Sweet Serenade

JACKSONVILLE - For tattoo artist Chubbs, it was just another day at Bombs Away Tattoo.

For John Vesely, lead singer of Secondhand Serenade, it was a chance to carry a little piece of North Carolina with him for the rest of his life.

Secondhand Serenade was one of three national alternative rock acts, along with Thriving Ivory and I Hate Kate, in town for the Bob 93.3 Listener Appreciation Show at Hooligan's. Prior to the doors opening, band members wandered the area, meeting with fans, talking on the radio, enjoying local fare, making tour videos and even receiving tattoos.

"I'm getting a Japanese lotus on my left elbow," Vesely said. "I'm a huge fan of Japanese art and I just want something very beautiful and balanced and artistic."

For the front man of a band likely to have the No. 1 single in the country, Bombs Away seemed like the perfect place to go.

"It's right next door to the venue and it is a great shop with good artists here," said Vesely. "I won't pass it up."

Seizing upon opportunity is a strength of Vesely. As sole lyricist of Secondhand Serenade, Vesely has made a style out of using every new song as an opportunity to say all he needs to say to the people in his life.

"I write in a really kind of literal, honest way," said Vesely. "It's almost just like directly to that person, hence Secondhand Serenade. All of it goes to one person and then I go out and play it to everybody else."

His sophomore album, A Twist In My Story, is a slight departure for the artist. It chronicles the darker side of love and relationships, coinciding with the difficult events in his life, mainly a divorce from his wife, although he has yet to confirm that she is the someone to whom he refers.

"This album is kind of a tough album," said Vesely. "It's a dark album. Most of the album was pretty much written about somebody I've been very close to for a long time."

Following such a dark period in his own life, the current tour with Thriving Ivory offers a new, and perhaps cathartic, experience with fellow musicians with which Vesely feels a certain sense of camaraderie.

"I love Thriving Ivory," Vesely said. "They're such great guys and so talented. I was a big fan of them before we went on tour so it's been a great situation for me."

The admiration is mutual from Thriving Ivory's singer Clayton Stroope, drummer Paul Niedermier, keyboardist Scott Jason, bassist Bret Cohune and guitarist Drew Cribley.

"It's really cool for us," said Cohune. "It's kind of like a rat pack of guys after the shows because we all go out, play pool or whatever. For us it's a new experience and it's fun."

Although they have been playing together for more than six years, it is also the group's first big tour promoting their self-titled debut album.

"When we first started it wasn't too serious," Stroope said. "We were playing parties in the college town where we lived. It wasn't until we started playing outside of our area that things started getting more serious."

"I feel like from the start there's always been an eye on making it," said Cribley. "There was a lot of attention behind it and drive from the get-go. I was in a couple other bands beforehand and this one definitely had the most drive like we're going to do this for real and everything we do we're going to do the best we can."

According to Stroope, another change from the start is the sound of his own voice. It's one of many aspects in the band's sound that sets them apart from what Niedermier calls the numerous "screamo and emo" groups.

"A lot of people when they first hear it actually think I'm a woman," said Stroope. "But I don't know. I definitely sounded a lot different when we first started and I guess I just kind of found my own way to sing over the years."

As the group took the stage at Hooligan's before a sold-out crowd Stroope began belting out Runaway. From that first song, it was apparent the crowd was fans not only of his voice but of all the band had to offer, from relatable and sincere lyrics to a tight, dramatic musical sound.

Fans were revved up by the opening act of I Hate Kate, which showed mastery in gaining crowd participation, and couldn't get enough of Thriving Ivory. Front man Stroope was a crowd-pleaser to whom women screamed adoring comments, even overshadowing the headliner.

Vesely and his backing band received their due from the crowd however, particularly when they began to play their hot single ‘Fall For You,' currently eyeing the top slot on the Top 40 chart. The glow of hundreds of cell phones replaced lighters, softly lighting the crowd as they swayed and sang along.

A crowd singing along is a sign to both bands that they are doing something right.

"I'm really just looking for people who want to connect with my music and really feel something for the music," said Vesely. "In those situations, the shows are great. People are singing and smiling and having a good time."

"Singing the same songs every night can get old," Stroope said. "But a really good crowd that's energetic and stuff brings a new energy to it. So every night is new and exciting because we're playing for new people who are excited. It might be their first time hearing it live so in a way it's like our first time."

Before the show, Thriving Ivory was apprehensive the crowd would be more familiar with their music than others on the current tour in light of the fact that top 40 radio station Bob 93.3 has been playing the band's first single ‘Angels on the Moon' with great success in eastern North Carolina.

Afterward, as both bands mingled with fans who stayed behind, it was obvious members of both groups were elated, proving that any good concert is a give-and-take between the artists on stage and the audience in the crowd.

"All of us, Secondhand and us, were backstage right after talking and agree that this was the best crowd of the tour so far," said Cohune. "It's not to say the other cities weren't great but tonight they were really into it, excited and singing along.

"Everyone who came out should be really proud."