There has not been another band or musician that I have loved as much as I love Five Iron Frenzy.
I caught myself singing along in the car yesterday to songs I didn't even "like" per se. I just know almost all the words to all the songs on all 6 of the "albums" plus the variations on the 2 live albums.
I'm not quite sure what it is about the music that band made. Maybe it's because they're just a bunch of nerds using clever lyrics mixed in with cultural and literary references. Maybe it's because of the way Reese Roper wore his heart on his sleeve. Maybe it's because listening to them made me feel validated and affirmed in some of my negative feelings about the church, but in a really good way. A way that challenged me and made me think differently, counter-intuitively.
Lori and I had tickets to go to their final show in Denver Colorado on November 22nd, 2003, but when I was cast in the Crucible I opted not to go. I still get a little bit sad when I think about the fact that I missed that show, but I did manage to see them 13 times over the years that they were around, so I really can't complain. I cried like a baby at the last San Diego show, which I thought would be the last time I would see them. Then I got to see them the next day in LA when I wasn't called for rehearsal, and that was just sweetly anti-climactic and joyous.
Only someone like Jeanne, with her ravenous love for The Mountain Goats, or maybe Joe at a Death Cab show, could understand the level of happiness that those moments bring.
Five Iron definitely had a solid fan base, as in, a lot of people who loved them the way I did. In fact, I saw a guy who I used to regularly see at shows at Disneyland last time I was there. He was wearing a Five Iron shirt, but I would have recognized him without it. I think he might have recognized me, too. We were fans on the same boat, scrambling to get to the front row so we could be pushed around and sweat and spit on. I took a lot of that kind of abuse at the Chain Reaction show, but that is one of my favorite memories.
Five Iron will never be in the hall of fame. You've probably never even heard of them. But in the hearts of fans like me, their music and memories of their shows will continue to bring joy.
I caught myself singing along in the car yesterday to songs I didn't even "like" per se. I just know almost all the words to all the songs on all 6 of the "albums" plus the variations on the 2 live albums.
I'm not quite sure what it is about the music that band made. Maybe it's because they're just a bunch of nerds using clever lyrics mixed in with cultural and literary references. Maybe it's because of the way Reese Roper wore his heart on his sleeve. Maybe it's because listening to them made me feel validated and affirmed in some of my negative feelings about the church, but in a really good way. A way that challenged me and made me think differently, counter-intuitively.
Lori and I had tickets to go to their final show in Denver Colorado on November 22nd, 2003, but when I was cast in the Crucible I opted not to go. I still get a little bit sad when I think about the fact that I missed that show, but I did manage to see them 13 times over the years that they were around, so I really can't complain. I cried like a baby at the last San Diego show, which I thought would be the last time I would see them. Then I got to see them the next day in LA when I wasn't called for rehearsal, and that was just sweetly anti-climactic and joyous.
Only someone like Jeanne, with her ravenous love for The Mountain Goats, or maybe Joe at a Death Cab show, could understand the level of happiness that those moments bring.
Five Iron definitely had a solid fan base, as in, a lot of people who loved them the way I did. In fact, I saw a guy who I used to regularly see at shows at Disneyland last time I was there. He was wearing a Five Iron shirt, but I would have recognized him without it. I think he might have recognized me, too. We were fans on the same boat, scrambling to get to the front row so we could be pushed around and sweat and spit on. I took a lot of that kind of abuse at the Chain Reaction show, but that is one of my favorite memories.
Five Iron will never be in the hall of fame. You've probably never even heard of them. But in the hearts of fans like me, their music and memories of their shows will continue to bring joy.
Five Iron Frenzy was an amazing band. Have you heard about the new DVD they are releasing? http://fiveironfrenzy.com/
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