The Maine released a new song a couple of weeks ago and after flailing for about ten minutes (I’ve missed them), I finally managed to calm down enough to listen to it.
If this is just the lyric video, I have no idea what they’re going to do for an actual video.
This song is vintage-The Maine. A bit more poppy than they’ve been the past couple of years, but it still sounds like them; basically a cross between Black & White(2010) and Forever Halloween (2013).
Like pretty much everything else The Maine has produced since I first starting listening to them (in 2009-ish), I love this song, and I know I’m going to love the album.
I could listen to The Maine all day, every day, regardless of season, but based off this first single, American Candy is probably going to be my summer album. Only a month-and-a-bit until it drops!
P.S. Hello, John O’Callaghan, so glad to see you’ve cut your hair *swoons*
This past Saturday was our last Saturday concert (for the foreseeable future, anyway) and we saw The Maine.
John, Garrett, Kennedy, Jared, Pat.
One of my first Music Monday posts was about The Maine. They’re one of my all-time favourite bands: they consistently put out good music, their live shows are always fantastic, and it doesn’t hurt that they’re easy on the eyes (as Nina put it, photos don’t do them justice – they are beautiful).
This show was different than the last 4 times I’ve seen them – for one, it was in a tiny venue (the always sketchy Hard Luck Bar) and it was acoustic. They’ve been doing acoustic shows for the past two months, playing in select cities. When they finally announced a Toronto show, it sold out in less than 4 hours (about 200 people capacity).
I was pretty stoked when they later announced that their good friend, Nick Santino, formerly of A Rocket to the Moon, was opening for them. I’m an ARTTM fan (I was very sad when they disbanded) and I love Nick, so it was pretty much the best thing they could have done.
Nick Santino!
He played about 6-7 songs, just him and his guitar, and it was the perfect way to get the crowd ready for The Maine.
His latest song, written with John O’Callaghan from The Maine.
The Maine went on just before 8 and played until 9:30, I think. Their set was a mix of songs from all 4 full length albums, plus the acoustic ep they released in December (Imaginary Numbers). As Ro said, it showed just how talented they are, that they were able to take songs and turn them acoustic without losing anything. In fact, some songs sounded better live and acoustic compared to the album versions.
One of the highlights was “You Left Me”, a song they had never played in Canada until this show. It’s from their first album, 2008’s Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop, and the band has previously said they didn’t love the way it turned out (it’s very dance-y, lots of production, didn’t really fit with the album it was on, and certainly doesn’t sound like their more recent stuff). But they completely reworked it and it sounded fantastic acoustic.
The original version…fun if you wanna dance, but the acoustic version is something you could listen to on repeat.
All of the songs they picked to turn acoustic worked out really well (possible exception being “My Heroine”, which was the only one Ro and I thought didn’t sound completely right – still good, but not the same as hearing it plugged in/full band/whatever the opposite term for acoustic is). It’s a beautifully sad song to begin with, but “These Four Words” acoustic is enough to make anyone want to cry.
When he says “I don’t love you”, I just want to cry for days.
Because the crowd was so intimate, the guys (mainly John and Garrett), who often talk in between songs, were fully able to interact with the audience. It’s odd, when you see photos of the band (promotional shots, etc), they seem rather serious – but they are hysterical live. A different humour than All Time Low, but still funny: Garrett asked that we “raise the roof” (complete with hand motions), to which John mockingly informed him “that’s such a Mom dance-move”. If I were to write down all the ridiculous things they said during their set, this post would be 10 pages long.
A nice touch: after the show ended, the guys (including Nick) sat behind the tables beside their merch and held an impromptu meet & greet. I’ve technically met them before, but since the last time I stood in front of John O’Callaghan, I forgot how to speak, this was the perfect chance to redeem myself.
The Maine will be at Warped this summer (their first time playing the festival in 5 years!) – seeing them twice in one year is pretty much the best thing ever.
It’s pretty grey outside and my office building can’t seem to decide what the temperature should be inside (I feel like Katy Perry – I’m both hot and cold), but it doesn’t even matter because I just started my morning by listening to The Maine.
Kennedy, Jared, John, Pat, and Garrett.
I like this picture because it’s from before Garrett’s beard took over his entire face. No, seriously. Last time we saw them (in June), we were confused by the mountain man playing the bass…
Anyway, I knew this week’s post would be about The Maine, but I had a hard time picking which video to share. I do so love the “Into Your Arms” video, but there’s something special about the one for “Inside of You”:
Personally, I like how “artsy” it is – the black and white funeral scenes interspersed with the colourful carnival parts.
Plus, on a more superficial note, John O’Callaghan + guy-liner + fake screaming (near the end) = me fangirling everywhere.
They were one of the bands where, the first time I listened to them, I thought, “GOOD HEAVENS, I LOVE THIS MAN’S VOICE”, and then, several months later, the first time I watched one of their videos, I thought, “GOOD HEAVENS, I LOVE THIS MAN’S FACE.” But I digress.
They’re also a band that has matured and changed a lot over the course of their four studio albums. Their progression over their 6-7 years as a band has been so insane, it’s mind-blowing to listen to the albums in chronological order and hear how much they’ve changed. Basically, The Maine is a band that AGES really well.
It’s worth noting that their last two albums, Pioneer and Forever Halloweenwere both self-funded after they left their record label in 2011. It shows how much the band cares about their fans: they’re more than willing to use their own money to make sure they put out the best album they can, instead of squashing their creativity to make a label happy.
And to see them in concert is a thing of beauty. The energy, the setlist, their playful banter (last time, John encouraged the audience to “Grab the world by its loins” and then had to pause because the mental image made him laugh) – every time I think they’ve put on their BEST SHOW EVER, they outdo themselves the next time they roll through town.
So here’s to many more years of The Maine. I’ll probably talk about them again – because really, how could I not? – but if you haven’t heard of them, I strongly encourage you to give them a listen.
bellsiebooks 