Let’s start off by saying; What a great year for new music. Local bands are surfacing and releasing their best work, and our ears our being blessed with it.  

Something Else is one of those bands, and I knew their show was going to be stellar the moment I arrived and there was a line cutting back through the parking lot. My friend and I couldn’t even find a spot to park, at first.  After shuffling through the line, we made it inside. The crowd consisted of many teenagers and their parents, which was cool because they were showing their undying support.

The music that opened the show was phenomenal. Zach Frost offered a fun, folky tone to get everyone’s energy going. On top of being a talented guy, he’s also quirky (in all the best ways) and great to be around.  Next was a young band called Forever Unknown, who definitely caught my attention. The vocals were alluring, and the rest of the band moved with the charismatic energy you need to be a successful. They’re going places.

Next came Radattack and Hello Luna, both incredible bands that everyone should check out. Radattack offers a nostalgic vintage sound that got the crowd moving for sure, another young group of very talented musicians. Hello Luna has been around for quite some time, and never fails to impress me. Kenzie Coyne’s vocals are chilling in all the best ways, and I always get goosebumps when I hear them perform. The band offers a catchy backup that enhances everything about it. Make sure you check out the amazing support chosen for the show.

Of course, last but not least, were our headliners. I’ve been waiting to get my hands on reviewing their music for the years I’ve known these guys. Let’s start with their stage attire; all of them came out dressed to the nines in suits, ready for a funeral. Mostly because their new music was going to slay everyone. Their live performance is stellar, passionate and bound to give you chills.

I can say personally that songs like Breathe have gotten me through a lot of my own emotions, but each and every track is poetry from pain. Aidan Hall, the vocalist, projects feelings I’m not even sure I can elaborate on.  The rest of the band; Landen Gruszewski, Colin McMillen and Alex Dooley all provide a matching emotion with trance-like tunes and an unforgettable sound. Their new self-titled EP really blew everyone out of the water. Something Else, in a nutshell, is incomparable to any other band.

Deriving from pain, emotion, and feeling, their music is undeniably powerful. It’s not just something you listen and bob your head to; it’s something you feel in your heart.  It erases all that apathy and just drags out the inner part of you that you’ve shoveled down. Every part of this EP tells an incredible story and captivates you, keeping you there. I can’t even begin to express the energy revolving around this band and their music. How they’re not big yet, I don’t know.

I enjoyed this sold out show and every musician that performed. I was so excited to see the diversity in gender and age, as well. I’m so proud of every single one of them, especially Something Else, for starting out the new year with a bang. If you haven’t listened to the new EP yet, find it and do that immediately. I look forward to seeing what the new year has in store for these guys, because they deserve the world.

Credit all images: Tom Bauer / MIMC