(All photos from the show can be found here.)
Having previously seen Vinnie Caruana fill in for Hit The Lights on the Acoustic Basement Tour back in January, I was excited to see how he would sound in the context of a full band, in I Am The Avalanche. That day, March 28, was actually my first ever show at Webster Hall, surprising considering how close by it is. The first band was Bellwether, a local pop-punk band from Long Island. They had good energy and a lively lead singer, and put on a good opening set. The next band was Turnover, a Virginia based band with angsty lyrics and a sound to match – not quite hardcore, not quite emo, but somewhere in-between. On a split single with Citizen, they share a similar sound, and personally they remind me a bit of Seahaven. It was during the second half of their set that the crowd really began to get moving, and I was a big fan of their sound. The next band was The Swellers; Michigan based what I would call pop rock, most definitely with the upbeat influences and driving tempo of pop punk. Their set saw a large amount of crowd surfers, and their performance was very high energy.
Classified as punk rock and post-hardcore, Vinnie Caruana has hard-hitting vocals that are perfect for aggressive finger pointing and frequent crowd surfing. His arrival onto the stage saw a massive push from the crowd trying to get closer to the stage, and he seemed ecstatic to play, according to him, their largest NYC show ever. With the show that night serving as their album release party for Wolverines, they played a good portion of their new album, along with several older favorites, closing with “Brooklyn Dodgers”. Vinnie has a stellar stage presence, and every crowd surfer that made it onto the stage gave him a pat on the back, or received a high five from him. The crowd and the band had a very mutual respect for each other, and it was a very interesting dynamic to observe. Overall the show was incredible, and I was glad that I was able to see him perform with heavier, more aggressive vocals.
The Music Court 