In a recent interview Jonathan Cook—frontman for the locally sprung, Universal Motown-backed emo-pop-punk act Forever the Sickest Kids—spoke what most would consider near blasphemy: "Dallas is the new Nashville," he said. But when it comes to the cadre of emo-pop-punk acts like his that have major label deals (or might soon) from around these parts, he actually makes a decent point. There's FTSK (as the kids call them), The Rocket Summer, PlayRadioPlay and probably some others I'm forgetting because I'm not 14.
The places to see these acts aren't super plentiful—there's the Plano Centre in, uh, Plano, and the three The Door venues spread out across the region—but that sure makes things easy on these bands' teenage fans. So, now, with The Door celebrating its 10th year in existence, it's no surprise that the unsigned local acts of this genre are the ones dominating the bill. None of it is especially grating. Just a little generic, that's all.
Luckily, Los Angeles' Everybody Else promises to break the monotony of this show. Vocalist Carrick Moore Gerety (formerly of the Push Kings) bursts through tough notes with an enviable ease and flair, and the band pairs this finely with its clap-along pop tunes so catchy they're almost Hall & Oates-ish in their unabashed presentation.