Slow Motion Tour Review
4/10/2010
By: Nick Habisch
On April 10th 2010 I made my way to Saint Paul for the Slow Motion Tour which was to be held at Station 4, and featured such artists as Disco Curtis, Rookie of the Year and headliner Eye Alaska. Having not heard any of these artists, I was intrigued to see what would happen. Doors were supposed to open at 5, but got delayed until about 5:45 for unknown reasons. Maybe they were waiting to see if more people would show up, as the crowd numbered around 20 at the time the doors were supposed to open, and at maximum there was maybe 30 people at the show. The first artist up was a local songwriter named Kevin Markin who was added to the line-up as an opener. Hailing from Maple Grove, Minnesota, Markin played an 8-song set consisting of mostly medium tempo ballads with a couple more up-tempo tracks. His singing was solid, and his acoustic guitar playing was adequate, but it just seemed like his songs were missing something. His lyrical content was pretty standard fare, and it seemed like he just took the most cliché love lines and crammed them into a song. He wasn’t bad by any means, but was just lacking in the originality and taste that makes acoustic artists stand out and flourish.
The next artist up was Disco Curtis. Playing a style of pop punk, they certainly brought the energy up after Markin’s set. They were your atypical pop punk band and this is their downfall. Although the drummer is talented and provided some interesting rhythms and the lead guitarist threw out some catchy licks, the band was plagued by the fact that each song sounded like songs you would hear from any number of pop punk bands. The most intriguing song they did was a cover of “Just Dance” by Lady Gaga, which the small crowd really got into. They have potential, and put on an energetic live show, they just need to find something that makes them stand out more. After Disco Curtis’ energetic set we had another acoustic set by Ryan Dunson, who is the only member left of band Rookie of the Year and is touring under that name. He seemed a little shy toward the crowd but played a good set nonetheless. The first thing I thought of when hearing his vocals was that he sounded very similar to Dustin Kensue of Thrice. Being a fan of Thrice, this made me instantly like Ryan’s set, and I was also intrigued by his lyrical style, which was more of a storytelling style versus the normal verse-chorus-verse style. His acoustic guitar playing was solid and managed to keep the crowd interested. I defiantly recommend checking out Rookie of the Year for an enjoyable listen.
Next up was the headliner, Eye Alaska. After dealing with some technical issues that delayed their set for a few minutes, they charged ahead with some up-tempo alternative rock. This band combined alternative, rock, indie, and even some post rock styling’s to create a unique sound. Having good crowd interaction and putting on an energetic show by moving around and looking like they were having a good time, Eye Alaska really impressed me. From the catchy vocals to the crisp drumming and effect-laden guitar, they were solid across the board and put on a engaging show. If you’re a fan of any of the above-mentioned genres I highly recommend checking out Eye Alaska, as they have my vote and I will gladly go see them again.
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/eyealaska
