In the heart of Bricktown in Oklahoma City there is a small venue called the Bricktown Ballroom. Up a few flights of stairs and into a room with a low exposed ceiling and a small stage they’ve got shows booked almost every night of the week. On the far wall a sign reads “No Moshing. No Crowed Surfing.” Something that hasn’t been observed the times that I’ve been and it’s starting to look a bit worn.  

As part of Aiden’s 2008 The World by Storm tour last Thursday night Farewell to Freeway, Ivoryline, Schoolyard Heroes and Aiden put on an energetic and entertaining show.  The venue is small and on a cold, closer to freezing night in February the crowd was small as well. But there is something to be said for a small crowd. It makes it easier to get up to the bar when you show up late. I missed Farewell to Freeway but arrived just as Ivoryline was finishing setting up.  

Ivoryline (Jeremy – vocals, Scott – guitar, Wess – drums, Robert – bass, and Dusty – guitar) played a set that included songs from their latest CD There Came a Lion. They only played a few songs which included my favorite “Be Still and Breathe”. It’s a great song with a great line, “Everything they said about you/ Everything they’ve known was wrong.” How can you not love that? While they struggled a bit with the last song overall they played a good set and I would love to see them again sometime where they played more of their music.   

Schoolyard Heroes (Ryann Donnelly – vocals, Jonah Bergman – bass and vocals, Steve Bonnell – guitar, and Brian Turner – drums) were next and they played a great set. They have a ton of energy on stage and are a bit weird but it makes for a good show. I would definitely go out of my way to see them again.

Their set included songs from their latest album Abomination “Plastic, “Dude, Where’s My Skin?”, “Cemetery Girls”, and “Razorblade Kisses”. They also played “They Live” which is a personal favorite from their album Fantastic Wound.