Before I get into the details of the concert itself, I want to pose a question to those familiar with the St. Louis live music scene (which might not be anyone on this site, but I’ll give it a shot anyway): What happened to the Creepy Crawl? I remember back in the day (or at least two years ago) it was the go-to place for touring punk-rock acts passing through the Lou. But now, every time I look at their upcoming schedule it’s filled with gaps larger than the one underneath the Arch and the dates that are filled are little more than showcases for fledgling local bands (at least I’m guessing that’s what they are based on the abysmal names — e.g. Devour The Plague, Torture The Psyche, Coin-Slot, etc…).

Did a key show promoter and/or booking agent leave? Was it their move further west (from their plush downtown spot to a new location all they way down by the Fox Theatre)? Did all the kids just grow up and move on? I’m at a loss.

Whatever the case may be, it seems that there is now a void to be filled within the St. Louis punk scene – which brings me to 2 Cents Plain. The new venue (which opened late last year just a few blocks over from the space formerly occupied by the Creepy Crawl) has already begun to develop a bit of a high profile, playing host to bands from across the city and across the country. And — on this particular night — from around the world.

For my first trip to the club earlier this month, I chose one of the most diverse bills being hosted there: New Jersey-by-way-of-Russia-and-Romania punk-rockers Jet Lag Gemini, post-hardcore act I Am The Avalanche and pop-punk quartet Hit The Lights. Alright, so maybe the differences are a bit subtle.

As my friend and I walked into the venue (and I wondered whether I should go back to the car and retrieve the earplugs I accidently left behind), we were immediately hit with the sound of Jet Lag Gemini performing approximately two feet to our right. Although I had listened to their latest disc Fire The Cannons (released this January on Doghouse Records) a couple of times a few months back, I wasn’t convinced that the band was anything more than a flash-in-the-pan AbsolutePunk sensation. Twenty minutes of watching them completely changed my mind.

With unrelenting energy and impressive stage presence (for a group of kids who seemed barely old enough to have driven to the club), the band served up a thick, bass-heavy assault of hooky punk melodies and classic rock riffs. Their set also contained perhaps the four most infectious choruses I’ve ever heard performed at one time, in “Doctor, Please,” “Bittersweet,” “Fit To Be Tied” and “Run This City.” Although on record lead singer Misha Safonov’s heavy accent sometimes obscures his deceptively intelligent lyrics (“I’m such a mensch in my clothes / But my plans are criminal (woah) / So give me your hand and I quote / I’ll save your grim and single soul”), in a live setting the sound of the words effectively blends with the catchy melodies and worms its way inside your ears. Guess I should have gone back for the plugs.

After the stand-out performance turned in by Jet Lag Gemini, I Am The Avalanche certainly had a tough act to follow. Luckily, this is nothing new for frontman Vinnie Caruana – the former lead vocalist for beloved (and now defunct) Long Island hardcore punk outfit The Movielife. Despite being an avid listener of IATA’s debut self-titled effort (released in 2005 on Drive-Thru), I soon found that I barely recognized most of the songs being played. (And judging from the lackluster crowd reception, a lot of others didn’t either.) Tracks like “This Is Dungeon Music” and “New Disaster” were given disappointing sonic makeovers that were mostly likely intended to ease the boredom of playing the same version of a song on tour for the last two-and-a-half years, but unfortunately were not quite up to par with the original recordings.

Moreover, throughout the set Caruana appeared to be a bit out of sorts – at one point berating a fan for setting their cell phone on the edge of the stage (although this also might have had something to do with a request to hear the band perform The Movielife songs) and later launching into a somber, sermon-type spiel after explaining the concept behind “My Second Restraining Order” (a purely, fictional account of breaking into his girlfriend’s house and cutting his wrists on her bed). Ok, maybe some sort of disclaimer was necessary. I only wish some sort of caution had been given to me before watching the band I was most excited to see deliver a performance that fell below my expectations.

Another group that has undergone a noticeable shift in sound is Ohio-based quartet Hit the Lights. Following the departure of original lead singer Colin Ross (whose nasally and whiny voice is reminiscent of Jordan Pundik from New Found Glory), guitarist Nick Thompson recently stepped in to assume vocal duties. Ironically, while I used to find Ross’ voice to be a bit of a drawback, with his distinct singing out of the mix I now think HTL might now be lacking the one thing that helped it stand out from the overcrowded pack of sound-alike pop-punk bands.

With Thompson at the helm the group appears to be headed straight for Boys Like Girls territory — if sugar-coated (and undeniably fun and catchy) new tracks “Drop the Girl” and “Stay Out” are any indication, as well as the strong showing of fans from the teenage female demographic. (Even the title of the group’s forthcoming disc, Skip School, Start Fights, is a more juvenline version of their cleverly named debut This Is A Stickup…Don’t Make It A Murder.)

Although I can’t really question Thompson’s toughness (I mean, the guy did wear a Chicago Cubs hat while on stage only a five minute walk from Busch Stadium), after watching him smoothly croon old favorites like “Speakers Blown” and “Three Oh Nine,” lines such as “You’re gonna need a bodybag / I’ll break bones you didn’t know you had” (from previous single “Bodybag”) just didn’t seem to have the same punch – and on a song like that, isn’t that the whole point?

But, of course, in the end I was bobbing my head up and down just like everyone else. After all, what are endless summer days made for if not for the enjoyment of guilty pleasures?

The very first concert I ever attended was Trapt, Seether and Smile Empty Soul in Springfield, IL as a sophomore in high school. And it was awesome.

Now, you may be wondering: “Is he just admitting this as a way to get rid of his credibility once and for all? I mean, he did post a video of The Used last month.”

Surprisingly, the answer is no.

The reason I brought this up is simple — as the number of shows I go to continues to rise, it seems that more and more I am losing that sense of awe and wonderment I used to get after seeing a concert.

I mean, I remember that first show like it was yesterday: the thrill of getting the ticket, the constant bargaining to whatever higher power might be out there to get the sound guy to lower the volume (I swear I’ll turn the music down in my car if the drummer just stops his solo now), the painful ringing in my ears for days afterwards (because the drummer kept on banging away and I didn’t turn down my stereo).

But now, it seems that less and less often I go to a truly memorable show. Before someone points out the obvious, I realize that comparing the first concert I ever attended to watching a local band at Canopy is not much of a contest, but I think the core idea is still valid.

I mean, I’ll still occasionally walk away feeling satisfied and amazed (like after watching Snowsera perform at the Local Music Awards), but those moments are becoming fewer and far between.

Is this good or bad? Am I becoming a more discerning concertgoer or I am just old and jaded?

I suppose I know that it’s just a natural progression, but it’s also sort of disappointing.

I miss the days when every show I went to was unforgettable, but I guess I’m also glad that I can now really appreciate those performances that blow me away and leave me wanting more.

In the end, I guess all I’m really asking is: Does anyone else have an embarrassing first concert experience so I don’t have to feel so ashamed?

And so the tour de Champaign-Urbana continues.

Since beginning this blog I have made a “concert”ed effort to venture outside my comfort zone (i.e. attending shows featuring the national touring acts who occasionally appear at the Canopy Club as they pass from St. Louis to Chicago) in search of the unique venues and eclectic mix of performers that are truly responsible for making the local music scene a source of pride for the community.

And while I haven’t yet quite brought myself to expand my musical horizons outside the safe confines of indie rock – Can I really handle a night of bluegrass or jazz or polka? I’m sure I can. Well, maybe not polka – I do think I’ve done a decent job of looking to find shows at the various venues scattered about town which are rarely frequented by students during the school year.

One such establishment is Cowboy Monkey, a downtown fixture that just recently re-opened its doors after it had previously stopped hosting live performances and then shut down entirely over the winter to re-evaluate its business model.

The results of this temporary closure are immediately obvious: a nicely remodeled interior (done up in warm and inviting reds and yellows) as well as No Cover Thursdays (a free weekly concert series) which not too long ago featured Sangamon – a locally based quartet that was honored as WPGU’s Band of the Week toward the end of May and has already earned a spot at last year’s Pygmalion Festival.

Because they weren’t scheduled to appear until 11PM, it seemed as though more people simply happened to be at Cowboy Monkey while the band played, rather than made a special trip out to see them perform. However, although there were more people lounging in the beer garden outside than taking in the refreshing sounds being produced inside, Sangamon played as though there were a thousand adoring fans gathered in front of the stage (instead of the one – most likely a friend or relative – who occupied this spot throughout much of the set).

Despite having only released the four-song The Right Way EP, the band treated the somewhat sparse crowd to an 11-song set of original material (that was to be followed by an hour of covers, which I decided to pass on). Nonetheless, the music I did hear was a bit different than I had been expecting.

Although their name and breeding (all four members hail from Decatur, an industrial town located just a short jaunt down the cornfield-lined I-72) would seem to suggest music more in the vein of straightforward rock and roll, Sangamon has nevertheless drawn frequent comparisons to piano-toting pop-rock groups from across the pond (such as Coldplay and Keane – lead singer Shay Thiele is the Canopy Club’s own Piano Man after all!).

However, aside from “Follow Me” (which did possess more than a few similarities to tunes often crafted by Chris Martin and Co.) to my ears at least Sangamon’s sound was not as piano-oriented as others might lead you to believe.

Perhaps it was only a result of the live mix, but the bluesy, classic rock riffs found on “Running Out of Time” and the wailing solo featured in “Selfish” (as well as the prototypical rock star poses continually struck by guitarist Tyler Bundy) seemed to suggest a more diverse set of influences – as if their heartland upbringing helped to erase some of the pretentiousness of BritPop and replaced it with arena-ready pop rhythms and down-home rock melodies.

As the set wound down with newer offerings “All the Same” and “Time Is the Price I Pay,” it sounded as though Sangamon has already begun to move even farther away from the labels and comparisons the band has been tagged with in the past – as the fresh tracks were decidedly more spirited and lively than most of the older cuts.

After all, if Cowboy Monkey can make a new start, then why not Sangamon?

Despite the fact that Elsinore plays approximately eight shows a week in the Champaign-Urbana area, before last week I had been absent at all of them. That’s right – over the past three years I have inexplicably managed to avoid seeing the locally acclaimed four-piece live in action (aside from unintentionally catching part of a Ryan Groff solo set while eating in the Courtyard Café between classes last semester).

Although I’d like to attribute my streak of no-shows (pun intended!) to their status as a folk act – which, I’m ashamed to admit, did scare me off a little – I have no real excuse for missing out on one of the best bands C-U has to offer. But, thanks to the Champaign Park District’s summer concert series, I can now walk around town with my head held high – having finally seen the re-christened (notice how the once lowercase “e” is now all grown up) and re-formatted (their Myspace now labels them: Rock/Indie) group perform a free Sunday evening show at Hessel Park.

Seated on a blanket in front of a makeshift platform situated between a new baseball field, playground equipment, a picnic shelter and countless trees (which mercifully helped block out the slowly-setting sun that at times forced me to squint in order to even see the stage), the irony in the choice of setting was not lost on me: here, in the middle of what could be labeled Americana personified, I was watching a band that previously created music in that genre transition toward a newer, more universal sound. But I digress.

On the topic of the music itself, Elsinore – perhaps a little hesitant to delve immediately into brand new material – opened with a Van Morrison classic and several older songs that had been reworked to better conform to the indie rock mold. While these songs, such as “The Long Run” and “Cannonballs,” were certainly good in their own right, lingering traces of their past origins were still heavily apparent and I wasn’t yet convinced that the band could succeed in its decision to embrace the indie rock formula.

That is, until the second half of the set began.

(Incidentally, because of the family-oriented nature of the show, throughout their hour-and-a-half set Elsinore seemed particularly intent on making sure the show appealed to ears of all ages – apologizing for being too loud and choosing to have lead singer Ryan Groff perform four songs by himself. However, adding to the aforementioned ironic overtones, although these solo moments were intended to ease the crowd into the show (and bring down the volume midway through), Groff’s tendency to use the full capacity of his voice during choice moments in “Your Song” and “Hallelujah” certainly pierced, rather than soothed, the eardrums of most in attendance.)

Anchored by a phenomenal cover of The Postal Service’s “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight” (on which the group wisely decided to keep the electronic overtones of the original to a minimum, instead choosing to infuse the sped-up cover with a thumping drum back beat), Elsinore proceeded to showcase its new material. Beginning with the faster, more upbeat Antonymity and running through Chemicals (the backstory of which Groff loves to relate) and The General (the title track of the quartet’s soon-to-be-released EP), I finally was converted to the idea that the Elsinore is not just a folk wolf hiding in indie sheep clothing. Wow, that’s a terrible metaphor – I think I’ll stick to puns.

For the fourteenth and final song of the night (well for this show at least; Elsinore also performed at a benefit show held at The Highdive later in the evening), the group launched into “Landlocked” their harmony-filled epic, if slightly nonsensical, ode to living in Illinois. As the last keyboard flourish dissipated into the air, I couldn’t help but think:

If Ben Gibbard revealed that D.C. sleeps alone, then Elsinore proves the Midwest might seem isolated but is always willing to break out of its boundaries.

Set List

—Ryan Groff solo—
Sparrows (Andrew Bird)
Your Song (Elton John)
Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen)

—full band—
Into the Mystic (Van Morrison)
Wooden Houses
The Long Run
Cannonballs
Lions

—Ryan Groff solo—
Sunken Treasure (Wilco)

—full band—
The District Sleeps Alone Tonight (The Postal Service)
Antonymity
Chemicals
The General
Landlocked

With broadband connections and digital technology making it possible to transmit high quality video and sound over the Internet, a new breed of concerts is on the horizon.

Following a trend that began late last year, a growing number of websites are now enabling people to host concerts in their own homes. And the best part is, you don’t even have to clear that old bicycle and box of family portraits out of your basement to make room for amps, speakers and a drum kit. Instead, these ad-supported ventures offer live streaming feeds (often at little or no cost) of a concert as it is occurring.

I was first introduced to the concept after watching an archived video of Max Bemis (of Say Anything fame) performing a solo acoustic show at Chain Reaction in Anaheim, CA on NotMTV.tv. As I soon discovered, the site (whose name stands for Not Mainstream Typical Videos) broadcasts live almost every concert held at this particular venue.

Because I was impressed with the quality of the sound and video from the Bemis performance, I decided to take the plunge and watch an upcoming show in real time. As my first concert, I chose My American Heart/Daphne Loves Derby/Cinematic Sunrise (which aired this past Thursday).

Although my expectations weren’t too high as the show date approached, the weird thing was that throughout the day of the concert I actually felt that mixture of excitement and anticipation (albeit on a bit more subdued level) which I usually experience on a day I know I am going to see a show in person.

However, as it came time for the opening act to take the stage, I discovered a drawback of watching shows hosted at this venue/website. Because Chain Reaction is in California, the two-hour time zone delay means that the first band doesn’t go on until about 9:30 central time and the headliner isn’t scheduled to appear until around midnight.

A second negative that quickly became apparent was the long delay (sometimes one or two minutes) between the audio and the video. On the plus side, the sound was amazingly clear while still maintaining that raw, live feel. Even the caliber of the footage was above average and probably offered a better view than being at the club in person.

(On a side note, the site also offers a chat box that allows viewers – which averaged about 100 at a time for the show I watched – to interact with each other and “listen in” on those strange and/or pointless conversations the people standing behind you often have between sets — not necessarily a good thing.)

On the whole, though, after spending the night sitting in front of my computer and occasionally browsing some other websites/making food/watching Baseball Tonight/etc… during the concert, I’ll probably wait until the shows are archived (and the audio/video is synched up) and made available on the site, rather than wasting my time watching them live.

Ultimately, although this format offers several advantages – no more blown out eardrums, no more getting kicked in the face by crowd surfers, no more having to stand through three bands you have no interest in hearing – I think it also raises a lot of interesting questions.

With sales of recorded music already on the decline, will ticket sales (the biggest source of revenue for most musicians) now begin to suffer as well? Will bands be compensated for having their shows simulcast on the Internet?

Also, if venues in this area started offering free, live streams of concerts would you stop paying $10-$20 to go see a touring band? Five years from now, can you really claim you saw [insert band name here] before they got famous if all you did was watch from your desk chair while chatting on AIM at the same time?

While I think the idea of streaming live shows over the Web does have some merit (allowing people to watch a show that might not come to their town, for one), I think I’ll stick to attending concerts in person whenever I can.

But, since Motion City Soundtrack’s show at the Pageant in St. Louis is sold out, I guess I’ll cozy up and watch them live on DeepRockDrive (tagline: A Million Front Row Seats) on June 11th. Give me a wave if you see me there. Or hit me up on AIM.