Concert Review and Interview: This Providence rocks out at Edwards [P]

04/24/07 - Indie-rock band This Providence brought the house down Tuesday night despite questionable weather and a half-filled Edwards Auditorium that stank of stale cigarettes and teen spirit.Looking around the auditorium, there were three kinds of attendees: hardcore emo kids, super preppy girls and pre-teen teenyboppers with martyred-looking fathers.

As far as the eye could see, there were kids with choppy, flat-ironed hairstyles, wearing striped tees and slim girl jeans. I guess I missed the memo about the "uniform."

As people were settling into their seats, it became more and more obvious that the majority of the concert attendees were there to see the opening act, Omerta Verse, and had no interest in seeing This Providence. It's fair to say that maybe these assorted groupies, girlfriends and buddies drew more attention to themselves before Omerta Verse's set than during.

It looked pretty unprofessional for the opening act and its assorted cohorts to keep jumping on and off stage for almost the whole hour before the show. By the time they took the stage, I felt like I had seen enough of them.

Comprised of URI student Billy Malloy on bass and lead vocals, guitarists Nick Cam'ron and Mikey B, and drummer Corey G, Omerta Verse jammed in a manner they believed to look cool. Sorry boys, but it's hard to look rock 'n roll when you're getting tripped up in your cords!

Also, there was more reverb that night than I have ever heard before. Just as I thought my eardrums couldn't take anymore, the band announced that This Providence was up next. Too bad Cam'ron made the mistake of calling the headliner, "Like, the greatest band in this area."

Too bad it's from Washington.

There was a brief intermission while This Providence set up, and electricity was in the air. Honestly, it could have just been from the speakers after the last set, but I like to think of it as the excitement of seeing how the professionals put on a show.

This Providence, although not too well-known, has been touring for about two years with the current set of members: lead singer Dan Young, guitarists Gavin Phillips and Sean Gasperetti, drummer Ryan Tapert and bassist David Blaise. Fueled By Ramen released the band's self-titled debut, and they have recently toured with other FBR bands like Brighten and Cute Is What We Aim For.

Once the band took the stage, the crowd went wild. Too bad they couldn't tell the band members apart. My soul died a little bit when a girl on stage right yelled out, "Dan!" and the guitarist replied, "No, I'm Gavin."

It wasn't until the real Dan Young strutted onstage in his tight low rise jeans and buttoned-up shirt that the show really started. The sexy Australian god welcomed everyone to "kick it like a rock show" and gather in front of the stage.

It was a rush to be so close to the performers, especially when I was one of about 10 people who actually knew who the band was. The band played its single, "Wolf in Sheep's Clothing," along with others songs off its debut and from a rare, early album that featured a different lineup.

One thing that was surprising is how religious all the band members are. Young introduced each song with an explanation about what it was about. Sure, there were love songs, but "Losing Control," he announced, was about God.

According to the band members' MySpace pages, God and Jesus are pretty high on their lists, high enough to make it to their profile pages. That's pretty cool.

After the show, I got a chance to talk to Blaise and Phillips in a very impromptu interview session, all thanks to fellow entertainment writer and photographer Erin Shea, without whom I would never have had the guts to chase the guys down.

We had to wait in the lobby while the guys signed autographs and took pictures with the fans, but it was worth it. The guys were all very friendly and down-to-earth.

The band's newest member is Blaise, who was quite literally plucked out of high school. I found out he is turning 19 the same week as I am. Talk about bonding!

Phillips was more talkative and gave me the inside scoop on the band's upcoming month-long tour with Paramore and the Almost. He also spoke extensively with Erin about how they feel being labeled as a Christian rock band.

Phillips said, "It comes with a lot of things people assume," adding, "Often Christians can be the worst representatives of Christianity."

I also got some top-secret info that will break hearts: All these gorgeous men are not only taken, but one will soon be walking down the aisle! Aww...

As our interview came to a close, Erin and I thanked the gents for their time and asked what advice they had for us. Blaise said, "Wear earplugs," while Phillips said seriously, "If anybody dies on campus, close it down!" This was a reference to the deadly shootings at Virginia Tech.

Meeting the band was awesome, but seeing them perform live topped that. Few acts can sound as good in front of an audience as they do in the studio, but This Providence can do both.

If you aren't familiar with them, check out www.myspace.com/thisprovidence. Expect them to be ridiculously famous and on constant repeat on MTV real soon.