I’m always including stuff about my college life, but I have been overly indirect about what school I attend. Some of you have figured it out on your own, so kudos to you all. For those of you who don’t know, I go to Binghamton University. It’s upstate New York, about 3 hours from NYC. I don’t live near here though (obviously :-p )
Binghamton is what it is. Not going to complain anymore on here, this isn’t the place for that! With that said, there is no music scene. Some artists come to Syracuse/Cornell, but I am usually too lazy to make the drive. Last year we got Lupe Fiasco to play at our school for our fall concert which was sweet. Then we got Jon Stewart for our spring concert. Which is neat, but it’s not a fucking concert! For our free spring “festival” concert we had Eve 6. Eve (FUCKING) 6. Yeah, I may as well have napped!
Last night was a real treat, the school somehow managed to get Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin to come play at my school for free. I didn’t know that Binghamton had it in them to get such a talented band to play here, especially for free! My girlfriend has been a long time fan of theirs, having seen them during some of their first stretch of shows back in 2005. I was pretty familiar with them, but I didn’t know them nearly to the extent that she did. Not many kids in Binghamton are into indie rock (or so it seems), but the few who were made sure to show up. The show ended up being very intimate, which is always 10x better.
Opener Jason Anderson played his entire set on the floor with the crowd gathered around him in a circle. He sang heartfelt songs with real passion. His style of acoustic rock reminded me of the band Rural Alberta Advantage (who are wonderful!). He really put on a memorable performance, half in part to what he said in-between songs. He had a lot to say about life in general, but most importantly he was just thankful to be playing to welcoming ears, and we were all certainly glad to listen! Jason was a real down to earth guy who is playing music out of love. Much respect! Go visit him on his myspace, and check him out!
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin came on and put on a really tight show. They played a mix of new stuff and classics. SSLYBS had plenty of energy on-stage, it reflected on their playing. They played a lot of songs for a free show, which everyone in the audience appreciated. If you are unfamiliar with the band, all that you need to know about them is that they can write a mean pop-rock song. They are writing songs for the love of it. They have a great sense of melody, and it really plays off well during their sets. Halfway through the show, three of the band members switched off instruments. This showed off their versatility, keeping the show fresh! Not many bands can pull that one off!
I have been spinning their albums a lot over the past few days, and I noticed that their songs sounded even better live! The recorded versions of the songs are more intimate, but they had no problem making the songs come to life live.
I spoke with the band for a bit after the show and they are really nice fellas. I spoke to John and Phil and became an even bigger fan of the guys. I mentioned that they sorta remind me of Bishop Allen, which John said that they get a lot! I reassured him that it was a good thing lol! They are really down to earth, and approachable guys. Phil said that they probably will release their new album sometime over the summer, so keep a look out for that (Chris Walla from Death Cab is producing it!!). I am addicted to SSLYBY right now, so look out for a lot more updates from me!
Watch a live video of “Glue Girls” below to get an idea of what SSLYBY are like live! :
Jason Anderson as well! :
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