05.30.07
Appleseed Cast at the Knitting Factory on St. Patty’s
I spent my ST. Patrick’s Night at the Knitting Factory on Leonard Street watching indie darlings The Appleseed Cast play art house rock to a very drunk and loyal fan base. This is their second outing to promote their latest near masterpiece and sixth studio record, Peregrine.
Chris, Aaron, Marc and their current drummer Aaron took the stage with confidence and they seemed not the least intimidated by the crowded room in front of them. Aaron the lead guitarist was celebrating his birthday that night and admitted to the crowd that he was already drunk and apologized for any mistakes he would make through out the night.
Their set consisted of a lot of the songs you’d expect them to play. Fan favorites such as “Fishing the Sky”, “Forever longing the golden sunsets”, and “Steps and Numbers” made their predictable appearances at just the right moments when you could feel the crowd getting a tad bit restless with the very long and mostly new instrumental work the band was playing.
Chris was sporting his now iconic bear-mountain-man beard. Aaron had cut his hair, Marc being the face of the band stood in the middle grinning from time to time. The band played spot on except for a few bits at the end where Aaron had finally let the alcohol get the best of him but it was nothing really distracting. Since last I saw them they seemed to be playing mostly the same songs and I must admit this was a little disappointing. With six records they seem to be giving in to the “greatest hits” mentality some bands dish out when out on tour. Come on guys, throw me a curveball, play something else from your mammoth genius of work called “Low Level Owl I and II”, do a cover song, I’ll take anything at this point.
Another piece of advice I would give to this band is to work a bit more on the atmosphere during their shows. Dim the lights get a few on-stage effects, or perhaps a projector playing behind the stage. Their music always conjures up images in my head and I would love if they translated some of that to their life performance. Make the album art work come to life and you can truly bring your music to life on stage.
Criticism aside they played a tight set and sound as album perfect as they always do. They are one of the few bright spots in the tragically clichéd indie rock scene. I would like to see them push further out and take the live show to new places. Still it’s the music that matters most and that part they got down just right. If you’ve never heard of them go pick up their latest work, Peregrine, and then work your way backwards to their earlier work. Mainstream rock keeps looking for the “it” band of our generation. Funny how it’s been right under their noses the entire time and their name is The Appleseed Cast.
