Atlas Genius and Family of the Year

I love concerts.

Tonight, Jeremy and I went to Stubb's to see Atlas Genius and Family of the Year, and they did not disappoint!

I'd been wanting to see Family of the Year since South by Southwest this year, and I finally got my chance!  They were as I expected: a talented bunch of people who looked like they were just having fun.  The last song was especially good; they jammed out for a while and tricked us into thinking they were done several times.  Oh, jam bands, how I love you.  In case you're not familiar with Family of the Year, here are some songs to get you started:

• Buried.  Favorite line: "Bury me with my Chucks."  Ha.  Nice.
• Hero.  The song that made everyone notice them.
• St. Croix.  A mish-mash of so many genres, I have no idea how to describe it!

As for Atlas Genius . . .  Well, what can I say?  They were fantastic.  In fact, I think they are better live than in their recordings; recordings just can't pack the kind of punch they did onstage.  And they know how to perform—the lead singer does, anyway.  He walked around all over the stage, flicked his guitar picks into the crowd, spoke affectionately to the audience, and gave the set list to a fan when it was all over.  Plus, he spoke with an accent (They're from Australia.), so that's always a big hit with Americans.  Together, the performance and the music were excellent.  Here's a list of songs you don't want to miss!

• Back Seat.  My favorite. 
• Trojans.  The song that made everyone notice them.
• If So.  Their second single.

One last thing I'll say about Atlas Genius:  They weren't weird about people using their phones to take pictures.  Obviously, I don't know what it's like to perform in front of hundreds of people who are holding up smartphones and cameras, but I know what it's like to be in an audience.  There's an urge to capture the concert moment—to keep that feeling alive somewhere, even if it's just on paper or in pixels.  And while some bands pause in the middle of their concert to tell people to put away their phones (I've been to such a concert.), Atlas Genius took their own photos.  During "Trojans," the lead singer told everyone to put their hands in the air because "We're taking a photo!"  We all raised our hands high, and the drummer snapped a "picture [they] could never recreate."*  I mean, if you can't beat 'em in the game of concert photos, join 'em.  Right?

(I just shamelessly stole this photo from Jeremy's Facebook page . . .  I mean, how could I not?  It's such a good concert photo!)  (See what we would've missed, if Atlas Genius had told us to put away our cameras???)


*That's a line from "Trojans."


Thing I'm thankful for: an outdoor concert in 60-degree weather.