PHOTOS BY: MARKUS ELIANCE
Thousand Oaks, CA – 01/23/2010 - NeverShoutNever’s performance at the Thousand Oaks Teen Center can be summed up in one concise phrase… “OMG! LOL!” Yes… I was expecting the Friday Night Boys, or All Time Low, but instead was surprised to find out that NeverShoutNever is basically an androgynous version of Dashboard Confessional. Putting aside singer Christofer Drew’s weird style of dress, name spelling and haircut; I have to say… He was pretty damn good. His lyrics were mature for the genre, and his performance style was intriguing and interesting. He definitely kept my attention throughout his performance.
NeverShoutNever has impeccable song craft, and perform their acoustic diddies with pep and excitement. What surprised me was how young the audience was. I knew something was array when I asked the door guy where the bar was. He gave me a puzzled look, and sent me on my merry way. No bar? I walked into the venue expecting the usual L.A. rock show, drunk girls, pot smoke, etc., and was shocked to see 700 Christian-leaning 14-year-olds crowding the stage.
The venue was reminiscent of a high school gym, and had been converted into a concert venue; very unusual, but hey… Anyone can play the Viper Room, NeverShoutNever opted to show a little creativity. The show was sold out, the venue was filled to capacity; yes, Christofer Drew single-handedly accomplished the impossible task of getting people to come out to a show on a Saturday night in Southern California (which is amazing in-and-of itself). My staffers and I managed to find one 19-year-old girl to talk to, but aside from her, everyone there was around 12-17.
Kids these days are in desperate need of a haircut. Girls – Why do you all style your hair like Violet from “The Incredibles?” I felt old. Very old. Although the Youth of America have lost their sense of fashion, they have not lost their taste in catchy, pop-sensible music. Instead of the Backstreet Boys or Avril Lavigne (my generation’s version of this genre), we now have talented, pop-sensible bands like NeverShoutNever, Dashboard Confessional and (insert emo-leaning band) – Bands who play instruments, don’t need a major label budget, and fill venues based on their skill as opposed to their marketing plan. All-in-all, NeverShoutNever is a band I can support.
My old guy rant of the week: “You’re a great musician kid, but get a goddamn haircut!!!” ☺
Before NeverShoutNever, a guy that looked and sounded like NeverShoutNever played, and I have to say, he… or she… was pretty darn good as well. I can’t remember his… or her name for the life of me, but trust me it was good.
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