On Feb. 8, EuroGyro, a downtown bar in Kent, hosted a live music event featuring four local artists. Euro has hosted multiple shows in the past. This bill was a standard local show with no theme at all, and just used the artists and their personalities as all of the appeal. This show featured kentcore season 10 alumni, Bracelet Box.
Bracelet Box was my personal attraction, but I still wanted to see all the acts, so I showed up a half-hour early as any obsessive music nerd would. This bill featured Bracelet Box as the closing act, and three punk-based bands: The Junks, Head Trips, and Singled Out. I walked in before showtime and noticed The Junks practicing a song to test out equipment. All of the bands were comfortable sharing amps, drum sets, speakers, or any other equipment necessary to perform. After their set, The Junks’ lead guitarist, Emmitt Tarr, declared that he did not mind if the bands after them wanted to use his amp. Seeing how each band heavily supported each other and assisted in their setups was a huge highlight of the night. “I mean, I think live performances are pretty hard sometimes. Like what was seen tonight, there was a lot of sound things, stuff that was worked out.” said Drew McDowell, Bracelet Box’s lead singer, songwriter, and self-proclaimed “leader of the universe”.
A single table was placed in front of the stage to use for standing on, jumping onto, and leaning over to interact with the crowd. The rest of the visual appeal was left to the standard bar setting. The main eye candy was either the band themselves or a Larry King rerun on a huge side wall TV.
I had the pleasure of seeing the three bands before Bracelet Box. The way the three punk bands played off each other and the crowd so well was incredible to see. The Junks had a very unserious and fun set, switching from cracking lighthearted jokes and selling bright-looking custom t-shirts to performing gut-wrenching and headbanging music. The Head Trips followed, constantly engaged with the crowd, and created an energetic and hyper atmosphere. Lead singer, Lance Batton, even moshed with the crowd during this set. Singled Out performed next to last with a lighting-crazy power punk set. This band’s performance astonished me in every single way. Their instrumentation and production along with lead singer Jenny Layfield’s stunning vocals blew me away. I enjoyed the first three acts immensely.
However, Bracelet Box was the reason I showed up in the first place and they did not disappoint. The shift in tone was very drastic. The aura changed from three abrasive punk bands to a synth-pop-based indie rock band with nothing to necessarily mosh to. McDowell stated their set was “going to be a bit of a different vibe”. I noticed the type of people in the crowd changed from all black and grainy to more colorful and bright from clothes and personality alone. I picked up on how important the relationship between the crowd and the band was for each set, but this one was a true shift.
“I think the energy was probably the highest we’ve had at a concert.” Grayson Jones, bassist of Bracelet Box said. Jones also claims to be the guy who “does what Drew [McDowell] says.” As far as the actual set went, I was impressed. Bracelet Box performed multiple songs featured on kentcore’s season 10 finale, such as “Different Now” and “Fall Asleep Tonight.” Each member had amazing instrumental performances. The songwriting by McDowell on each of the songs is extremely creative, and the performances from all four members were executed to perfection. Everything ran together amazingly throughout the set. Bracelet Box kept things amusing with engaging crowd interaction, hiccups, and more. This set was a night to remember. “It went really well. I think the turnout was super cool. It was four bands. It takes some time to get through ‘em sometimes people wanna just go and take a little sleep, but I think the turnout was awesome.” McDowell said.
After the performance, Jones stated, “Big things coming, stay tuned. Bracelet Box 2025.” Jeremy Cavanaugh, keyboardist of Bracelet Box, agreed and said after, “Year of the Bracelet Box.” It seems the band’s energy and creativity are only improving.
The Junks: @thejunks.punk
Signled Out: @singled.out.216
The Head Trips: @theheadtrips_band
Bracelet Box: @braceletboxmusic
