Spring Break
Steel Train Channels 1960s
Ashley McGown
Issue date: 10/11/05 Section: Focus
"The first tour I ever did was with my old band, Outline," Antonoff said. "We toured with Matt and Evan's old band, and we actually put out a record on Triple Crown. We got signed around the same time as Brand New, so we did a couple of tours with them."
However, Antonoff soon grew tired of the type of music his band was playing. Antonoff said that one day they "just quit doing that kind of bullshit."
"We just grew out of it," Antonoff said. "Screamo came from New Jersey. It started because all of our bands were playing in these VFW halls where the sound was so bad that you had to just scream and go crazy. That was the point of it. In stadiums - that's just not what it's supposed to be like. I would never play that kind of music. I love punk and hardcore and all that stuff, but that kind of music is meant to be played in someone's basement."
Antonoff knew early on that his passion for music did not lie in the punk scene. Although he listened to bands such as Lifetime, who heavily influenced Saves the Day's sound, Antonoff's favorite artists are Tom Waits and Fiona Apple.
"One time my friend called me from [Apple's] concert so I could hear her playing ['Paper Bag']."
Antonoff then went on to say how excited he was when he got to meet her.
"I was like 14. She gave me a kiss, and it was amazing," he said.
Saturday marks the first time Steel Train has played in Rhode Island.
Despite the crowd's unfamiliarity with the band, everyone seemed to enjoy the band's 40 minute set (which was more of a jam session than an actual set). The only time the crowd seemed a bit lackadaisical was when the band started to play an unreleased, untitled song that Antonoff preceded with, "This is a quiet one." From the first chord, it was clear that the band hadn't been playing the song live for long, since it was difficult to make out any of the words Antonoff was singing. Midway through the song, the band decided it'd be best to switch gears, and as they dove quickly into the upbeat track "Gypsy Waves," Antonoff yelled, "I guess we'll just have to play over you fuckers."
However, Antonoff soon grew tired of the type of music his band was playing. Antonoff said that one day they "just quit doing that kind of bullshit."
"We just grew out of it," Antonoff said. "Screamo came from New Jersey. It started because all of our bands were playing in these VFW halls where the sound was so bad that you had to just scream and go crazy. That was the point of it. In stadiums - that's just not what it's supposed to be like. I would never play that kind of music. I love punk and hardcore and all that stuff, but that kind of music is meant to be played in someone's basement."
Antonoff knew early on that his passion for music did not lie in the punk scene. Although he listened to bands such as Lifetime, who heavily influenced Saves the Day's sound, Antonoff's favorite artists are Tom Waits and Fiona Apple.
"One time my friend called me from [Apple's] concert so I could hear her playing ['Paper Bag']."
Antonoff then went on to say how excited he was when he got to meet her.
"I was like 14. She gave me a kiss, and it was amazing," he said.
Saturday marks the first time Steel Train has played in Rhode Island.
Despite the crowd's unfamiliarity with the band, everyone seemed to enjoy the band's 40 minute set (which was more of a jam session than an actual set). The only time the crowd seemed a bit lackadaisical was when the band started to play an unreleased, untitled song that Antonoff preceded with, "This is a quiet one." From the first chord, it was clear that the band hadn't been playing the song live for long, since it was difficult to make out any of the words Antonoff was singing. Midway through the song, the band decided it'd be best to switch gears, and as they dove quickly into the upbeat track "Gypsy Waves," Antonoff yelled, "I guess we'll just have to play over you fuckers."