In my ongoing travels for Punknews.org I recently embarked on a two week journey from Richmond, VA to NYC, back down the east coast to Richmond, then on to Gainesville, FL. Included in my escapades was a trip to the Mutiny PR/Punknews.org CMJ showcase, a few days on the road with Florida's Fake Problems, two days with a Canadian Punknews.org editor, The Lawrence Arms/The Falcon/Sundowner and American Steel; and a trip to the Fest 6 sharing two cramped hotel rooms with an audio/video crew and two bands, The Riot Before and The Gaslight Anthem.
Taking the train from Richmond to NYC, I arrived at the Mutiny PR/Punknews.org showcase a little late, missing my traveling companions for the next few days, Fake Problems. However, I was delighted to finally see Sundowner, the side project of Lawrence Arms guitarist/co-vocalist Chris McCaughan. (note: included picture is actually from his performance with The Falcon later in the evening)
Next, I finally was able to check out the recently reformed American Steel. I was amazed at the level of enthusiasm, as throughout the entire set there seemed to be constant singing along, fist pumps and overall enjoyment in the audience. The band played a great mix of older material alongside a plethora of songs from their recent Fat Wreck Chords release Destroy Their Future .
My most anticipated performance of the night was from The Falcon, another Lawrence Arms side-project; coming from the band's resident comedian/bassist/vocalist Brenden Kelly. Their debut full-length, Unicornography , was one of my favorite releases of 2006. Providing what may have been one of funnest sets of the evening, the band offered great tunes from their previously mentioned LP and debut EP, and one of the most tastelessly hilarious jokes I've ever heard.
Making me feel right back at home, Avail frontman Tim Barry performed songs from his solo debut, Rivanna Junction , to a very receptive room. His storyteller-esque performance kept everyone singing along while listening to every word.
After a long evening of chasing various members of Fake Problems through Brooklyn, I joined the band for a few days down the east coast. The included video clip features two songs performed at the band's stop in Baltimore, MD and a conversation regarding online 'zines while sitting in Manhattan traffic at 4:00pm on a Friday afternoon.
Check back next week for part two, The Fest 6!