Campfire Suburbia, Cassettes on Fire, Vessels of Energeia, Tommy Tricker, Hot Hands.

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Campfire Suburbia, Gillian Carter, Vessels of Energia, Tommy Tricker, Hot Hands.
@ Melbourne Jaycees. Melbourne, Florida. Saturday May 23, 2009.
Review and pictures by Jeffrey Howard.

Melbourne has always been one of those weird towns. There must be something in the water or something. I never really figured it out. They've always had an odd, yet long running and supportive music scene. They love their hardcore bands, they love their joke bands, they love their punk metal bands. There's no guilty pleasures. They like everything. Maybe you could go as so far as to call it Gainesville's little brother city. People in Melbourne loved Courtneys, a band I played bass in since 2006, so we always had successful shows out there but we always played with weird bands.

Melbourne mainstays Tim and Matt (both formerly of joke band The Cajuns) moved to Orlando recently and I've gotten to know them since. Those guys are awesome and funny. The third Hot Hands show ever was in Tim's Orlando apartment. Between the two of those guys they have innumerable music projects from death metal to cajun swamp rock bands.They formed Campfire, Suburbia, a mostly acoustic band which seems to hang in the balance of serious to funny songs. They'll have a song about drug addiction followed by a Kid Rock cover. It's all over the place.

As we arrived a band was already playing. I would find out it was Cassettes on Fire. They're both heavy with a mix of hardcore and emo. What's with all these Joan of Arc influenced bands this year? Couldn't they have picked a good band from that era? The music wasn't so great but they have this drummer, Alyssa, who is totally insanely good. It seems like she was out to destroy her drum kit with the force from her arms. I gotta give her props. She was amazing. I wish the rest of the band was as good. When they finished they announced they were playing another house show after the next band, Gillian Carter, whose drummer was the guitarist for Cassettes on Fire.

Gillian Carter played right after. They played weird indie-core that was truly Melbourne-made. It was nothing remarkable but the thing that made it awesome was all their friends loving every song- even standing with them onstage. You don't see that ANYWHERE. Sure enough, after they played just about everyone at the Jaycees left for the house show. There were four more band at this show. Now, isn't that a jerk move on those guys parts. Way to go!

Only a small handful of people stuck around to see Hot Hands. It was the first time Kristin and I played in Melbourne as that band. The same for Melbourne emo rockers Tommy Tricker. Neither for the guy from out of state who played dirt rocker gruff voiced acoustic guitar. Tim and Matt and their immediate friends did which made up for the lame-o's.

Since it was Matt's birthday show, they closed out with Campfire Suburbia. Tim sat all the way on the left and Matt on acoustic guitar all the way on the right and made everyone else in the Jaycees sit onstage between them. Those guys are hilarious and positive and can't not love what they do. The show ended with a short set of Matt's solo songs. He has such a powerful voice it can fill a room.

Pictures:

Tim McGowen - Campfire, Suburbia.