Basic Information:
Alex Correia - Vocals
Brian Marquis - Guitar/Vocals
Jim Creighton - Bass
Travis Alexander – Guitar
Chris Fernandes - Drums
Before going into detail as to the actual quality of the concert it is important to make note of how rare of a show this was. With the breakout success of their 2009 album “The Sound Of Human Lives” the Boston based quintet’s reputation was launched to new heights, allowing them to draw in large crowds of solely their own fans at Van’s Warped Tour this past summer. While the band had offers to play many much larger gigs they were adamant regarding the Franco American Hall, as they had previously performed there 2 years ago and firmly believe in supporting local music.
The venue itself was one that I am extremely familiar with, having been there at least seven times. The actual concert space (beneath a bar) is a normal hall set up with easy bathroom access and a cheap admission price. A total of 6 bands played, 5 being amateur local bands and the headliner being "Therefore I am". It’s worth noting that the sound engineering was paid much more attention to then any other time I had attended, taking 45 minutes (which actually was nice, seeing as there are multiple fast food restaurants within 4 minutes of the show where we went to buy dinner) but producing a much higher quality sound from the drums, which usually suffer from the hall's mediocre acoustics. Also, merchandise booths were set up in the back of the hall near the entrance instead of against the left and right walls. This was a much welcomed change due to the danger of being caught up in mosh pits in the older setup. One subtle but excellent feature of this venue is the readmission policy which means you can leave and come back at any time, which is convenient seeing as there is no means of acquiring food or drink in the building.
The show itself was fantastic. The band members were all as excited to be playing as the audience was to be watching them. After opening with “Death By Fire” they played a handful of songs off of their latest album including “My Father, The Fatalist” and some from their 2007 album “Escape”, finally closing with an encore of “45 miles”. The crowd was extremely energetic screaming the words to every song and piling on top of vocalist Alex Correira during their favorite segments. On the subject of vocals, Alex remained consistent throughout the entire performance, which combined with the stellar jobs done by the rest of the band members made the set one of the tightest and best I have ever listened to.
All of the band members spoke to the fans before and after the show, telling stories about the summer and listening to stories of the audience's musical endeavors. The atmosphere of the show was extremely relaxed and friendly with Alex stopping at one point to thank everyone for coming out and explaining how without shows like this one they would never have gotten to where they were now. The show was extremely affordable, only $10, and for the quality of the performance, the amount of music played, and the sheer enthusiasm and passion of the musicians this performance was one that I am glad I did not miss.
Check out Therefore I Am at Myspace.com
By Alex Crockett
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