Free Energy: So Mayo

by Katie

Are you familiar with the Miracle Whip ad campaign that casts condiment selection as an act of rebellion? Let me refresh you:

Essentially, this ad asks you to rebel against the mainstream (which we know is boring and straight-laced and uncool because we have a vague understanding of the punk ethos being aped in this ad) and express your radical individuality by buying things—specifically things that declare your unique and, most importantly, cool life. In this case, they want you to buy a sandwich spread. Because mayonnaise (which I will risk my cred to say on the record: IS DELICIOUS) is not rock and roll—or so Miracle Whip says.

I tell you this not to draw attention to the corporate adoption of outsider movements to shill things unrelated to those movements, but to provide context for my reaction to Free Energy’s show at the Rock and Roll Hotel: “Soooooo mayo.”

Maybe I meant the opposite of “so mayo” but Miracle Whip failed to provide me with a pithy expression for “nonspecific, nonthreatening rebellion that dresses and sometimes talks a little like actual rebellion.”

Sunday night, Free Energy played a series of optimistic anthems for the college set. When I noticed the overwhelming number of fist-pumping dudes present, I had an idea of why the bouncer and bartender were being exceptionally nice to the girl who showed up in an oversized tank top and a cloud of her own b.o. Later, I made the mistake of smiling back at some weird guy who spent the rest of the show turning around to weirdly smile at me even after I started creeping away. I was too busy being sad that I missed the Miniature Tigers’ entire set despite getting out of work almost 10 minutes early!

Where was I? Oh right. Free Energy. They’re energetic performers with a knack for working the crowd into a frenzy during songs like “Bang Pop” and “Dark Trance.” The guitar solos are studied homages to dramatic 70s rock-and-roll. Lyrics like “This is all we’ve got tonight/We are young and still alive,” “They need a song to tell them it’s gonna be okay/Hope child,” “Then we’ll know who we are/na na na na na na na” demonstrate the band’s unfailing optimism and seize-the-day attitude, but still sound like a condiment company trying to sell me counter-culture. In a room full of college-aged boys who want to rebel just enough to look cool, but not enough to alienate their friends or family, I had the strong feeling that the fans jumping around and throwing their arms in the air were too boring for me.

That said, I don’t doubt the Philly-based band will be successful. Their lyrics are straightforward and positive, and they write classic-rock–influenced songs with more hooks than a tackle box. Cases in point:

and

Ok, full disclosure: I stopped watching “Bang Pop” because the singer is in the women’s room and I didn’t want that weirdness to ruin the song for me. (Pro tip: dudes, don’t follow women into the restroom; it’s creepy!) Nonetheless, that song is super fun, right? For all the comparisons I made to shitty condiment ads, I do enjoy a lighthearted rock song, a dramatic guitar solo, and a built-in verse for crowd participation.

The other reason Free Energy will do well for themselves?

They’re quite conventionally good-looking guys who wear crazy clothes. The singer might be the only person in the world I could beat in a push-up contest.

Ultimately, they’re not my thing in large doses, but Free Energy are entertaining performers who seem to love and be humbled by all the fans at their shows.

(Photo via Myspace)