Trip report: Seven Mary Three weekend 6/27 & 6/28

This weekend saw a fun-filled journey to visit one of my very favorite bands.

Friday night was a trip to Rockford, aka Little Nashville. Never mind why, it's a stupid story but I enjoy calling it that nonetheless. I gathered up 3 of the fellas, Joe, Duch and Q, and off we went. After a fun filled trip to our old greasy food hangout Nicky's for gyros (what a horrible idea with four people on a roadtrip), we were on our way. Thx to Q's iPhone, we were able to peruse hotchickswithDbags dot com on our way (great site that lives up to its name) and even actually figure out where we were supposed to go for the show.

After a $174 drive, we finally arrived at JTs or TJs or whatever the place was called. As far as Rockford goes, it actually wasn't too bad. The place was decently sized, with a bunch of different areas, including a stage with a dance floor type area. Strangely, the band had to walk through the crowd to get onto the stage, thus no encore type scenario, which I actually kind of liked. Unfortunately, the crowd was abysmally small despite a pretty staunch showing from area band diehards. There were roughly fourteen opening bands (actually 3) so the fellas didn't come on until about midnight. The setlist was filled mostly with greatest hits but had four songs from the new record and a sweet cover the band has been playing lately called Big Bird, although I can't for the life of me remember the name of the original artist. During some of the hits, the people who know one or two songs gravitated towards the front and I made new buddies with some high-fiving mother f'ers.

Funny story after the show, it was about 1:45 and the bar must close at 2. So, several of us were standing around chatting with a couple of the guys from the band when the waitress starts trying to hustle everyone out of the joint. I asked if she was going to kick the band out and she replied "Oh no, they're all downstairs". With 2 of them standing right next to us talking. It was worth a chuckle but I couldn't argue with her logic, could I? Trust me, in little Nashville, you don't argue with the waitresses. So, off we went and the band members actually did wind up going downstairs. Long drive back, with lots of inebriated and horrible singing and I rolled home about 4 am.

After some recovery time and way too much homework, it was off to beautiful Round Lake, IL for the village festival, where 7m3 was headlining the affair. This place was a haul from the homefront, much further than I expected. I was excited because it was an outdoor show that started early in the evening so I was going to bring the 2 oldest kids (6 & 4). As we're pulling out of the neighborhood, the oldest says she's not feeling well and wants to go home. She was up super late the night before and spent all day swimming at the neighbor's pool party so she was just physically wiped out. Fortunately she wasn't really sick, just tired but it knocked her out of the trip. That left me and the four year old for her first concert experience.

After the lengthy drive, and nearly being run over by some numbskull walking over to the stage area, we met up with Wudchuk and were ready for action. The stage was quite large and like most of the area village festivals, was set up in a parking lot area, surrounded by beer tents and food booths, etc. The weather was really perfect, about 75 degrees or so. However, the mosquitoes were crazy!!!! Fortunately, one of the big fans of the band was willing to share his bug repellent and it was very helpful.

This was a free show so there were a LOT of people, probably 500 to 1000 people overall, with 100 to 200 around the stage once the music started. Again, a nice turnout from the band faithful with a few different faces than the previous night. The setlist was quite similar to the evening before with a couple of differences, including favorite Southwestern State and swapping cover songs. Instead of Big Bird, the band finished the set with Neil Young's Rockin in the Free World. Always a great performance, this was enhanced by the fireworks display beginning while the song was being played. Very cool, they should do that at every show!

The four year old did pretty well at the show although she was wiped out by the time the show actually she started. The music was too loud so we moved WAYYYY back by the sound booth. She stayed on my lap for the remainder of the show and nearly fell asleep. We crept back up towards the front at the end of the show and she seemed to really enjoy it (or so she tells me!). All in all, it was a great time.

This concludes today's lengthy broadcast.

Song lyric of the day "You've got no taste in music and you really love our band" Local H

Until next time.

Ace

CD Review - Seven Mary Three - DayAndNightDriving

Disclaimer: I am a HUGE Seven Mary Three fan. I will attempt to stay objective.

Day&NightDriving from Seven Mary Three is the band's sixth major release and is perhaps the most diverse record the band has produced. The idea behind the title of the CD is that there are a mix of heavy (day driving) and soft (night driving) songs, but the night side certainly gets more of the attention from the quartet.

One thing that has been consistently true about 7m3 is that nearly every one of their songs sounds better live. The first track, Last Kiss, is an excellent example of this. While the recorded version is an upbeat way to start the CD, this one really shines in a live environment with the added energy from lead singer Jason Ross and guitarist Thomas Juliano. Regardless, Last Kiss is one of the best "singles" from the record and has the best chance of receiving radio play.

Laughing Out Loud is a sweet and optimistic song exploring the tension and evolution of a relationship. The music is simple, allowing the focus to remain on the lyrics and story being told by Ross. Like several of the songs on the record, it sounds like something written as a singer/songwriter special, with the rest of the instruments brought in afterwards.

Was a Ghost gets back to "day driving". The crunchy guitars from Juliano are reminiscent of mid-90's Dinosaur Jr. and Ross is closest in this song to the gravelly, growling he used so well on some of the bands earlier releases. A fun song, this is another one that excels live. Excellent lyrics here as well.

60's and 70's Johnny Cash is the best way to describe the music and sound of Dreaming Against Me. The rockabilly guitar and drums, as well as the catchy "Hey, everything's going to be all right" refrain smack of the simplistic sounds Cash used so well. Not exactly a sound that you hear much these days and a lot of fun to have right in the middle of the CD. Interestingly, I could see Cash singing about the same topics that Ross covers in this song.

One of the problems with being a big fan of a band is that you often hear songs long before they are released. This is the case with Hammer & a Stone, which has been circulated widely as a live track amongst 7m3 fans. The result is that feeling of "That's not how that song goes" when hearing it on the record. Once past that, it's easy to enjoy the piano and the guitar effects, in addition to the brilliant lyrics on this song. One complaint with this track is that it sounds like Ross is eating the microphone, which detracts from the "night driving" feeling of the song.

The music in Break the Spell is a bit pedestrian. This is another one that has circulated widely and feels more like Ross wrote this one a while back and the other instruments were brought in for the recording. This one may work better as a solo track. Same goes for You Think Too Much. "Keep your head up because it's never as bad as you think" - nice lyric! But this one of the more forgettable songs on the record. While I'm at it, I would put She Wants Results in the same category. The music seems a bit tacked on to Ross's solo song. The lyrics work really well in this one.

Some more "night driving" with Strangely at Home Here. This song is a trip into the life of a rock and roller torn between dichotomy of the enticing allure of the road and being home with loved ones. Ross manages to find some fun in telling the story as well. This song served as the final tune at the band's 10 year celebration of the release of their debut major label record and the recent record release weekend and has become a fan favorite. Another song that would work very well solo, Juliano adds some excellent guitar work in the recorded version.

Upside Down is the single best song that Seven Mary Three has ever done. As a longtime fan, that is really saying something. The country western guitar sound and the story of coming of age and coming to grips combine to marry nostalgia with the decisions we all make as we go through this life. This is a song that will hold up over time.

Another song where Ross seems to have the mic in his mouth is Dead Days in the Kitchen. This is another one that has been around for a while and is a big favorite. The record is just vocals and guitar, no tacked on instrumentation, which is a great way to hear the song.

Finishing off the record is a song called Things I Stole. Ross's vocals really shine in this song and the guitar hook is fantastic. This is a song that leaves you wanting more, which I think is a great way to wrap things up.

One of the hard things about new records from bands I love is that I have high expectations. I wanted to love this record from the second I put it in but it didn't grab me immediately. After several listens, I've certainly grown attached to several of the songs. But loving a CD shouldn't be so hard, should it? A part of me wishes that Jason Ross had released most of these songs on a solo record. Overall, the record is good and should appeal to a wide variety of fans, mostly those that really enjoy the singer/songwriter genre. Buy the record, give it a couple spins and you will undoubtedly find a few songs in here to love for yourself. Even better, make sure you see Seven Mary Three when they come through your town this summer.

Until next time.

Ace.