Chasing away the competition

by Laura Seewoester

Chasing February wows the crowd during the first round of the Emergenza Festival.

DALLAS — Chasing February, an acoustic-rock band from The Colony, wowed everyone during the first round of the Emergenza Festival this past Saturday night at the Liquid Lounge.

For those of you unfamiliar with the festival, it's a battle of the bands where eight bands perform a night. After each band the audience votes for them if they like what they heard. The four bands that get the most votes move on to the semifinals, the top four from each semifinal go to the finals.

Saturday was the seventh night of first-round shows, and Chasing February was the fourth band in line. While it was a competition, the band showed no signs of nerves. The group has been together three years this February (hence the name), and their experience together explains their confidence evident in the performance.

They opened with “Closer,” a favorite among their fan base, made obvious by the audience cheering and singing along. Quincy Johnston, guitarist and lead vocalist, shows such heartfelt expression as he spouts out the lyrics, “–and maybe I shouldn’t have given you my heart–” brimming with emotion and personal experience.

The crowd began to grow as they went into their second song, “Change,” and as the show continued, Chasing February had harnessed some new fans. As if just a few new fans were not enough to strike their fancy, Chasing February had a little surprise for the audience. Bassist Jared Lindner jumped on guitar and lead vocals, drummer Eric Foster switched to bass and Quincy picked up the drumsticks. They closed with an acoustic version of “Karma Police” by Radiohead. As Jared played the intro, everyone flooded into the club to listen and sing along.

As the band cleared the stage, hands went up in the air while the votes were counted. At the end of the night, Chasing February had been sent to perform in the semifinals May 25 at the Curtain Club. In addition to wishing them a happy third birthday, we can add a big “Congratulations!”

Chasing February is also in the final stages of recording their first album, titled This Old House Will Burn. The official date has not been set, but they expect the album to be released in the next few months. In the meantime Chasing February is following January with shows almost every weekend in the next month.