Paying $50-100 to attend a rock concert allows one the dubious opportunity to piss in a communal trough with 30 other guys. We endure this for the rock music, right?
What bands could compel us to stand shoulder to shoulder with our fellow man and shake our fist in the air? The Jonas Brothers? Asia? Coldplay? No, I’m talking about some real rocking shows that cost about the same as a couple bottles of overpriced Aquafina. In the case of the Warped Tour, you get to watch a ton of bands for a comparatively low price. Who are they? Let’s get to them.
The Datsuns
New Zealand hard rocker’s The Datsuns have been around since 2000.
Featuring vocalist and bassist Dolf de Borst, guitarists Phil Buscke and Christian Livingstone and drummer Ben Cole, their newest album, Headstunts, was released late last year. The Datsuns may sound familiar to those deep into the garage rock revival. But they never reached the same recognition in America like The Strokes or The Hives.
Another reason they’re little known in the States is that they haven’t toured much here in the last few years. We’ve missed out on their 70’s style hard rock played at a ferocious pace. They’re revving up to plaster those neo-new wave bands on their windshield. If you’re in the crowd at one of these shows, you definitely shouldn’t be standing still. Ride along with the band at their few North American stops.
The Action Design
Formed from remnants of punk outfit Tsunami Bomb, San Francisco’s indie pop-rock The Action Design is comprised of vocalist, Emily Whitehurst, drummer Jake Krohn, guitarist Jaycen Mckissick, and bassist Matt Mckenzie.
They ditch the punk rhythm on their Never Say album, but retain a hard edge to the the music and lyrics. Emily’s emotional singing and wide vocal range run freer now than in her previous band. Unlike before, some of their songs exude a more dance like feel. The album features keyboard playing, however the band’s sound remains guitar driven. Live, expect to see Emily whip herself about the stage while pumping her fist with microphone in hand. Besides, their current tour, the band has two cover songs on the Endless Bummer movie soundtrack, a new video for the album track “Landmines,” and they’re starting to record tracks for another album.
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