ART CENTER RADIO.

It was a great pleasure to see The Bouncing Souls last friday night.  During the 15 minute intermission between bands, the audience grew more anxious with chants as the clock ticked.  Once the band hit the stage, a loud roar came throughout the El Rey.  If you were up front you were guaranteed to lose your spot because of all the pushing and shoving to make it up there.  The crowd was a definite mixed of a new crowd who were there to see the opening bands, Broadway Calls and  Bayside.  The other part of the mix were the die hard fans.  These fans are the best kind of crowds.  There was tons of crowd surfing, dancing and singing.  Throughout the show, the vibe just became more exciting.  The band definitely felt the energy grow in the audience and they stepped it up after every song.

The Bouncing Souls connect very well with their audience.  All the band mates know every word to every song and can be seen shouting every last word.  Greg Attonito, vocalist, occasionally went off stage into the crowd to give high fives and shake hands with his fans.  Someone from the crowd had thrown a LA Dodgers hat onto the stage.  Greg picked it up and thought about throwing it back,but then changed his mind and put it on.  That was a great highlight of the show because the crowd went absolutely crazy and a mosh pit broke out shortly after.  Bass player, Bryan Kienien has great stage presence.  He likes to keep the crowd dancing and singing and wants the energy to stay exciting throughout the whole show.  There was never a dull moment during the concert.

The band is currently on their 20th Anniversary Tour with Bayside and Broadway Calls.  If you plan on catching one of the shows, be ready for never ending excitement. The Bouncing Souls have been releasing 20th Anniversary Series in the form of 12 digital tracks. They will be released at the beginning of each month.  The songs are also available as a series of 7" vinyl records.  Stay tuned for our interview with Bouncing Souls

Bayside is definitely on my list of favorite bands, and I had the privilege of catching their show a few times on the Hurley Stage while at Warped Tour. Each time was like watching them for the first time. Their live set proves how much heart they put into their music. Unlike some bands, they played a different set of songs each time. Bayside attempts to please their true fans with a wide range of music including lesser known songs, rather than just focusing on hits or their popular album. Whether you’re a old fan or new fan, there was something in their set for everyone.

Songs that stuck out most and had crowds going wild were “The Walking Wounded” and “ Duality”. When these songs were played, fans would belt out their voices and scream just as loud as singer, Anthony Raneri. Following the screams is bass player Nick Ghanbarian. You can catch him screaming out every word of every song and getting crowds hyped. Bayside is the perfect band for this generation. Their songs mostly focus on young struggles, heartbreak and love. It may sound like every other generic teen band, but Bayside breaks the mold and uses intelligent and aggressive lyrics. What I love most about this band is that every bit of their music is played with great passion.

The show ended with “ Devotion and Desire”, and a mosh pit immediately broke out. It was impossible to steal a spot in the front row if you even wanted too. Screams and chants filled the outside of the Hurley Stage. I wouldn’t be surprised if people from other stages could hear the Bayside crowd, it was that loud. They put on a great and very memorable show. Bayside will be touring with Bouncing Souls for a couple of months. Be sure to catch one of their shows because you wont be disappointed. Dates are posted on their Myspace page. This is a band that is looking to not be forgotten and in most eyes they wont be.