VersaEmerge

Usually, there’s about one show every month where I lose all of my journalistic impartiality when discussing that show as one of my Frequency picks for that week. And by “lose,” I mean “abandon recklessly, knowingly, willingly and without regard to repercussions.” Last month, it was the There for Tomorrow/Graduate shows. This month, it’s this one. Given my well-voiced distaste for the state itself, there seems to be some cosmic irony at hand that they, along with the TFT guys, are native Floridians. As if the rock gods themselves heard my curse on the godforsaken state during my lovely visit while on Warped Tour, and instead decided to smite down upon me. Regardless of their point of origin, the threesome are one of the best up-and-coming bands in their genre. And, dare I say it, arguably the single best girl-fronted band that’s on their level of exposure. Though I love me some girl-fronted emo pop and am all for girls getting up behind the mic, I have to say, frontwoman Sierra Kusterbeck is one of precious few who’s legitimately got the talent to back her stage presence. A powerhouse vocalist who can still hold an intelligent conversation about lyricism and song structure, she’s the quintessential full package. The fact that guitarist Blake Harnage and Devin Ingelido also both find time on the band’s albums and in their live shows to really shine and show their individuality makes the band all the more impressive as a whole. No egos, no pretenses, no riding anyone else’s coattails, just some really talented kids on stage playing some really good music. - Brien Overly