Free Energy Concert Review/Album of the WEAK

WOOH! FUCK YEAH! 21^st POST! WILD CARD! SUCK IT!

Note: My apologies for the delayed review post, but I fell into a wormhole earlier this week and just recently got back. Luckily, I did manage to get back before I forgot about seeing Free Energy this past weekend. Check the review after the jump.

From left: Scott Wells, Nick Shuminsky, Evan Wells, Paul Sprangers

Not pictured: bassist Geoff Bucknam and me licking their shoes

The concert was September 19^th at a little venue in Newport, KY called The Southgate House. I realize it was a bit eccentric to fly out to a small show in Kentucky from my home in the Hollywood Hills, but it was worth it. Plus my jet runs on Chinese babies so you can shut the fuck up, Al Gore.

Seriously, we’re never running out of these.

I was supposed to hit up the concert with ol’ Randall, but he came out of his room dressed in a spandex bodysuit and said he had a “job” that night. Luckily I was able to find another friend to go with (A GIRL!!!) and we were on our way. Southgate is a tiny venue with a cozy feel. The ballroom has a small dance floor/standing area with tables along the outskirts and a balcony level that horseshoes around the back of the place. There’s also a bar, but I decided not to partake in any glugging because I would’ve ended up acting a fool.

Whatchoo gonna do?

Onto the music...the opener for Free Energy was none other than Cincinnati local band The Weirdness, a group so well known that when you search for them on Google it asks “fo’ real?”. After about 45 minutes of gyrations/tantric yelping, Free Energy took the stage and started kickin’ arse, playing songs from their debut album Stuck On Nothing. They are an AWESOME live band, especially in such a small venue. We were about ten feet from the stage in a crowd of about thirty people. Lanky lead singer Paul Sprangers was spot-on all night, belting out lyrics and swinging his hips akin to a young Micky Jags. Lead guitarist Scott Wells melted many faces with his sweet 'n' spicy solos and drummer Nick Shuminsky's epic 'stache bounced to the beat of his boomin' kick drum. Highlights of the show included Hope Child, Free Energy, Young Hearts (feat. Amy Klein from Titus Andronicus on guitar), and their big hit, Bang Pop. There was also a special request from a couple of newlyweds for the band to play Light Love, which they happily obliged. They kicked tail and looked good doing it. Immediately after the band got off stage (way too soon for me), I hustled over to talk to Sprangers, an NYU alum. The conversation went something like this:

“Yo, Paul! Kick-ass show tonight, man. You guys rock!”

“Thanks, kid.” (begins to walk away)

“W-w-w-wait a sec...did you go to NYU?”

“Oh, yeah.” (starts walking away again)

“Hold on, did you know Jen **********?”

“Woah, yeah I did! Why?” (doesn’t walk away)

“I’m her little brother!!!”

“No way! That’s nuts! Come party with the band anytime you want, man. Here’s my personal line (for obvious security reasons I cannot post it here). And here, here’s two-thousand smackers. Spend it all in one place! LOL!”

Okay, so the last part didn’t happen. But Paul actually knows my sister and her husband from NYU, meaning that he’s PROBABLY gonna come over for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas. I can't wait to ask him to pass the yams. Overall, this concert exceeded any expectations I had, which is why I can’t simply rate it based on the standard A through F chart. In my book, this concert gets no less than a “zhe” from the cryllic alphabet.

Yeah, Free Energy was THAT GOOD ^

All this and more lead me to part 2 of my post (yeah, there's more)......

Album of the WEAK Week 
(dammit Charlie, your illiteracy has screwed us over once again!)

This week's album of this week is none other than Free Energy's Stuck On Nothing. This album is great because the band was able to take a step back from the complicated rock sounds that are becoming popular and deliver a simple, poppy sound. The beats are unpretentious, the riffs are totally air-guitarable, and it's impossible to listen to these guys without bobbing your head and singing along. It's more of a spring/summer album but you should listen now anyway. If you don't want to then you can screw off. Enjoy.

Freedom ain't free, but energy can be...for $8 and the price of gas.
-Charlie