On Thursday, March 22nd, I was lucky enough to witness the Long Island native band, Makeshift, perform their first show as a band in over a year at Amityville Music Hall. This show was by far one of the most memorable shows I’ve been to since starting the blog. For most of the shows I’ve been to, the place usually doesn’t start to fill in until about half way through the show. With tons of kids eagerly waiting for Makeshift to return to the music scene, Amityville Music Hall was packed from the very beginning!
The show began with Megaweapon, a Riot Pop band from Bayshore, NY. The band was short a member during their performance. Not only were they missing a member, but Megaweapon was missing their second vocalist! For many bands, the absence of any band member would spell disaster, let alone one of the vocalists. Fortunately, Megaweapon took it in stride and carried on! The three remaining members played some original songs and stayed engaged with the crowd as much as they possibly could given the conditions they were playing under. Megaweapon also performed an awesome cover of A Favor House Atlantic by Coheed & Cambria. What are the odds that the blog’s Throwback Thursday playlist that I posted earlier in the day included that song! Now I just have to get the chance to check out Megaweapon with a full band roster!
Alumni, an Indie/Emo band from Long Island, NY, was the second band to perform on the bill. Having never listened to the band before seeing them perform, I was surprised to hear how great they sound live. Alumni performed two songs from “Most Likely To…”, the band’s first EP; All Out and The Curse. All Out is the song that turned me into an Alumni fan. I love the way the song is introduced with a simple guitar chord and the magnificent vocals of Jack Cohen. “Hello, how are you? I know it’s been some time, we’re coming back around” echoed through the venue as Cohen sang his heart out to the song. Something that must be noted about Alumni’s set is how into the show each member of the band was. If they were starting to get tired while playing, it certainly wasn’t evident. The band was fully engaged, moving around the stage constantly. I love to see that over a band that is stoic and bored on stage any day!
Alumni recently released Paint, the lead single off of their new EP that is set to come out later this year. The band’s performance of the song was great. I’ve noticed that when a band performs a new song, it sometimes seems new to them on stage. By the way they were playing, you would think Alumni had been performing the song for years. In speaking with the band, “the song was mastered by Mike Kalajian from Rogue Planet Mastering, who has mastering credits with a ton of great bands, such as Circa Survive, Senses Fail, and Saosin. Paint was recently featured on The Great Big Susiepalooza Comp: Volume 3, which was put out by Hopeless Records. There’s a ton of sick bands on it including Sum 41, Bayside, OK Go, and Silverstein. Also, a bunch of new artists like us that are local-based.” Alumni has had a very productive year. They have solidified a new line up and are working on writing songs that they consider their best to date. They have had the opportunity to play some great shows all over Long Island and the rest of NY, and are showing no signs of slowing down! Make sure to give Alumni a listen!
Alumni was followed up by Suntitle, an Alternative Emo band out of Port Republic, New Jersey. I really enjoyed Suntitle’s set because I got the vibe of a mix between alternative emo with a subtle hint of grunge. “This was our first tour under the name Suntitle (previously Pines) and we couldn’t have asked for more of a successful first run. The show at Amityville Music Hall was by far our favorite. The crowd was welcoming and the sound was tight. We had recently parted ways with Table Talk the previous weekend, so to end up in their hometown was excellent”. I love getting the chance to speak to band members because it gives an inside look into the band. I thought Suntitle killed it, so to hear it was their favorite show is very exciting!
The band released their EP, “The Loss Of” in February through GTR Records. We were lucky enough to hear Suntitle perform the six song EP in its entirety. Their set began with Trust, the first song on “The Loss Of”. I really enjoyed watching the band perform this song. Trust reminds me of a mix between a Brand New/Taking Back Sunday song and a Nirvana song. Whether intentional or not, I love that Suntitle was able to impressively blend these two distinct sounds and styles together! Later on, the band played Faith, my favorite song on their new EP. I love how the song goes from fast paced instrumentals to the slow strum of the guitar and back to the hard hitting instrumentals and vocals that the band is known for! As usual, I look for a band that is able to mix up the tempo of their songs. Suntitle ended their set with Art and Life, two songs on the EP that allowed the band to express their softer side. The two songs have a little bit of a slowed tempo compared to the previous ones but still hold true to the band’s original sound. Be sure to check out Suntitle’s new EP, “The Loss Of”!
For What It’s Worth, a Long Island native Alternative Rock band, followed Suntitle. Their Facebook account states that they are “just a bunch of dudes doing what we love to do”, and their set at Amityville Music Hall is a true testament to just how much they love rocking. For What It’s Worth started off their set with a new song, Strawman. The band made their presence known the second they stepped on the stage. The vocals of Chris Beyer were something to take note of. Beyer sounds the same live as he does on a studio recorded album, something that I find so important when seeing a band live. His voice was clear and matched the instrumentals perfectly.
For What It’s Worth followed up with five songs from their 2017 album, “Contention“. It was awesome to watch them perform these songs because it showed just how much these guys love getting up on stage every night to play the music they created. The band’s stage presence was eye-catching because they never stopped moving! Every band member jumped around and played along with one another while always keeping their attention towards the crowd. For What It’s Worth demonstrated their uncanny ability to transition between songs, especially between Strawman and Westbound. I really enjoy when a band does this because it keeps the momentum going. There isn’t time to take a break or die down, only to keep rocking out!
For What It’s Worth ended their set with Silver Lining and Search, my top two favorite songs on “Contention”. If you have been following the blog, you know that I always look for a slower, softer song that the band has recorded. It’s always exciting to see how a band that typically records faster paced instrumentals and vocals, is able to slow it down and create a softer song. Silver Lining is the softer, slower song on the album. Softer songs are a chance to allow a band to let out emotions through the lyrics. “I watch my colors fade, a darker shade with each day, a pessimist inside my body, I can’t believe what’s become. From now on I’ll do this all on my own, make amends, possess my own key, self abuse decolorizes my sight, so try”. Chris Beyer put his heart into this performance, and the emotions that come from this song radiated through the venue!
Search was the final song of For What It’s Worth’s set. I love this song because it has the alternative rock sound with a little hint of pop punk. Search is an infectious song, one that will have you singing along from start to finish. The melodic chorus and upbeat instrumentals will have the crowd singing and dancing the entire time! For What It’s Worth is in the process of tracking a new EP that they hope to release in the fall! They will be headlining at Shakers Pub in Oakdale, NY on April 28th!
Hungover came on after For What It’s Worth, and what a memorable performance they put on! The energy that every member of this band had was astounding; they were all over the place! They got up close and personal with the crowd and danced like crazy with each other on stage, all while still sounding identical to their recorded songs. A true testament to what a top tier band should be like!
Hungover is a Pop Punk band from Orlando, Florida. Recently, Hungover signed with Smartpunk Records and is gaining more and more fans across the country every day! They released their new album, “Wilt”, just a couple of weeks ago, and it has already seen great success! Hungover began their set with Three’s Company, the first song on “Wilt”. “You’ve been telling all your friends, that I’m worthless but I’m not so worthless when, you’re a few drinks in and I’m not quite sure I like that” rang through the venue and was immediately met with a crowd of fans singing back to the band. For almost the entire venue to know the words to a song from an album that hadn’t even been released yet, was so cool. It proves that Hungover is a band that will be around for a while! The band continued their set with more songs from “Wilt” and had the place jumping the entire time. They were the perfect band to pump the crowd up and get them going before Makeshift’s long awaited return to the music scene!
Makeshift is a Pop Rock band from Massapequa, NY. They formed in 2012 and quickly gained a following in the local music scene. As they toured and played shows, the band was beginning to make a name for themselves along the east coast. A little over a year ago, Makeshift took a break from music and their future was uncertain. Luckily for us, they couldn’t stay away from the music scene forever, and they are better than ever!
I was fortunate enough to get the chance to interview Dan Burke of Makeshift and got great insight into the band. All of the members went to high school together and have distinct musical tastes. Some members are influenced by bands such as Green Day and Blink 182, while others are influenced by NoFX and Slayer. Although these are very different genres of rock, every member shared the same passion about punk music and Makeshift was born! I asked Dan about the writing/recording process that the band goes through. Andrew Musalo will come up with the skeleton of a song and the band will work together to fill in the blanks, so to speak. Andrew also writes most of the lyrics to the songs, although Dan does write most of his own lyrics.
When asked about what caused the band to take their year long break, Dan was very willing to explain the situation. “When our drummer left in May 2017, we spent a couple of months not knowing what to do with the band; should we play a last show, record a last song, etc?” Makeshift did end up playing a final show, with Hungover, but luckily it was not truly their “final show.” What kept the band going was the bond that they share. When Dan Burke told me about this bond, I knew it was genuine. The way he spoke about how much fun the band has together and the realization they came to of what they have been able to accomplish demonstrated how much the band cares about one another. Dan stated it perfectly; “we want to keep being able to do what we love with the people that we love.”
The Long Island music scene has been begging for a Makeshift return for a while now, so it was no surprise how nuts the place went when the band stepped on stage. I’ve been to many shows at Amityville Music Hall and I’ve never seen the place as crowded as it was during Makeshift’s set. People from all over crowded their way into this small venue for the chance to hear their favorite band play together again. There are two songs that the band performed that proved just how big this band is going to be. One of the songs is Inside Your Head off their album, “Morale”. “Everyday gets a little bit easier, I say, but I lie” is the very first line of the song, and every person in the venue sang their hearts out with the band. Hearing the passion in the crowds’ voices as they sang along shows the impact that Makeshift has on the music scene.
Inside Your Head was awesome to watch, but what I witnessed when Makeshift played their new single, Horrible, was incredible. Makeshift released Horrible the day before the show. Before they played it, the song was introduced as their new single and the crowd was encouraged to sing along. I would say that 95% of the crowd knew every single word. That is insane! Makeshift released their new single less than twenty four hours prior to the show and already their fans were obsessed with it. Dan Burke told me that he was nervous that he did not know what the road back would be like. As Makeshift is a small band still, would people care if they were coming back or not? I think the fact that the majority of the packed venue knew every word to a song that was released less than a day before proves that people care!
Dan had this advice for anyone that is hoping to find success with their music: “Just fucking do it. Don’t give a shit what everyone else thinks about it. Do it for yourself and do it because it’s what you want to be doing. Do it all for yourself.” I couldn’t agree with that statement more! In the end, you’re the only one that knows what you truly want; what is best for you. Don’t let anyone hold you back! With the release of their new single, Horrible, and a ton of awesome announcements on the way, I can’t wait to watch Makeshift continue to grow and leave their mark on the music scene! Makeshift is playing at Spring Fling 2018 at East Islip Lanes on April 28th! Get down there and check out this awesome band and a ton of others one too!