We Are Scientists at Emo’s, 10/28/10

Photo by Dan Monick

While the Ke$has, Biebers and Owl Cities of the world flash in and out of the public conscious, there are some really awesome, hard-working bands that continue to get by and produce exciting music in the long term. We Are Scientists proved to be one of those bands when they hit Emo’s last Thursday, Oct. 28. The trio (comprised of mainstays Keith Murray and Chris Cain, plus a rotating drummer) first formed in 1997, and hit it big with 2005’s With Love and Squalor. They’ve since put out two more full-length records, so with all that material and history behind them, I expected a packed venue when I arrived at about 11:30 p.m. Instead, I was met with a fairly empty Emo’s, with maybe 35 people crowded around the stage, checking out openers Twin Tigers. By midnight, the room had filled out a little, but it was still far from a full house. Of course, this show was competing with Interpol at Stubb’s, Bad Brains at the Mohawk, Ghostland Observatory in Cedar Park and the myriad local gigs that crop up every night. None of this seemed to matter one bit to the band – they played with the same energy I imagine they give off at every single show.

The same sort of big-little band dichotomy I’ve seen at Yeasayer shows permeated the We Are Scientists gig, too – for example, Murray came out to set up his own equipment, and though a number of camera flashes could be seen, the crowd remained pretty calm.

I was only familiar with Squalor (I know, for shame!!), so I wasn’t sure what the names of the newer tunes were. But I could tell the Scientists opened with a crowd-pleaser, as the youngins in the front waved their arms wildly and sang every word.

The story of the night, apart from expert playing and really fun songs, was unquestionably the band’s charisma. Murray has a lady-killer smile and hair that flips just so, and Cain is hilarious, poking fun at his bandmate, himself, the band, and anything else that he comes across. After the one-two punch of Squalor tunes “This Scene Is Dead” and “Inaction,” Cain introduced the band, and Murray said, “Nonono, they know who we are, c’mon. They know who we are by now!” This was a running joke for the evening, where Cain would continue to re-introduce the group to Murray’s greater (feigned) frustration. At another point, when the duo were bantering, someone from the crowd yelled to Murray, “You’ve got great teeth!” Murray gave a huge grin, then subtly moved through various strongman poses, while Cain explained the audience member had just made a huge mistake, because Murray would now be insufferable for the rest of the tour.

At another point, one of the Twin Tigers came out to (jokingly) ask the band to turn their sound down, because her friend’s band was performing in the other room. Thus, the Scientists challenged the other group to a knife fight post-show that saw Cain ripping his shirt open, ready for battle. Later, the other group sent shots of Patron over to the trio. Cain mused, “Well, this is very nice! A gentlemen’s way to end this battle.” Murray was not so easily won over: “No, this is not good enough. I do not accept this.” Cain: “You don’t accept it?” Murray: “Well, I mean, I’ll drink it, but I don’t accept it. I accept it into my body.”

In all of their hilarious interactions, the band didn’t forget about their fans. During “Textbook,” Murray leapt into the audience with his guitar and mic stand, and sang right to lucky listeners as people danced around him and sang along. They also played a ton of their big hits, including “Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt” and “Great Escape,” and even gave a Murray-heckler the mic in between songs.

To end their set, Murray hopped up on the drum kit, and then instead of jumping off of it back onto the stage, he leapt into the drummer’s lap, and the two toppled down to the ground together, coming back up for air inexplicably holding a painting of Martin Luther King, Jr. Cain then forced the longest outro of all time, which eventually turned into one last encore song (though only the drummer ever left the stage). All of these antics make We Are Scientists gigs some of the most fun you could attend. What grounds their shows, though, is the upbeat, dancey, energetic and often dark-but-relatable songs that Murray and Cain have crafted.

TV Torso and Corto Maltese

There’s a great local lineup at Emo’s tomorrow night. Jesse Woods kicks everything off with his brand of funky folk-rock, then Corto Maltese will melt your face with their swagger. Finally, TV Torso will continue to rock you into the night. The show is 18+, doors are at 8pm, it’s only $8 and I better see you there!

The Mosh Lives II Tour

The Mosh Lives II Tour will be at Emo’s Wendesday, February 10, with Emmure, Terror, After the Burial, Miss May I, Thick as Blood and Falsetta.  Doors are at 6 and advance tickets are only $13, a steal for such a great show!