It was the notes NOT HEARD AROUND THE WORLD. The SEAN DIRECTED VIDEO, THE VIDEO that changed the lives of FREELANCE SWEATPANTS forever. The video garnered over 100,000, views, 16.7k likes and STILL CLIMBING. To put that in perspective, that viewing audience is the same as A SOLD-OUT SHOW at BEAVER STADIUM AND LINCOLN FINANCIAL FIELD COMBINED. You may be thinking, WELL DEAR WRITER, that is just ONLINE NOISE. How does that translate to REAL LIFE?
It did in ways, YOU COULDN’T POSSIBLY PREDICT! During OUR SHOW, which I WILL GET TO, the MONTH OF THE SWEATPANTS HEATED UP. It was the bands BEST AND LONGEST SHOW to date, FREELANCE WAS AT THE MOST LOOSE, YET IN CONTROL THEY HAVE BEEN in a long time. The SOLD-OUT SHOW at DAWSON STREET PUB with COMET LOVEJOY, (a band as cool as ICE) (the cubes that COOL WATER), was a masterclass in HOW TO MARKET YOUR BAND!
I can say I can take credit for the AFFAIR, BUT THAT WOULD BE SOME SLEEZY BAND MANAGER TACTICS. SEAN, JUSTIN, AJ, AND DOM deserve the CREDIT FOR THE BANDS BEST MARKETING CAMPAIGN TheROOT NOTE video got loud in ways PEOPLE CAN’T NORMALLY HEAR ROOT NOTES. The little video that could; engaged with AN AUDIENCE that is growing STEADFAST AND STRONG. To put in perspective, 30 SOME of you came for US on FRIDAY, THE OTHER 20 were from TIK TOK.
Those fifty packed like sardines in a can to the sweaty, cramped, and loud home we call DAWSON STREET PUB. Freelance are practically VETERANS of the scene. They played there so many times that THE BAR TENDER PAID TO SEE US. The bands set, a whopping HOUR AND THIRTY PLUS MINUTES, proved that after nearly 15 SHOWS, FREELANCE KNOW HOW TO THRILL THEIR AUDIENCE!
The show itself WAS MORE OF THE SAME. BEER, BAND, AND BRO HUMOR CONNECTED WITH A CROWD WHO HAD VENTURED FROM THE VARIOUS CORNERS OF CYBERSPACE TO SEE THEM.
The band SENSED THIS GROWING SHIFT IN THEIR AUDIENCE TOO. They reveled in every moment onstage. The band had one singular mission that night, promote THREE NEW LIVE SONGS!
Up first, “HOLD ON”, it’s powerful ACDC-ESQUE hook brought real LIVE WIRE energy from likes of SEAN, JUSTIN, DOM, AND AJ, making for an effective show OPENER.
Speaking of AJ;
KEEPING HIS JOHN ENTWISTLE sense of cool about him, AJ kept in the back, rocking his trademark SUNGLASSES. The tall man just OOZED CHARISMA. “OTHERSIDE” “KNOCKING,” and “HOLD ON” showed just what a VERSATILE RHYTHMIC AND LEAD THREAT WE HAVE. He even took duties performing backing vocals during the night for the FIRST TIME EVER. I never imagined what he’d sound like, I just never thought it would be the equivalent of HEARING THE BEATLES FOR THE FIRST TIME.
DOM ROCKED AWAY ILLNESS. He may have been functioning offstage at 50%. ONSTAGE, he kept rocking up to 112%. Not 110, that is for squares, not 113, that is an unlucky number, but a FAST, FRANTIC, PROLIFIC 112. THAT PERCENTAGE KEPT CLIMBING WITH EACH BLISTERING solo on SONGS like “DAY IN/ DAY OUT”, “NEW MATERIAL” and “HIGH ON A PLANE”. The newly minted protopunk rocker, YES, WE NOW DABLE IN PROTOPUNK, “MASTER OF DISGUISE” caused the man BLEED FOR HIS CRAFT.
The day after the show he discovered blood on HIS GUITAR. He had to take the guitar to the ER. Once there it was discovered the blood wasn’t the guitars, BUT HIS OWN! HE SHRED SO POWERFULLY, HE BLED FOR ROCK AND ROLL!
ON TO SEAN, THE BASS PLAYING NEXT GEN SPIKE LEE WAS IN TOP FORM FRIDAY. He had full command over his audience. HIS VOCALS SPOT ON. During the CROWD PLEASING SING A LONG “GOTTA GET OUT” I noted his voice has settled somewhere between JOEY RAMONE AND AXL ROSE, WHEN HE HITS HIS LOW REGISTER (A COMPARISON I know SEAN WILL LOVE). SEAN IS THE RINGMASTER TO THIS ROCK AND ROLL CIRCUS THAT FOLLOWS US SHOW TO SHOW. CRACKING WISE with the audience during “SPOOKY”, HYPING THEM UP ON “COUCH”, he truly has upped his GAME EVERY SHOW AND IT IS THERE ON DISPLAY FOR US ALL TO SEE.
If there ever were A SECOND MANAGER TO FREELANCE SWEATPANTS, it would be JUSTIN. He has the groove, SWAGGER AND DRIVE of many a STICKMAN BEFORE HIM. Always ENGAGING THE CROWD with a warm smile that says, “COME SHARE AN EGG SALAD SANDWICH WITH ME AFTER THE SHOW.” His drive onstage is incomparable, for someone who claimed he never practices, you wouldn’t be able to tell, ESPECIALLY ON THE BREAKDOWN OF “KNOCKING”, THE rhythmic SHAKEUPS IN NEW BOP “HORSE GIRL” and the MARATHON LIKE SPRINT (YES, I KNOW) of “NEW MATERIAL”. HE HELPS HOLD DOWN THE MUSICAL FORT THAT IS FREELANCE SWEATPANTS.
It was a big night for these four men in A LOT OF WAYS. The band had on their plate, a MULTIGENERATIONAL ENDLESS BUFFETT OF FULL-ON PUNK ROCK FEAST TO SERVE. THE FANS HAD come with appetites whetted and boy, did they EAT UP EVERY TASTY LICK that FREELANCE FED THEM! The specials on FRIDAY NIGHTS MENU included WEEZER’S “SAY IT AIN’T SO”, LIT’S “MY OWN WORST ENEMY”, JIMMY EAT WORLD’S “THE MIDDLE” and MY PERSONAL RECOMMENDATION, Liam Lynch’s “WHATEVER”.
The main dish was over, the final course eaten, the 13-song ENTREE devoured, now for des–
A note from the editor:
Sorry, didn’t mean for that to happen, the writer of that cliched and hackneyed food-based diatribe had just been terminated mid sentence. Just kidding, just checking to see if you’re still with me.
Now, back to the ROCK SHOW review.
The bands fans had just endured a lengthy run of hits and ah hem, new material. How can they keep this multi generation of punks together? By playing A head bashing, fist pumping, crowd pleasing sing along of course. The new punks had reached into THE THRONGS OF THE PAST to BOP. This bop, is affectionately known by fans as “THE BLITZKRIEG BOP”. It is a song written by four guys who all share the fictional last name RAMONE. Why? The Ramones felt that punk gave themselves a COMMUNITY. FREELANCE SWEATPANTS offers that same feeling of COMMUNITY THROUGH MUSIC. New fans, old fans, Tik Tok users, collectively called THE SWEATS, ENDED THE NIGHT WITH EVERYONE BOPPING ALONG IN PURE PUNK SOLIDARITY.
Special shout out to COMET LOVEJOY. For their first ever show, they brought out a mix of ODD TIME SIGNATURES and ZACH BRYAN like songs. I have a feeling it won’t be the last time we see them. That, and they gave me a hat that said day ones on it. I assume there will be a day 2 in their future.
I know, you don’t where they end up playing next, as we say, BE THERE OR BE SQUARE.
SPECIAL THANKS, RUSSELL, DAWSON STREET PUB, COMET LOVEJOY, JOE FROM LAZER SHARK! Till next time.