Live Review: Motion City Soundtrack - 9/4/08
Group: Motion City SoundtrackDate: September 4th, 2008Location: Michigan State University
When it comes down to it, there’s nothing greater than live music. With that philosophy in mind, it’s easy to see how the excitement of lights and loud amps saved headliner Beckon City Soundtrack from being the repetitive pop punk band that I know. After my night at the MSU auditorium in East Lansing, my might news story was the little bands that made this show quite enjoyable. I’m gonna kinda do this contrastive, I’ll give each band a different score, and then average it at the end for your total concert review. Incorporating math into a music scrutinize? I’m just so multi-dimensional, really.
An indie-ish band from Detroit called The Reticent Years kicked the night off, but due to a little fiasco at the ticket office, (I was supposed to be on the lodger list as a media person reviewing the concert, but that didn’t happen) I missed half their set. However, as unfair as it might be, I can still echelon them down for the songs I did see, as I heard nothing special. They sounded good, but well, they were the opening band. For their last song, they asked the congregate to chant a certain portion of their lyrics, which go something like, “Open our eyes, so that we can see more.” They also mentioned that constant can get you to places faster. However, they didn’t actually say that. And I stole that joke from my accomplice Shelby, but I’m the one composition this, so if it’s in print, it’s mine. These guys scored a 4/10.
Another Detroit based band really stole the show for me. Up the Hard Lessons: Comprised of Augie on guitar and vocals and his wife Ko Ko on keys and vocals, plus roomer drummer Tony Thaxton from Motion City Soundtrack, this group transcended the indie wobble label they christened themselves with. To me, they have the rock capabilities of the Foo Fighters, and the excellent husband-wife duet spill the beans plenty of repeated phrases and lyrics, reminding me of Nirvana. I know, pretty lunatic comparisons, but they are well warranted. The first song featured Ko Ko’s vigorous vocals over just Augie’s upstrokes and chords, a showcase of their sole songwriting talent. The third song had a nice country vibe, fueled by Ko Ko’s strong words and a rockin’ solo by Augie. “Scene and be Seen,” one of their more non-professional songs, is very catchy and will become an instant favorite. Augie even did a shout-out for the resignation of the infamous Kwame Kilpatrick, which was very rollicking, I thought. I can’t say enough about this band. I didn’t even mention that the couple are MSU alums. They were totally worth my flush to see live. 9/10, for sure.
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