and you will know us by the trail of dead, midnight masses & the so so glos @ bowery ballroom 02/28/2009

back at the end of the part of my life known as high school i got into this indie noise rock band with one of the longest names i'd come across. ...and you will know us by the trail of dead. i only got to see them once back then but managed to catch them one of their two nights in new york city before they headed back out on tour with brooklyn based band midnight masses (who share members).





i had caught midnight masses back in december (pics), and was thoroughly impressed with their soulful indie rock and overall stage pressence. so i was excited to see them for the first time with all of their members on stage. lead vocalist autry fulbright has one of those inspiring etheral demeanor on stage. that isn't to say that this is a band with a 'front man' or 'girl' or even 'a band that jason reece is in'. no, midnight masses' is truly the sum of their equal parts. not sound like one or two or even three of the bands that the members came from, but a new original band that feeds of each other's creativeness. and for my money when a band can end a set with an acapella harmony that can be heard from the back of the room, you just have to know that they're that good.

midnight masses are on their first major american tour and to ordain that tour they recorded a tour 7". heaven can be bought here and comes with a bonus mp3. i suggest everyone pile in to union pool this friday when they make their return home to brooklyn.

the so so glos on next are not the collective work of different bands, but of two brothers and two friends. the so so's have a very punkish sound and remind me a lot of the descendents back before pop was cool in the punk underground. they didn't seem to be there to impress the heads of anything, just their fans and the hordes of new people standing in front of them that night. at one point lead singer/basses (name), said to the crowd, "i know this is new york city, but its okay to dance during our set". displaying the fact that they saw their music as fun and inspiring, but not in that serious we're going to change the world all at once.

the so so glos' set seemed short, but i think they stretched it out to fill in the time slot. i definitely need to see them again...but they're myspace has them on the west coast for the next month...

i made the mistake of leaving my mid stage spot to say goodbye to some friends after the so so glos set, and when i returned, i could even get through the back door.

trail of dead played a good mix of old and new. leaning more to the newer side, but at one point brining midnight masses on stage for a song followed by a fan favorite, homage. by the 3/4 mark of their set i was out the door and halfway into the stairwell at the back of bowery. i took this as a sign and although was hoping for some more, i packed upand headed home.