craig owens, 01.04.2009

LINE-UP: VersaEmerge, Ace Enders, the Color Fred, Craig Owens

IT'S A FUCKING BLIZZARD OUTSIDE THIS DAY, NO FREAKIN' JOKE. It's terrible outside, the roads look bad, but we pray that the bands will still brave the frontier and make it to the show. Nothing is looking up as we wait in the car for a very long time. Finally, ONE van drives by, it's fifteen minutes past door time, so we get off of the car and go inside the venue. Craig Owens and the Color Fred have arrived, but that's it. They make us wait for freaking forever before they get this guy to play a couple of his songs for everyone acoustically. He wasn't terrible, just not what I wanted to hear.

At this point, we're still waiting and I'm freakin' pissed. No one's announced what's going on and I'm getting more and more upset by the minute. Fred finally comes and stage and tells us that Ace Enders canceled on them, and VersaEmerge was stuck in a 30 car pile-up about an hour away from venue. No April's Fools Joke here. He plays well, and I enjoy his performance as he jokes about losing the windshield wiper and calling VersaEmerge wusses for not pressing onward for the show. They almost had to cancel, but they made. It made me feel a little better when he performed my favorite Taking Back Sunday song, New American Classic. But even then, I was beyond sad.

When Craig Owens and his posse come on stage, Nick from Underminded announces that they will not be using any electronics or microphones, so everyone must close in around the stage and sit if they want to hear the performance. Craig sits on the edge of the middle of the stage, Brian and Nick on either of his sides as he starts singing and talking to everyone. It's so ridiculously intimate, it's almost unbearable. He performs for a good while, moving from his spot only twice, and even sings us a song about his beautiful girlfriend, Joanna. The entire experience was absolutely incredible, SO incredible I can't even describe it to you in words. Everyone sits silent and attentive, it's wonderful. I wish more musicians were like Craig Owens and willing to pull such an experience.

I wish it could say it made up for VersaEmerge cancelling, but it didn't. The entire thing was so lovely and unexplainable, but I really had mainly gone to see VersaEmerge and I don't know why they had to cancel like that. It still hurts me to this day every time I think about it. Afterward, however, we meet Fred, who is super genuinely sweet, and I buy an "I heart Craig Owens" t-shirt, and we shoot a fast picture with Craig when we spot him. Unfortunately, I don't get to tell him what an amazing musician and person he was because he says he is super tired and wants to leave, but is still amazingly genuine about it. Still, I can honestly say I was glad I went to the show; I've never experienced something like that in my life, but I am still really upset, so I can't write about anything else in a positive matter. Dear, dear me.

cute is what we aim for, 25.03.2009

LINE-UP: Anarbor, Meg & Dia, Every Avenue, Breathe Carolina, Cute is What We Aim For


Shaant, I fucking hate you.

None of us, and I mean NONE of us want to go to the show at all. But for some stupid reason, we had already bought tickets and couldn't let them go to waste. Ughhhhh. We get to the venue an hour or two before doors are supposed to open. There's hardly any line, but frankly, we don't give a shit and decided we want to wait it out in the car the entire time. We get there early, and sit in the car; that's how much we really don't care.

But since there is a KingSoopers only about half a block down from the Gothic we decide to head on down there to waste time. Our worst fears come true as we turn the corner at the end of the street and run into none other than our good ol' buddy Shaant Hacikyan. All of us, including Shaant, just stare at one another awkwardly as we all halt in our tracks, unsure of what to do. "Hi," he says, "How are you guys?" We all give him short, simple answers and continue to glare, but we return the gesture, he tells us that he honestly wants to go home. He's going to record a new record as soon as he's back. (Oh cool, douche.) He asks what we're doing, and tell him we're heading down the KingSoopers. "Oh right, the pharmaceutical store!" He snaps. "It's a grocery store," Nora clarifies, and proceeds to ask how he is because, "We didn't get to see you last time." He doesn't answer to this, but decides it's time for him to head off. I guess even he sensed the awkward tension. He tells us that we have to meet Sebastian, his dog, stating, "I'll probably see you guys afterward." BULLSHIT. Shaant waves off, and we just stand around for another minute, asking ourselves what the hell had just happened. The entire conversation had pretty much consisted of, "Huh? What? Huh?" on both ends, and it was really fucking awkward; there's no other word to describe it.

After our trek to KingSoopers, trying to erase from our minds what had just happened, we come back to the venue and wait in the car until doors open. We get in and wait for Anarbor to play. They were the only band that I DID want to see, and were probably the only upside the entire night. It felt like I had been waiting years to see that band, and my finally the chance was handed to me, and they were SO amazing live! I can't even begin to describe it to you, but it was absolutely fantastic!

Meg and Dia are up next, and poor, poor Dia has an obnoxiously high pitched voice when she talks, and surprisingly, despite the fact that we hate Meg's guts (I KNOW WHO YOU'VE DONE!) they performed really well! Their "Halloween" song totally gave me goosebumps; it was great. Every Avenue, whom I don't really like, almost don't make it to the show due to van troubles, but unfortunately, they show up, and we have to sit through them playing. We have to sit through Breathe Caroline, too, which was absolutely horrible and practically unbearable! Like seriously, learn how to sing and make real music. I don't know what people see in them.

Cute is What We Aim for actually perform really well! (I still hate them, nonetheless). Shaant goes off on this monologue, explaining how no matter what anybody said, we could do whatever we wanted with our live as long as we had a dream, a heart, and the willpower to accomplish even the most obscure dreams. It was actually really touching, and it hit pretty close to home, but I don't really have much else to say. He talked in a "gay" voice for the first time, and it was pretty freakin' hilarious, to be honest.

Afterward, we try not to press the matter too far, but we end up meeting 3/4 of Anarbor, and they were all very genuinely sweet. I bought their newest EP, too, finally. We meet Jeff, as well, but that's it. We go outside in hopes of scouting out Shaant, but we get nothing, only serious doubt that we should just let go of the friendship. We ask their merch guy (who let us in last time, he points out) if he could get him for us. He tries, but tells us he's on the phone with their tour manager, and won't budge. We wait. And we wait, and we wait pointlessly. FINALLY, he comes out of the bus to meet a couple of girls, and he sees us; HE FREAKIN' SEES US, but ignores us, goes off behind the bus, comes back, despite the knowledge we are standing right there, and goes back on the bus. Here, all of us are asking ourselves, "WHAT THE FUCK?!"

Dave Melillo comes off the bus to meet the same girls, and after they leave he tells us we look like we need something. We ask him for pictures and brave it, asking him if he can go get Shaant for us. "No fucking way," he says. Later, as to avoid hurt feelings or something, he explains to us that one, he didn't want to go waste his time looking for somebody who was most likely not even going to come and meet his fans, which was his problem and his fault, not ours. He goes off a little longer on his tangent, sort of offending us, sort of just offending Shaant BECAUSE HE'S AN ASSHOLE, and eventually heads off. I wish I remember more of what Dave said because he's my new hero because of it. =)

I can honestly say, I owe a lot to Shaant. Many, many times he has restored my faith in human beings, despite shattering it that very night, and introduced to me music I would have never opened my ears to if he hadn't pointed it out. He made me realize that making friendships with random, far off people was possible, and for the first few years of our so-called relationship, he was practically my brother. But now, he's just blown that all aside and acts like we're nothing to him, so fuck you, Shaant, I'm done with you.