oh fuck it, i'm gonna have a party

last week i went to see my beloved nada surf at bowery ballroom. it was killer. there aren't many bands around today who can make me swoon so much, but nada surf is one of them. they pulled out all the hits, practically alternating new and old songs all night. my friends and i were singing along during the entire show. we were gawking at the huge mirrors placed behind drummer ira elliot, which perfect reflected his wacky large personality. we marveled at how forcefully bassist daniel lorca thrusted his dreads around. we melted at the sound of matthew caws' perfect voice. but we were really sure how we felt about harvey dangers backup vocal appearances.... but i still loved every minute of the show, with the exception of that french song that daniel sings. too much pretension there. seeing nada surf live really made the new album come alive to me. i was singing along to every song!!

say hi to your mom opened the show with an aggressive set full of old and mostly new songs. i like eric's energy on stage, which leads the entire band to really rock out on stage. the band is a good match with nada surf's sentimentality. i caught a little bit of the opening act, the gravel pit, and they were good -- though the sound of their music was certainly dated... similar to harvey danger era, funny enough. the lead singer has this incredibly melodic voice, but all the songs seemed like they stepped out of 90s pop rock. i listened to the lead singer's solo album (jedediah parish), which is way quirkier... still not sure if i like it.