Coming from a town whose local scene is limited at best, I’m always interested to see who goes to watch local bands. I got to see such a crowd when local bands Flynova and Greenwheel played Mississippi Nights.
I expected to see a small crowd of cosmopolitan hipsters in jean jackets drinking imported beers as they listened to the band and reveled in their knowledge of the local scene. I was wrong.
As I found out, Flynova and Greenwheel have quite a following with the kids. I entered Mississippi Nights to find the venue filled with high school kids wearing American Eagle advertisements and premium thrift store wares carousing because their parents weren’t around.
First up on the stage that night was Flynova. The first thing I noticed was the showmanship of the Flynova’s front man. Alternating between playing guitar and just singing, he danced and swooned all over the stage, making all the girls go crazy.
It was probably because of this that I didn’t notice for a little while that all the songs sounded the same. Every one was mid-tempo and led mainly by a driving baseline, while the guitarist did his best to sound progressive. All the while, the vocalist sang of forlorn love and all the cheesiness that goes with it. I was even impressed with the guitarist until I grew tired of his love affair with his distortion pedal.
By the end of the 45-minute set, I was concentrating less on the band and more on the upcoming political elections in Estonia; never a good thing at a rock show. Finally, the band left the stage to hover around the merchandise table.
During the break between bands, the now drunk patrons of the bar came down into the pit to congregate with the teenie boppers. It became quite the scene. I saw many a kid smoke his/her first cigarette that night; probably bummed off a drunk who was trying to hit on them. Was high school so long ago?
Finally, though, the main act took the stage. I could easily see this was the headlining band by the supreme upgrade in the lighting which a record contract could afford them. While Flynova sufficed for simple spotlights, Greenwheel had a whole laser light show roaming through the crowd.
At first, I wasn’t impressed with Greenwheel. Perhaps Flynova tainted me, but the first couple songs seemed like the same lame attempt at progressive rock that Flynova had perfected with utmost care. By the third song, “Louder Than Words,” Greenwheel had differentiated themselves from their opening act.
Granted, Greenwheel wasn’t far off from Flynova, but far enough to be a much more entertaining act.
By the end of the show, the crowd was in a frenzy, and the band was running on all cylinders. In hindsight, Greenwheel isn’t as great a band I was led to believe from the show, but it’s hard not to like a band that high school students and drunks can enjoy in harmony. In short, check out the show, but don’t go crazy looking for the record.
