American Football: A 25th Celebration

Ethan McConnell

Local Music Director

Do you love American Football? And no, I’m not talking about sports. American Football, after only having a short-lived presence from 1997 to 2000, made a huge mark on the mid-west emo/math rock genre by adding many elements to their tracks like pinch harmonics, arpeggiating melodies, as well as constantly changing the rhythmic meter keeping you on your toes to get a feel for the downbeat. The band members took some time after releasing their self-titled album and disbanded due to ending college courses at the time and focusing on other things outside of music. Leading up to 2014, the band would rekindle their relationship and come back to release a deluxe version of the album along with a small number of other projects. On top of that, the math-rock band would come to announce a small tour to commemorate the 25th year anniversary of the album that gave them recognition as the most acclaimed math rock record of its era.

Teethe

Coming along to support the band is none other than local Texas indie band, Teethe. Now I’ve only heard one song by them, but after seeing them open the set, it left me wanting to listen to more of their discography. The sound the band gave off was very much indie but there were hints of spacey elements making me feel like I was floating with the accompanying guitar having lots of delay and echo effects.

I think what also made me intrigued by this band was the progression of each track. You had a slow stripped intro with a melody that wasn’t too crazy along with a simple drumbeat to keep the groove between members only to ramp up to a climax to raise the energy with raw punching guitar. I asked other members in the crowd if it was their first time hearing them and how they would describe their sound. Those that answered would say it sounded, “Ethereal but raw”, or “It reminded me of a deep blue color”. With this band less is more, and you hear that on the track, “Magic of the Sale”.

To top it off, the band doesn’t just stop at cool elements in the indie genre but also brings in some hard ones like light chugs on the guitar along with chopped riffs. These guys are on my radar, and they should be on yours too. Being a local band too, if you’re ever in the area, make sure to catch them when they go on their own headlining tour starting in September.

American Football

Alright, let’s get on to the meat and potatoes of this article. Starting off with the set as soon as the members walk on, the crowd greets the well-known veterans of math rock with massive screams. The favor is returned with an extended intro of the track, “Five Silent Miles” with Lead Guitarist, Mike Kinsella absolutely tearing it down with the famous finger picking pattern. A wave of warmth is filled across the stage as you see the members groove along with each other, knowing their absence has been felt. Like I’ve said, they haven’t gone on tour since the early 2000’s, but they were performing as if they never left.

I’d also see in real time the true musicianship between members when I saw drummer Steve Lamos step away from the kit to pick up the trumpet which you hear quite often on some of their tracks and bassist Nate Kinsella rocking auxiliary instruments like shaker and tom drums. Through the set it was truly resonant from start to finish especially when fans were rocking back and forth with tracks such as, “Honestly?” and “Stay Home”. With sad boy anthems like this, the lyrics truly stick making the feeling so relatable.

I think a main component that makes American Football so compelling is their ability to change their groove rhythmically in so many of their tracks. What I mean by that is that in a lot of songs that they have, they jump between the feel of the beat divided into two and three parts. To dive deeper into that, on some sections of their songs you can count in your head, “one and two and” or “one and two and three and” with the beat. God forbid a song changes the groove and plays it a little faster. On top of this, the band does so many things like playing with such enthusiasm and pinch harmonics that just hit the spot hearing live. The professionalism, the accuracy, and the fact that you see these guys having genuine fun up on stage all make this experience one that will sit with me for a long time. Listen to an American Football song right now after reading this, whether it’s to cry on the floor or to jump around on the bed. Thank me later!