September 8th, 2008 
James Shotwell 
Band: Motion City Soundtrack
Date: September 4th, 2008
Location: Michigan State University
When it comes down to it, there’s nothing better than live music. With that philosophy in mind, it’s easy to see how the excitement of lights and loud amps saved headliner Motion City Soundtrack from being the repetitive pop punk band that I know. After my night at the MSU auditorium in East Lansing, my main news story was the little bands that made this show quite enjoyable. I’m gonna kinda do this different, I’ll give each band a different score, and then average it at the end for your total concert review. Incorporating math into a music review? I’m just so multi-dimensional, really.
An indie-ish band from Detroit called The Silent Years kicked the night off, but due to a little fiasco at the ticket office, (I was supposed to be on the guest list as a media person reviewing the concert, but that didn’t happen) I missed half their set. However, as unfair as it might be, I can still grade them down for the songs I did see, as I heard nothing special. They sounded good, but well, they were the opening band. For their last song, they asked the crowd to chant a certain portion of their lyrics, which go something like, “Open our eyes, so that we can see more.” They also mentioned that running can get you to places faster. However, they didn’t actually say that. And I stole that joke from my accomplice Shelby, but I’m the one writing this, so if it’s in print, it’s mine. These guys scored a 4/10.
Another Detroit based band really stole the show for me. Enter the Hard Lessons: Comprised of Augie on guitar and vocals and his wife Ko Ko on keys and vocals, plus guest drummer Tony Thaxton from Motion City Soundtrack, this group transcended the indie rock label they christened themselves with. To me, they have the rock capabilities of the Foo Fighters, and the excellent husband-wife duet sing plenty of repeated phrases and lyrics, reminding me of Nirvana. I know, pretty crazy comparisons, but they are well warranted. The first song featured Ko Ko’s vigorous vocals over just Augie’s upstrokes and chords, a showcase of their individual songwriting talent. The third song had a nice country vibe, fueled by Ko Ko’s strong voice and a rockin’ solo by Augie. “Scene and be Seen,” one of their more popular songs, is very catchy and will become an instant favorite. Augie even did a shout-out for the resignation of the infamous Kwame Kilpatrick, which was very hilarious, I thought. I can’t say enough about this band. I didn’t even mention that the couple are MSU alums. They were totally worth my money to see live. 9/10, for sure.
My buddy told me to make sure I took pictures of the next band, Margot and Nuclear So and So’s, and it didn’t take too long to figure out why. Essentially the Slipknot of indie rock, (minus one member) Margot rocked out some easy going experimental with everything from violins to French horns. The funny thing about this band was that every member looked like they were gunning to play the most instruments in one set. The piano girl contributed vocals and harmonica. One dude went from trombone to trumpet to French horn, sprinkling in some tambourine and shakers wherever needed. The extra percussions guy had his own little zone, complete with a giant bass drum, extra snares and cymbals, and these sheet things to bang on. This band was both astounding and hilarious to watch, but I mean that in a good way. The amazing thing for me is that I could hear every instrument, right down to the bass guitar and little tambourines. The lead singer/guitarist/acoustic guitarist’s voice went down smooth with the mellow, random music, transitioning frequently and doing away with the chorus/verse style. The third song in featured a great breakdown near the end that was intensified by the thundering bass drum. The last song had a catchy violin riff for arguably their most energetic song of the night. With so much going on, this band was incredibly ridiculous to watch, an experience that sweetens their live show even more and makes any concert they’re a part of a great deal. At 8.5/10, they are right up there with the Hard Lessons.
I really hoped Motion City Soundtrack was not going to kill the momentum of the good bands so far. Why so negative about the headliner anyway, you ask? Well spending the weekend listening to their discography did not bode well, except for a few stand out songs, I felt like I wasn’t hearing anything fresh. And with the pop punk style, if the music isn’t doing it for you, the singer needs to deliver, and he doesn’t really hook me in that well. Fortunately, the band was pretty electric on stage, lead singer/guitarist Justin Pierre held up a little better than he does on the recording and his Jack Black-esque hand motions while singing and humor saved me from writing a less favorable review. Three songs after coming out to The Office theme song, Pierre claimed they were off on their timing and asked us if they could re-enter. Thanks to the crazies down in the main seating, they actually did enter a stage a second time to The Office theme, a gutsy move I had never seen in all my concert-going days. Later on, other guitarist Josh Cain stops the song and claims Pierre missed a whole verse. I was really hoping they were planning on doing this and that it wasn’t an actual screw up, because you rule of thumb requires you to never stop a song, no matter what. Sure enough after much delay they start it again. The whole sequence was quite hilarious; it was a had-to-be-there-moment. Nevertheless, as the headliner they played way longer than they should of, as their pop punk began to drown itself out, but for me they ended well with “Everything is Alright” and two encores (they entered the encore to The Office yet again), including, “The Future Freaks Me Out.” Did I like them? They were acceptable, their live show did away most of the concerns I had with them, plus, Pierre’s voice may just become an acquired taste for me, so 6.5/10.
I know this has been long and drawn out but I had to share the wonderful things I saw tonight. Definitely check out The Hard Lessons and Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s, and if you have time, maybe the Silent Years, but don’t worry too much about them. As for the headliners, if you love M.C.S., you should’ve been there. If you never heard them before, you may be drawn in by their friendly lyrics and upbeat pop punk stylings. If you still can’t find a reason to go see Motion City live, their synth player is fun to watch. Trust me, it’s worth it, just knowing that. .
*Written By: Jacob Kanclerz*
GRADE: 7/10
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