Silverstein leave their mark on the Marquee

I always love an excuse to go to the city, and rock shows are my favourite kind of excuse. The venue, Marquee Beer Market & Stage, is top notch. I mean, the place has four bars, serves food, has a fantastic stage and lighting set-up, and huge dance floor. Oh, and I can’t not mention the giant disco ball and microphones hanging from the ceiling. This place is a good times factory.  

Whenever a band I’m reviewing starts their set, I like to jot down the first thought that pops into my mind so I can work it into an article. Sometimes I manage to write little gems, other times it’s utter nonsense, but this is my process and I stick to it. Kicking off the night at the Marquee, local band The Path Less Travelled hit the stage hard. Naturally, my opening line for them came out as: “I like it heavy, and they bring it heavy.” Ya, it’s cliche, but I really don’t care. I must have been on the right track because the ink hadn’t even dried when Dave came by and says “These guys are heavier than I remember”. Heavy was the confirmed theme for the evening.

If you’ve never heard The Path Less Travelled, their sound gets your heart thumping, your feet moving; it’s heavy sprinkled with punk rock.

As a local band, knowing the scene is always key; knowing just the right cover to slam down to get the crowd jumping comes with experience. This wasn’t the first rodeo for the boys in The Path Less Travelled as they were right on their game and got circle pit going by song no. 3. Next thing, lead singer Scott Bennett turns to the crowd and asked who was down for some pop punk. Being too old to be cool now anyways, I probably replied with a little more enthusiasm than required. But seriously, with Tom Delong off chasing aliens, we could use a little more pop punk on this planet. By the end of their set, anyone walking into the bar would have easily thought they missed the opening band, because these guys were so much more than that.

Hailing from Pennsylvania, indie band Cedar Green was up next. While their esthetic kind of make it look like they’re all paying in a different band, they do play together with heart. The crowd welcomed the out of towners and made them feel right at home, quickly starting to sway and move more and more with each song. Cedar Green has been touring with Silverstein and bring a fresh sound with them to the stage.

As Seaway arrived on stage, some may assume that the lead singer is the guy who you call to come fix your printer, but it doesn’t take long to realise he’d probably much more likely to smash it into oblivion. Their energy is contagious. I immediately found myself asking where in the hell these guys came from and why they weren’t on my playlist (this has since been rectified). These boys were far from home back in Oakville, Ontario and the Calgary crowd was clearly happy they made the trip.

Promoting their new album, Vacation, they brought a spark to the room and did let fans walk away unsatisfied.

Finally, it was time for the main event. The last time I had seen Silverstein, I was an angsty black & red haired teen, and I could not wait for that dose of post-hardcore nostalgia.

The one thing I love most about music is how it has the power to take you back to the most random places. Silverstein brings me back to some small community hall in my hometown, smoking cigarettes between bands and then trying to mask the smell of smoke with cheap vanilla perfume before Mom came to pick me up. For the record, I was fooling no one. I am a firm believer that old shit is the best shit and Silverstein delivered just that. But in what is a true testament to their longevity as a band, the fans in Calgary were already well-verse in their new album and stoked to hear their new jams live.

Silverstein will wrap up their North American tour this month before they bring their new album, Dead Reflection to the UK in December. Get the latest news and tour details here: http://www.silversteinmusic.com/

Article by Natalie Fay and Photos by Dave Di Ubaldo of Worn Leather Media, an Alberta based wedding, portrait, and travel photography business