Last Thursday, one of my favorite bands, The Greater The Risk, began a tour in order to promote their newly released Extended Play (EP), "Say What You Never Said," and what a kick-off it was!
The Greater The Risk headlined a show at The Canal Club in Richmond on Oct. 27 with Like The Stars, Since Forever and Rookie of the Year.
Like The Stars kicked the show off with an acoustic set with AJ Hoenings on vocals and guitar, Nick Kaelblein on guitar, and Chris Dechert on bass. The band sang some original songs as well as a cover of Vanessa Carlton's "A Thousand Miles," which was sung beautifully by AJ. The band drove down from New Jersey, where the members live and are on tour with Since Forever and Rookie of the Year until Nov. 6. Like The Stars played very well, sounding very harmoniuous..
Next to play was Since Forever. Since Forever's influences include All Time Low, Mayday Parade, and Fall Out Boy. Standing in the crowd on Thursday, these influences were very apparent. The band had a punk-rock feel to their performance and played a very energetic show. The band was very sweet and took pictures with fans before and after they played, as well assigned CDs.Since Forever consists of Zach Easterwood on lead vocals, Taylor Easterwood on guitar/vocals and Brendan Johnson on guitar/vocals.
Third to play was Rookie of the Year. I ended up talking to one of Rookie of the Year's biggest fans while they were setting up, and she told me a story about how nice the band is. She detailed how she had sent the band a letter, saying that her little sister's birthday was approaching, and she was a massive fan. A few weeks later, she opened her mailbox and found a poster signed by each member of Rookie of the Year and personalized with her sister's name. When Rookie of the Year began playing, I could see why her sister was a huge fan. They played very well and earned a new fan. I just wish they had stuck around after they played, so I could have gotten a signed CD.
Last but not least to play was The Greater The Risk. Their new EP, "Say What You Never Said," was released on the Oct. 25. About half their set was off the new EP, and the other half was off the older EP. Most of the material on the new EP (four out of the five songs) are the brainchildren of my friend, Ashley Drewes, who plays lead guitar for the band. While onstage, she is impossible to capture in a photograph due to her excited and enthusiastic nature. She seems to hop around the stage as if it were made of lava. After facing the drama of losing their lead singer due to personal reasons in June, the band sought out a new singer via Craigslist and found Dan Castillo. Castillo seems to move about stage as if he has been with the band since the very beginning. He has a natural ease about him and is a very kind and caring man.
Seeing this show and seeing my friends Ashley and Robbie (of Safety Word Orange fame) and The Greater The Risk again was the greatest 21st birthday present I could have asked for, and I guess I can only ask that Dan not leave as he seems to have found where he belongs.
