Concert Review: Ivoryline, Josephine Collective, Enter the Collector, and Maxwell Branch (photo gallery)

by Erin Rice

Last weekend I figured I would head down to the Plano Centre (don't ask) to check out Third String Production's latest concert lineup of local and national bands. While I'm far too old to frequent such a show, there are definitely some exciting things going on there through the efforts of groups like Third String and Buzz Oven. Both provide a really great forum for young bands to get their start and play all-ages shows for teenage fans.

Unfortunately, I arrived too late for one of the bands I really wanted to see, After Midnight Project, a band from Los Angeles creating a decent buzz at the moment. Resident at the Key Club in Hollywood, AMP releases their EP The Becoming on August 7th. If you get the chance to check them out, I would suggest it. With some songs sounding like a raw version of 30 Seconds to Mars (Jason Evigan, the lead singer, even has a Jared Leto-esque look) while others diverge towards more catchy rock and pop influences, ala, My Chemical Romance, they're a well put-together group with a fairly eclectic repertoire of songs. It was disappointing I missed them, but they are apparently coming back to Dallas around September.

The first band I did catch, however, was Enter the Collector from Midlothian, TX. This five-member group plays a hybrid of ambient rock and screamo, sounding very similar to bands like Chiodos. Throughout their set they mixed it up with the raging angsty songs and slower ballads. Through one of the slower tunes several in the crowd raised their lighters. I wonder how several of them got ahold of lighters at their age... In any case, Enter the Collector has nailed down the sound that tight jean, black eyelined teenagers are scrambling for right now, and they are able to pull it off pretty professionally for being only kids themselves. I was particularly impressed by the guitarwork, which took some risks and showed a maturity I was not expecting. Check out the song "Oblique" on their MySpace, from the new album Cancer, Rebuild, to get an earful of what I'm talking about.

The next band was another local group from Murphy, TX, Maxwell Branch. Entering the stage to "America, F*ck Yeah," from Team America World Police, Maxwell Branch departed some from the previous band. Their songs were based more in singing, very little screaming vocals in fact. While they sounded pretty raw, and it may have something to do with the venue as well, I liked that they were trying out some different things. Throughout the songs there were some timely and interesting breaks and drops, and they toyed some with distortion and I believe I heard some older southern-inspired rhythms sprinkled here and there. Was that on purpose? Who knows, they are from "rustic" Murphy, it might just be in their blood. I would like to have seen some more variation in the vocals, and it might take more experience, but I think this band has a chance, particularly if they continue trying out different sounds and taking risks in their songwriting. This show was the release for their EP, Dreams Like These.

The penultimate band to take the stage was the rather ecentric and flamboyent Josephine Collective. JC hails from Johnson County, Kansas, wherever the heck that is, and took the Plano Centre by storm the second the music started playing. There was a lot going on in their set, which includes two lead vocalists, one more for the high pitched screaming and wild singing, and the other more for punctuated yelling and screaming and whatnot. Beyond those two there were also two guitars, keys, bass, and drums, naturally. Basically, this is a group for people who don't think there's enough scream in a one-vocalist screamo group. I kid, but this combination proved successful as they are given the freedom to try several different pitches and tempos relying on the strengths of each singer. From start to finish JC was very energetic with a clean execution, without being over calculated or formulaic. No doubt this is why the Kansas septet just released their Living EP through Warner Brothers.

Finally, the headlining band from Tyler, TX came on stage. Ivoryline just wrapped up a mini-tour with the After Midnight Project and will be releasing their latest EP, The Life You Have, through Tooth & Nail Records. There's a reason that Ivoryline is the headliner for this and many other shows and tours. They are a success story thus far and good role models for the younger, newer bands that were on the bill for the night. Their rock/powerpop sound is very clean and you can actually hear and comprehend the lyrics. On top of that, lead singer, Jeremy's, voice is very powerful live and actually pleasing to the ears (unlike the nasaly, prepubescent vocals of many in the genre).

Ivoryline does very well constructing melodies that are catchy and songs with enough change of pace throughout to keep the listener interested. For the first time that I saw in this languid crowd, a band's songs inspired a true pit, dictated by the rise and fall of the songs, including the MySpace popular "All You Ever Hear." Sentimental moments pervaded the set as they made sure to thank the hometown crowd for all the support they've shown the band. When the set was complete the kids were chanting "one more" and without pomp, Ivoryline immediately obliged and remarked that if the crowd wanted one more song, they weren't going to turn them down. As such the set closed with an older selection, "Taking Every Chance," to the crowd's delight. Ivoryline really put on a great show and set the bar for what should be expected out of this genre and out of a live performance in such a venue.

Third String Productions will be putting on a similar concert on September 2, called "September to Remember," featuring several of these bands and more, at the Plano Centre.