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Concert Wrap : Rooney April 26 Greek Theater

There is always an encore. Or, almost always.  
There wasn’t one at a Monday night concert at the Greek Theater on the University of Arkansas campus featuring Rooney, and that should tell you something.
For an night in late April, it was unseasonable cool for any outdoor event that didn’t involve a bonfire, the kind of night that made you wish you had a blanket tucked away in the trunk of your car.Rooney may have brought some California with them in their pop rock tunes, but they did little to heat up the night.

They didn’t do anything wrong, of course, or particularly poorly. But they didn’t transcend the evening, either, and by the time the band had played their last promised song, the crowd was running for the exits. I’m not sure if they band was willing to play that encore, but the crowd didn’t give them any chance.In a set that last just more than an hour, the group tore through a set of pop rock numbers that drew from early records and a forthcoming disc, “Eureka,” alike.But the band knew which songs to play when, kicking off the evening with an early hit “Blueside” and closing it with what are arguably their two biggest hits: “Shakin’” and “When Did Your Heart Go Missing.”

By the time the last chord had finished ringing on that song, the crowd was already waving goodbye.It’s hard to place fault. The band was solid, especially guitarist Taylor Locke, who blistered through several tastefully short solos.But the band also never reached critical mass, something that was going to be hard to accomplish considering that only 500 or so braved the cold and the UA’s finals week to see the free show.Instead, they sang their songs, the crowd cheered for the few songs they knew and then tore off for someplace warm.

A note about the openers: Goose, a local band, served as the opening act. They sounded a lot like O.A.R. in having a shimmering acoustic guitar sounds with a loose reggae beat. The band didn’t cover O.A.R., but they did cover a lot of other groups, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and John Mayer among them.

Rooney setlist: 1) Blueside; 2) If It Were Up To Me; 3) Don’t Come Around Again; 4) I Don’t Want To Lose You; 5) Daisy Duke; 6) I Can’t Get Enough; 7) You Got Me Paralyzed; Are You Afraid?; 9) Losing All Control; 10) Not Sure of the Title; 11) Sorry Sorry; 12) Suckceed; 13) I Should Have Been After You; 14) When Did Your Heart Go Missing?; 15) Shakin’  

  

Credit : NWATunedIn.com 

PART 2 

An (unexpected) enlightening conversation with Rooney

Writing for a newspaper is rarely a dull endeavor. We interview different subjects each week as our story topics change. There is no shortage of interesting people with strange stories to tell. Entire stories simply fall through. We are trained to expect the unexpected. 

Even then, we get surprised sometimes. 

Like when I picked up my phone Tuesday afternoon and Robert Schwartzman, the lead singer of Rooney, was on the other end of the line. 

He’d read my recent review of his band’s concert on April 26 at the Greek Theater and had a couple of things he wanted to tell me about it. 

Musicians calling critics out of the blue can be a prickly affair, to say the least, and no journalist I know wants to field a call from someone like, say, Ryan Adams [caution: lots of super strongly-worded foul language in the link]. 

Instead, my chat with Schwartzman was a pleasant, informative one, although he wanted to call my attention to a couple things I had said. 

I had questioned why there was no encore. Was it because the crowd was leaving? Was it because the band wasn’t enthused with the relatively low turnout or hampered by the cold? 

None of the above, Schwartzman tells me. Rooney was contracted for a certain time limit, and his band had squeezed in all the songs they wanted to play in that chunk of time. No encore was planned, and the cold didn’t chill their enthusiasm, he says. 

I also talked about the exodus of fans after the show’s final notes. There was a crowd leaving, and I know that because I was among them and followed plenty of folks out. 

But, Schwartzman says, there were plenty who stayed around for autographs, and the band spent the time to sign everything handed their way. 

I stick behind what I wrote. I think it was an accurate representation of the show, especially in my main point: “The band was solid … but the band also never reached critical mass, something that was going to be hard to accomplish considering that only 500 or so braved the cold and the UA’s finals week to see the free show.” 

But naturally, those are one-sided interpretations. Sometimes, I miss things, and it appears there was more going on than I caught at first glance in this case. 

It’s extraordinarily rare to get the chance to chat with musicians after a show, and they certainly see things on a different level than those in the stands do. 

Schwartzman was worried he wouldn’t get to play because of rain showers that persisted all day. He said the Greek Theater may have been the largest stage (physically speaking) he had ever played on in his life, and he said it challenged his band because of the wide physical gap between the stage and the musicians. 

He said he enjoyed his time in Fayetteville, and talked about all the times Rooney will play around here this summer (Tulsa, Columbia, Mo., Little Rock) with the hope of a nicer, warmer, sunnier night, which would be  a little more appropriate for their sunny pop rock tunes. 

Surprises sure make things interesting. And in this case, it served as a nice reminder that we don’t write in a vacuum. 

People are always reading. Sometimes, even those you don’t suspect. 

Credit : NWATunedIn.com 

THANK YOU to lhiggins3 for informing me about this

Ears Wide Open: Rooney

buzzbands.la

I’m not sure there are a lot of Eureka moments on “Eureka,” the forthcoming third album by Rooney — Robert Schwartzman and mates, however, have become some of the most reliable purveyors of ’60s- and ’70s-leaning power-pop around. As by-the-diagram as the L.A. quartet’s new disc sometimes feels, Taylor Locke’s sharp guitar work, as well as “Eureka’s” honeyed melodies and sticky choruses, make it a perfect summertime companion. Just try to sit still during the bouncy “Can’t Get Enough.” The album is due June 8 via the band’s own California Dreaming Records.

||| Download: “I Don’t Wanna Lose You” (e-mail required)

Credit : buzzbands.la

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MP3 At 3PM : Rooney

Magnet Magazine

In anticipation of the June 8 release of Rooney’s third album, Eureka (California Dreaming), download first single “I Don’t Wanna Lose You” below, grab a few (dozen) Coronas, call all of your friends, take off your clothes, and hit the beach. The Los Angeles rockers have done it once again, blending classic pop melodies, dance beats and echoing guitar riffs to create the perfect background to the sandy summer nights of your youth. And not only does the music suit your reckless lifestyle, you believe Robert Schwartzman as he sings with the conviction of a newlywed about the importance of holding on to love, regardless of the difficulties it will inevitably entail.

Credit : Magnet Magazine

Rooney
Eureka
California Dreaming Records/ILG
Release Date: 6/8

Tracklisting:

1.     Holdin’ On
2.     Can’t Get Enough
3.     Only Friend
4.     Into the Blue
5.     All or Nothing
6.     The Hunch
7.     I Don’t Wanna Lose You
8.     Stars and Stripes
9.     Go On
10.    You’re What I’m Looking For
11.    Not In My House
12.    Don’t Look Back At Me

First Impressions:

-Los Angeles pop rockers Rooney are releasing their third album on June 8. This is the group’s first release on its own label.     

-The album starts off with “Holdin’ On,” which is an up-tempo number and sounds like a typical Rooney song. It is very radio friendly and easily could have been the theme song to California Dreams if it were released in the ‘90s.  

-“Can’t Get Enough” is funky rhythmic track and singer Robert Schwartzman’s vocals show good range – could be something out of the G. Love catalogue, but better.  

-“Into the Blue” is a ballad featuring Schwartzman’s crooning over a piano and assorted other instruments. The song has Brian Wilson’s fingerprints all over it.

Key Tracks:

 “Holdin’ On,” “Only Friend,” “All or Nothing,” “The Hunch”

Predictions: 

Eureka shows how much Rooney’s songwriting has matured since its last album. Still maintaining its pop sensibility, these songs are crisper and the band isn’t afraid to take chances by experimenting with new sounds and styles. Don’t be surprised to hear some of these songs on the radio sometime soon.  

 CREDIT : FILTER MAGAZINE

A collection of pop bands came to Slim’s on Sunday night to rock out in front of a small but extremely enthusiastic crowd, comprising mostly young women excited to see one of their favorite bands. Personally, I was drawn to the show by the appearance of Tally Hall, but was looking forward to a full Rooney set, having only seen them as an opener before. I didn’t know an important thing about them, though, which explains a lot.The Crash Kings started the show, and I didn’t know what to write about them. They played some bluesy rock numbers that I liked, but I was getting reviewer’s writers block, so I asked for help from my fellow Spinning Platters writers who were accompanying me.

Vanessa said: “they’re like the VH-1 version of rock.”

Joel said: “they sounded, at different times, like The Police, White Stripes, Maroon 5 and Journey. They were an unoriginal band with a good sound. Their long-term future is in being a cover band.”

Tally Hall was on next, and as they were setting themselves up, I noticed that their trademark ties had disappeared, having been replaced by vests and fake mustaches. Turns out this was just a lark, as the ties returned for their main set. What didn’t return, however, was their trademark anything-goes energy. Stuck with the prospect of a 35-minute set, the band jammed as many songs as they possibly could into the set, leaving behind most of their banter. The band has all this new material to show off, and I think a 45-50 minute set would be more appropriate for them. I felt like they were reined in a bit.

Also, they were beset with some sound issues. Some monstrously loud distorted noises were heard during their setup, scaring the crowd, and it returned as the keyboard player (green tie) turned on the vocal processor for his part in “Spring and a Storm.” Also, the microphone of Rob Cantor (yellow tie) seemed to be turned down to low so when he sang he was overpowered by the harmony vocals. And then the bass was simply just turned up too loud. Being an opening band is always a bit of a crapshoot soundwise, and it’s a shame that the sound guy sevened out on this one.

You may ask, of course, how was the new material? At first listen, it feels a lot more rock oriented than the stuff on their debut album, Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum. I think “Turn the Lights Off” has the most potential to be a fan favorite. I’m looking forward to the full length album and the inevitable headlining tour, so that I’ll be able to sit on the floor with Tally Hall again. The support band slot doesn’t seem to suit them well.

Next up was Rooney, and while there were definitely a few people that left after Tally Hall finished, the enthusiastic screaming-girl response for Rooney, particularly front man Robert Schwartzman, was deafening. What I didn’t know before signing up to cover this show was that the lead singer of the band had been “the boy she dances with” in The Princess Diaries. Not that this would have changed anything about their sugary pop sound, but maybe I would have brought heartier ear plugs.

Their 18-song set was a tight 80 minutes, including encore, and they just plowed through songs from their two full length albums as well as the entirety of their new EP, A Wild One. There was a fair amount of singing along, a few crazy jumping guys, and more of that screaming. There wasn’t a boring moment in the whole set.

I don’t know exactly what to make of Rooney. On the one hand, they clearly wish that they could have been a brit pop band, but I also hear a lot of Weezer in their sound. I can’t see any reason why they’re not the most popular band in the world, but I also understand why they’re not with a major label right now. There’s nothing gimmicky about them, and unfortunately it seems that rock bands with clear hooks aren’t all the rage right now.

They do know how to cultivate the love of their fans, though, as with a $5 purchase of their new EP, you were invited to stay after the show for a meet and greet. The post-label life for Rooney is a promising one, as they’re incredibly likeable and built to last. Pop songs may not be trendy, but they’ll never truly go out of style, and Rooney is an absolutely solid pop band.

Rooney set list:

Blueside
Stay Away
Don’t Come Around Again
Terrible Person
Are You Afraid?
Wild One
If It Were Up to Me
Daisy Duke
I Don’t Understand
Paralyzed
Rockin’ in the Free World
What For
Suckceed
Sorry Sorry
ISHBAY “I Should Have Been After You”
—Encore—
Days Keep Going By
Heart
I’m Shakin’

Credit : Spinning Platters