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This show I'd been looking forwards to for quite some time, as I'd been listening to stuff from 3 of the bands for weeks leading up to it. The night started off with Bends one and only emo-bongo band Two the Front. The guys did a good job tonight, even bringing a couple of members from the audience onto the stage to sing back up vocals for a song, but I hate to say that I've seen them put on better shows before. The vocals just didn't sound as hot as they have at past shows. Bassist Kyle sure does have a pretty padded amp though. Next up was Orchi Bort, and AGAIN I missed their set. I can only assume it was either really energetic and a bit too much for the Bend kids or pretty bad, as when I returned the crowd that had started out right in front of the stage was now MUCH emptier and twenty feet back from where the band was performing. This didn't seem to phase them much, as on the last song I got to see the guitarist used the room to run all over the place while playing. Portland's The Clarity Process was the 3rd band of the night and I was very interested in seeing them as I'd downloaded the songs they've got on mp3.com and really liked them. I'm pleased to say that they didn't let me down and were just as good live as in their demos. Their style is a pretty melodic post hardcore sound. Certain vocals break down into screams, but never achieves the annoying level of screaming that seems to be so prevalent in much of the music that's coming out today. I picked up one of their demo CD's at the show and it's stayed in rotation with me for almost a month now, so I highly recommend you check them out on mp3.com. Anatomy Of A Ghost was the 4th band tonight, and perhaps the band I was most eagerly awaiting. I'd caught their last show in Bend and was completely blown away by their intensity. Unfortunately tonight's show was a bit of a let down in that dept. While they put on an incredible performance, sounded superb, and were very energetic I think I was expecting more. That's what I get for looking forwards to something too much. Anatomy is on the verge of getting very big, and their debut release on Rise Records was licensed to Fearless before it even hit the streets. AOAG's sound is pretty representational of what post hardcore is defined as right now. Good stuff. Crosstide was the headliner for the night, and as always put on a great show. I've been lucky enough to catch them live at least 7 times now, and they're one of the few bands that I never tire of seeing. They've got a very soft and mellow "emo" sound that nevertheless manages to rise into some very passionate and hard parts. These guys are very tight, and they're all incredible at their respective instruments. (One funny side note is how much the drummer sweats. I saw them in Portland awhile back and at one point the drummer ran off stage, and I thought he'd peed his pants initially. Turned out the sweat had just ran down and pooled in his lap.) I'm sure they'll make a return to our fair town within a few months, if you're into softer stuff or are broadminded enough to look beyond 3 chord punk songs be sure to catch them live sometime.
