Alius Spero
September 1, 2006
By Sara
7:00pm The show started out with Big J and the Unkempt Hair, pretty steady for a local show. About 50 people. The first band was amiable enough, and leaned more towards audience participation so much as to even let them share the mic. Although they gave it a good shot they came up drastically short in actual musical performance. Maybe after working together longer they'll get the hang of performing. Oh well, better luck next time guys. Maybe try singing into the mic instead of screaming into it. 7:45pm Joey Cahill's set started out considerably better then the first group, with more of a concentration on singing. He was not afraid to slow it down for a lyrically decent song. Joey appeared to have learned the lesson that guys with good lyrics and guitars capture a better audience. There's no need to go overboard pretending to rock out. 8:30pm The closer we get to Alius Spero's set the more people filter in. 8:40pm Eastern Legacy takes the stage, again another wanna be rock group. The fact of the matter stands that jumping around, screaming and head banging doesn't always equal cool. 9:10pm More people trickle in, in groups. The crowd has grown to about 75 people. You can start seeing people sporting Alius Spero merchandise. People pack in close to Alius Spero as they take the stage, wanting to be as close to the guys as they possibly can. The beginning sounds of their first song bring in the straglers from the deck. Their set contains great execution; no screaming. They perform mostly original songs with a few well known covers such as The Impression That I Get by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, tossed in just for fun. They also knew better then to waste time and energy on pretending to rock out. Band members Zach and Dave take the time to introduce each song by name and fill the crowd in on what inspired the writing of the song. While singing most of the songs on their first cd and many others that have yet to be recorded, the room lights up with flashes as the girls snap candids of the guys, all trying to catch a smile. Something about the group appeals to almost everyone. Including writing parts into their songs for crowd interaction.The band knows how to write for their audience, using their life experiences to inspire their songs and making them easy for the crowd to relate to. The crowd just let loose and had a blast, screaming for them, taking pictures, dancing, jumping singing along to the songs, and with the guys even moshing. 10:05 A band called the Passing Moment takes the stage, but unfortunately I can't stick around. Maybe they'll be around next time.