The Material/ The Scenic/ The Goodnight Anthem @ Knitting Factory, NYC 7/30

The Material @ Knitting Factory, NYC - July 30, 2008
photos by C.W.
























The "Pop Til You Drop Tour" or as I called it, the triple "the" tour rolled around to NYC’s Knitting Factory where The Material, The Scenic, and The Goodnight Anthem performed for a feel good night of delicious and danceable pop-rock. It was nice seeing the bands talk to fans, talk to each other, and walking around making themselves present. Before the show started I was able to talk with Colleen, The Material's lead singer. The band has garnered the attention from PureVolume and Alternative Press Magazine two starting points for what looks to be a nice foundation for a good career ahead. They’re from San Diego and are unsigned, but perform strongly

The first two bands up were from Philadelphia, PA. The Goodnight Anthem provided a nice dose of pop-rock. They had a lot of energy, which was impressive and also were very appreciated and spoke to the crowd. They played song of their EP “Nights to Know You.” You call tell the members were happy to be playing and they all moved around, especially lead singer Tony. This 4-piece certainly rocked and is worth checking out.

For some reason the Scenic were the only signed band on this tour, but they didn’t headline tonight. At this point the room was nicely filled for a Wednesday night. Recently signed to Victory Records, these guys played songs off their “Find Yourself Here” full length. It was a shame The Scenic and The Goodnight Anthem only got about a 25-minute set, much too short for the eager fans and myself who couldn't get enough and expected more.

By the time The Material came on it seemed like a few people had left, which was unfortunate as they put on a great show. The band performed songs off its “Tomorrow,” EP such as “The Long Way Home,” and “The Truth About Reality.” They’re an alternative-pop rock group, for fans of Paramore, The Academy Is, and Envy on the Coast. The groups sound comes together well, often having a nice melody, which explodes into a catchy rock break down. The band seemed excited to be performing its first "real" NYC show. The first time was for the Dew Circuit Break contest. With the move to the side kind of beats the crowd quickly got moving. The sound was alright during the sets, but could’ve been better. I could barely hear the keyboard during the Material and Colleen’s vocals at points. Good set.

THE POP TIL YOU DROP TOUR- 2008 REMAINING DATES
W/ THE MATERIAL, THE SCENIC AND THE GOODNIGHT ANTHEM
Aug. 4 SWAYZES- Marietta, Georgia
Aug.5 BACKBOOTH, Orlando, Florida
Aug. 6 TRANSITIONS SKATE PARK, Tampa, Florida with Vega Under Fire
Aug. 7. THE TALENT FARM, Permbroke Pines, Florida w/ Vega Under Fire
Aug. 8 THILLZE ARCADE, Palm Coast, Florida w/ Vega Under Fire
Aug. 9 THE CAPITOL, Ocala, Florida

After this tour, the Goodnight Anthem do a few more dates with The Scenic. The Material play more shows, then start “The Everlasting Sound” Tour in the fall with Blameshift & And Then There Was You. These bands know how to keep busy. Check out the bands MySpace pages for details.

The Goodnight Anthem


The Scenic


The Material