On December 26th and 27th, 2010, Street Smart Cyclist reunited and played their first shows since August 2008 at the Secret Art Space in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. These two days were filled with Fender Twin Reverbs, Telecasters, friends, and lots of snow.

Street Smart Cyclist was an emo band from the Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, performing from 2005 to 2008 and helping to spark the wave of current emo bands in their home state.  Though only releasing one seven-inch and an acoustic EP before disbanding due to personal differences, their impact was strong, and the excitement over their reunion was strong among their diehard fan base.

On the first day, The World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die overcame the first band blues  and put on an awesome show.  Although their name be a little tiresome to say, their music certainly is not, evoking a  Sunny Day Real Estate vibe.  Within the past few months they have acquired two new members, Greg and Steve, who also play in My Heart To Joy, and this was the first time I saw the band with their revised lineup. Very rarely do I wish a band’s set was longer — the opening guitar riff of “Be Neon With Me” has been stuck in my head for the past couple weeks. Boston’s Ape Up followed, and were a perfect fit for the show.

Up third was Slingshot Dakota.  Is it possible to be a cuter band?   Tom and Carley are the two most genuinely nice people I’ve ever met.  Although they are a two-piece (consisting of keyboard and drums), their live show sounds full. No matter how many times I’ve seen Algernon Cadwallader it’s always ridiculously fun.  Joe, their guitarist, played with a Fender Twin Reverb and an Orange head/ Mesa cab.  It is fitting that — along with being a great recording engineer — he would have an equally great guitar setup.  Algernon switched it up with their set, playing some songs they normally don’t.  During the last song Nick (of Ape Up) played drums while Tank, drummer of Algernon, danced around on stage, smiling the whole time.

Up last on both days was Street Smart Cyclist.  It’s clear how much an impact this band had on people by the fact that this first reunion show sold out in less than a day.  Many people came out on the first day, despite the snowstorm making travel unsafe and difficult.  At one point during the set, John Galm was singing while being held nearly upside down by the crowd.  On the second night, the crowd’s singing seemed louder than the entire band.

After getting much needed sleep (and burritos), the next day we were prepared for the second show. Up first on the second day was the band Boyfriends, featuring members of 1994! and Snowing (which, in turn, features former members of Street Smart Cyclist). Already at this point of the show it seemed there were more people than the day before.  Thankfully, the weather was cooperating.

Next up, MIDI and the Modern Dance, some of Connecticut’s finest young boys.  Their live show is reminiscent of Titus Andronicus —  Omeed Goodarzi’s vocals will make you fall in love. The show featured a second Connecticut band immediately following: My Heart To Joy.  I play in this band, so while it wouldn’t be quite fair to review our set,  I will give the crowd an “A” for reaction. Bands coming to the Lehigh Valley should be on the lookout for this crowd in the coming year.

Stay Ahead of the Weather played after My Heart To Joy — these guys and The World put on my favorite sets of the weekend.  The recorded material features members of Into it Over It, Native, and Castevet, and they’re part of the No Sleep Records roster. They played a flawless set, and it was great to see Evan (Into It Over It), normally a solo acoustic performer, play electric guitar with a full band.  He can work a close crowd while playing solo, and manages to captivate an audience while leading a whole band.

These two days were amazing.  I got to see some of my favorite bands and best friends — what else could someone ask for?  It was absolutely worth the five-plus-hour drives there and back.