Show Review

It seems that the current fad in the independent music scene is to start a new dance/pop side-project and go further than your previous band ever did. The most recent is Gabe Saporta from Midtown forming Cobra Starship and now appearing as the title track to this years #1 movie thriller Snakes On A Plane. Probably the most popular example is Head Automatica who is playing a special show tonight at Chain Reaction who was formed by Daryl Palumbo (singer) and Larry Gorman (drums) of the mythical Glassjaw fame. With a video now on heavy rotation on radio and MTV, it seems the bands new musical path has become a much more lucrative deal.
note: This is not meant to criticize these musicians choices or implying they changed simply for monetary reasons rather it is simply an observation.

Another band that recently took the plunge was members of Recover who were one of my favorite live acts ever. Seeing the energy and love they showed for the music and crowd was always amazing to witness. But now with the band is on hiatus Dan Keyes (guitar/vocals) and Robert Mann (guitar), along with help from long-time producer Rory Phillips, have formed the dance influenced rock band Young Love. Fans got a hint of the bands new sound last year when demos leaked under the name American Express. The band has since written a formal record and is now fully rounded out with touring members. The band had done a few small shows before this one and I would assume that this is their biggest show to date. It only seems fitting because according to Dan “Chain Reaction is one of our favorite venues to play in California.”

The band took the stage to a pretty welcome applause and without delay hit the opening notes on the album opener “Discotech.” As the name would imply, this is easily the most disco inspired song on the album. Although it’s not a personal favorite of mine, the crowd seemed to enjoy it. The band followed with some songs that the fans seemed to be familiar with from to the American Express demos such as “Give Up” and “Tragedy”. Another thing that endears me to Dan Keyes is that he did not seem disappointed by the fans knowledge of these songs but instead encouraged the crowd to sing along. He seemed to be more concerned with the crowd’s enjoyment rather than worrying if they had downloaded some unreleased demos. The band played another brand new song titled “Too Young To Fight It” which is actually a little influenced by a jungle beat sound. The band ended their set with a spectacular rendition of “Find A New Way.” The band ended the song with a minute plus jam. All-in-all, I think the band will find a slightly bigger fanbase with their new project and with their live shows will satisfy any Recover fan out there.

The main event took the stage a little over a half an hour after Dan walked off the stage. If anyone has been to Chain Reaction in the summer, you know how hot it can get. For anyone who hasn’t had the pleasure, just picture being in a sauna with 500 other sweating people and starting a mosh pit to rise the heat level up even higher. The heat did not seem to bother the crowd though as Head Automatica kicked off their set with “Lying Through Your Teeth” and seamlessly blasting into a personal favorite of mine “At the Speed of a Yellow Bullet.” They followed up with “Laughing At You” sighting ‘fake bands’ as inspiration for the song. Although I’m sure the band was not going to leave it out of the set but after multiple fan requests the band gave them what they wanted as they opened up into their newest single “Graduation Day. After a few more, the band had the crowd absolutely rousing with participation during the obvious crowd favorite “Beating Hearts Baby.” They closed out with “I Shot William H. Macy” before coming on to play “The Razor” for an encore. The band played a good range from both releases but it was great to hear the new material since I had seen the band four times previously with only the last time actually hearing material from the now-released “Popaganda.” To further prove my statements that I don’t believe Daryl or Larry took a new musical path simply for money’s sake, all you need to do is see them live. The band shows such an enormous passion for their music and their fans.

review by Matt Zimmerman