Music has a history of promoting change, and State Radio’s show last Saturday night had a strong focus on civil obligation and political activism. In a show sponsored by AU’s Student Union Board (SUB) and held in the Tavern, they were able to bring local politics and universal musicality.
Voting was the theme of the night; volunteers hopped around the line into the show encouraging students to register to vote in D.C. The volunteers sought seeks to gain student voters so that representation from the University is heard for issues including dorm expansion and dining hall renovation.
Endway opened the night with an upbeat pop/rock-style set. While generic in their style and lyrics, they kept the audience intrigued with their energy. Conversing with the audience — specifically one overly-excited group of students — they reminisced of missing significant others while being in college and promoting hard work.
Opening with “Running Man,” Endway’s lead singer Morgan Dorr posed the question: “How many of you feel like the running man sometimes?” followed by “Give it up for hard work.” The band was immediately able to connect with the audience, attempting to inspire them. Passion also shined through with Dorr’s proclamation that “we never stop making music because we love it so much.” Group sing-a-longs were prominent as well, led by the whole band. At their conclusion, Dorr recognized the voting campaign when he reminded students to “sign up to vote. We are America.”
After much anticipation, State Radio moseyed onto the stage and took the show to a whole new level. Chad Stokes Urmston (lead guitar/vocals), former member of the rock band Dispatch, entered the Tavern sporting a shirt with an illustration of a fishing Snoopy and a “guitar” made from what used to be a can of gasoline. Chuck Fay (bass/vocals) walked onto the stage with leis covering his entire neck, thanked whomever put leis in the dressing room and proceeded to throw them out to audience members as the night progressed.
Opening with “Good Graces,” State Radio’s heavier sound captured the crowd’s attention. Playing a variety of their songs from their 13 albums including “Us Against the Crown,” “Year of the Crow,” and “Let It Go.” Songs like “Mansin Humanity,” “Guantanamo,” “Time Served” and “Bostonia” revealed the darker side of this ska-alternative band’s style. “Calling All Crows,” “CIA,” “People to People,” “Dr. Ron, the Actor” and “Camilo” were more upbeat crowd pleasers, with audience members singing along and rocking to the Bob Marley-influenced beat. “People to People” shined as one of many hits of the night, with a smashing solo by Urmston on a more common electric guitar this time.
Whether brash or upbeat, many of the songs’ lyrics reflect a theme of service and humanity. In addition to being complex and layered, State Radio’s lyrics, primarily written by Urmston, give way to the band’s intense focus on the importance of service. Urmston gave a shout out to the voter registration volunteers in the back of the crowd, reminding students that it only takes 20 seconds to register, and that “a lot of us wouldn’t be here without democracy.” The band has supported many causes in the past, including raising money and awareness for women refugees in Sudan.
When asked about his thoughts on the changing music industry, Urmston responded, “We rely on the live show — I’m all for file sharing, stealing shit.” They said that they are fine living off of ticket sales and enjoy sticking to their own record company, Ruff Shod. There is no doubt that State Radio stand for something, and they continue to survive and thrive in this world of setbacks for musicians.
thescene@theeagleonline.com
