Road warrior
This letter is in reference to Andrew Leahey’s review of the November 5 Monticello Road/Army of Me show at Starr Hill, printed in the November 16 C-VILLE.
I could not possibly disagree with this article more. First off, did your local fashion editor review this show or was it an actual music critic? What do shaggy blonde curls have to do with a review? I read merely a sentence or two about the music at hand.
Secondly, it’s a shame to see you bash the same band that your readers named the Best Rock Band [Best of C-VILLE, August 3]. You made a comment that Monticello Road would not play many gigs outside of Charlottesville. What an incredible error. They have the most impressive tour history of Central Virginia bands in the past three years except for Dave Matthews Band!
At the Starr Hill show, I saw 15 to 20 listeners at best for Army of Me. Yes, they did have to work for their applause. The only crowd that gathered was for Monticello Road. I couldn’t believe the number of people who sang along to the lyrics of their original material. I don’t think Monticello Road has grown comfortable with their local crowd, I just think that their fans are in the palms of their hands. And for you as a reviewer, familiarity breeds contempt.
Lastly, I’d like to comment on the “overdone” performance. What does gum chewing say about a performance? Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters says he chews gum onstage because it helps his vocal cords. The only stunt I noticed was Monticello Road throwing out a salute to the pun “…bust a cap in your cracker @$%” in “Belmont Song,” and that was great. I got to speak to Kyle Rannigan and the others briefly after the show. He was completely grounded and all smiles; he even gave me a free CD. I would say they are a completely approachable band as a whole. The only ego a saw was the alter ego of Army of Me’s lead singer, Vince Scheuerman, who sang in a faux British accent and wore a hideous costume jacket for attention. I ask you now, who is more genuine?
Your review was a jealous and vindictive attack on Monticello Road, their “beautiful 20something” fans, and a personal attack on singer Kyle Rannigan. You should be ashamed. Local music needs your support. If you are a music critic, stay in your league and talk about the music.
Dave Semus
semustard@yahoo.com