Concert Review: Cemetery Sun Bury Warsaw In Good Music

When you think Cemetery Sun, by title alone, you think of darkness and light or death and rebirth, which are good contrasts to describe to the band. Its members are bright, young men with the noble goal to rock your socks off. They resonate, completely, with head-banging culture and made everyone at Warsaw want to swish their heads back and forth like they were ships sailing the musical seas pirated by Cemetery Sun. An imaginative note for a band that uses fantastical bravado to etch out their lyrical visions. 
When you are trying to stand out, especially in NYC, you have to have a bravado to you. People need to feel your confidence because, in many ways, New York has a surplus of confidence by the number people as well as artists. Thus, what struck me most about Cemetery Sun as performers is how they approached their music, fans, and themselves with importance. Yet, it was not an importance of arrogance, but instead the talent and eagerness of lead singer Josh Doty, to convey their songs as if they human opuses lived by everyone in the crowd. 

Wish It Was Love

//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/platform.jsCall it the “X factor”, but Josh Doty has a way of singing music that makes you feel as if he is, literally, going through the scenarios of the songs before your eyes. No he does not do interpretive dance, but somehow his body speaks like a witness to his voice. Whether he is closing his eyes in agony to “Sleeping It Off” or calling out “Fake Love”, you feel that he feels what he says, which goes to show that not much is needed, beyond your fellow bandmates, to carry a song’s worth. Sure, visuals are great and choreography can be exhilarating, but there is something beautiful about seeing an artist capture their music and audience as if they owned them. Hence, my use of “important”, as not a sign of arrogance, but care for what you are doing for others. Cemetery Sun not only performed with the adrenaline that is expected of a band that clearly is influenced by 90’s emo-rock, but also the consciousness of an artist that knows its desire: to rule the music scene.

E.Y.T.Y.K

//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/platform.jsWalking out of Warsaw, I could not stop thinking of the confidence and professionalism of Cemetery Sun. Professionalism does sound rather formal for a concert review, but this is a band that already has the full package with the capacity to be a headliner RIGHT NOW. Yes, they opened for the phenomenal The Struts, but their set was so lively and meticulous in delivery, I felt the night had two headliners. Moreover, EMO-ROCK RULES! There were definite callbacks to Blink 182 in sonics and presence, which was amazing to watch. It made the audience feel like we were gathered at our friends garage to act like we do not care what people think of us or for our parents’ rules. Yet, despite their 90’s influences, they sound incredibly modern thanks to electronic synths that forward their emo-rock resonance with the past into modern electric rock with sentimental motivations. Thus, emotions are never lost, but elevated by electro-beats that, again, make you want to head-bang/ mosh-pit as if life was bursting out of you.

//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/platform.jsCemetery Sun has a really bright future. I walked out of Warsaw feeling like I could see them  headlining at Barclays next year… easy. Their new, self-titled debut EP is filled with hits that blend the angst people revel from the rock genre with “radio-friendly” synths, which satisfies two streams: main and spiritual. They are a band to see and hear when you want the radio feel mixed in with a rock n’ roll rave. For More Information On Cemetery Sun Click Here .