Although in recent years the fledgling Springfield music scene has garnered more attention for acts that have disbanded (Park, The Junior Varsity) rather than those which have emerged, The Graduate are attempting to put the state capital back on the map for reasons other than the hiring of a kooky bird whisperer.

Coming off recent cross-country treks with Spitalfield, The Forecast, and Simple Plan, on March 22 the alt-rock quintet used its current downtime to treat the concert-deprived citizens of Springfield (unless you count an August show featuring Vanilla Ice, which I don’t) with an impassioned hometown performance at Club Chrome.

Having witnessed The Graduate take the stage twice at Canopy Club in a supporting role, I have become accustomed to watching the group work to slowly win over the crowd – a process that always added double meaning to the sexually charged lyrics of “Confidence Is Everything”: Turn off the lights / I gotta prove myself tonight.

However, no such conversion was necessary this night. From the moment the members emerged from backstage and launched into the danceable rhythms of “Anhedonia” (the first single from its 2007 full-length of the same name), it became clear that most of those in attendance were already devoted followers and eager to prove it by singing along to the words of every song.

Throughout the too-short 12 song set, lead vocalist Corey Warning fed off this unfailing energy – frequently banging on the drum kit’s cymbals and inserting primal yelps into several songs. Even the other members seemed to be enjoying themselves more than usual, often choosing to fill the time between songs with ambient instrumental segues.

With more time to showcase its growing catalog of songs, the group rewarded the audience with a nice balance of harder-edged, power-pop cuts (“Better Company,” “Justified”), soaring toe-tappers (“Sit and Sink,” “I Survived”) and the slower, more emotionally powerful, “The City That Reads.”

The Graduate also indulged the audience with what has now become a hallmark of its live show – a drumline at the end of “The Forumula” during which Warning pours water on his snare to create a sparkling shower when all the members start banging on their drums in unison

As this dynamic concert demonstrated , like all good alumni the four musicians in The Graduate are more than willing to give back to the place that gave them their start.

Set List

Anhedonia
Interlude
Doppleganger
Sit and Sink
I Survived
Stay the Same
Better Company
The City That Reads
Surround Yourself
The Formula
—
Confidence Is Everything
Justified

Summary Couplet:
The Graduate are done with classes, done with books.
Instead of typing essays, the members now write hooks.