American Hi-Fi, Autopilot Off & Eleventeen

Predictability is one of the aspects of Chico that I am most fond of. One can always bank on the fact that after Spring finals, Chico temporarily lightens it's load by about 10,000 or so people. This is great when it comes to trying to get a cup of coffee, but rock shows unfortunately suffer unduly at the hands of summer vacation, as an ample majority of those who attend said shows make their way to various elsewhere's around this fine country and beyond. This was definitely the case at Tuesday's pop-rock extravaganza , where I found myself to be among a hearty few who came to hear to extraordinary musical stylings of our friends American Hi-Fi.
Eleventeen, the openers of the evening, were nothing if not safe. Their music safely stayed within the parameters of the typical youthful rock; a bit of punk rock there, a sprinkle of power-pop there, a dabble of grittiness and voila! This safety also seemed to pervade the overall demeanor of the band members. As they played, they avoided sudden movements, much as men confronting a wild animal or disturbed individual. After a safe batch of songs, the band thanked the appropriate parties and exited the stage in favor of Autopilot Off.
Previously known as Cooter (the ramifications of which I will avoid speaking about), Autopilot Off were an amazingly deft new-school punk outfit, immediately making it apparent to the trained new-school ear why a label as big as Island/Def Jam would sign a band like Autopilot Off. Their songs all stuck to the wonderful mid-tempo of good radio-punk, melding the more pleasant aspects of Sum 41 with the rock like progressions of older pop punk bands such as Green Day. Mistakes were not made, tempos did not sag; the band churned out the jams like a pop punk android. In a moment of recklessness, the singer tore down the huge Toyota banner hanging above the stage (the tour is sponsored by Toyota; major labels make you do that kind of shit.) I later heard him being counseled about this by a roadie/manager sounding guy, who was somewhat worried about the ramifications of such an incident. The singer then explained that he had been at Panama's and that he was kind of wasted on the teas and I couldn't help but feel like he was a bro. Overall, Autopilot Off brought the bomb new-school flavor, and I'm stoked to see them at The Warped Tour.
Finally the moment that me and various small clutches of high school girls had been waiting for: American Hi-Fi. As the band launched into their first song, I couldn't help but be impressed by the professional air that hung about them like an aura. Frontman Stacy Jones was the proverbial textbook rockstar, and not even in a bad way. This professional quality was not just confined to the band's appearance and demeanor; musically speaking, they rocked out with their cock out. Opening with the more rocking cuts off of their self-titled debut (including the obligatory "Flavor of The Weak") the band defied their pop image and showcased themselves as a full-on rock outfit. Taken aback by the unexpected ferocity of both their sound and stage presence, I was simultaneously pleased and disgusted. Pleased that I was among the few who were lucky enough to witness the fine spectacle of a rock band of this caliber in such a cozy setting as that provided by The Brick Works, but disgusted by this same fact. To watch a band this good play for a mostly indifferent and most definitely meager audience is just plain disheartening. I personally felt like apologizing to each of the band members, explaining to them the cyclical nature of Chico. But I didn't.
- Daniel Taylor
- Photo By Alyssa Starkey

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