For some of us Saturday October the 4th, will forever live in infamy.
I know most of America is with me on this, because it's the day the
Cubs got knocked out of the playoffs. I thought the night would just
continue to die in a bottle and tears, but then I got to listen to
Jared Mees and the Grown Children, and there suddenly weren't so many
tears.

 

 
The night started with the band flooding the crowd with balloons and
then handing out poppers, somehow I got the feeling that this might
just be a fun show. Tonight wasn't just the last show the group will
be doing in town, before they take off on their United States tour;
it's also their CD release party. The new album, Caffeine, Alcohol,
Sunshine, Money, (which was produced by Jeremy Wilson) is a very
unique album, that's as much fun walking though town as it is romping
about the countryside.

 

Mr. Mees and company start the evening with "Bees", which buzzes along
as balloons are being bopped about the crowd and up on stage. "Bees"
grabs the attention of the audience, with the violin moving in and out
as metaphors drip into one another, and become something new.  Just
when the song is about to climax, Jared yells at the crowd to let the
poppers off. I haven't been to a lot of shows were the band puts this
much effort in making the crowd involved. Most bands it wouldn't work
for, but for Jared Mees and the Grown Children, it just fits.
They tried a little more genre mixing as they started out "The Tallest
Building in Hell" with a fun little beat box intro, before they broke
into it. I don't know why, but I really love this song! "I hate to say
it, but these last few years have been Hell!..." I guess it reminds me
of a lot of past relationships, but with less crying.

The group just pours though songs, taking short breaks to thank the
people that helped them along the way, and taking one shout out from
one drunken fan in the audience, "You guys really rock!". He wasn't
wrong, maybe we should have gotten him another drink, "In the Fall"
got a great reaction from the crowd, with people dancing and spinning
about in the back, and bouncing about in the front,  and few of the
balloons still being bopped back and forth.

Besides the songwriting, which is amazing, I was really impressed with
Sam, who plays a mean...well everything! To quote the drunk guy, "You
guys really Rock!" One of the best shows I've seen this year. packed
with enough energy and emotion to bring Frankenstein to life. Check
them out to see when they're playing near you on Myspace, or
www.tenderlovingempire.com to purchase merchandise and other news.
Good luck on the tour, and hope to see you guys back in Portland soon.