Anthemic

I had the privilege of seeing the Gaslight Anthem at Roseland last month on a bill that included Thrice, Alkaline Trio, and Rise Against. Gaslight was easily the show-stealer and was every bit as exciting as I predicted they'd be. As mentioned in my review of their latest offering, The '59 Sound, these Jersey Boys perfectly combine the heart wrenching maudlin storytelling of an early Springsteen with the brashness of today's premiere punk acts. Thought I'd give them another shout out. Right now, this band is battling it out with the Fleet Foxes for my breakthrough band of the year. I guess I missed the boat on some of Gaslight's really tiny gigs at the Knitting Factory, so here's hoping they'll throw together a top-billing club tour in the near future.

Anyway, if you go over to FuelFriends, you can download a (free) great acoustic set of some of 59's offerings. Please take advantage of this. You won't be sorry.

In other Gaslight Anthem news, lead singer Brian Fallon will be the opening act for Jesse Malin's Christmas show at the Bowery Ballroom next month (12/19).