From Vancouver, British Columbia, the band Marianas Trench began their journey fifteen years ago. Rising from the ashes of Lead Vocalist/Guitarist Josh Ramsay’s previous project, Ramsay Fiction, Marianas Trench developed their upbeat Pop Punk Rock sound, and by 2002 were signed to Nickelback vocalist Chad Kroeger label, 604 Records. Now in 2016, the band has sixteen highly charted singles in Canada and released four studio albums, including 2015’s Astoria. Their first record since 2011’s Ever After, Astoria is, in fact, their highest charted record in American charts to date, and in its support, they kicked off their Hey You Guys!! Tour on November 3rd. Then, a second leg was announced for 2016, beginning January 13th, extending the overall tour to over forty shows. Finally, after patiently waiting, Long Island, New York fans had the opportunity to see the exciting show when Marianas Trench made their way to The Paramount in Huntington Village on Friday, January 29th, with supporting act Mainland. Marking their first ever visit to the venue, most Long Islanders in the past had to travel into New York City to see the band, but now they were right in their backyard, and excitement was high as everyone packed in.
Opening the show was Brooklyn based Mainland who has been out on the road with Marianas Trench, having a blast in the process. A hometown show for Guitarist/Vocalist Jordan Topf, Guitarist Corey Mullee, Bassist Alex Pitta, and Drummer Joey Sulkowski were determined to show the crowd how a band from New York throws a party. Signed to 300 Entertainment, the band has released three EPs including their December 2015 release, Outcast, a record they call their most passionate and honest to date. Now they were ready to bring their brand of Post-Punk, Pop Rock to the stage of The Paramount.
Topf knew exactly what the crowd wanted from the start and he made sure he was going to give it to them. Backed by his bandmates, the four guys were full of energy as they played a set that included a mix of tracks from all their releases. With an upbeat ’80s influenced sound, they played for around forty minutes, and even rocked out their catchy single “Outcast.” Mainland had everyone in a dancing mood and warmed up for the main event as they received a huge round of applause. With a diverse sound containing plenty of dynamics, Mainland is a band to watch out for. They will be on the Hey You Guys!! Tour for its duration. Be on the look out for their debut full-length album, Night Trials, due out some time this coming Spring.
Following a bring intermission, up next was headliners Marianas Trench. Initially playing four tri-state area dates on the first leg of the tour, the closest show for Long Islanders during that time was the November 25th date in Montclair, New Jersey. Unfortunately, the band does not make their way to The States as often as some fans would like, so one could only imagine what the energy in The Paramount was like. In fact, the last time many saw them live was on June 13, 2013 when the band had played Irving Plaza in New York City. Now armed with their positively received Astoria album, they were ready to bring a energized performance to their fans in waiting.
Patiently standing on the floor, the crowd was full of anticipation as they anxiously awaited Ramsay, Lead Guitarist Matt Webb, Bassist Mike Ayley, and Drummer Ian Casselman to take the stage. Then, suddenly, the lights dimmed and everyone screamed in excitement as Casselman made his way onto the stage, starting off by playing alone, waiting for the others to join him. One by one, Webb, Ayley, and last, but not least, Ramsay joined him on stage to open with the first song off their new album, “Astoria.” Having everyone moving, the band fed off the adrenaline the audience provided and continued on with a balanced attack of tracks from their past including 2009 singles “Celebrity Status” and “All to Myself,” as well as Ever After favorites, “Fallout” as well as “Stutter.” Of course they also offered up newer songs such as “This Means War,” “Who Do You Love,” and single “One Love” to name a few.
As Ramsay held on to his microphone with low-cut pants and his fit chest and abdominal area exposed, the provocative vocalist remained on the right side of classy throughout the set and had the crowd in the palm of his hand as he sang passionately. At one point during the set, Ramsey, Webb, and Ayley all met up in the middle of the stage and sang a small duet from the same microphone to the pleasure of the audience. Furthermore, before playing “Shut Up and Kiss Me,” Ramsey invited a few lucky fans up on stage to become the Mariana’s Trench backup dancers. During the song, they all danced around on the stage, but Ramsay, highly interactive to the audience, made his way to the barricade to give more fans attention. Wrapping up their main set with more favorites including “Pop 101” and “Cross My Heart,” the band had the audience begging for more.
Then, to slow things down, Ramsey played “Good to You” acoustically with help from the crowd. Hitting high-pitched notes, it was a heartwarming moment that had fan’s ears tingling. Thereafter, the band, as a whole, began to play “Haven’t Had Enough,” and it was at this time Ramsay made his way onto the floor, singing as well as dancing face to face with all the people in the back of the room. They turned the lights on, and there was not a still body in the house as everyone was grooving and having a blast. Once the song was over, he made his way back to the stage and they closed out the night with “End of an Era.”
Marianas Trench, with the help of Mainland, made this a night to remember for everyone. People who were seeing them for the first time were turned into fans, and people who were already fans got exactly what they came out to see. In enough words, the show was one big dance party and their fans left with smiles ear to ear. Providing a good balance music with entertainment value, and some humor, Marianas Trench were a delightful bunch from start to finish. They even stuck around after their set to come down off stage, meet fans, take photos, and sign autographs. While the band has been around for some time and built a respected name, it seems they are only on the brink of stardom here in America, and it is well deserved. The Hey You Guys!! Tour continues through February 14th when it wraps up in Grand Rapid, Michigan. Do not to hesitate, get out there and see Marianas Trench before it is too late.
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