"Have Fun, and Be Safe With It. Just Kidding, Fuck Shit Up!"

So the other day I heard that UNC was having a free concert by the Forecast, so, being that I'd never seen them before, and it was free, and I had nothing better to do, I found myself at the show. The whole thing was part of UNC's homecoming shindig, and there was, thusly, an event tied to the show. The event was an attempt to break the world record for largest pillow fight, something I'm pretty sure they missed by a long shot.

Playing before the pillow fight was Greeley's own Set Forth, a band that is to music what top ramen is to food. What Set Forth does is takes other people's music, strips it of all inventiveness and interesting qualities, and then performs it as though they know that what they're doing is wrong, but they can't stop themselves from doing it. After the show they had the audacity to "apologize" to their "fans" because they didn't know they would only be able to play 4 songs, as though they thought everyone was there for them. You know, I probably wouldn't be so hard on them if they weren't so arrogant, and, say, if they actually tried to create music that was even remotely innovative. Seriously, the boys are good musicians, and have potential, but the direction they're heading in is just ... well ... lame. Moving on...

I walked around the campus with a friend while the pillow fight commenced, and rounded my way back as the sounds of music drifted through the buildings. The Forecast were all ready tearing it up as I approached the stage. The crowd was depressingly small, which doesn't say much about the UNC community (seriously people ... free music ... why were you not there?). The sound wasn't mixed astonishingly well, but it wasn't bad enough to warrant leaving. It's probably hella hard to get this little outside theater sounding good. I'd not really listened to the Forecast to any depth (when I had heard their albums I had them on as background music), but they delivered what I expected: hard, fast, energetic, and overall feel-good variation on the pop-punk/hardcore sound. I wouldn't pay to see them, because they're not different enough to really warrant my interest for too long, but they were fun to see nonetheless.

The Forecast - Freebird 2: This Time It's Personal
The Forecast - I Lost Everything on Re-Entry
The Forecast - Late Night Conversations
The Forecast - APR

Switching gears slightly: The Forecast put me in the mood for something similar, but more my style, and after the show I found myself gravitating to the songs I have by Be Your Own Pet. Be Your Own Pet is just a raucous good time. Don't believe me? listen for yourself:

Band: Be Your Own Pet
Date: 2006-08-27
Venue: Reading/Leeds Festival, Reading/Leeds, England

Girls on TV
We Will Vacation
Bicycle, Bicycle, You Are My Bicycle
Fuuuuuun
Lets Get Sandy
Fire Department
Damn Damn Leash
Chicken Wings
Threshers Flail

In going with the Oct. 15th Blogger Theme, I'd also like to point out that Be Your Own Pet encourages people to ride bikes. Well, I'd have to say that I think that's a damn nifty idea, and I encourage people to walk, ride bikes, skate board, long board, rollerblade, or whatever ... if not because it's better for the environment, then because it's better for you. Just think: I wouldn't have gotten front row seats at the Arcade Fire/LCD Soundsystem show if I hadn't trained the weekend before by walking up and down Red Rocks at the Monolith Music fest. Haha, okay, enough of that. Enjoy your week people.