Saturday, July 22, 2006
Farewell Flight / Amarie Coma / Koji on the Roof / The Mint
The Championship, Lemoyne, PA
Let me just say that this is the first non-hardcore show that I’ve attended in a while, so it was almost a shock to the system when I realized that I could just walk to the front and take pictures without running the risk of being impaled by a windmill kick to the head or something equally as terrible. Indie/rock/pseudo-emo shows to me are not nearly as fun as hardcore shows, and this was no exception.
While not as physical or exciting as some bands, The Mint turned in a solid performance with their piano driven rock. They tend to be a bit on the bland side at times, but the keyboard, in addition to their blatant excitement while playing, was enough to keep the audience engaged during their set. Next was a personal friend of mine, Andrew Shiraki, also known as Koji on the Roof. Koji is his solo acoustic act, and is reminiscent of artists such as the earliest of early Dashboard Confessional, Iron and Wine, and Damien Rice. Despite being a one man act, he commanded the audience with a combination of catchy and heartfelt music, and witty stage banter and crowd interaction.
Amarie Coma might as well be called The Commercials Part Two. They are composed of former members of Breaking Pangaea and the now defunct Commercials, and more or less sound, well, exactly like The Commercials- except now it looks like they have Nick Carter as their vocalist. Ok, ok, I know I shouldn’t base my opinion on the band based on looks, because they can be deceiving, but seriously. Nick Carter in his shaggy haired years. That aside, nothing was exceptionally catchy, but nothing was exceptionally boring either. Everything was very typical for the indie/pop-punk/pseudo emo genre, but their energy was good, despite the Backstreet Boy similarities (So sorry, I cant get over it). Maybe if I was more of an indie kid I would appreciate their music more, but I feel like this scene is played out and they’re not unique enough to be entirely successful. Then again, homogeneity is in these days in the music industry.
The headlining band was from the Harrisburg area; Farewell Flight, who are slowly gaining national recognition from their relentless touring and playing festivals such as Cornerstone. Comprised of relatively young members, this Christian indie rock band have a unique twist to their music that I have yet to put my finger on; and no, I’m not talking about the vocalist/guitarist Luke’s ballerina like stage antics either (but those didn’t hurt). They have a very charismatic stage presence, and play each song as if it was a small odyssey of sorts. Reminiscent of earlier Death Cab for Cutie and a very upbeat Coldplay, Farewell Flight was a joy to listen to and watch, and a great ending to an otherwise somewhat boring evening of music. The two other bands (sans Koji, of course) should take some lessons from their younger counterparts.
-Allison Frank
thisloverstryst’gmail.com