Indie Rockers "Bad Books" Visit Columbus

By Eric Rodgers on February 18, 2013

This past Saturday night, I was given the choice between staying home and working through a mountain of assigned reading and essays, or joining a friend of mine in going to see the Bad Books at Newport Music Hall. His original concert partner had fallen through, which left him with an extra ticket and me with a decision to make. I wasn’t extremely familiar with Bad Books, and I had never heard of the two openers (Weatherbox and Front Bottoms), so I made the smart decision.
I went to the concert, of course.


I’ve always loved Newport as a venue. It’s a venue wedged between a Chipotle and a bar, and is located right across the street from Ohio State University. The unassuming front doors and tiny box office do nothing to suggest what lies inside. It opens up to a spacious, standing-room only floor, ringed by a balcony. Most of the original décor is still intact, and the high arching ceilings plastered with intricately colored tiles serve as a reminder of the venue’s original name: The Agora Ballroom. There isn’t a bad “seat” (as it’s mostly general admission floor space) in the house, as even the farthest areas still provide great views of the stage. The venue is large enough to give a big show type of feel, but small enough to allow you to see your favorite bands without the aid of binoculars.

Any night there is a show in the Newport, the inhabitants of the surrounding city block will often give hints as to what artist is playing. When Iced Earth came to town last year, Chipotle was taken over by long-haired metalheads in denim jackets covered in patches. When I waited hours upon hours with a friend last May to be front row for the Christina Perri concert, I was one of the few men amidst a sea of teenage girls with their arms decorated with bracelets. The assortment of flannels and oversized beanies flooding the sidewalks let me know that Bad Books would be providing some indie rock for my listening pleasure.

The first opener, Weatherbox, was a San Diego-based rock outfit held down by front man Brian Warren and a supporting cast of touring musicians. His sometimes-rough, sometimes-soft voice was occasionally hard to hear over their heavy, pounding riffs, but they provided a nice note to begin the night on.

The Front Bottoms, an indie-punk group from New Jersey, soon followed. In the intermission between them and Weatherbox, my friend talked them up extensively, and they lived up to the hype. Each song came with unrelenting energy. Mathew Uychich stole the show with his violently aggressive style of drumming.

Finally, the Bad Books entered to a full house of cheers. The band, a hybrid of folk artist Kevin Devine and members of Manchester Orchestra, has an incredibly unique sound. These guys were absolutely wonderful live, sounding like a studio recording being pumped up to 11. The highlight of the night was Andy Hull doing a beautiful rendition of his song “Pyotr”  as an encore after a full set of Bad Books material.

I’ve never gone to a concert without a deep knowledge of the performers, so this show was a new experience to me. It made me realize that it should become a habit, because a band can’t make a much better first impression than rocking out live in front of a packed venue of fans.

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