The Appleseed Cast -- as blurry as their music. That one guy from The Paper Chase's back.

Most of the attendees (myself included) arrived a couple of songs into opening act Ostinato's set. This math rock trio was quite impressive, and -- given that they informed the audience that they have yet to enter the studio -- fairly new as well. Their sound was a bit derivative at times, but the passion and precision of their performance could not be denied. Like Roadside Monument and Don Cab, Ostinato didn't mire their sound in nebulous passages or introverted noodling, instead favoring an ongoing campaign of unpredictable shifts and downright filthy riffs -- and winning the audience over in the process. The vocals were a little flat and awkward at first, but by the end of the set they were tolerable in the context of the music. Ostinato is certainly a band to watch.

Next up were the Damn Personals. I must admit that my knowledge of the band extended no further than the moderate amount of hype they seem to be accumulating. Once they began their set, it was easy to see why the word on the street was so positive: their balls-to-the-wall, shake your moneymaker, snarling rock was a nice blend of testosterone and talent. However, mixed audience reaction and perhaps 25 minutes of playing time made the Damn Personals the evening's most forgettable act by default.

The Paper Chase stormed the stage shortly thereafter, drawing the crowd into their twisted world of woe and destruction. This was another act with which I was unfamiliar, though I had seen them tagged as everything from DC hardcore to avant-garde noise rock. To my quasi-knowledgable ears, they sounded like The Blood Brothers being fronted by Tim Kasher of Cursive. No label truly could do them justice, however; they tore through their crushing set, making excellent use of keyboards and noise, shrouding their fairly basic angular guitar attack in a sea of atmosphere. Their vocalist was truly impressive, taking the spoken/sung/half-screamed formula and making it much more palatable than the work of his peers. Rarely do bands significantly impress me on the first listen, but The Paper Chase made an impact that I will not forget any time soon.

The wait for The Appleseed Cast was longer than I would have liked, but their performance was well worth it. Although the Cast's stage presence was a little more stoic than the power of their cascading guitar riffs suggests, their lack of movement could in no way be mistaken for a lack of passion. Every chord, every note was beautiful, perfect. The drumming was changed up a bit for a few songs, notably "Fishing The Sky", but it wasn't to the music's detriment. Although the band's sound evolved significantly from Mare Vitalis to the Low Level Owl discs, their setlist was planned in a way that pooled their material in a logical manner. They played some new songs as well, which, honestly, sounded just like their not-so-new songs.

The only thing that marred The Appleseed Cast's set was the lighting. During the earlier performances, the lights in the merch room were kept dim, but during The Appleseed Cast's performance they were on full blast, making for an uneasy light/dark contrast in the venue. It's a nitpicky gripe, and if having the merch lights on helped the bands to make a few extra bucks it was worth it, but it still detracted from the atmosphere.

Although Swayze's has only been open for a couple of months, they're building a good reputation in the Atlanta scene by booking shows that few other venues could host without imposing age restrictions. Hopefully the local rock-loving populace will be supportive enough that more excellent bands will choose Atlanta over Athens when routing their tours.

Article and photos by Phillip Buchan.