Seattle, Washington seems to be busting at the seams with rock music, bringing out the sounds of bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden. On Saturday night, the pop-punk band This Providence brought their version on Seattle rock to Toledo.
The band is made up of the talented long-haired and leather clad musicians Dan Young (vocals;guitar), David Blaise (bass), Gavin Phillips (lead guitar) and Andy Horst (drums) who prove to be a big hit on the small stage. Though their first headlining show in Toledo attracted mostly teens, their music could certainly reach out to any fan of edgy rock or even melancholy acoustic. Their influences include the likes of Oasis, Third Eye Blind, The Beatles, and Jimmy Eat World, and currently the band is supporting Motion City Soundtrack on their “Dino Initiative Tour”.
This Providence may have little experience headlining shows, but they have been around the music scene since 2003. They have three studio albums, the last two released by Fuled By Ramen; a record label distributing albums from artsist such as Paramore, Panic! At the Disco, and Cobra Starship. They have also toured with bands like Ludo, and even had an appearance at last years Warped Tour. David Blaise ensured that though they will not be at this years Warped Tour due to the construction of their next album, they do hope to make appearances in the future.
“Warped Tour was a lot of fun,” said Blaise. “We would love to tour with Jimmy Eat World” and “it wouldn't really work for us, but it would be amazing to support The Hives.”
When asked how their music has changed from their first album, “Our Worlds Divorce”, to their most recent “Who Are You Now”, the band agrees that they have become very versatile and have really grown musically.
“Our sound varies from album to album,” lead guitarist Gavin Phillips stated. David Blaise added that “with this album (Who Are You Now?) we tried to be better song writers instead of having cool guitar riffs or being too flashy.”
As far as their message to their listeners, “love is in there a lot,” according to both Blaise and Phillips. They have mostly positive messages, and tell stories of love and sometimes heartbreak with lyrics like “I've been dancing on the tops of buildings,At the top of my lungs,I'm singing you a song,Don't you leave me along” from their recent single “My Beautiful Rescue.”
Songs like “That Girl's a Trick” and “Wolf in Sheep's Clothing” had the audience bouncing and dancing , as was encouraged by front man Dan Young. The show was well constructed, and flowed easily with breaks from the hard rock with songs like “Keeping on Without You”. There was an undeniable energy that poured out of this band that begged for louder reaction and more movement. And though it seemed very “rock n roll” to play in such a small, dodgy venue, these guys are a band for the masses. Their ongoing and increasingly strong fan base tends to agree, and there is no doubt that This Providence will be a band to look out for in the coming years. This Providence will continue touring with Motion City Sountrack for much of 2010, and will also be working on their fourth studio album while on the road.
