Before the show took place, I had a chance to sit down with Shiny Toy Guns for a while. Here is the video of that exchange.

If you fancy yourself a hell of a performance when you attend a concert, look no further than the Shiny Toy Guns experience.

Since I last caught up with Shiny Toy Guns in March, the band has had some ups and downs.  Notably, they have officially finished their latest album, III, and Daniel Johansson has left the band.  When a band loses a member, many might assume that the live event would suffer.  Or worse, a a rift would divide the band.  Not so!  Jeremy Dawson, Chad Petree, Carah Faye, and Mikey Martin have an undeniable chemistry, and appear closer than ever.  And for good reason!  After more than three years of blood, sweat, and tears, Shiny Toy Guns is finally poised to release the aforementioned new album. With the studio work behind them, Faye and Dawson have been traveling the country capturing video content to accompany the release.  Running on nothing but coffee and Cheez-Its, Faye and Dawson met up with Petree and Martin for a one-off gig in the blistering heat of San Antonio, TX.

The atmosphere at Joasabi’s is unique.  A blend of relaxing bar and amphitheater, Josabi’s is set about twenty miles outside of San Antonio proper, in the city of Helotes, Texas.  Although a bit of a drive, the fans made it out for a night of spectacular music that even included local favorites, The Panic Division.

Just after 10:30PM. Shiny Toy Guns took the stage to  “Together Again” and immediately jumped into the first release off the new album, “The Sun.”  Unlike the studio version, the band plays a broken down version of “The Sun” for the live set.  The changes are most noticeable toward the end of the song, when the drum pattern transforms the song into a rhythmic masterpiece, suitable for moshing, stage diving, head banging, or however you prefer to enjoy your favorite rock anthems.  Even with the subtle differences from the original release, fans were engaged, singing in unison as Faye and Petree conducted the crowd like a symphony.  Although the original lineup, it is evident that this is a new Shiny Toy Guns, loving every minute of their time together yet performing with a maturity not shared by many of their contemporaries.

After playing an opening that was familiar, yet new, the band threw a catapult of enthusiasm into the crowd with the pulsating introduction to “Starts With One.”  Singer / Guitarist Chad Petree didn’t even need to open his mouth.  The crowd already had the lyrics covered.  Although never a single, “Starts With One” was a standout song from the Grammy-nominated We Are Pilots.  The song is the elegant blend of energy and catchy, which is why this song fits so perfectly at the beginning of the set.

After a dazzling performance of “Ricochet!,” Faye took the fans on a journey into the heart of their new album.   Arguably the catchiest Shiny Toy Guns song of the catalog, “Somewhere to Hide” beautifully highlights Faye’s vocal prowess.  Dawson started the song with a melodic combination of synths.  Moments in, Martin set the beat (which gradually builds throughout the song).  Finally, Faye started in with a delicate vocal that exploded to an all out fireworks display by the chorus.  If I was a betting man, I would double down on this song to be the first single off III.  Not only the the song supremely catchy, but it also perfectly suits Shiny Toy Guns as a band, born again and ready to reach new heights.

For the next song, Petree assumed lead vocal duties.  In his performance of “Rainy Monday,” it was clear that Petree’s voice has continued to fill out.  On this night, his voice had astonishing depth and substance.  Many guitarist / vocalists have a tough time taking advantage of their vocal range while fully mastering their guitar licks.  Not Petree.  He performs in a way that allows his voice and guitar work to be independently outstanding, and outright masterful taken as a combination.

When Shiny Toy Guns recorded a cover of Peter Schilling’s “Major Tom,” they probably had no idea how popular their version would become.  After Lincoln decided to use the song in an advertising campaign, the song became a massive hit.  During the song, the band and the audience were one.  With their hands in the air and their bodies moving to the beat, the audience sang every word of the song along with Faye.  By mid-set, the band had already fostered an energy and enthusiasm with the crowd that is usually only seen during an encore performance.  Yet, only seven songs in, the crowd was already begging for more.

Jeremy Dawson’s talent simply can’t be overstated.  Throughout the set, he frequently jumps from one instrument to another.  In some instances, he takes on multiple roles at once.  In “Mercy,” Dawson performs the opening keyboard parts with his bass guitar strapped across his body.  As soon as he completes the opening, he swings his bass around and thrashes around on stage in all-out rockstar mode.  After he exerted an unbelievable amount of energy with the performance, he once again assumed the keyboards before the end of the song.  Covered in sweat with his bass dangling at his side, Dawson flawlessly executed a complete shift in the song’s dynamics.  Right when you think the song is about the end, the song is stripped of all guitar and drums, leaving only Dawson to play the way through.  For certain songs, it is apparent how critical each member of the band is to the overall product.  In my opinion, the live performance of this song illustrates just how important Dawon is to this band.  For a band filled with immensely talented people, Dawson is a certain standout.

Over the course of the evening, it was clear that the band was having a blast.  Throughout the set Petree would stalk the stage, taking the time to toy around with Dawson’s keyboards or simply pay a visit to Martin’s drum set.  It was during the band’s performance of “Rocketship” that the fans really got a glimpse into the band’s lighter side.  Faye grabbed a bottle of water, took a giant mouthful, and proceeded to spray Petree, Martin, and Dawson relentlessly.  No guitar, keyboard, or drum was safe.  Everything was getting soaked.  Even the audience.  It was clear they were having a blast, and that infectious enthusiasm spread throughout the crowd like wild fire.  By the time the band left the stage, the crowd wasn’t ready to let go.

With the crowd chanting “we want more” and “S.T.G.”, the band took the stage again for two more.  Although it was nearly 100 degrees at this outdoor event, Dawson, Petree, Faye, and Martin performed “Don’t Cry Out” and “You Are the One” with the same level of precision, control, and energy you’d expect from the first song of the set.

Shiny Toy Guns exemplify everything that is right about music today.  They LOVE their fans.  Their music has meaning.  Their live set is filled with heart and soul.  According to Faye, the band is filled with and surrounded by “positive energy.”  It certainly shows.

Setlist:

Intro (Together Again) The Sun Starts With One Ricochet! Somewhere to Hide Rainy Monday Shaken Major Tom Mercy Ghost Town Stripped Speaking Japanese Le Disko Rocketship

Encore:

Don’t Cry Out You Are the One

The Panic Division

Back in 2005, The Panic Division took the alt / indie / punk scene by storm with the release of their debut album Versus.  In 2007, the band avoided the sophomore slump with the phenomenal Songs from the Glasshouse.  Littered with radio-ready tracks, Songs from the Glasshouse was destined for success.  Only one problem – the band couldn’t stick together long enough to enjoy that success.  Shortly after the release, The Panic Division went on an indefinite hiatus, effectively ending a promising future in the industry.  By 2009, Colton Holliday had taken matters into his own hands.  Although always the primary songwriter for the band, the time had come for Holliday to embrace the full responsibility of that role.  Holliday dabbled in that role with the release of his first solo effort, Sleepwalker.  After the release, Holliday assembled a groups of friends to perform sporadic live sets under The Panic Division name.

Fast forward to June 1, 2012.  It had been years since the band’s last live performance.  On the heels of the The Panic Division’s latest release, Eternalism, Holliday had once again assembled a group of talented musicians to perform live sets in support of the album.  Thankfully, I was lucky enough to catch the band’s first live set in years as an opening act for Shiny Toy Guns at Josabi’s in San Antonio (Helotes), Texas.

New live ensemble or not, The Panic Division sounded great.  Holliday and crew took the stage at Josabi’s to perform a smattering of songs from the latest record.  Right out of the gate, the band played the third song off the latest record, “Miracle In You.”  In the same vein as “The Pieces That Mattered,” “Miracle In You” is an upbeat track that lends itself well to the live setting.  As the crowd continued to gather around the stage, Holliday commanded his vocal and guitar work like a freight train headed directly for the audience.  After all these years, Holliday hadn’t lost a step.  With his undeniable stage presence and charisma capturing the crowd’s attention, Colton performed an Eternalism standout, “Silver Rings.”  Written about losing some of his rings at the lake, “Silver Rings” has everything major record executives look for in a radio hit.  Catchy guitar licks, great song structure, beautiful vocal hooks and seamless transitions.  Throughout the performance of this song, Holliday’s passion for his music is apparent as he belted out every syllable with purpose and meaning.

After playing a couple more off the latest album (including must-listen “Melody Ave.”), Holliday and co. played their 2007 hit, “Big Day.”  The first (and only) single from Songs from the Glasshouse, “Big Day” in a larger-than-life rock song with both depressing and uplifting lyrics.  Although the music video for the song perfectly captures the inherent energy and emotion of the track, it is even better in the live arena.  The fans got to take a look into Holliday’s soul, as he experienced and then translated to the crowd every emotional up and down of the song’s lyrical content.

It was refreshing to see a band with so much potential get back on track.  Despite performing only five songs and playing live for the first time in years, The Panic Division put forth an unbelievably good show.  Hopefully, it was only a small taste of what’s to come.

Setlist:

Miracle In You Silver Rings Labor of Love Melody Ave. Big Day

Contact Robert at robert@starsandsatellites.com