Hot Ticket: The Appleseed Cast @ Rock and Roll Hotel, 4/30/11

“As the tear flow out it’s the end, the end of you and me.” They probably don’t appreciate me saying this, but don’t miss one of the 21st century’s finest emo groups at the Rock and Roll Hotel this Saturday.

The Appleseed Cast have been cranking out albums for nearly 15 years. I’ll always remember them as a band taking the Midwestern emo style of bands like Mineral and Texas Is The Reason, and bringing it to the next level – toning down the melodrama, and adding increasingly complex music to back it up. “Fight Song” still gives me chills when I hear that opening melody. It’s been on so many mixtapes of mine – you don’t even know. The emo-ness has largely faded from their more recent tunes, leaving only professional, feel-good rock n roll.

Of course, they’re only one of the four bands playing that night. A Great Big Pile of Leaves from Brooklyn remind me of relaxed, beachy melodies of Minus the Bear, but with more vocal swagger. But they’re the only opener that even remotely reminds me of A-Cast. Dischord signees Edie Sedgwick, self-described as “the transgendered reincarnation of a vacuous Andy Warhol Superstar who died of a barbiturate overdose in 1971”, sound bizarre to say the least. The music itself is mainly mid-tempo bass lines and drums, with a story-telling, spoken-word-ish vocal style. Oh, and Pianos Become the Teeth happen to be one of my favorite emo/screamo bands of the moment. It’s tense, complex, passionate, and earnest, which seems appropriate for the bill, but they’re louder than the rest of the bands by a factor of 10.

The Appleseed Cast are touring to promote a new EP, “Middle States”, which is only available on tour until its official release in June.

The Appleseed Cast
w/ A Great Big Pile of Leaves, Edie Sedgwick, Pianos Become the Teeth
Rock and Roll Hotel
Saturday, April 30th, 2011
$15