Motion City Soundtrack | Highlight Magazine

Motion City Soundtrack // 10-12-2012 // Chicago, IL
Photos and Review by Ashley Osborn

My night at House of Blues in Chicago began quite lovely as I was able to once again catch Highlight Magazine veterans Now, Now. As if they had transferred directly out of the digital world, they stepped on to the stage and captivated the audience within seconds of starting their eerie intro to ‘Prehistoric.’ The Minneapolis, MN based three-piece (Cacie Dalager, Jess Abbott & Brad Hale) have a powerful chemistry that stuns me nearly every time I catch them live. They’ve had an incredible year – from releasing their debut full-length on Chris Walla’s (Death Cab for Cutie) Trans Records, to touring with fun..When I previously spoke with them in April, I recall them talking about having nerves before they hit the stage because their music consists of so many unique pieces, they never quite know how it will sound live. Well.. the band’s set was basically flawless and consisted of several giggles from both the band and the audience, including a quick ‘Guess Brad’s Shirt Meaning’ game. The drummer’s shirt said O.P.I. and the audience yelled “NAIL POLISH.” Immediately the entire room bust into laughter and the band continued to close their set with “Thread,” one of my favorite tracks off their incredible full-length, Threads (Trans Records). The band will be wrapping up this current tour with Motion City Soundtrack and then I’m assuming they’ll be announcing new tour dates or something else exciting! Be on the lookout as they continue taking steps towards what will obviously be world domination.

I first heard of Jukebox The Ghost last year in January. I had worked for a previous music news website and I was asked to interview and record an acoustic set of theirs for the site while they were on tour opening for Hellogoodbye. The Brooklyn, NY based group consists of Ben Thornewill (vocals & piano), Tommy Siegel (vocals & guitar) and Jesse Kristin (drums). I had never even listened to their music and I knew nothing about them when I stepped into the room, besides the fact that they’ve been crafting music together since 2003. From the interview I had done with the band I could immediately see how genuine and happy all three of them were. Since it had been almost two years since I had seen them I was really looking forward to seeing this performance at House of Blues. I was absolutely blown away to say the least. These three have grown so much musically and their performance has evolved in countless ways. It’s crazy. Their tunes are some of the catchiest around, and their stage presence is somehow a mix of quirky, vibrant and upbeat. You can’t help but dance. Between their “lame” 90’s covers, gigantic smiles and loads of silliness onstage – Jukebox The Ghost is a band you can’t miss live. After two years and seeing how much Jukebox the Ghost has evolved, it’s clear that things can only go up for this band. I can truly say they are one of the few “must listen” to’s I will ever mention.

The classic Motion City Soundtrack, also Minneapolis, MN based of course, played another yet unforgettable set. It was probably somewhere my 30th time seeing the band (because I’m from Minneapolis) and they never fail to impress me with their quirky onstage personalities and insane energy levels – not to mention how comfortable they seem onstage. It’s clear that by watching them perform they’ve become very accustom to entertaining. A highlight of their set was when they played “The Future Freaks Me Out,” turned on the house lights and gave the fans a chance to show off their lung power. The entire venue was at near capacity and the screams of the songs’ bridge, “Betty I need you / I miss you / I’m so alone without you / To call up on the weekends with my cellular phone” echoed on for what could have been miles. As their set continued I was happy to hear an elite mix of Motion City’s biggest hits, both old and new, as well as songs that you’d rarely hear live from the band. I feel that the group does an amazing job of mixing up songs that they play live from their five full-lengths over the past 10 years they’ve been together as a band.