In a recent interview, American Football guitarist player Steve Holmes explains being influenced by post-rock bands like Tortoise and the Sea & Cake, going as far as admitting that he copped a riff off of Sea & Cake's "Jacking the Ball" for an early American Football song, "The One With The Tambourine."
Birthmark principal Nate Kinsella — who plays bass in the reunited version of American Football — has mentioned the hypnotizing effect of D'Angelo's 2014 album Black Messiah. Online, Mike Kinsella — frontman for the Chicago-based band coming to Ybor City on August 10 — has not been shy about his appreciation of Taylor Swift. And while there's no telling what the band will play at an afterparty following its show at Orpheum this summer, you probably won't hear any emo.
BOYS DON'T CRY
The Crate Brothers celebrate two years of Emo Night Tampa
"Yeah, Theo asked me, so I said I'd run it by the band," Mike Kinsella, setting up a joke, told CL in a recent interview. "They were cool with it as long as we didn't have to play emo."
We're pretty sure that Theo Severson — a co-founder of Emo Night Tampa — is fine with whatever the band plays during its post-show DJ set at The Bricks.
"It's that tired answer, but it's true. They are one of those bands that when listening to their stuff, it feels like they are speaking directly to you. I think that is one of the most important things. That connection between listener & artist," Severson, 40, wrote to CL when asked about bringing the band to other end of Seventh Avenue. Severson's Emo Night is much different than the traveling Emo Nites that mostly focus on bands from the genre's third wave and is approaching its third anniversary (more on that below). He didn't mince words when ask about American Football's influence on his life.
"If I had a personal music hall of fame, AF would be in it for sure. This is huge for me personally. This would be like djing with Q-Tip, Bjork or Morrissey," he said.
What's more is that Emo Night Tampa has announced big plans for its third anniversary weekend which includes an appearance from Rainer Maria's Catherine DeMarrais, who'll guest DJ on Saturday, June 2 and then play a show alongside Tampa emo-band Pohgoh and Orlando export Expert Timing on Sunday, June 3. When asked about expanding the celebration to two days, Severson said this:
"It's the the three year — I gotta give back to everyone who supported."
Get more information on the August 10 American Football show at Orpheum here. See posters (including one for the Emo Night Tampa anniversary show) below.