Dashboard and The Anniversary Tour - written for a local paper (the Port Folio) in Norfolk, VA by Brendan Tompkins
I told a friend that Dashboard Confessional and The Anniversary were coming in concert, and her response was, "Where, in DC?" In fact, it only happens once in a blue moon, but on April 11th Norfolk will host some of the best indie rock and emo bands around. This truly is one show that you'd only expect to see in a big city like DC. Dashboard Confessional, The Anniversary, Ben Kweller, and Seafood will share the bill at the NorVa Thursday night, before they pick up and head off to finish their US tour.
Christopher Carrabba, a former skateboard kid from Florida, is Dashboard Confessional
- a remarkable songwriter and the headliner for the show. The name Dashboard
Confessional comes from one of Chris' songs, "The Sharp Hint of New Tears".
The line "On the way home, this car hears my confessions." made the
phrase Dashboard Confessional pop into Chris' head. He didn't name his new act
after himself because he wanted his fans to feel a part of his performance.
He thought a solo name might discourage his audience from being an integral
part of the show. He expects you to sing along at the show if you know his music.
As Chris put it, "If you come to one of my shows, you're kind of expected
to sing along as loud as I do, and it's just really like a team effort. It's
almost organic how much the kids are involved. They are part of the band."
The acoustic guitar on his songs rocks harder than most punk bands, and poetic
angst-ridden vocals overlay his music in a way that creates a potent sound that's
definitely infectious.
Lawerence, Kansas' The Anniversary is the band I'll be there to see. They make
a particular style of Indie rock that some call emo. Emo has spawned a subculture
that has been continually growing since the early nineties. One fan said "I
prefer to think of it [emo] as punk rock that's more melodic and introspective/depressing
than hardcore, but still tapping into that primal energy and anger." The
Anniversary's fans are mostly nerdy looking kids, wearing dark rimmed glasses
and thrift store clothes, but the sound is sophisticated and cool. Their lyrics
sound a bit like Modest Mouse with vocals that float over an inspired mix of
straight-ahead pop and high-energy rock. Male and female vocals charge their
sound, with a vigor that's a welcome change for their genre. The music is heavy
with guitar and synth, and their dynamic songs build to fantastic crescendos
and wane to tranquil emotional pop.
Benjamin Ley Kweller AKA Ben Kweller, is third in the line-up at the NorVa.
Ben is originally from Greenville, Texas, but currently resides in New York
City. His music has been called "A cross breed of sing-along/power-pop,
and anti-folk sprinkled with toy keyboards, Texas and love." To me he sounds
a lot like fellow Texan Daniel Johnston, but his influences are varied. He lists
anything from Pavement to the Beach Boys, to Chet Baker. His music has topped
the charts in the UK, and he's had appearances on David Letterman and Conan
O'Brian, and played at Lallapalooza in '97. The list of bands he's played with
is impressive, including Guster, Jon Spencer's Blues Explosion, Yo La Tengo,
INXS, The Eels, Pavement, and Dinosaur jr. just to name a few.
Post-grunge quartet Seafood from London joins the list to kick off their world
tour. This is their first true US tour, and though they're the opening, opening,
opening act, (they should play first) I'll be sure to get a spot up front of
the crowd to see them. In fact, I've a friend in town who's going to the show
just to see Seafood. So, save yourself some travel time and the big city hassle
of seeking out a great show this Thursday. This night at the NorVa should be
downright rocking, and it'll happen right here in our own back yard.