Images: Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate), Warren Franklin and the Founding Fathers March 18, 2012 at Yayo Taco

Emo revivalist fans crammed into Yayo Taco on March 18 to see a giant of the genre – Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate)  – play an intimate show with labelmates Warren Franklin and the Founding Fathers. Or perhaps crammed is an understatement, as the tiny Mexican restaurant was more crowded than just about any other show I’ve attended there, sans Touche Amore. Wedged. Compacted. Packed.

Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate) is one of the bands who have been leading the charge in bringing back that atmospheric, moody mid-90s style emo, the kind that Mineral and American Football did so well, both through their own, similar style music and band leader Keith Latinen’s label Count Your Lucky Stars Records (of which Warren Franklin is signed to). Obviously this type of sound is resonating with a lot of young people and, as an unrepentant fan of the genre, it’s nice to see a couple of bands who firmly fit within that style helping to take back the term “emo” from the mall rock bands of the early 2000s.

Latinen has such a unique voice and I know it has been the cause some people’s unwillingness to give the band a chance. But really, it’s the power and emotion he puts into singing, which is especially evident live, that makes this band so special. Combine that with twinkling guitars and poetic lyrics and you get an idea just why the band is quickly building a base of passionate fans.

Interestingly enough, Warren Franklin and the Founding Fathers, which featured the exact same lineup as Empire! Empire! but with Franklin and Latinen swapped, have about 90% less in common with the aforementioned Mineral and American Football. Franklin’s ultra-catchy tunes sound like what would happen if The Get Up Kids’ Matt Pyror fronted the E Street Band, particularly “Bro Down Knows No Bounds,” which on record includes a brass section. It might sound like a weird fit but Franklin pulls it off fantastically and won at least one new fan that night.

-Emily Matview | https://www.flickr.com/photos/holdfastnow/