As I pulled up to the vintage rock palace that many of us Jersey music fans have come to call a second home it was hard to miss the oversized tour buses that the performing talent has inhabited for the past month. The Stone Pony was hosting the The Action! Tour, and its hard to pull up to a venue like this knowing that some of your favorite acts are going to be performing, and not get butterflies in your stomach…
This tour was STAKED with big name talent. The line up included the likes of Kaddisfly, A Static Lullaby, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Emery, with The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus as the show headliner. Hopeless Records Capitalized and set up a huge merch table where you could find random band members chillin’.
The first band of the night is one of AP magazine’s 100 bands to know for this year…Kaddisfly. It mattered very little to them that they were the show opener. They packed their performance with music, antics, and most definitely talent. They pulled the crowd into their performance every chance they got….with their enchanting tune entitled ‘Campfire’ they were able to get a lot of the crazed fans to sing a long. Kaddisfly is certainly a band to watch. Their presence on this tour can not be ignored; great things can be expected from their future.
*Show Spotlight: Kaddisfly, hailing from Portland Oregon is one of this year’s most anticipated acts in the indie-alt world… Since being signed to Hopeless Records, they have already developed a natural, very empowering lyrically driven sound. This band is packed and stacked with the raw talent that no one can deny is refreshing alternative and their release is certainly something that you want to pick up because for a “newer” band, they have it going on.
A Static Lullaby slammed the stage with a lot of their older tunes much to their fans delight. Guitarist John explained to me that they would rather play their older stuff that fans really got into because the band isn’t feeling much success of this latest release. There hardcore sound bellowed around the Stone Pony giving everyone…including myself, chills. You would have never known that they had been “unsuccessful” with the energy that each member of the band brought to the stage. They played their latest song gone video ‘Hang ‘em High’ along with an older hit ‘Lip Gloss and Let Down.’
There is absolutely NOTHING like watching the guys of Scary Kids Scaring Kids take the stage. Each one of them are unique with their stage behavior, but they all deliver a similar message…this is what we love, take it or leave it. Their love of music certainly shines through as lead singer Tyson Stevens belts (and screams) out the lyrics to a hit of theirs…The City Sleeps in Flames. Pouyan’s dramatic and fun stage thrashing, and near de-pantsing makes watching their performance not only a musical experience but an entertaining moment of mystery…will his pants actually fall of this time? The band played one of my very favorites of their album (The City Sleeps in Flames 2005) My Darkest Hour, and it was difficult to find someone that wasn’t singing along. Much like the two bands that played before them, Scary Kids is a MUST watch band. Since I wrote the article on them earlier this year, they have already seen a tremendous peak in their success. Their last album is one that is ALWAYS in the cd player…I come back to it time and time again it never fails to put me in a “comfort zone” ( one that only the best music can provide) and the familiar confidence you get from listening to it, I am hard pressed to see how their up and coming release will be anything but amazing.
Emery was a pleasant departure from the previous more “screamo” type bands we had been seeing…while they still do their share of screaming, their slower ballads are enchanting and make you wanna sway. By far the highlight of their set was watching of the the crazy band members climb the rafter type piping situation that the Stone Pony has all over the ceiling… As I was standing their, not far from Static Lullaby guitarist John, I got a little nervous that the rafter would give and their would be screaming and well, and end to the show. Emery played a solid set, and I say that with no hesitation. They are a band you can watch play for hours.
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus was certainly a crowd favorite. With their radio smash hit entitled Face Down, they have been selling records, and as a result, building a fan base that ranges from college age kids, to 6th graders to post college graduates, and everything in between. They are also a band is that for me, the press, has fun with. Their delightful manner and overflow of creative talent that affects everyone around them in such a positive way is definitely a highlight of watching them perform their album hits. Their emotional out pour in Face Down was most certainly the crowd favorite.
Its hard to find a GOOD solid tour where every band is one you don’t want to miss….but boys and girls…this was one of them. Each band brought something different to the table and it just made it that much better. I give this show 5 out of 5 stars…
PHOTO CREDIT: Amanda Tumulty
*By Amanda who is oh so thankful for soy chai tea lattes from Starbucks
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