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December 7, 2005
The SouthLand: a concert review/interview
The Southland Breaks North to Ithaca
Concert Review
By Aaron Fallon
Walking into the front door at The Haunt in Ithaca, I'm greeted by thunderous drums from Soundgarden playing on the speakers. Walking over to the bar there are various people in there: tattoos, multiple facial piercings, unusual clothing and college frat guys. Not an audience you would expect to intermingle on a Wednesday night, which is either a recipe for disaster or a very good time. They have something in common: they want to see a good show, hear great music and have a good time. I think The Southland delivered, and exceeded all expectations.
The Southland originates from Los Angeles C.A., and it is the brainchild of lead singer Jed Tucker Whedon and Guitarist Nick Gusikoff. The two started collaborating on music together as Christmas gifts for friends. Fast forward to a few years later and adding keyboardist Danny Chaimson, Ethan Phillips on bass and Andrew Crosby on drums. Each member contributes their own piece to make The Southland a whole entity, which I discovered by seeing them live.
As the band took to the stage, I heard people in the crowd say: “who are these guys?” It seems I was one of the few who had actually listened to their CD before coming to this show. They strummed a few chords, banged a drum or two and touched a few keys. “This is called shadow,” said Whedon. Shadow is the first song on their CD, and is a good one to open with. Extremely melodic and just as riveting live; the combination of bass and percussion is reminiscent of The Cure. As The Southland get louder and louder, more and more of the audience pay attention.
Continuing on the momentum they've gained, The Southland slowed their tempo a bit and went into the song “Miles”. The stalker themed anthem drew people closer to the stage. The band added rifts that were absent on the album, but they did so without taking away from the song, they only enhanced it. By the end of this jam, all eyes were on The Southland. After the song was over, Whedon injected some humor into the show. “He used to rob banks, now he plays music,” he said, referring to lead guitarist Gusikoff. It was his way of showing that although this band is serious about their songs; they still have a sense of humor.
Perhaps the highlight of The Southland's performance was their rendition of “I only have eyes for you” by the flamingoes. Whedon's haunting vocals over Chaimson's keys made it exceptionally memorable. The crowd watched as they started off slow, and the deeper they got into the song the heavier it became. It transformed midpoint from a simple love song into a Whedon's screeching plea “maybe millions of people go by, but they all disappear from view, I only have eyes for you.” The crowd roared with excitement after The Southland wrapped up their set.
The show was a success. What was initially an empty floor in front of the stage, transformed into a group of people cheering and screaming. This is what any band should desire: even though they came in relatively unknown they will be leaving with fans. They had great music, stage presence and charisma that held the audience throughout the show. They really primed the crowd up for the next band, Virginia Coalition, who showed their gratitude by inviting them onstage. The two bands combined together to do the best cover of “Africa” by Toto that I have ever heard. At this point I had tucked my notebook in my pocket, raised up my pint of beer and sang along; and so did everyone else in The Haunt that night.
The band is touring to heavily promote “Geography of Influence”; their debut album released this past June. The title was taken from a book the band was thumbing through at the time when they were in need of one.
“ It was extremely appropriate, places and time in your life.” Said drummer Crosby.
“The beginning of a long trek with this album. Almost maddening” said keyboardist Chaimson.
They have been on the road a while with The Virginia Coalition, but in the past has toured with The Samples and Gavin DeGraw.
Although The Southland tries taking the praise, or negative reviews by critics, in stride; they do enjoy it when fans voice their opinions.
“ It's cool to hear people say things.” Said singer Whedon.
As easy as it is to be a listener of The Southland, imagine how hard it is to pick a favorite as one of the band mates.
“ Radio. I had such a connection to the lyrics,” said Chaimson.
“ I only have eyes for you,” said Bassist Phillips. “The experience of it, recording it in a separate space.”
“Anything at all,” said Crosby. “A lot of feelings and a lot of work, but it took a while to get it.”
The band plans to keep on touring to maintain the buzz that “Influence” is generating. They say it may be a while before they return to the studio to record again. “The process is a slow build,” said Crosby.
After the interview The Southland joined in with the crowd in support of their tour mates The Virginia Coalition. Perhaps this is why these guys can maintain the ability to create great lyrics and songs: They are not so far removed from their audience. They are still “fans”, just like everyone else. This makes it easy for them to write things that are easily relatable.
Just before I packed up to leave, I ran into Crosby again.
“Where do you see the band going, in the future?” I asked.
He says nothing, he just slowly raises his finger up, pointing to the sky.
Posted by AaronFallon at December 7, 2005 10:37 AM
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