Post-punk Group, Signal Home, Rock KC's Main Street Cafe
Mike Smith/for the Muleskinner
Issue date: 3/1/07 Section: Features
A growing genre that has successfully bridged the gap between pop punk's beautiful melodies, often expressed through formulaic, power chord-based riffs accompanied by glossy vocals, and hard-core's furious screams and live energy, very subtly drawing from countless other genres.
Usually called "post-hardcore" this genre, in my experience, is characterized by gruff vocals that range from screams to soft-sung melodies.
Signal Home, a band I saw at the Main Street Café in Kansas City Saturday, gave one of the most energetic and exact live performances I have seen. Their vigorous thrashing and bouncing never interfered with their accuracy.
Signal Home addressed the audience with unscripted humor and gratitude. Having seen too many great bands break up within their first few years of existence, I later asked Fred Oakman, vocalis/guitarist, how the constant touring in a crowded van was affecting him and members Troy Messerall, guitar /vocals, Paul Dean, bass, and Brandon Vargo, drums. He said their arguments were mostly over things like who was riding shotgun and whether or not to stop at the Mall of America. Oakman also said they had long since implemented the use of "the charts," which determines whose turn it is to decide these kinds of things. He assured me they would return to our area soon. The next leg of Signal Home's tour was in the south, with shows in Texas and Arkansas.
Their current tour is promoting their full-length debut. From my first listen, I was astonished by the range covered by each member of this Meadville, Pa. quartet. The guitars defy the boundaries between lead and rhythmic styles, and weave an intricate tapestry that snugly enfolds the complex rhythms of the drums and bass.
Oakman rips into the album's title track, "A Fragile Constitutional", with a jagged precision easily mistakable at first for Chris Wollard (Hot Water Music, The Draft, etc.).
As the album progresses, Oakman waltzes easily from style to style, leaving impressions of singers ranging from the catchy, clean-sound of Matt Skiba (Alkaline Trio) to the intense, growling shrieks of Alex Varkatzas (Atreyu).
At the show, Oakman compared the sound of some parts of the band's songs to Coldplay. The lyrics are mostly heartfelt, introspective documents of the joy, confusion, frustration and liberation that can come with change.
As a whole, the music of "A Fragile Constitutional" digs into you slowly and refuses to let go. The album's unpredictability, artfully combined with its moments of sing-songy simplicity, will have certain parts stuck in your head without losing novelty upon immediate replay.
After Signal Home's tour goes through Texas, the group will be doing several shows in Illinois and Michigan before heading back to their home state of Pennsylvania to do a four show run that raps up March 19.
For more information on Signal Home, go to www.signalhomemusic.com.
Usually called "post-hardcore" this genre, in my experience, is characterized by gruff vocals that range from screams to soft-sung melodies.
Signal Home, a band I saw at the Main Street Café in Kansas City Saturday, gave one of the most energetic and exact live performances I have seen. Their vigorous thrashing and bouncing never interfered with their accuracy.
Signal Home addressed the audience with unscripted humor and gratitude. Having seen too many great bands break up within their first few years of existence, I later asked Fred Oakman, vocalis/guitarist, how the constant touring in a crowded van was affecting him and members Troy Messerall, guitar /vocals, Paul Dean, bass, and Brandon Vargo, drums. He said their arguments were mostly over things like who was riding shotgun and whether or not to stop at the Mall of America. Oakman also said they had long since implemented the use of "the charts," which determines whose turn it is to decide these kinds of things. He assured me they would return to our area soon. The next leg of Signal Home's tour was in the south, with shows in Texas and Arkansas.
Their current tour is promoting their full-length debut. From my first listen, I was astonished by the range covered by each member of this Meadville, Pa. quartet. The guitars defy the boundaries between lead and rhythmic styles, and weave an intricate tapestry that snugly enfolds the complex rhythms of the drums and bass.
Oakman rips into the album's title track, "A Fragile Constitutional", with a jagged precision easily mistakable at first for Chris Wollard (Hot Water Music, The Draft, etc.).
As the album progresses, Oakman waltzes easily from style to style, leaving impressions of singers ranging from the catchy, clean-sound of Matt Skiba (Alkaline Trio) to the intense, growling shrieks of Alex Varkatzas (Atreyu).
At the show, Oakman compared the sound of some parts of the band's songs to Coldplay. The lyrics are mostly heartfelt, introspective documents of the joy, confusion, frustration and liberation that can come with change.
As a whole, the music of "A Fragile Constitutional" digs into you slowly and refuses to let go. The album's unpredictability, artfully combined with its moments of sing-songy simplicity, will have certain parts stuck in your head without losing novelty upon immediate replay.
After Signal Home's tour goes through Texas, the group will be doing several shows in Illinois and Michigan before heading back to their home state of Pennsylvania to do a four show run that raps up March 19.
For more information on Signal Home, go to www.signalhomemusic.com.
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