The Asylum Club Presented A Haiti Fundraiser w/ Eyes Wide on 11/6

Posted by Ryan Kappy on 11/08 at 07:19 PM

Local PA indie acts embraced the study lounge of Waring Commons located in West Halls dormitory for a benefit concert for Haiti, sponsored by Penn State organization The Asylum. It was held this past Sunday evening (11/6/11).  The show had an intimate setting with an attendance of a small gathering, with the acts giving laid back sets filled with jokes in between songs.

The show started off with Andrew Woomer playing an acoustic set filled with sappy love songs but keeping his energy up with his guitar playing.  His music reminded me of Koji where he used different chord structures and finger picking styles.  The next artist that came up was Russel Dauberman who is a local State College act that gave an acoustic performance as well.  His music consisted of easy chord progressions with the use of a harmonica, and his vocals reminded me of Brian Fallon from The Gaslight Anthem.  In his set, he even played a cover of the classic ‘House of the Rising Sun’ by the Animals. Even though Russel said he messed up some of the lyrics, he still played it well.

Then the four piece indie punk band Eyes Wide from Altoona, PA turned their amps up with their punk songs that are about none other than girls. That was the show’s theme of the night.  The band blistered into a six song set with different structures and riffs that had a pop punk feel to it.  Overall, the band had a Brand New and Taking Back Sunday influence when both bands released Your Favorite Weapon and Tell All Your Friends respectively.  The vocals had a Jesse Lacey touch when he was singing about girls in high school, and that in the end he will be the better man.  The song ’ Fool’s Gold’ started off with an ongoing guitar riff before heading off into the chorus sung with such energy, and consisting of a bridge filled with fast paced octaves.  Another track that was played was ‘Derailleur’ that showed a heavy side of the band filled with dark lyrics like “I try to pick your face out from that dotted crowd, but it seems those eyes that used to shine can’t even hold a candle to the light these days.”

When watching Eyes Wide, there was passion in their music and stage presence.  Even though they stated it was only their third show playing together, I believe they played a great set in putting their talents out there for new people to see. They will be another up and coming band to watch out for in the next couple years.

Photo courtesy of: Shawn Inglima

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