by Aja Landolfi, editor in chief
Best Kept Secret from Hollywood California brought their Emo is Back Tour to The Studio at Webster Hall in NYC this past week.
On Monday, May 2nd, Best Kept Secret (BKS), along with Beneath the Spin Light, We Are Forever, Take a Breath, An Honest Year and This Is All Now, took to the stage to give fans in NYC a show to remember.
Doors to the venue opened at 6:30pm and the show started at 7:30pm. One special thing about this tour is that even though it is headlined by Best Kept Secret, if one of the opening acts is from the state they are playing in, BKS allow that band to be the headliner for the night. For this show, the headliner was This Is All Now from Long Island, NY.
Upon walking into the venue at 6:30, there were only a handful of fans. It seemed like a Monday night show was discouraging to people. However, by 8 pm, the venue was packed, drinks were being poured, and music was being played through the speakers for all to enjoy.
“I really enjoyed the concert. All the bands that played were incredible in their own way and the members of said bands were some of the nicest and most genuine people I have ever met,” sophomore Robyn Landolfi said.
The first band that took the stage was Beneath the Spin Light (BTSL) from Washington State. The band is made up of Kalevi (drummer), Kyle Spooner (guitarist), Sullivan Burkart (singer) and Gus Winecoff (bassist). Beneath the Spin Light was full of high energy. During one point of their set, bassist Gus shocked the crowd by doing a headstand while playing the bass. Some songs they sang were “Two Weeks Notice,” “Glacier Peak,” “So Long, Second Chances,” and “Falling Faster.”
Next up was We Are Forever from Indianapolis, IN. In the band are Aren Anderson (singer), Alex Nauth (guitarist), Alex Ayala (drummer) and Ricky (bassist). Some songs they performed were “Everything You Are,” “Half Awake,” and “Let Me Breathe”.
After We Are Forever was Take A Breath from Pittsburgh, PA. The band it made up of Jesse Rossi (singer and guitarist), Michael O’Malley (drummer), Ryan Bentley (guitarist), and Luke Bickerstaff (bassist). Take A Breath brought a lot of energy to the stage. Some songs they performed were “Venomous,” “Constellations,” and “Anatomy.” They also did a punk rock cover of Katy Perry’s song “Waking Up In Vegas” which the crowd loved.
Up next An Honest Year from Philadelphia, PA took to the stage. Made up of Matt McKay (singer), Stephen Morrell (guitarist), Jon Pfingsten (guitarist), Jordan Mitchell (bassist) and Greg Pinney (drummer). This tour is a bittersweet tour for the guys of An Honest Year because this is the last tour that they are going on as a band. After this tour, the guys are parting ways and going to explore what else life has to offer them. The set was full of high energy and a lot of fan favorites were played. Some of the songs were “Chin up, Kid,” “Liar & a Thief,” “Miles Away” and “I Hope This Hurts.”
Next, Best Kept Secret took to the stage. BKS is made up of Matt Skajem (singer), Brady Szuhaj (bassist), Jon Lundin (drummer) and Benji Bryan (guitarist). BKS came out on stage and put on a show that many won’t forget. Lead singer Skajem has such a stage presence to him that it was mesmerizing to watch and just made the crowd dance and lose their minds. Even though this band is relatively new, the crowd still knew all of the words to their songs. Some of the songs they played were “Let’s Not Pretend,” “Clouded,” “Burnout,” and “Stormy Weather.” They also did a punk rock with hints of ‘screamo’ cover of “The Hills” by The Weekend that blew the crowd away.
“So stoked to play in NY tonight,” Skajem tweeted before the show.
To close out the show, This Is All Now (TIAN), from Long Island New York took control of the stage. This Is All Now is made up of Okan Kazdal (singer), Louie Malpeli (guitarist), Mike Pittelli (drummer), and Caleb Buttner (bassist). TIAN has a stage presence that wins crowds over every time. From the moment that they start their intro, which is the message from the Purge with Pittelli standing on his drum kit, to all of the jumping and dancing, to the very last note, TIAN makes sure that the crowd is involved and having the time of their lives. Some songs they played were “Midnight Kids,” “24 Hour Nights,” “#TEAM,” and “Supernova.” The band also debuted a new song called “Timeless” that is not yet released and the band is still deciding whether or not they will release it.
“Can’t thank everyone enough for coming out to the Emo Is Back Tour. I love to play, and I hope you enjoyed the sounds,” Malpeli tweeted.
All in all, the EMO Is Back Tour was a success. The night was filled with music, jokes and friends. All of the guys from the band were super sweet and were happy to interact with and meet with their fans after the show. All the fans can say from the night is that EMO is definitely back.
