Last month, two spectacular bands graced Long Island on tour. The Wonder Years hit The Paramount on April 3, while Transit, who is breaking up all too soon, did two shows at the Amityville Music Hall on April 23 as a part of their last tour.
The Wonder Years performed with support from letlive., Tiny Moving Parts and Microwave. The Pennsylvania pop-punk revivalists turned alternative superstars had an hour-long, venue-wide sing-along to a collection of tracks from the newest release, No Closer To Heaven, and older hits, complete with an outstanding light show and a near-perfect sound.
However, it was the California self-described “soul punk” band letlive. that really stole the show solely on the fact that their frontman, Jason Butler, being an absolute madman. During one part of their performance, he climbed onto a balcony of the venue from the stage and traversed the entire venue floor, all while continue to sing his parts.
Later in the month, Transit hit Long Island for two shows on their farewell tour, as the band decided to call it quits earlier this year. They played an afternoon show with support from Macseal, Light Years and a solo Candy Hearts performance. The later show had support from Giants At Large, Light Years and Young English.
Both sold-out shows highlighted how important Transit has been to Long Island’s scene, as for nearly every song at both shows, the crowd was actively participating, with dozens of stage dives at a little bar where there really isn’t room for stage dives. The band tweeted earlier in the day the show was “basically a home show” for them, which showed that this would be a legendary show for both the band and Long Island’s scene.
Personally, it was the most fun I’ve had at a show in a long, long time. For somebody who averages about 100 shows a year, I get pretty tired of standing around all the time. But Transit represents what was so great about Long Island music that got me going to shows in the first place. The crowd loved to be there and it was all about appreciation for a band that we all used to freak out about every time they played here instead of anything else. It wasn’t just another show. It was a nostalgic masterpiece of performance.
Up next for Long Island:
Lamb Of God at The Paramount – May 17 – Truly a band that shouldn’t need explaining. They’re metal greats and masters of the chug riff, who have mastered writing songs that make a crowd just want to move.
Wild Fest at the Amityville Music Hall – May 20 and 21 – Prominent Long Island musician Rob McAllister passed too soon earlier this year and the first annual “Wild Fest” is being held to generate proceeds for his family. Day one features Mind Over Matter, a Capital set in tribute to Rob, who played guitar in the band, and Incendiary. Day two features Crime In Stereo, Iron Chic, who Rob formerly played guitar in, but left shortly before his passing, and a reunion from Agent. Both days are sold out, but limited tickets will be released at the door if you want to line up early for this spectacle of Long Island hardcore.
Vinnie Caruana at Looney Tunes Records – May 25 – The singer of The Movielife and I Am The Avalanche will be performing at the record store in support of his new record Survivor’s Guilt. Admission comes with a pre-order of a CD or vinyl copy of the newest release
Dowsing at the Amityville Music Hall – May 27 – Chicago alternative/emo-revivalist band will be stopping by with Kittyhawk, another great Chicago band that shares members with Dowsing. Tickets are $12 at the door.
Silent Majority at Revolution – June 10 and 11 – The best hardcore band of all time is reuniting to help benefit the family of Rob McAllister. Out of any shows this year, this one is sure to be the most historic and the most important, as Silent Majority has established a huge local legacy and hasn’t played a show in over a decade. Day one features support from Backtrack, while day two features support from Incendiary. Both days are very sold out, but ask around and you might be able to find a ticket to the best shows of the year.
Pity Sex at the Amityville Music Hall – June 11 – This Michigan fuzz-pop group will be hitting Long Island with support from the excellent, outlandish and revolutionary Brooklyn band, PWR BTTM. Their set is as much of a spectacular theatrical performance as it is a riff-heavy music performance. Also performing will be Pennsylvania indie band, Petal, which features members of Tigers Jaw. Tickets are on sale now at Ticketfly for $14.
