Events

[EMO] Bayside’s Vacancy was written while front man Anthony Raneri was holed up living in a hotel room in the wake of a divorce – and it shows. Good thing for Raneri that he leads a modern punk outfit that traffics in just that sort of misery, providing him a vehicle for his angst. Vacancy is another consistent chapter in Bayside’s output, now totaling seven albums, and while it’s not a terribly original sound (Alkaline Trio comparisons abound), the key to their success is in the quality of the songwriting. Finding fresh ways to articulate rage and misery isn’t as easy as you might think—the struggle is real. Joining the Long island four piece at Town Ballroom on Wednesday, May 10, is Say Anything, supporting their 2016 Equal Vision release I Don’t Think It Is – the back story for which includes an unimaginable (but real) meeting between Say Anything focal point Max Bemis and Kanye West, who sat together for a few hours and exchanged ideas while checking out each others’ latest demos. Bemis is as full of grandiose horseshit as ever, but credit where it’s due: the album straddles abrasive punk and (sometimes folky) power pop with the wit and panache that’s more-or-less informed all of his work since the initial buzz over 2005’s “…Is a Real Boy.” If it wasn’t a bit loony tunes, it wouldn’t be Bemis. Reggie and the Full Effect opens.