The word ‘emo’ has caused enough damage. It’s got to go. What used to be a relatively fair descriptor for transitioning ‘80s hardcore and its ‘90s descendents has turned into an unspecific, trite, and all-but-meaningless cliché.
Well, to be fair, it turned into a cliché a long time ago.
But only recently have former ‘emo’ users and abusers been able to realize the destructive nature of their problem. The pejorative connotations of the word make any and all attempts to ‘take back’ the word misguided and ultimately fruitless. Stop. Stop using it. ‘Emo’ is gone. Forever. Damn, I didn't even mean to use it two sentences ago. I better start calling it ‘The E word.’ Yes, that’ll make people forget about it. Genius.
Now: The disbanded pop-punk group Hey Mercedes is getting back together for a two-show stint: one a straight ahead rock gig in Milwaukee (in fact, it's pronounced "mill-e-wah-que," which is Algonquin for "the good land."), the other a grand-opening shindig for Threadless’ new retail store in Chicago. The latter will be free, granted you stop by said retail location after it opens September 10 and pick up, at the most, two tickets. Like those free movie preview passes you sometimes get when you test drive a car, tickets do not guarantee entry.
Note: If you care about what TMT thinks, Nanna’s last City on Film LP featured a certain Minus the Bear backing him up. ‘E Word’ to the max... WOOPS!
09.13.07 – Milwaukee, WI – Cactus Club *
09.14.07 – Chicago, IL – The Metro #
* The Response & New Ruins
# Anathallo & Freer