirming, but tough when you’re older.
Charge your camera batteries before going to shows.
Go to all the shows you possibly can. They’re real.
Treat the people who matter [the good ones] well. They’re also real.
Try to thank bands for bringing us all together — without them, what do we have?