In an effort to offer up a more than satisfying show before the holiday break, tonight's show kicked off with Foredoes me Quite. An Indie-rocking band from Taunton, MA. Now before I ever review a show, I always research the bands and their music, just to get an idea of what I'm in for. My first impression of these guys on recording were "Hey, these guys are pretty good". Unfortunately, their energy was less than exciting and their vocals were too feeble to grind with the charm of the guitars. I remember them now, but by tomorrow, they'll be out of my head.

The next band to take to the stage was Boston, MA locals, Therefore I Am. These guys are what I call "the match" of the show, because they were who set the crowd off. Their energy was absolutely amazing. From the opening song to the farewell, they had care-free bodies soaring all through The Living Room. They were dangerous but in an aesthetically pleasing way. I thought for sure the venue lights were going to be devoured by the bands frenzied fans or a mistreated guitar. The vocals had that Rise Against sound and that ballsy attitude, and if you closed your eyes to listen, it sounded like one big beautiful car wreck with all of your best friends.

I must forewarn you that the following paragraph absolutely will not justify my live experience of As Tall As Lions. Before they took the stage, I had noticed that their bass player Julio appeared to be a little uneasy. I soon discovered that I had mistaken passion for fear. These guys were extremely passionate of their music and it was very contagious to us speechless bystanders. The vocals and harmonies appeared to be well prepared. I mean seriously, nobody ever sings this well live. Their falsettos were perfect and you literally felt like the music was forcing you to dance, you couldn't help it. This band was sexy and so damn perfect! I mean, if there ever was a perfect little world somewhere, then As Tall As Lions would provide the background music.

Tonight's headliner was Boston Music Award nominee The Receiving end of Sirens. The way this band exploded right into their set, you could clearly see why they nearly sold this venue out. Even after an amazing previous act, TREOS were more than satisfying. The mighty vocals of Brendan Brown were one of the best qualities of this band. Though their earlier stuff received a better response, I was a bigger fan of their newer and more experimental tunes, such as "Swallow People Whole." They played a well-respected set, and honored their encore with equal force. Since that night, I have officially etched this show in to my favorite's list.

| 12.14.2007 | Review by Matt Phillips |