Dance Gavin Dance

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Squash The Beef Tour featuring:
Dance Gavin Dance

with Emarosa, Tides of Man, Of Mice and Men, and Of Machines

October 6, 2009
Culture Room
Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Review and Photos by: Jazmin Prieto

The “Squash the Beef Tour” was a Rise Records tour containing the bands Of Mice and Men, Of Machines, Tides of Man, and headliners Emarosa and Dance Gavin Dance. For those of you who don’t know, Emarosa’s front man Jonny Craig was once the front man of Dance Gavin Dance. The band kicked Jonny out for multiple reasons. After almost a year they decided to hold a tour to “squash the beef,” (a term used to remedy a situation by issuing an apology and/or beating someone’s ass). Early October brought the Ft. Lauderdale stop.

The show was held at the Culture Room. The beginning of the show was typical: Show up an hour early, meet up with friends in line, get over butterflies and enter as the doors open. As I entered the venue from the main entrance, I noticed the heavy whisper amongst the room: “Dance Gavin Dance is nothing without Jonny,” and “I heard Jonny was getting on stage with Dance Gavin.” As the gossip spread around the venue like a rumor in high school, I became more anxious.

The synth ever so passionate, but when Jonny Craig put the mic to his mouth and sang that first note, he delivered all of that and then some. His voice was that of an angel, something unimaginable.

Dylan Anderson, vocals, Of Machines

       First to bat was Of Machines; they are an experimental screamo band from Atlanta, Georgia. Their feel was extremely similar to old school Dance Gavin Dance. The melodies that they played were the type that chilled you to the bone. The screams were the type that haunted your dreams. They opened this show, but in all honesty, they were one of the better bands of the night.

       Next up was Tides of Man from Tampa, Florida. It was refreshing to see a band on this tour with no screaming or breakdowns, but that doesn’t mean they were not as strong. You could tell that their hearts were full of ambition; the music was real. I saw these guys at The Talent Farm in Pembroke Pines maybe six months ago with The Rise of Science. The Talent Farm is a really small venue that is extremely personal: You don’t usually get that vibe from big venues like the Culture Room, and these guys did just that.

       The next band up was Of Mice and Men. With the name of my favorite John Steinbeck book, I expected nothing shy of amazing, and I have to say they let me down. Their music was way too familiar. They had your everyday breakdown and typical screams. But their set wasn’t all bad; don’t get me wrong. They played a cover of “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga. They had the crowd constantly moving, and their music sounded very organized.

Jaxin Hall, bass and vocals, Of Mice and Men

Emarosa was up next! People came closer and closer to the stage screaming at every sight of Jonny as if he were a king of some sort. Soon after, all the lights in the venue went off except for a set of strobe lights they had on stage. The drums played a beat you felt in your soul. The guitars were melodic. The synth ever so passionate, but when Jonny Craig put the mic to his mouth and sang that first note, he delivered all of that and then some. His voice was that of an angel, something unimaginable.

Dance Gavin Dance closed the show, and they did not deliver. Their lead vocalist, Kurt Travis, was drunk out of his mind and couldn’t properly compose himself. People were anxious to see Jonny back on stage with them even if it was for one song, and when he finally did get on stage the night seemed to be complete. Overall this show was definitely a night to remember!

Did you “Squash the Beef”? MySpace Us!