Live Review - The Front Bottoms @ Piano's

As everyone in New York City was recovering from the three to four day hangover that is Memorial Day weekend, the official unofficial kickoff to summer, a three piece band from Jersey pulled into the Lower East Side that looked like earlier in the day they were surfing at LBI rather than practicing for their gig. That band is The Front Bottoms, a catchy little pop-punk band from the Garden State that are ready to make some waves and judging by the packed crowd and response they were getting, they probably will. Singer Brian Sella plays a beat up acoustic guitar and has a voice that is a hybrid of Ben Folds and Tom Delong of Blink 182, as the band cranks out songs that will have everyone in the room dancing (and they did), it is instant that there is indeed a major Blink 182 homage to their sound and style and they have no shame in it. Drummer Matt Uychich is a savage beast on his kit, much like Travis Barker is but again, their is something a bit different than what the 90's pop-punkers once had and that is life lessons. Sure the music of The Front Bottoms is catchy as hell, sure it will have you enjoy the time seeing them, but you can tell straight away that Sella has gone through some times in his young years as he sings about beating up his father, wishing he didn't go through so many one night stands to get over his true love and wishing his true love (whoever it maybe) would come back to him as he sings about drowning at the bottom of his pool. The Front Bottoms are a band that will have you think as you dance along.

I realized as the band was playing that this is not just another band trying to break it in New York City, Piano's is a legendary place, bands like The Bravery, Airborne Toxic Event, Yeah Yeah Yeah's all got their start there and as The Front Bottoms were three songs in, a girl tapped my arms and asked "Did they play 'Maps'?" My response, "I have no idea, they are only three in." She smiled and said "awesome, I haven't missed it!" She was hoping they would play her song, how could she have a song from a band so young, well, the answer is simple, their fans are looking at them as cult figures. As the tiny place got smaller with the amount of people packing in, it was certain this maybe their first Piano's show, but it also maybe their last.