Anathallo

The first time seeing the seven member band open for The Format left me standing with my mouth agape. I had never heard or read anything about this group of Mt. Pleasant, Michiganites, and the preceding opener scolded the crowd for their initial lack-luster applause:

Singer- ‘Hey guys, thanks for coming out tonight. We’ve got a few more songs and up next is Anathallo.’
Crowd-(Unenthusiastic smattering of applause. Some ‘woos.’)
Singer- ‘You guys are gonna feel like jerks for not clapping after you hear them play.’

Anathallo followed and converted the entire audience. They didn’t just get some applause and some charity enthusiasm, they unabashedly performed (not just played instruments, but performed) and made believers of us all. Lead singer Matt Joynt finished the set by bashfully admitting, ‘This is largest crowd we’ve ever played for, and I’ve never heard anyone be so loud during the loud parts and so quiet during the quiet parts. So thank you, truly, thank you.’

Seeing them at Bucky McAwesome’s was an equally as memorable live show. We drove to the Bloomington, IN venue expecting to see a marquee with “ANATHALLO TONIGHT” in lights. Instead, we pulled over in a quaint college neighborhood at the address on our directions and saw a one story house with six students drinking from red solo cups and eating grilled brats on the porch. What? So we walked up to the students and asked: ‘Um, hey. Is this where the Anathallo show is?’ One of the girls replied: ‘Yup, in the basement. You guys want a brat or something to drink?’ … I not only love Anathallo’s music and personality but I’m also the rest of their fan base. What happened was that some of Anathallo’s friends attend IU and were hosting them at their house due to a canceled show in Columbus, IN. So their friends opened their doors and their hearts to everyone who came. Too much.

The music started and more people crammed into the basement, peeking and straining on tip toes to see over the shaggy haired college kids huddled together in the front. Captivating the crowd with every hand clap and time signature change, Matt Joynt and company cultivated their sound from the basement’s meager acoustics and shabby carpeted floors. The set was cut short, however, when police arrived to shut down the house party. Apparently the number of people inside the house not only constituted a fire hazard but a noise violation as well. Hopefully the next show will be a little longer and have a set longer than 20 minutes, but other than that the experience was worth it.