Review by Betsy Young

It may have been chilly and inhospitable outside, but someone must have forgotten to tell the band, because they were red hot. Awash in the silvery glow of the Kirkland’s neon, the boys launched into a full-fledged onslaught of well-tempered rock that was at once smooth as silk and rough as a kitten’s tongue. This dichotomy served to underscore the real essence of the band: they are gifted with a sense of flawless melody and the ability to carve a pop gem from an ordinary piece of musical coal (this metaphor is already of questionable merit, but work with me here, kids) but it is their unyielding and unapologetic need to rock that compresses that coal into the network solid that is Scamper.

The set was full of favorites, old and new alike. As was the crowd, featuring visitors from the left coast along with some of the old gang. A good time was had by all, as evidenced by the tapping of toes and the snapping of fingers.

The openers were much like a goody bag plucked straight from a rock-n-roll birthday party. Go ahead, reach inside, see what you find...

I missed Erin Harkes, so am unable to comment on what sort of treat she would have been, but went to her website and learned that she’s a looker. Therefore, in absentia, I will liken her to a RingPop™. They’re great and pretty and fun to wear, of course, if you actually attempt to enjoy one of these treats you end up with a sticky mess all over your hand. Let that be a lesson to you. Next up were the Country Doctors. In a strange marriage of alt-country and herky-jerky seizure-rock, these "dudes" definitely had a style of their own (except Block from NYC has this style too, which is all his own, as well). They also had an admirer. He really liked the Country Doctors with the kind of vigor that should be reserved for anime porn and Legos™. These factors all point to the fact that the Country Doctors are the Circus Peanuts™ of this rock-n-roll goody bag. The CryBabies, who had the dubious honor of following the aforementioned Country Doctors, are the Smarties™ or PixiStix™ of this goody bag. Draw your own conclusions.