In high school I crowd surfed all the time. If I was feeling brave, I’d venture into mosh pits, only to escape seconds later, bruised and sniffling. I didn’t even mess around with circle pits--those were too intense for me. But I hadn’t been to a show in years where any of these activities were even considered, so I figured they were a thing of the past. That was before I checked out Japanther at Mess With Texas 3 at Waterloo Park.
I had gotten a taste of such rowdy activities during The Death Set and Team Robespierre’s sets earlier in the day. Japanther took things to the next level. As Ian Vanek and Matt Reilly stepped onto the stage, they were joined by a steady stream of exuberant fans who stayed onstage just long enough to be noticed, and then dove, headfirst, into the frenzied crowd.
This continued for Japanther’s entire twenty-five minutes, while the members blasted out some surprisingly poppy punk. Despite fearing for my camera’s safety, it was exciting and invigorating. Thankfully, a couple of peripheral twenty-somethings’ attempts to create a circle pit were stymied by cooler heads. I still wasn’t ready for that.
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Oh I see. I was wondering if you were talking about the picture. Really glad you liked it. Have you checked her out yet?
by Colin on Sun Mar 14, 2010 at 02.29 pm from the entry: Interview - Kelli Schaefer (Portland, OR; Winter, 2010)
yes! The interview is great, and the photo shows off the glow
by Ian on Sun Mar 14, 2010 at 01.29 pm from the entry: Interview - Kelli Schaefer (Portland, OR; Winter, 2010)
Great post! Really digging the new record a lot. The Rainwater LP has some gorgeous moments - definitely recommend checking it out. There are 3 of the new songs up on the myspace page: myspace.com/citizencope
by MattKlomp on Sun Mar 14, 2010 at 03.16 am from the entry: Citizen Cope - Paradise Theater (Boston, MA; Feb. 27, 2010 )
haha is that a compliment?
by colin on Sat Mar 13, 2010 at 06.49 pm from the entry: Interview - Kelli Schaefer (Portland, OR; Winter, 2010)
love that melophobe has more “couples” reviewers, and more “Ian/Ion/Ian/Iain” than the average site…
by Ian on Sat Mar 13, 2010 at 06.48 pm from the entry: sevendust + drowning pool + digital summer + the flood - showbox market (seattle, WA; Mar 07, 2010
you’re positively glowing in this interview, Colin
by Ian on Sat Mar 13, 2010 at 06.46 pm from the entry: Interview - Kelli Schaefer (Portland, OR; Winter, 2010)
Hey Merseilles did a live web show at sonicbirds office gig on Friday that was pretty spectacular. Can anyone find a copy of that?
by Smallweed on Sat Mar 13, 2010 at 11.40 am from the entry: SXSW Send Off Show - Visqueen + Hey Marseilles - Neumos (Seattle, WA; Mar. 5, 2010)
What a great friggin photo. Japanther is amazing, and I think this photo captures their vibe, 100 percent completely.