Jonny Craig you cwazy!
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On May 12, Hands Like Houses performed in San Diego during part of their Rise Records tour with My Ticket Home, The Air I Breathe, Palisades, and other local bands. The Midnight Bandwidth was there to review their full set.
Written By - Randall
The first review I ever wrote for The Midnight Bandwidth was for Hands Like Houses. Go back and look in our archives, I sure did. There was something special about them, I couldn’t place it but I knew something was there. I was so nervous and it wasn’t much of a review, just a little snippet on the old Lion Skin demo with Jonny Craig and Tyler Carter - and I even mistook “sleeping with saints” for “sleeping with Satan” (yea that was bad). But I fell in love with their music, I bought their singles, their merch, and waited with the rest of you for Ground Dweller to drop. So here we come full circle and you can’t believe the level of anxiety I felt coming face to face with HLH on the front end of their American tour, terrified that they would not meet the lofty expectations I had in my absurd fan-girl-ish mind. The verdict? I should have known better than to doubt them, they met the hype and so much more.
Waiting for HLH to play was akin to waiting for Christmas morning, everywhere there were signs, merchandise and t-shirts aplenty, band members trickling in and out of back rooms, and off in the distance an inkling that something amazing was coming. Their warm up acts were pretty forgettable (with the exception of Palisades who earned some new fans here with their thrilling, fan-centric performance.) and served to remind what makes the boys from Canberra so unique. In a smoky cavalcade of scream filled madness HLH stood out as the stark example of why they are so rare in the scene. They know how to bring a crowd to its feet without having to resort to cheap screams or sloppy breakdowns. They are the last defenders of pure creativity in the scene today.
Then there they were, on stage, ready to fight and stoked to rumble with the demons of musical righteousness, prepping their instruments like vikings sharpening their swords for battle.
When the music began, my god did it go off. It was like the most incredible mind-bomb in what seems like forever to hear the opening, haunting lines of Antarctica coming over the speakers, Hands Like Houses was actually playing on a stage less than 5 feet away from me. As anyone in the scene will tell you, you can get close to the stage, we were right there in front of them.
Make no mistake, they know how to give the people what they want. At one of their shows you will not be disappointed because they all put every ounce of their time-traveler souls into each brilliant bar and reverberation. They played all of their biggest fan favorites and woke up what had previously been one of the most lethargic crowds I have ever seen at a live show.
Part of what made the show so incredible was, and I mean this in in the best possible way, that it musically sounded like much of of it was l pre-recorded. No broken notes, no off beat rhythms, not even any unnecessary embellishment; what you hear on the record is what you’ll adore jamming to live. This is a ready to rock, well rehearsed, exceptionally skilled band that knows many of their fans have been waiting years to see them live, they leave nothing behind or unsaid.
The set list:
Antarctica
Watchmaker
Don’t Look Now, I’m Being Followed, Act Normal
The Definition Of Not Leaving
This Ain’t No Place For Animals
Lion Skin
Each member is a joy to behold and converse with. Alex Pearson is one smooth character, personifying all that a rock axe man should possess - the same goes for Joel Tyrell and its a wonder to hear how in sync they are with each other, shredding lines with headbanging fury. Cooper and Matty P are also on a similar wavelength, keeping the rhythm true and steady while rocking those exquisite lines only a trained ear can pick up on. Let’s not forget Jamal Sabet, a wild man, a crazed ball of hilarious energy who bounces around the stage like a super ball of insanity - I say that with nothing but fondness and love. They are all also very warm and inviting to fans afterwards and before their show; they don’t perch on a high horse or pretend they are better than anyone else. They each took the time to talk to us and they genuinely cared what we had to say. You gotta love that.
Then there’s Trenton. While many lead singers are known for their prima donna ways, Trenton Todd Woodley is one of the most personable, friendly, down to earth leads in music today. Not to single him too much above his mates, Trenton does alot of the legwork for the band and lead singers usually act too good for; at shows you’ll see him manning merch tables and selling apparel. He isn’t afraid to get down and dirty with the rest of the boys. Then there’s the wicked cool dynamic he has around showtime: Before the show a focused and determined leader, tuning and checking everything to make sure it’s perfect; and then after the show a warm and accessible friend of the fans. But while he will get most of the press clippings don’t mistake this for a one man act, HLH is a family, a brotherhood, and it comes across so brilliantly in just a few minutes spending time with them.
Some of the highlights of their set that went by far too quickly were marvelous and bear repeating.
- Trenton was feeling under the weather a few days of the tour and this was the show he felt his chops were back. Boy were they ever, the man sounded better than he did in studio!
- The night of the show it was Jamal’s birthday and he was having a ball with it - he even got a congratulatory blast of silly string during their performance of Lion Skin.
- Being an unfamiliar venue, the sound was giving them trouble at times but they pressed on feverishly. Ignoring some elements of feedback and their lackluster monitors they played like it was the last show they would ever perform.
- Following the other bands they sat down with remaining fans for an acoustic set in the parking lot and were there to spend time with anyone who wanted to say hi - even signing whatever scraps of paper pushed in their faces. Each member handled the night with the aplomb of seasoned veterans.
- Starstruck moment! During “Act Normal” I pointed at Trenton during the line, “Wanna see the lights of your constellation” and he actually pointed back at me! Damn that was one of the coolest moments of my life!
- But for my money the part of the show that will stick with me until the Heavens see fit to take me off of this earth was during “The Definition Of Not Leaving.”
Up until that song many of us were singing along with the words - Lord knows HLH fans know their stuff - but it was only a smattering here and there. During “Definition” when the famous line “Stay, don’t go, I’ll eat you up I love you so,” came up we all sang it back at the band before they could even sing it themselves. I swear I saw Trenton look at Alex and get the biggest grin on his face. They knew that we knew who they were and they knew that they were among friends in California, not just passersby there to mosh and cause a ruckus. Hands Like Houses knew that they had fans across the pond who love their music and as cliched as that is we love them for it. I’ll cherish that moment always.
You must see this band live, it will rock your world if you are a fan of their experimental blend of post-hardcore meets rock or just amazing music in general. People if you haven’t heard of them yet you better jump on the bandwagon soon, time is running out before they’ll need massive amounts of security to protect them from hoards of adoring fans. I’ve said it before, I’ll keep saying it, Hands Like Houses is going to rock this planet, you better hold fast and get ready. -TMB
The comeback is on!
Jonny Craig, the man, the myth, the legend has announced a series of shows in California this summer!
Jun 01 - Cesar Chavez Park: Sacramento, CA
Jun 03 - Chain Reaction: Anaheim, CA
Jun 08 - Soma: San Diego, CA
Jun 09 - Rockin Roots - Bakersfield, CA
Jun 29 - Ace Of Spades: Sacramento, CA
This is huge for fans of the big JC, who have been hoping for him to get back on his feet since his most recent stint in rehab. All reports seem to indicate that Jonny is sober and getting everything back together.
If the shows go well he could both silence some critics and get in position for a new album in the future. Look for him to debut some brand new tunes from his upcoming Blueprint For Going In Circles record.
Who knows what else could follow this?
A Dance Gavin Dance reunion?
Emarosa even?
Like so many of you, we are stoked to see Jonny doing well. We’ll keep you posted with more updates as they come!
Hippie-hop guru MOD SUN has caused a ruckus following a tweet mentioning the one vocalist everyone seems to have an opinion on.
Mod tweeted:
Than the return of @jonnycraig4L x @MODSUN project in late may???? Yall ready?
Craig and MOD SUN have a history of working together, both on the road (“White Boys Of Soul” tour) and off (Craig supplied additional vocals on Mod’s “Become My Life”), but like the rest of Jonny’s project, their progress has been on hold while Jonny got everything together after rehab.
Craig himself mentioned going to rehab in early March and it would appear a comeback is slowly beginning to come together.
What could this mean?
A single?
A brand new album?
Whatever it is, with these two brilliant artisans it’s going to be something pretty amazing!
More than a year after parting ways with Jonny Craiig, Emarosa have revealed they are still searching for a new vocalist and they are now asking for submissions. Check out an update from the band for more info below by clicking “Read More.” Thanks to cityofpunk for this link and story.
Source cityofpunk
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