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I was sitting in what probably used to be a bar but has turned into a useless nailed up pile of lumber, or for me, shelter, as St. Jude took the stage. My back was leaning against a block of wood that helped hold this together; not a comfortable thing, but I was in desperate need of solitude.
The singer spent the first three to four minutes talking, stating that it was his ad the guitarist of Strike Anywhere's birthday. He said that they had cupcakes and he pitched their merch booth. He also suggested that everyone vote on Tuesday (the RI primary) before ripping into a crusty set of fast punk metal. The songs were short and energetic, with a lot of parts for their hometown to go nuts to. They sounded really good, but I can't comment on their stage presence because I couldn't muster the will to get up. I imagined them dressed up as various rotten fruits that silently said a little something about each member. The drummer was an apple, because he is core; the bassist was a banana, because every band should have a banana; the guitarist was a starfruit because he wanted to be different; and the singer was a vine of grapes to get the pit going.
Its really good to see a local band on a good bill like this. Rhode Island has so much to offer musically, in all genres, but always seems to fall under the radar, and that is a shame (Paint it Black later touched on some good Rhode Island bands, telling us to support the scene and that we have some great bands).
I was still in my same uncomfortable comforting spot of solitude as The Riverboat Gamblers took the stage. I pictured them dressed as old fishermen, not quite unlike the characters from "The Old Man and The Sea." I have never heard them, but I've heard great things about them and was stoked to hear them (I know I overused "hear and heard" in this sentence). They play catcy punk rock, full of hooks and mid tempo beats that benefitted their sing along quality. They reminded me of a happy version of The Explosion, but with a less snarly voice. Had I known the words, I would most likely have been singing along. I wanted to get a CD, but the $2 in my pocket wasn't gonna get me far (I forgot my pin number the night before and the bank rejected my card).
I got the muster to leave my solitary shelter soon after The Riverboat Gamblers left the stage. I walked around aimlessly for awhile and watched a fat girl and a tiny mohawked girl get into a play fight. It took a long time for me to figure out that they were fooling around, but the smiles on their faces were a dead giveaway.
It didn't take long for Paint it Black to take the stage, starting with some banter about art galleries. As expected, they played near flawless, and the crowd was in constant movement and singing along. The whole room was full of a positive energy, enough to even make me smile at one point.
Their stage presence was great, with vocalist Dan Yemin singing with his hands most of the time when he wasn't holding out the mic for sing alongs (his mime like hand movements rank right up there with Aaron Bedard's on stage dancing as my two favorite frontmen to watch). They were funny in between songs, going on about Spike's, their guitarist never going hungry, crowd heckling and some other things that I've already forgotten but was able to laugh at.
They played a good mixture of songs from all three albums, and a lot of the crowd seemed to know every word. They played "The Ledge," which made me happy, but they also threw in "CVA," "Atticus Finch," "Exit Wounds," "Memorial Day," "Exit Wound" (among a bunch of others) for good measure. The end of their set was awesome. No good byes, with Yemin just walking off the stage (while the rest of the band set down their equipment) and talked to the mob of people that immediately crowded him.
I pondered leaving after Paint it Black, going home and getting a good night's rest, but then I remembered how good Strike Anywhere is and made the smart decision to stay. They set up quickly, which was nice, and completely rocked the joint from the first note.
While the band onstage was putting heartfelt energy onstage, I myself had trouble focusing on them. At times, they became (great) background music to my constantly racing thoughts, which sucked. The crowd that weren't screw ups were having a great time while they played. There was a lot of singing and dancing going on, and the majority of the people were all at or towards the front of the stage, listening intently (in addition to doing the things mentioned above).
Despite my focus problems (I did hear singer Thomas mention ADD, but that's all I heard), I had a good time watching their set. Their songs are killer and I loved the speed that they played them at. They were super tight and sincere and nice as hell on stage, going as far as giving people the opportunity to plug shows, events or charities coming up, which only one person took advantage of. Strike Anywhere are just a special band on so many levels.